Chinese Pinyin (1958)

Download a copy of Standard Pinyin at http://karikas.com/chinese/

Pinyin Song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9Ayvj

y-Dgs

Significance of Pinyin

Adopted by the Library of Congress for its new catalogs

Released Chinese from the old burden of recognizing character such as 直 音 & 反 切

Like the ASCII code -- American Standard Code for Information Interchange-- or “Unicode,” Pinyin makes it possible to use computer technology for communication, printing, and handling data both at home and abroad

Chinese Phonetics

Chinese ‘Alphabet’ –V for ü in typing Initials (Consonants) Finals (Vowels)

--Simple Finals

--Compound Finals

--Nasal Finals

Tone Marks (Four Tones on the main vowel) Dividing Marks as in Xī’ān or Hǎi’ōu

Tones Determine the MeaningA Classical Joke

First tone: mā mother (妈 )Second tone: má hemp (麻 )Third tone: mǎ horse (马 )Fourth tone: mà to curse (骂 )

Chinese NamesLast name first; first name last

Surname xìng 姓 Nee shì 氏 Given name míng 名 Courtesy name (Styled) zì 字 Artistic name or pseudonym, hào 号 Posthumous title shìhào 谥号 Temple name miàohào 庙号

Identify the last nameSima Qian/Sun Yat-sen

(ca. 145 BC – 86 BC)/1866 – 1925

Tricky NamesA little Cultural Knowledge Could Go a Long Way

贾经理【 jiǎ jīnglǐ 】• Manager or Director Jia

贾 /假【 jiǎ 】 fake; sham 总经理【 zǒngjīnglǐ 】

• general manager

傅【 fù 】 a surname副【 fù 】 deputy; assistant; vice-

傅总经理【 fùzǒngjīnglǐ】

Two Writing StylesWelcome

Simplified

欢迎

Traditional

歡迎

Can you handle this?Biáng Biáng Miàn

Chinese Radicals (Latin Radix for Root)

木 Tree/Wood

林 grove

森 forest

Name change for a capital 首都名字变迁

The example of Xi’an 西安

The city was named "Fenghao" (丰鎬 ) in the Zhou Dynasty beginning around 1046 BCE. It was renamed Chang'an (長安 ) by Liu Bang, the founding emperor during the Han Dynasty in 206 BCE. It was then renamed as Daxing (大興 ) during the Sui Dynasty in 581 CE, then renamed Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty beginning in 618 CE. It was given other names in later periods, such as Fengyuan (奉元 ), then Anxi (安西 ), then Jingzhao (京兆 ) during the Yuan Dynasty. Finally, it was named Xi'an in the year 1369 CE during the Ming Dynasty. It retained the name of Xi'an until 1928, until it was named Xijing (西京 ) in 1930. It was once again changed back to its Ming-era name of Xi'an in the year 1943.

Xi'an's abbreviations in Chinese are Hao (鎬 ) or Tang (唐 ). The former abbreviation is derived from the ancient name Fenghao of the Zhou Dynasty. The latter one is derived from the name of Tang Dynasty.

ROC vs. PRCNational Party vs. Communist PartyJiang Jieshi (Jiang Kai-shek) vs. Mao Zedong

The Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan nowadays, developed out of the Wuchang Uprising against the Qing Dynasty on 10 October (Double Ten Day) in 1911 under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan, father of modern China).

The People's Republic of China (PRC, since 1949), commonly known as China, is the most populous state in the world with over 1.3 billion people. Located in East Asia, it is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party of China (CPC).

中国地图【 Zhōngguódìtú 】map of china

China and Its Neighbors

Administrative Divisions行政区划【 xíngzhèng qūhuà】

Political Administrative Divisions行政区划【 xíngzhèng qūhuà】

Direct-controlled municipality is the highest level classification for cities used by People's Republic of China (PRC, 1949, refers to the mainland China),

直辖市【 zhíxiáshì 】 (n) directly governed city region (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing).

Provinces (22 + Taiwan pending)Alphabetically Listed

1. Anhui; 2. Fujian; 3. Gansu; 4. Guangdong;

5. Guizhou; 6. Hainan; 7. Hebei; 8. Henan;

9. Heilongjiang; 10. Hubei; 11. Hunan; 12. Jilin;

13. Jiangsu; 14. Jiangxi; 15, Liaoning; 16. Qinghai; 17. Shandong; 18. Shanxi; 19. Shaanxi; 20. Sichuan; 21. Yunnan; 22. Zhejiang;

Taiwan—disputed status at the moment;

Minority Autonomous Regions (5)& Their Capitals

内蒙古自治区【 nèiněnggǔzìzhìqū 】 the Nei Monggol (Inner Mongolia) Autonomous Region (1947), Huhhot;

新疆维吾尔自治区【 xīnjiāngwéiwú'ěrzìzhìqū 】 The Xinjiang Uygur (Uighur) autonomous region (1955), Wrumqi;

广西壮族自治区【 guǎngxīzhuàngzúzìzhìqū 】 The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region (1957), Nanning;

宁夏回族自治区【 Níngxiàhuízú zìzhìqū 】 Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (1957), Yinchuan;

西藏自治区【 xīzàngzìzhìqū 】 the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region (1965), Lhasa;

特别行政区【 tèbiéxíngzhèngqū 】Special Administrative Region (2)

One Country; Two Systems

Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on 20 December 1999.

The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer.

Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the First Opium War (1839–1842). Originally confined to Hong Kong Island, the colony's boundaries were extended in stages so as to include the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories by 1898. It was occupied by the Japanese during the Pacific War, after which the British resumed control until 1997, when China regained sovereignty. The Basic Law stipulates that Hong Kong shall enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign relations and military defense.

Chinese Ethnic Groups 56

Han Ethnic Group 95.3% 55 Minority Ethnic Groups http://uwch-4.humanities.washington.edu

/~WG/~188/Cultural%20Notes/

China ProperGeographical Features

There are four areas within China Proper: In the north is the North China Plain (flat and

vulnerable, easily taken over by invaders); In the south is a region of low hills and wet

valleys; In the southeast is the Sichuan Basin, ringed

by mountains and accessible mainly via the gorges of the Yangzi River/Yangtze River, an ideal place for taking refuge. Chongqing is a city of fog.

In the northwest is a dry plateau;

The Kunlun Mountains &The Bayan Har Mountains

The Kunlun Mountains 崑崙山 is one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km.

From the Pa’mirs of Ta’jikistan, it runs east along the border between Xinjiang and Tibet autonomous regions to the Sino-Tibetan ranges in Qinghai province. It stretches along the southern edge of what is now called the ‘Ta’rim Basin, the infamous Takla Makan or "sand-buried houses" desert, and the Gobi desert.

The Bayan Har mountains (Mongolian: Bayan Har Uul; 巴颜喀拉山脉 ; Bāyánkālā shānmài) are a mountain range in Qinghai province, People's Republic of China and a branch of the Kunlun Mountains. It separates the drainage areas of the Yellow and the Yangtze rivers, the source of the Yellow River is in the basin of Yueguzonglie

约古宗列盆地 , which is located in the northern part of the range. It is sort of like a Chinese Continental Divide.

The Yangzi River/Yangtze River长江【 Chángjiāng】

6,418 kilometres (3,988 mi)

The Yangzi/Yangtze Riverabout 6,380 km long

The Yangzi River, meaning a long river, originated in Bayan Har Mountains, flows through Sichuan and across central China (passing 11 provinces: Qinghai, Xizang/Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shanghai), to reach the Pacific near modern-day Shanghai; Note the Yangzi River marks the natural divide between the south and north;

Jiangnan RegionTwo Crops a Year (Rice Cultivation)

江南 [jiāngnán] south bank of the River—a region in the lower Changjiang (Yangtze) valley, including southern Jiangsu and Anhui and northern Zhejiang (much celebrated in poetry for its beauties and joys)

鱼米之乡【 yúmǐzhīxiāng 】 a land of fish and rice; a land of plenty.

A natural barrier/protection

The (Unpredictable) Course of the Yellow River

5,464 kilometers (3,395 mi)

The Yellow River passes the Loess Plateau 黄土高原 huángtǔ gāoyuán

The Loess Plateau is shaded.

Taming the Yellow River

Gun, in ancient times, used the method of blocking the flood;

Yu the Great, Gun’s son, used the method of diverting the flood;

Yu passed his own house three times but did not enter for a visit since he was so busy with taming the Yellow River…

The Yellow River黄河【 huánghé 】

5,464 kilometers (3,395 mi) The Yellow River rises in Qinghai and forms a long loop

called the Ordos 鄂尔多斯 before flowing across the North China Plain (passing 9 provinces: Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Neimeng/Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong) to the sea by Shandong peninsula; 山东半岛 . Chinese people have a dynamic relationship with the Yellow River. (See the DVD to understand the status of the Yellow River. Later we will revisit it and reflect at a philosophical level on how to tame the Yellow River)

Ordos, located in the southwestern side of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, separated from Huhehaote, Shanxi Province, Baotou, Bayannao'er League, Ningxia and Alashan League by a river on the east, north and west respectively, and next to Yulin City of Shaanxi Province on the south

Foolish Old Man Moving the Mountains vs. Yu the Great Taming

the Yellow River

愚公移山【 yúgōngyíshān 】

the Foolish Old Man removed the mountains.

to be resolute in one's endeavor, no matter what hardships one encounters

Taming the Yellow River: the Way

The natural way;事半功倍【 shìbàngōngbèi 】

get twice the result with half the effort.

Mount Tai, a Holy Mountain泰山【 tàishān】

Mt. Tai, a leader among five mountains

Mount Tai was originally known as Daizong or Daishan. Since Qin times (221–207 BC) it has also been known as Dongyue (“Eastern Mountain”), one of the five holy mountains of China, and has usually ranked as the first among them; the other four are: Mount Heng 衡

山 in Hunan province (south), Mount Hua 华山in Shaanxi province (west), Mount Heng 恒山in Shanxi province (north), and Mount Song 嵩

山 in Henan province (central).

Fengshan at Mt. Tai Historically important in the cult of official state rituals, Mount

Tai was the site of two of the most spectacular of all the ceremonies of the traditional Chinese empire. One of them, called feng, was held on top of Mount Tai and consisted of offerings to heaven; the other, called shan, was held on a lower hill and made offerings to earth. These ceremonies are often referred to together as fengshan (worship of heaven and earth) and were believed to ensure a dynasty's fortunes or for cultural Legitimation. Emperors and Empires have to meet certain standards for Fengshan.

They were carried out at rare intervals—during the Xi (Western) Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 25) in 110, 106, 102, and 98 BC; during the Dong (Eastern) Han dynasty (AD 25–220) in AD 56; and by emperors of the Tang dynasty (618–907) in 666 and again in 725. See Shiji 28: The Treatise on the Feng and Shan Sacrifices.

Sunrise at Mt. Tai泰山归来不看岳

天坛【 Tiāntán 】the Temple of Heaven

The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. It is regarded as a Taoist temple, although Chinese Heave worship, especially by the reigning monarch of the day, pre-dates Taoism.

Beijing National StadiumBird Nest 鸟巢【 niǎocháo】

Beijing National Stadium 北京国家体育场 ; (Běijīng Guójiā Tǐyùchǎng), also known as the National Stadium (国家体育场 ) or colloquially as the Bird's Nest (鸟巢 ), is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games.

不到长城非好汉【 bùdàochángchéngfēihǎohàn 】

He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man.

Since the 5th century BC, several walls have been built that were referred to as the Great Wall. One of the most famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains; the majority of the existing wall were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).

The Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan 山海关in the east to Lop Nur (Lake Lop 罗布泊 ) in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia.

“ ”因地形，用险制塞On topography/terrain, use narrow passes to

make a strategic point