China

Geography

Geography

• Only 7% of China is arable land and it has been declining.

• Majority of the population lives in the Southeast.

• The big cities are overcrowded. • China has a very diverse landscape with

mountainous regions, deserts, forrests and metropolitan areas.

Ancient Rice Terraces “Dragon’s Back”

South West China: Video Clip

Urban

• China is divided between very modern and very rural.

• Modern areas have a lot of wealth.

Urban

Urban Areas

• China’s “Little Emperors” vs. Tiger Mothers

• 1 child policy • Just like in the U.S.

more grandparents are taking care of children because both parents work.

Urban Problems• Overcrowding• Pollution• Spitting• Traffic/ bad

driving

Rural

• Many rural areas are impoverished.

• Family planning is not enforced in rural areas.

• Many children work to help support their families.

Karst Hills, South China

Southwest China

• Illegal mines

Government

• Ruled by the Chinese Communist Party since 1949.

• Has a market economy. • Been described as “Communist with a heavy

capitalism infrastructure.”• Uneven distribution of wealth.

Censorship

• 12 of the top 100 global sites on the internet are blocked there.

• Any content with references to the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, freedom of speech, democracy, and foreign media websites like BBC.

• The uprisings in Egypt were censored.

Entertainment

• Shopping• Nightclubs/karaoke• Basketball

Food

• Not Americanized Chinese food.

• Chinese meals have evolved keeping in mind the yin and the yang of the dishes. – Yin (wet and moist) and

Yang (dry and crisp.)– Families split dishes.– Proper to leave food on

your plate when full.

Cantonese: “Anything that walks, swims, crawls, or flies with its back to Heaven is edible."

Customs and Etiquette

• Say “hi” using a head nod. • Respect elders. • Don’t hug or kiss in public.• Parents typically don’t tell children that they

“love them.” It is seen as weird

Customs and Etiquette

• It’s rude to use a figure to motion for someone to come closer. They put their hands parallel to the floor and push the fingers down towards the floor.

• The more important you are, the later you can be to business functions.

• You call your friend’s parents by the term they use for them. Ex. Calling your friend’s Grandma “Popo.”

Numbering System

Ancient Roots • People in China date their history very far

back. A hundred years is still recent. • Ancestry is very important there.

Philosophies

• Confucianism-the source of values, and the social code in China.

• Legalism • Daoism• Buddhism• Some people practice aspects of all of these.

Confucius • Created by Kung Fu-tse (“Confucius”)

• 5 Relationships to Restore Order– Ruler and ruled– Father and son– Older brother and younger brother– Husband and wife– Friend and friend

• The superior person should set an example and is responsible for the well-being of the inferior person. – Ex. Older siblings get punished if younger siblings act out.

• Family and the good of society is put above the individual.

Legalism

• Popular in early China during the warring states period (before 206 BCE.)

• Rejected Confucian ideas of proper behavior. • Believed people acted out of their own self-

interest and would only respond to punishments and rewards.

• Setting good examples didn’t matter. • Only harsh laws by a ruler would keep order.

Taoism • Book: Tao Te Ching by Lao-zi• The Tao – “the way”– “ Those who know the Tao do not speak of it; those

who speak of it do not know it.”• The best government is the one with the fewest

rules. • By living in harmony with the natural order of

things, all can be happy. – Ex. A bird should be a bird and a fish a fish. It is useless

for a fish to try to fly or a bird to try to live underwater.

The Vinegar Tasters• Buddha- Vinegar is

bitter because life is full of suffering.

• Kung Fu-tse- Vinegar is sour because the present was out step with the past.

• Lao zi- Vinegar is sweet because anyone can be in harmony with life.