Photostory Notes on China
China is one of the oldest cultures in the world. It is at least 6,000 years old.
It is a country with a diverse landscape; from the rice terraces of the Yuan Yuang region, life along the Yellow River, the mountainous regions of Tibet, to the urban areas of Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong.
The multifaceted faces of the people reflect the distinctive regions of this country. Each region has its own identifying characteristics. But with the building of state super highways, the regions are intermingling and unfortunately, China’s people are losing their uniqueness.
They are in constant struggle to preserve the past yet welcome the future. Many ancient structures are being demolished to make way for an expanding economy and newer, more modernized buildings. As the population increases, the demand for living space increases.
It is the fourth largest country and the most populated. There are 1.4 billion people living in China. Globally, one out of every five people is Chinese. Most of the population bicycle or use motorized bicycles to go to their destinations, but as the cities become more modernized, cars are becoming more prevalent. This present a problem with traffic, the roads were not designed to move that many cars about. Along the rivers, people use boats to get around. There are several forms of taxis available; by boat, rickshaw, or mini-car.
Traditional jobs are still common place, whether it is being a grain or rice farmer in Guilin, a noodle vendor, selling fruit on the street that has been washed in the river, a fisherman, a seafood seller on a boat, or being a street butcher; but with a new economy there has been a new influx of “modern” jobs in tourism, factory work and technology opportunities.
There are many types of traditional medicine; herbal remedies, acupuncture and the ancient use of fire cupping.
Ancient china has been responsible for many inventions or discoveries. Gunpowder for fireworks was discovered after an alchemist mixed several ingredients together and the result made a hot flame with sparks. Ice cream was made by blending soft milk and rice in the snow. Noodles were not made in Italy first! The first calculator, an abacus, was created by ancient Chinese. Umbrellas and kites were first made in China. An ancient seismograph foretold of land movement over 2,000 years ago.
Traditional styles of houses, such as, hutongs (ancient alleyways typical of Beijing) and siheyans (four-sided houses with courtyards), are being demolished for high-rise apartments and urban structures.
There are 3 main types of religious structures. Shrines are small places of worship often built in houses. Temples were created for people to gather to worship. Pagodas were mostly built by Buddhists as a place to worship.
There are three main types of religion from ancient China. Buddhism, not being connected to worldly things. Confucianism, philosophies about behaving fairly and respecting others. Taoism, live in harmony with nature. Most modern Chinese have no religion.
Pastimes include a board game called ‘double sixes’; a popular exercise, tai chi; kung fu, a special type of boxing. Chinese opera is as popular today as it was in ancient times. It can last for days with everyone knowing the story. Masks are sometimes used by actors to portray multiple roles or convey strong emotions.
Acrobatics is a very popular attraction. Children showing a skill in a particular sport leave their families and attend specialized school.
Many emperors and rulers had tombs built in their honor. There were more built during the Ming Dynasty. One of the more famous tombs is of the Qin Dynasty ruler, the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang di (Chin sher hwang dee). He was buried with an astonishing 7,000 symbolic life-sized terracotta soldiers, horses, and chariots assembled to protect him in the next world.
Everyday objects were placed in the graves to make things easier for the dead person in the world of spirits, for serving in the life after death. One ruler’s tomb contained over 2,700 bronze objects, 4 musical instruments, over 100 chariot parts, 11 pieces of pottery and over 280 jade and stone objects.
The imperial palace,which is in the city of Beijing, was built in 1407, during the Qing dynasty. The name ‘forbidden’ refers to the fact that no one was allowed to enter or leave the palace without the emperor’s permission. It took 15 years to build with more than a million workers.
The Great Wall of China was mostly built to protect the Chinese Empire from invasions from the Mongolians, who attacked Chinese villages and stole their goods. The wall also protected traders helping to open the “Silk Road” for silk trading. It was built by linking together walls built by rulers of the different Chinese kingdoms.
China is a country of many festivals. Among those are the Spring Festival, the Horse Festival, Ice and Snow Festival. When a person is buried, they are given as big of a funeral as the family can afford. Traditionally there is funeral dancer and a dance of the dead.
Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later The 15th day of the New Year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.
China was the site for the Summer 2008 Olympics in Beijing with some events taking place in Hong Kong. The theme slogan was "One World, One Dream".
Shanghai was the site for the World’s Expo this year. There were 73.08 million visitors from May through October.
We received a grant from Fund for Teachers to embark on this amazing trip. For more information go to their website www.fundforteachers.org