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About China
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China is situated in its eastern part of Asia with the Pacific Ocean
to its West. China is the third largest country in total land area after Russia and
Canada. Countries that border China, are Korea in the East, Mongolia in the North, Russia
in the Northeast, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia and Tadzhikistan in the Northwest, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan in the West and Southwest; and Myanmar, Laos and
Vietnam in the South. Across the seas to the East and Southeast are the Republic of Korea,
Japan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Shanghai is the
largest city in China with a population of 13.56 million. Beijing is the capital of China. China has 22 provinces, five autonomous regions and
some 5000 islands |
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Chinese History Ancient China has many achievements to its credit. Ancient China was
very advanced in many areas such as agriculture, handicrafts, weaving, astronomy,
mathematics, geography, medicine and shipbuilding. The Chinese had a convenient
transportation system by land and water to Japan, Korea, India, Persia, and Arabia.
Ancient China maintained cultural, knowledge and trade exchanges with them.The Ancient
Chinese invented papermaking, printing, gunpowder and the compass, which represent their
advancement in science and technology. |
Thinkers such as Lao Zi and
Confucius influenced the Chinese culture and society. The Gan Shi Xing Jing (Gan Shi
Catalogue of Stars) of the Warring States Period is the earliest catalogue of fixed stars
in the world. Zhang Heng of the Han Dynasty, invented the armillary sphere and
seismograph. Zu Chongzhi was the first person in the world to have accurately
calculated the value of PI to seven decimal places (3.1415926 and 3.1415927). The Ben Cao
Gang Mu (Materia Medica) by Li Shizhen of the 16th century records more than 1,800 kinds
of herbal medicines and over 10,000 prescriptions.
A special mention
is the Qin Dynasty under which the Chinese were united for the first time into a single
empire (221-207 BC). This dynasty established administrative institutions, which
remained features of the Chinese states for the following 2000 years. They also introduced
centralized control, the dynasty standardized weights and measures and the writing
system. The Great Wall of China was constructed during this time.
In 1271, Kublai
Khan, grandson of Mongol invader Genghis Khan, established the Yuan dynasty The Mongols
established a capital at what is now Beijing. The nations administration was
militarized and the Chinese people suffered greatly under his rule. A Buddhist called Hongwu arose amidst rebellion to establish
the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), with capitals at Beijing and Nanjing.
Under the Ming
dynasty, maritime power was established for the first time, and expeditions sailed to
South-East Asia, Persia, Arabia and even eastern Africa. Ancient China’s fortunes, prestige and national sovereignty was
undermined by Qing who signed the Treaty of Nanking, in 1842, with Britain which reduced
China to a semicolonial, semifeudal country. This marked a turning point in China’s
history.
The Revolution of
1911, a Chinese revolution, ended the rule of the corrupt Qing Dynasty. This marked the
end of 2000 years of monarchy in China. The provisional government of the Republic of
China was founded at this time. Imperialism and feudalism were plaguing China and in
1919 the Chinese working class became active, in what is called the May 4th
Movement. This movement continued for many years and was led by the Communist Party. In
1949 the Chinese people finally ended the rule of the Kuomintang.
On 1 October 1949
Mao Zedong proclaimed the foundation of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Chiang
Kaishek fled to Taiwan, taking with him the country's entire gold reserves and what was
left of his air force and navy. The USA continued to recognize Chiang as legitimate ruler
of China, and provided a naval blockade to prevent an attack on Taiwan from the mainland.
Mao oversaw the socialist transformation of China in
agriculture, commerce and industry. The role of public ownership was
defined, and the transition from new democracy to socialism realized. During the ten years
from 1957 to 1966 China began large-scale socialist construction.
Chinese
Cook Books and their Reviews
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1990 to 2005 - Kavita Mehta. All Rights Reserved. |
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