Transcript China and Its Neighbors

China and Its Neighbors
Ch. 6
Pgs. 160-186
Section 1
Land and Economy
China
• Officially called the People’s Republic of
China
• 3rd largest country in terms of lands size
– Slightly larger than the U.S.
Land and Climate
• Mountains cover 1/3rd of the country
– Himalaya, Kunlun Shan, Tian Shan, and Altay
• Plateau of Tibet
– Called “the roof of the world”
– Worlds largest plateau
• Turpan depression= 505ft below sea level
– Filled with salt lakes
– Hottest area of China
Land and Climate cont.
• Gobi desert
– Desert made of rocks and stones
• Fertile plains
– On the eastern and southern coasts
– Most people in China live here
Rivers
• Yangtze, Yellow, Xi
• Serve as important transportation routes
• Source of soil from floods
Yellow river
• Called “China’s sorrow”
• Floods have killed thousands and caused
much damage
• Built dams and dikes (high banks of soil)
to control the flooding
3 Gorges Dam
• Built across the Yangtze River
•Helps
•control flooding
•Allow large ships to travel
inland (reduce trade costs)
•Hydro electric power
•Problems
•Reservoir will flood more than
100 towns
•1.2 million people will be forced
to move
•Wash away 1,000 historical
sites
•Underwater industrial sites
could leak hazardous wastes
•Pollutants from towns could
leak into the reservoir
Unsteady Land
• Ring of Fire
– Pacific Coastal areas with volcanoes and
frequent earthquakes
• Eastern China lies on a fault or crack in
the earths crust
– Causes many earthquakes
Communist State
• Communist since 1949
• Government has strong control over the
economy and society
• Government officials decide what crops
are grown, what products are made, and
what prices are charged
A New Economy
• China discovered that communism had
many problems
– Behind in technology
– Manufactured goods were poor in quality
• Leaders have taken steps to make the
economy stronger
– Allowed some free enterprise systems
• Government allows individuals to choose jobs,
start their own businesses, grow crops they want,
and keep profits they make.
• Result, China’s economy has boomed
Foreign Trade
• China asks other countries to invest or put
money into businesses
• Many companies are owned by both
Chinese and foreign investors
• Benefits
– Pay Chinese workers less
– Large population= millions of possible
customers
Results of Growth
• More people in China are able to get a job
in manufacturing and service industries
• Wages have increased
• Better standard of living
• Can afford some consumer goods
– TV
– Car
– Motorcycle
Problems with Growth
• Not everyone has adjusted to the new
economy
• Prices are rising faster than incomes
• Has hurt the environment
– Factories dump chemicals into the rivers
– Burning coal causes air pollution
• Leads to lung disease (#1 cause of death in China)
Hong Kong and Macau
• Important cities to China’s economic
changes
• Both controlled by European countries
– Hong Kong= Great Britain until 1997
– Macau= Portugal until 1999
• “One country, Two country system”
– Promise to allow western freedoms and
capitalism to exist side by side with Chinese
communism
Section 2
China’s people and culture
Overview
• China’s population = 1.27 billion
– 1/5 of the worlds population
– 92% belong to the Han Chinese ethnic group
– 8% belong to 55 other ethnic groups mostly in
western China
• Struggle to protect their traditions from the Han
Chinese
China’s History
• 4,000 year old civilization
• Until the early 1900s emperors and
empresses ruled China
• Dynasty= line of rulers from a single family
– Would hold power until overthrown and a new
dynasty would begin
• Under the dynasties China built a highly
developed civilization
Great Wall
• Chinese tried to keep foreign invaders out
• Most borders are natural barriers
– Deserts, seas and mountains
• To defend northern border the Great Wall
was started 2,200 years ago
• Over the centuries the wall was
lengthened and rebuilt
• It would eventually stretch 4,000 miles
Culture
• Confucius or Kongfuzi (500 B.C.)
– Chinese thinker
– Be polite, honest, brave, and wise
– Children should obey parents
– Respect elderly
– Obey countries rulers
Culture cont.
• Laozi
– Created Daoism
• People should live simply and in harmony with nature
• Buddhism
– Came to China from Central Asia (100 A.D.)
– Prayer, right thoughts, and good deeds can help
relieve people from life’s problems
• China now has a mixture of Confucius, Daoism,
and Buddhism
Inventions
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Paper
Silk
Magnetic Compass
Printing Press
Gun Powder
Fireworks
Communist China
• During 1700s and 1800s foreign countries
used military power to force China to trade
• Wanted tea, silks, and pottery
• Great Britain and other European
countries
Communist China cont.
• 1911 Chinese began to feel that the
emperor was too weak
• Uprising occurred led by western educated
Dr. Sun Yat-sen
• Emperor was overthrown and China
became a republic with elected leaders
Communist China cont.
• Disorder followed
• Fighting broke out after WWII between
Nationalists and Communists
– Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek
– Communists led by Mao Zedong
• 1949 Communists won and created the
Peoples Republic of China
• Nationalists fled to the island of Taiwan
and set up their own government there.
China’s Government
• In 1949 Communists completely changed
the mainland of China
• All land and factories were now owned by
the government
• Dams and agricultural improvements
brought some economic benefits
• Many individual freedoms were lost
• Many were killed for opposing
Communism
China’s Government cont.
• Mao died in 1976
• Deng Xiaoping was successor to Mao
– Allowed people to have more economic freedoms
• Government still denied many economic
freedoms and would act harshly against any
opposition
– In 1989 in Tiananmen Square thousands of students
protested the government calling for democracy. The
government responded with a military force that killed
hundreds and arrested thousands
China’s Government cont.
• Countries around the world have protested
China’s treatment of its people
• Pushes for human rights and basic
freedoms
• Some countries even threaten to refuse to
trade with the Chinese
Tibet
• Tibet was once a separate Buddhist
kingdom until China took control in the
1950
• People of Tibet have demanded
independence
• The Dalai Lama (Buddhist leader of Tibet)
was exiled to India
– Exile- when a person is unable to live in their
own country due to their political beliefs
Rural Life
• 64% of China’s people live in rural areas
• Often use hand tools
• Life in villages is improving
Urban life
• More than 460 million people live in cities
• People are leaving farms and going to the
cities in hopes of finding better pay
• Very crowded
• Most homes have heat, electricity, and
water
• More leisure time to do recreational
activities
China’s Culture
• Famous for its traditional arts
– Painting
– Sculpture
– Architecture
• Calligraphy- beautiful writing
– There are more than 50,000 characters in the
Chinese language
– Average person knows only around 5,000
China’s Culture
• Porcelain is made from coal dust and
white clay
• Pagodas- Many storied Buddhist towers
Food
• Foods differ from region to region
• Typical meal includes vegetables with
meat or fish and rice or noodles
• Soup often used as well
Section 3
China’s Neighbors
Taiwan
• Has one of the world’s most prosperous
economies
– High technology industries- computers
– Agriculture
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Rice
Sugarcane
Citrus fruits
Tea
soybeans
Taiwan’s history
• Part of China for centuries
• 1895 Japan took the island over
– Developed economy but harsh to people
• Returned to China after Japan was defeated in
WWII
• 1949 Chinese Nationalists and 1.5 million
refugees came to Taiwan to escape Communist
rule
• Still calls itself a Chinese country and a Chinese
province
• Some would like to see it become independent
Taiwan’s People
• Population 22.5 million
• 75% of people live in cities
• Taipei the capital city is the most populous
city with 2.6 million
Mongolia
• Landlocked country
• Much of the country is covered by steppes
– Dry treeless plains at the edge of deserts
• Land of extremes
– Very little rain fall
– Dust storms
– Hot summers
– Freezing winters
Mongolia’s people
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People were nomads for centuries
Tend sheep, goats, cattle, or camels
Famous for horse riding skills
85% of the people are Mongols
Speak Mongol
60% live in urban areas
Ulaanbaatar capital and most populous
city
History
• Known as fierce fighters in the past
• 1200 Genghis Khan led the mongol armies in a
series of war to create the largest empire in
history
– Stretched from China all the way to eastern Europe
• 1300s empire weakened and fell apart
• 1924 Mongolia gained its independence from
China
• Created a Communist satellite of the USSR
• Became a democracy in 1990
Culture
• Some still live a nomadic life style
– Live in yurts
• Large round tents made from animal skin
• Favorite meal is boiled sheeps meat with rice
and tea
• Naadam Festival
– Biggest event of the year
– Consists of events such as archery, horse racing, and
wrestling
• Buddhism is the major religion