China is the third largest country in the world which covers an area of 9600000 sq km and is the most beautiful land to attract the foreign visitors. The capital of China is Beijing. Mainly China is known for its four great inventions namely paper, gunpowder, printing and the compass.
It is located in the middle and East Asia surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east.
Etymology of China
The name China is derived from “Zhongguo” in which Zhong means middle and Guo means kingdom which in whole means “middle kingdom”.
The name Zhongguo is used in many ways:-
a) Firstly it refers to Zhou Dynasty in the classic history.
b) To differentiate between the capitals of the supreme and the slaves it was used but for the capital of supreme.
c) When in 1912 the government was established it refers as an abbreviation for the Republic of China.
History of China
The early humans reside in China from 2.24 million to 250,000 years ago. The first dynasty under chin which was considered mythical was Xia. Many emperors like Li Shimin, philosophers like Confucius and poets like Qu Yuan have contributed a lot for the development of the country.
Xia Dynasty of China
It is the first dynasty consisting of 17 emperors and lasted upto 500 years. During this dynasty people depend upon agriculture which is done by tools made up of stones and the calendar system was manipulated in which both the lunar and solar movements are described.
At last the Xia dynasty was succeeded by the Shang Dynasty because the emperor Jie of Xia Dynasty was very cruel and doesn’t think about the country and its people.
Shang Dynasty of China:-
From 18th to 12th century BCE the second dynasty was established known by the name Shang settled along the Yellow River and ruled by the King Tang. Under the rule of Tang many achievements were made and also people lived a peaceful life.
After that the conditions became worse under the rule of the tenth emperor as a result of which the country became slave and the other countries started ruling. In this troubling period the emperor Zhou gave pains to both ministers and people. The chief of Zhou tribe Zhou Wenwang attacked the Shang Dynasty but he was unfortunately died.
After that his last wish was fulfilled by his son Ji Fa and as a result of which King Zhou was killed in the war. Thus a new Dynasty was formed called Zhou Dynasty.
Zhou Dynasty of China:-
This dynasty consists of 37 emperors and lasted over 800 years. It is divided into two periods:-
a) The western Zhou Dynasty.
b) The eastern Zhou Dynasty.
The achievements in all the areas made in this Dynasty were very much famous. In 221 BC Qin defeated the Shang Dynasty and a new dynasty was formed called Qin dynasty.
In this way the new dynasties were formed and the history moves onward.
Geography of China:-
The country China is located between 49 degrees of latitude and 62 degrees of longitude. Mostly it is famous for the plateaus and mountains. The main important rivers of China are Yangtze, Huang-he, and Amur and most of them ultimately meet into the Pacific Ocean. The alluvial plains in the west are also popular. The modern China is separated from Vietnam, Burma and Laos due to the high mountains and deep valleys of Yunnan.
The northern zone and the central zone have hot summers and cold winters whereas the southern zone has hot summers and mild winters. In springs usually the dust storms occur due to which the problems of water and pollution arise.
China Currency :-
Yuan is the currency which is used by the people of the country.
Economy of China:-
After US the China has the second largest economy in the world. Due to the increase in the per capita income there is a reduction in poverty but increase in the income inequalities. In private sector China concentrates on the stock markets, banking system, foreign trade and investment whereas in public sector it concentrates on industries and energy resources. To improve the economic growth of the country new management systems have been introduced.
China’s economy is basically depending on agriculture and industries. The results in the industrial segment are more fruitful than in the agriculture segment because agriculture has to depend on weather whereas the industries are dependent on the government.
Rice is produced by the country in the large quantities. The mineral resources like cotton yarn, crude oil, and coal are also produced in the country. To increase the economic development China also adopts the Five Year Plan Strategy and the 11th five year plan strategy is under process.
Demographics of China:-
About 1.3 billion people are residing in the country. The largest ethnic group in the country is Han group due to which the people adopted the Han culture. After Hanfu, the Qipao became the latest fashion of the people.
Classical Chinese is the official language spoken by the people. Some other dialects like Wandarin, Yu, Min, Gan, Hakka and Xiang and many more are also spoken by the people. Classical Chinese is used in high schools and for written communications whereas Baihua is used in Ming dynasty novels and later on became the official language of the country.
During the Han dynasty there are many Buddhists in the country due to which Buddhism is the religion followed by the people. Later on Islam, Judaism, and Christianity were introduced in the 7th century during the Tang Dynasty. The name of the first mosque which was built in the country was Huaisheng Mosque.
Culture of China:-
Football is the national sport of China whereas basketball, martial arts, badminton, golf, table tennis are also popular. During the Duan Wu Festival many people participate in the dragon boat racing. Large number of competitions are organized by International chess, Go, and Xiangqi.
Porcelain pottery was very much popular in Palaeolithic period. Music and poetry was very much reflected in Book of Songs. For decorative and economic purposes symbols like phoenix were very much used.
The popular cuisines of China are Suzhou with rice, shrimp, fermented tofu eggplant, vegetable stir-fry and bamboo. To every corner of the world Chinese Cuisine has been exported.
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