Ni hao! That is the way we say hello in Mandarin, the most common language of my country. My name is Lijuan, which means “beautiful and gracious.” In my country, parents often name their children in honor of something special or a quality they hope their children will have. My parents told me they want me to grow up to be beautiful, not only on the outside but, more importantly, on the inside. I really like my name, and I want to live up to its meaning.

I’m sure you have already noticed that China is full of people. More people live in China than any other country in the world. In fact, more than 170 cities here have populations of more than 1 million. The United States only has nine cities that large. Most people in China live in the eastern part of the country. The western part is filled with mountains and deserts, making it more difficult for people to live and work there.

In my country it is very important to honor our families. One of the ways we do that is by studying very hard in school. We go to school six days a week and have a lot of homework every night. Our goal is to do well on an important test we must take when we graduate. The results of the test will determine what kind of college we can attend. We all want to go to the best schools so our parents will be proud of us!

There are many wonderful things about my country but I only have time to share just a few with you.. I will start with the Great Wall, a mammoth wall that winds more than 5,000 miles across China. The Great Wall is made up of many walls that were built centuries ago for protection against invaders. An estimated 2 million people died while working to build the Great Wall.

the Forbidden City, is located in Beijing, our nation’s capital, this palace complex was completed in 1420. For many years, the palace was home to the emperors who ruled China. It is called the Forbidden City because only members of the emperor’s family were allowed inside. For the rest—it was forbidden.

I wish I could take you to the Chinese opera as well as a performance by the Chinese acrobats. The opera would help you learn how stories are told in my country. The acrobats would amaze you by how nimble and talented they are.

We want to take time to do what people in China love to do most—make friends. Whether by drinking tea together or eating a meal with chopsticks, we will learn more about each other. I am sure you will come to love China as much as I do!

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; China’s total land area is about 3.7 million square miles, making it slightly smaller than the United States and the fourth largest nation in the world.

; China shares its borders with 14 other countries: Russia, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea border China’s eastern coast.

; Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, makes up part of the border of China and Nepal.

; The Gobi Desert is spread across much of northern China. At 500,000 square miles, this desert is almost twice the size of Texas!

; Because of its size, China has a variety of climates. Southern China is tropical, with warm temperatures and plentiful rainfall. Areas of northern China receive little to no rainfall, and temperatures swing between very hot and extremely cold.

; About 12 percent of China’s land is farmed. China leads the world in growing rice, wheat, potatoes and tea.

; Centuries ago, China came under the rule of various dynasties, or ruling families. Emperors (similar to kings) within a particular dynasty ruled until the family was overthrown or driven from power. The age of the dynasties ended in 1911.

; The giant panda is one of China’s most popular animals. The Chinese people call pandas “bear cats.”

; In ancient times, trade routes linked China to the Roman Empire. These routes became know as the Silk Roads. Since many of the roads led through rugged terrain, traders used camels as transportation.

; China’s flag is bright red with a large yellow star in the upper left corner. To the right of the star are four small yellow stars.

; China’s currency is the yuan. One yuan is worth about 16 cents.

; China’s population is about 1.4 billion, roughly 4½ times the number of people living in the United States. China is the world’s most populated nation.

; China’s largest city is Shanghai. Its population of 24 million makes it nearly three times the size of New York City. The name Shanghai means “upon the sea.”

; Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language, but Cantonese, Uyghur, Tibetan, Mongolian and Zhuang are official

languages too. In addition, the traditional languages of China’s many people groups are also spoken.

; In the spring, dust from the Gobi Desert blows eastward, blanketing many of China’s cities with a thick layer of dust. People in some areas avoid being outdoors or cover the faces to protect their eyes from blowing sand.

; Most children in China have no brothers or sisters because couples are allowed to have only one child. For a few people groups, this rule does not apply.

; Children in China attend school six days a week. Students are under a lot of pressure to do well in school so they can attend the best universities and honor their families.

; Most people in China’s cities live in small apartments in huge high-rise complexes. Children in the cities have cell phones, gaming systems, etc. In rural areas, people live in simply built homes and have only basic necessities.

; In rural China, people sometimes raise mulberry bushes. The mulberry leaves are used as food for silkworms. From its saliva, a silkworm spins a cocoon that is used to make silk cloth. Approximately 111 cocoons are needed to get enough silk for one man’s necktie!

; Soccer and basketball are popular sports in China, but ping-pong is equally popular. Stamp collecting is the most popular hobby.

; Each region and people group in China has its own style of preparing food. In some areas, food is hot and spicy; in other areas it is sweet. Rice is the most popular food across the country. Chopsticks are used instead of a knife and fork.

; In Mandarin, different tones are used to change the meaning of a word. The word ma can mean “mother” or “horse,” depending on the speaker’s tone.

; Traders traveling the Silk Road routes took China’s fine porcelain dishes back home with them. Europeans loved the dishes and called them china instead of porcelain. People still used the term china to refer to beautiful, dainty dishes.

; The giant pandas of China spend up to 14 hours a day eating. They only eat bamboo—about 30 pounds of it a day!

; In China, the word for rice and food is the same. Rice is typically eaten with every meal. A popular greeting in China is “Have you had your rice today?”

The Country

The People

Did you know?

7. Cut ¾-inch slices of dough. Roll each slice into a ball and then roll in sesame seeds. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.

8. Bake 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.

Serve your cookies the Chinese way—with tea!

You will need: ; Boiling water

; Tea bags of several different varieties

; Cups

What to do:

1. Pour boiling water into cups.

2. Place a teabag of choice into each cup.

3. Let teabags steep a couple of minutes

4. Try each variety of tea. Which do you like best?

Note: Milk and sugar are never added to tea in China. People drink tea slowly so they can enjoy the flavor. Also, teacups do not have handles; instead the cup is lifted with both hands. If the cup is too hot to handle, it is too hot to drink!

; It is considered bad manners to shake hands with someone while wearing gloves or sunglasses.

; Chinese is written in characters that represent pictures instead of letters. The Chinese language is said to have more than 80,000 characters, although only a few thousand are regularly used. By the time a child is 9 years old, she will know about 2,000 characters.

; Red is a popular color in China because it is believed to bring good fortune. People enjoy receiving red envelopes because gifts of money are put inside for birthdays and special occasions!

People in China eat foods that we would consider unusual, such as duck tongues, chicken feet and rooster combs. However, they think some of the foods we eat are equally unusual!

Here is a recipe you will enjoy.

You will need: ; 2 cups flour

; ¾ teaspoon baking powder

; ½ teaspoon baking soda

; ¼ teaspoon salt

; ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

; ½ cup shortening

; ¾ cup sugar

; ¼ cup brown sugar

; 1 egg

; 1 teaspoon almond extract

; ½ cup sesame seeds

What to do:1. In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients.

Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine butter, shortening, sugar and brown sugar until mixture is smooth and well blended.

3. Add egg and almond extract. Stir until well combined.

4. Add flour mixture and stir. The dough will be dry and stiff.

5. Shape the dough into two logs, each log about 10 to 12 inches long. Wrap each log in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator 4 hours or overnight.

6. When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Foods from China

Tea Time

Sesame Cookies

2. At a signal, the blindfolded girl should try to touch one of the other players. To make the game more difficult, the other girls should try to keep out of her way.

3. When the blindfolded girl touches another player, she must guess who her captive is by feeling her face and hair. If she guesses incorrectly, the game continues. If she is correct, the two girls exchange places.

People in China have great appreciation for painting, poetry and calligraphy (beautifully drawn letters). When all of these items appear together, it is called the three perfections.

You will need: ; Construction paper or poster board

; Pencil and paper

; Watercolors and brushes

; Ink pen

What to do:1. Sketch a picture on the poster board. (Most

paintings in China are of mountains, streams or other nature scenes.)

2. Use watercolors to paint the picture you have sketched.

3. While the paint dries, use the pencil and paper to write a poem about your life or the beauty of God’s creation.

4. When the paint is dry, use an ink pen or watercolors and a very thin brush to write the poem on the painting. Try to make your penmanship as elaborate as possible.

Chinese is a very difficult language to learn because the words and the tones used are equally important. Using the wrong tone can change the entire meaning of the word.

English - MandarinHere are several words in Mandarin:

Hello – Ni hao (nee-how)

Please – Qing (cheeng)

Thank you – Xie xie (shay shay)

Good-bye – Zai-jain (zigh-jee-in)

One – yi (ee)

Two – er (ar)

Three – san (sahn)

Four – si (suh)

Five – wu (woo)

Six – liu (lee-yoh)

Seven – qi (chee)

Eight – ba (baah)

Nine – jiu (jee-yoh)

Ten – shi (shuh)

Sayings from China

Here are some proverbs from China. What do you think they mean?

1. A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.

2. A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers.

3. Dig the well before you are thirsty.

4. If heaven made him, earth can find some use for him.

This is a fun game to play with a group of friends. It refers to an old Chinese fable about six men who could not see. Each man identified an elephant by feeling only a part of it. The man who felt the elephant’s leg thought the elephant was a tree. The man who felt the tail thought the elephant was a rope. The man who felt the trunk thought the elephant was a tree branch. The man who felt the ear thought the elephant was a fan. The man who felt the elephant’s side thought the elephant was a wall. The man who felt the tusk thought the elephant was a spear.

You will need: ; A blindfold

What to do:1. Select one girl to wear the blindfold.

Fable Game

Three Perfections

Make it Mandarin