Resources for teaching the geography of China

Most of the materials are case studies from textbooks, and are only a page or two long. Topics covered are in italics. China is changing so fast that parts of books may be out of date before they are published. (I have excluded resources which are very dated.) Apologies to authors of works I have not yet discovered. Please e-mail me if you find anything else suitable for inclusion.

Supplements:

  • The Economist surveys
  • The Financial Times produces one each year.
  • The Guardian has very useful large spreads on selected topics.
  • Understanding Global Issues ‘China in Transition’ 1994/10
  • UGI ‘The New China: Joining the World’ 1999

General Background/Reference

  • Benwick, R. and Donald, S. The State of China Atlas. A dramatic visual survey of the world’s fastest growing economy. £11.99 (Penguin 2000) ISBN 0140514589 Excellent.
  • Becker, J. The Chinese. Long but very interesting. (John Murray 2000).

 Hutchings, G. Modern China. A companion to a Rising Power. (Penguin 2000) Encyclopaedic. Amazing.

  • Palin, M. Full Circle 1997 (BBC) Chapter on China
  • Salisbury, H. and writers of the Associated Press. China. From the Long March to Tiannamen Square (Arum Press 1990) Digestible history with lots of pictures.
  • Turner, B. (ed) China Profiled. Statesman’s Yearbook. (Macmillan 2000).
  • Yangzi River Map (Odyssey Publications 2003). Features Three Gorges, source in Tibet, and major cities. Lots of info, maps, photos and text.

School level Books and Articles

KS 1 / 2

The April 2004 issue of Primary Geographer’ focuses on China.

  • Guile, M. ‘Culture in China’ (Heinemann 2003) KS2.
  • Keeler, S. ‘The Changing Face of China’ (Hodder Wayland 2002)
  • Lerner, B. ‘China in Pictures’. (Heinemann 2003)
  • Popper, G and Johnson, A ‘Big World: Li and Lilly May in China’ (Ravette 2001)
  • Macintosh, M. ‘The Three Gorges Dam’ in ‘Junior Education’ Nov 2002
  • Waterlow,J. ‘We Come From China’ (Hodder Wayland 2002) Family life.
  • Waterlow,J. ‘China (Letters from Around the World)’ (Cherrytree Books 2003)

KS 3/4

  • Barratt, J and Hickman, G. ‘Exploring China’. (Hodder and Stoughton 1997) *
  • Behnke, A. ‘China In Pictures’ Visual Geography Series (Lerner 2003) KS 2+3.
  • Field, C. ‘Nations of the World:China’ (Raintree 2003)
  • ** Higginbottom, T. and White, T. ‘China’ Heinemann Country Studies 2000 £6.99. KS4 Very good.
  • Waterlow, J. ‘Economically Developing China’ (Hodder Wayland 2001)

 Lim, J ‘Focus on China’ (Evans bros Ltd.1991) revised edn. £9.99 KS2/3

  • Pollard,M. ‘The Yangtze’ (Great Rivers Series) (Evans Bros 1997) KS 2/3/4
  • GeoActive Online (available on subscription )
  • Thun, M. ‘Recent Economic Development in China.’. Sep 2000.
‘Issues in an LEDC City, a China case Study’ April 2004.

Videos: ‘Changing China’ People and Place Series. (Chapter 4) With complimentary material in ‘People and Place’ by D. Waugh. Farming, Three Gorges, Forestry, Flooding and Farming, Township Enterprises and Migration, Shanghai. 2000 **

Chapters/case studies in books/magazines.

  • Beaumont et al ‘World Geography Core Book.’ Cambridge Geography Project. (Cambridge 1997) Economic development.
  • Bilham-Boult et al. ‘People, Places and Themes’. GCSE Bristol Project. OCR (Heinemann 2001) Floods, Three Gorges, population.
  • Bowen and Pallister ‘Understanding GCSE Geography’ (AQA A). (Heinemann 2002) HEP on Yangtze, One Child Policy.
  • Edwards and Webber. ‘Essential GCSE Geography. Current Issues and Future Scenarios’ (Nelson Thornes 2001) Population Control.
  • Hart,G. et al. ‘A New Introduction to Geography’ OCR 2001 Population and family planning.
  • Pallister at al. ‘Longman Geography for GCSE.’ New edn. 2001. Three Gorges, population policy and control.
  • Prosser,R. ‘The World, Places and Cases.’ (Stanley Thornes1998) Internal migration.
  • Van Noorden, P. ‘Contrasts in Living Conditions’ People and Environment series. (Cambridge University Press) Population policies.
  • Waugh, D. ‘People and Place’ (Nelson Thornes 2000) see Video above.
  • Waugh, D. ‘The New Wider World’ (several editions). (Nelson Thornes 2003). Population policy and changes. Three Gorges dam.
  • Waugh and Bushell ‘New Key Geography for GCSE’. (Nelson 2002) Population
  • Waugh and Gardiner Key Geography ‘Extensions’ (Nelson 1999) Population policies.
  • Widdowson, J. ‘Earthworks’ series Book2 (John Murray 1999) Population control. KS3
  • Widdowson. J. ‘Earthworks Plus’ (John Murray 2003) A very good unit (22 pages) on China with geography and citizenship issues. ***
  • Widdowson, Smith and Knill ‘GCSE Geography in Focus ‘. 2001 Population control, GM crops.
  • Global Eye produced by Worldaware (sets of 30 free) China features in issue 8, Spring 1999 and one currently under preparation with less common topics.

Aimed at KS 1-4. Website also good.

Teacher Reference

Nichols, A. with Kinninment, D. (eds)‘More Thinking Through Geography’. (Chris Kington Publishing 2001). Three Gorges Dam (concept mapping).

Roberts, M. ‘Learning through Enquiry: Making sense of geography in the key stage 3 classroom’. (Geographical Association 2003). Three Gorges etc.

AS + A level

 Money,D. ‘China in Change.’ (Hodder and Stoughton. 1996)

The following are part of subscription packages from publishers. They are excellent and up to date.

 GeoFactsheets

Geo Factsheet 108 ‘Shanghai-Pudong; Economic Miracle?’ Jan 2001 C.Goddard.

Geo Factsheet 114 ‘The Three Gorges Project’ April 2001 C.Goddard.

Geo Factsheet 152 ‘China’s Population Policy – An Update’ 2003 C.Goddard.

Geo Factsheet 153 ‘Chengdu: Sustainable Development’ 2003 C.Goddard

  • Geofile Online

‘Population Policies’ 454 Sep 2003 includes China Case Study.

‘China, Recent Industrial Development and trade patterns.’ Jan 2004

Case Studies in textbooks
  • Bermingham et al. 16–19 ‘Changing Environments’ (Heinemann 2000) Three Gorges. Very good. **
  • Bishop, V. ‘Hazards and Responses’ (second edition). (Collins 2001) Several hazards.
  • Bishop, V. and Prosser, R. ‘Water Resources: Process and Management’ (second edition). (Collins 2001) Flooding 1998, Three Gorges Dam.
  • Carr, M. ‘New Patterns, Processes and Change in Human Geography’ (Nelson 1997) Sustainable development, demographic change, primary health care, regional development.
  • Chrispin and Jegede ‘Population, Resources and Development.’. (Collins 2000) Stepwise migration, population and development, regional development policy.
  • Cook et al. ‘Geography in Focus’ (Causeway Press 2000) Population policy, Yangtze floods 1998.
  • Digby, B. ‘Changing Environments’ AS Edexcel B (Heinemann 2002)

Yellow River, Three Gorges Dam.

  • Flint and Flint ‘Urbanisation and Changing Environments’ 2nd edn. (Collins 2001) Tourism in Beijing.
  • Guinness, P.and Nagle, G. ‘AS Geography, Concepts and Cases’. (Hodder and Stoughton. 2000) Demographic time bomb, Three Gorges dam, managing migration.
  • Guinness, P.and Nagle, G. ‘Advanced Geography’ (Hodder and Stoughton 1999) Three Gorges Dam, flooding, loess, air pollution in Beijing, population control, migration.
  • Nagle, G. ‘Changing Settlements’ (Nelson 1998) Urban growth.
  • Nagle, G. ‘Development and Underdevelopment ‘ (Nelson 1998).

Population policy. Water supply.

  • Nagle, G. ‘Advanced Geography’. (Oxford 2000.) Coal, regional inequalities, rivers, 3 Gorges dam, toy industry, karst, family planning (brief).
  • Prescott et.al. AS ‘Landmark Geography’ (second edition). (Collins)

Analysing population change, internal migration, Shenzhen growth, Shanghai, suburbanisation in Beijing, Limestone (river Li). *

  • Raw, M.and Atkins, P ‘Agriculture and Food’ (Collins 1995) Agriculture and government policies.
  • Redfern and Skinner. ‘Advanced Geography’ (AQA-B) (Philip Allan 2003) One Child, development Issues – core/periphery.
  • Ross, Morgan et al ‘Essential AS Geography’ (Nelson Thornes 2000)

One child policy.

  • Waugh, D. ‘Geography, an Integrated Approach’ (Nelson,various editions) Karst, population control, farming, recent industrial development.
  • Witherick, M. ‘Development, Disparity and Dependence’ (Stanley Thornes 1998) ‘The Awakening Giant, China’ - whole chapter.
  • Witherick, M. ‘States of Health and Welfare’ (Nelson Thornes 2002) AIDS

Images

  • CD-Rom ‘Images of Change’ Waugh and Rowley. 380 pictures with extended captions.. 2000 GEOPIX. Available from
  • International Committee ‘Images of China’ Study Tour webpages

Academic books

  • Cannon, T. and Jenkin, A. (eds) ‘The Geography of Contemporary China’ (Routledge 1992).
  • Leeming,F. ‘The Changing Geography of China’ 1993 (Blackwell).

Biographical

  • Jung Chang ‘Wild Swans’ (Harper Collins) Still the best of its type.
  • Hong Ying ‘Daughter of the River’. (Bloomsbury 1997) Story of a girl from Chongqing. Very good. Moving.

(There are many books on the market now giving biographical details of ladies who lived through the Cultural Revolution, of limited use for Geography).

  • Rius and friends ‘Mao for Beginners’. (Pantheon Books) Easily digestible (partly comic strip) history.

Fiction

  • Hill, J. ‘The Drink and Dream Tea House’ (Weidenfeld and Nicholson 2001, Phoenix for paperback). Good for sense of place in small town modern China.
  • Vyner, T. ‘Dragon Mountain’ (Collins) Lovely pics. Suitable for literacy hour for infants?

Websites

Useful ones include

the ‘complete’ guide to China weblinks

http://english.pudong.gov.cn

See also ‘Using the Internet as a Teaching Tool: Three Gorges Dam, China’ David Simm in Teaching Geography’. April 2002

Compiled by Sarah Maude (e-mail: )