East Asia Notes

ChinaChinaMongoliaMongoliaJapanJapanNorth North KoreaKoreaSouth South KoreaKoreaTaiwanTaiwan

How much do you know about East Asia???

• True or false, one out of five people lives in China?

• True or false, Japan is made up of many islands?• True or false, China & South Korea are two of

the five communist countries of the world?• What is the largest city in the world by

population that is located in this region?• Approximately what is China’s current

population?

Answers…• TrueTrue – China has the largest population in the world

and currently one out of every five people on the globe lives in China

• TrueTrue – Japan is actually made up of four large islands and many smaller islands

• FalseFalse – China & North Korea are two communist nations in this region (Cuba, Laos, Vietnam)

• The largest city by population in the world is Tokyo (28 million)

• China’s current population is approximately 1.31.3 billionbillion people (4 times the U.S.)

Physical Features…• China– 3rd largest country in

area• Korea

– Peninsula• Japan

– archipelago - group of islands

– Four major islands• Hokkaido• Honshu• Shikoku• Kyushu

– Thousands of smaller islands

– 70% is mountainous• Taiwan

– an island nation

Physical Features…

• Mountains– Himalayas– Karakoram– Kunlun Shan– Tian Shan– Altay Shan– Mount Fuji- Japan’s

highest mountain• dormant (inactive) volcano• last erupted in 1708

Physical Features…• Plateaus– Plateau of Tibet

• Between Himalays & Kunlun Shan

• World’s highest plateau

– Plateau of Xizang• Higher than many

mountains

– Mongolian Plateau

• Deserts– Gobi – “waterless”

• Huang He River– Flows across the North China Plain

(fertile farming region)• Nicknames:

– Yellow River – fine, yellowish brown top soil called loess

– “China’s Sorrow” – river has flooded, destroyed villages and killed people

• Chang Jiang River (Yangtze River)– Asia’s longest river (almost 4000

miles long)– 3rd longest river in world– Forms China’s “rice bowl” – most

fertile region where most agriculture is grown

• Xe River (pronounced Shee)

Three Gorges Dam…

• China’s biggest construction project since the Great Wall of China• Workers are working to finish the dam sometime in 2009• Positive Effects:

– Control the flooding of the Chang Jiang River– Huge ships will be able to sail into the interior of China– Will create as much electricity as 18 nuclear power plants

• Negative Effects:– Stopping the flow of the river does not allow toxins to flow out to sea– Will “drown” more than 100 towns– 1.2 million people will need to be relocated from these towns– The land that is flooded is some of the most fertile farmland

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Ring of Fire…

• Japan lies along a subduction zone– Pacific Plate dives under Eurasian plate– Japan is located on most tectonically active area in

the world– Nearly 50 active volcanoes– As many as 1,500 earthquakes occur each year

• Ring of Fire– Area in the Pacific where there are violent

earthquakes and volcanoes due to the meeting of tectonic plates in the earth’s surface

Climate…• Tsunami

– Large sea waves created by undersea tectonic activity like earthquakes

• Typhoons– Hurricanes in the Pacific

that occur from August to October

• Summer monsoon - blows over the Pacific Ocean and brings hot, humid weather and lots of rain

• Winter monsoon - blows from the north and brings cold, dry weather

Natural Resources…– China

• Very rich in natural resources

• World’s leading producer of coal

• Provides 70% of its energy

– Japan• Limited natural resources• Import raw materials• Still an industrial

powerhouse• 65% of Japan is forests

Population…• China

– World’s largest population– 1.3 billion people– 94% of the people belong to the Han nationality

• Taiwan– Most of the people of Taiwan are Chinese

• Descendents of the Nationalist Party who fled the mainland of China after the defeat of the Nationalists by the Communists

• Japan– Ethnically homogeneous - a group of people that are very similar to one

another• Korea

– Politically divided into 2 countries: North Korea and South Korea– Share a common culture & ancestry

• Mongolia– Homogeneous population– 90% are Mongols

Population Distribution…

• China– 3/4 of the people live in rural

areas– Experiencing rapid urbanization

• Japan– Urban areas are very crowded– 3/4 of the people live in cities

• Koreas– More people live in South Korea– Many North Koreans are trying to

migrate to South Korea to have freedom

• Mongolia– Twice the size of Texas – but only

2.7 million people– Least densely populated country

in the world• Taiwan

– High population density because it is a small island

Great Wall of China…

• Built for protection against invaders

• Built in 7th century B.C. but linked together in 221 B.C.

• Stretches 4,160 miles

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Chinese History…• Dynasty – period of time when region is ruled by members of the same family• Qin (Ch’in) Dynasty– Word China comes from Ch’in– Began construction of Great Wall of China

• Ming Dynasty– Ming means brilliant– Ming Dynasty brought peace and stability to China

• Qing Dynasty– New dynasty called Qing (pronounced Ching) which means

“pure”– The Qing Dynasty was run by the Manchus– The Manchus invaded China and took over– Outnumbered by the Chinese 30:1

Chinese History…• Portuguese set up trading posts• Chinese were overwhelmed

with foreign aggression– 1842 – Britain captured Hong

Kong– 1895 – Japan captured Taiwan

• 1912 – formed Republic of China

• 1945 – Nationalist Party & Communist Party fought for control of China– Communists set up People’s

Republic of China– Nationalists retreated to island of

Taiwan

Chinese History…• Following WWII, China was under

the leadership of Mao Zedong– Land plots were small– Government seized all private land and

organized farmland into collective farms– Later organized collective farms into

larger communes– Families had to move and work the

farms– Government tried to limit the

population with One Child Policy– Government controlled economy &

agriculture– Mao’s program was disastrous

• Inefficiency• famine

Japanese History…• A.D. 700 – Japan

developed unique political system (feudal system)

• Feudal system means that the country is divided into communities– Emperor

• Political leader– Shogun

• Military leader• Held the real power in

society– Daimyo – wealthy

landlords– Samurai – warriors– Peasants

• Fighting between the daimyos led to instability in Japan

Japanese History…– Portuguese traders arrived in Japan in 1500s– The emperors decided that contact with

outsiders was a risk to Japan• The only Europeans the Japanese allowed for trade

were the Dutch• Felt the Dutch were interested in trade not in taking

over their country– Japan remained isolated from 1600s to mid-

1800s – Seclusion Policy– After Japan re-opened its borders, it began to

modernize and reform– Japan soon became an industrial and military

power

Japanese History…• Japan expands its borders after the country opens back up– 1895 – Japanese takes

Taiwan from China– 1905 – Japanese gain

control of parts of Russia after Russo-Japanese War

– 1910 – Japan annexed Korea

– 1937 – Japan invaded rest of China

– 1941 – Japanese attack Pearl Harbor

• Japan controls most of Southeast Asia and is most powerful country in this region

Korean History…• Japan lost control of Korea after

WWII• U.S. & Soviet Union divided

Korea along 38th parallel– North Korea – set up communist

government– South Korea – held democratic

elections• 1950 – N. Korea invaded S.

Korea• Korean War is fought until 1953• Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) – 150

miles of buffer zone between N. & S. Korea

Language…

Religion…• Major religions of East Asia:

– Buddhism• Stresses unimportance of

material goods– Taoism

• Live simple life in harmony with nature

– Confucianism• Based on teachings of Chinese

philosopher, Confucius• More code of ethics than a

religion– Shintoism

• Centers around worship of natural spirits and ancestors

– Christianity– Islam

• China and North Korea have communist governments that discourage religion

Confucius Says…• "When anger arises, think of the consequences". • "Life is really simple, but men insist on making it

complicated." • "It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do

not stop." • "Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it."• "Study the past as if you would define the Future."• "Have no friends not equal to yourself."• "Respect yourself and others will respect you." • "Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses." • "The only constant is change."• “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I

understand.”

Japanese Culture…

– Traditional dress includes kimono – long robe with wide sleeves

– Kabuki – Japanese theatre portraying historical events

– Geishas- women who were professional performers (singing, dancing, and very cultured)

– Haiku- popular form of poetry

Agriculture…– China

• 10% is arable• Most agricultural country in East Asia• 60% of the people work in farming• World’s leading producer of rice and wheat• Paddy fields – wet lands where rice is grown

– Japan• 5% of workers are farmers• Farmland is scarce• Government provides subsidies – financial support

– Koreas• A lot of the land is mountainous and not good for farming• As industries grow, more people are moving to cities and less are farmers

– Taiwan• Farmers have small plots of land

– Mongolia• Former communist nation and still follows model of collective farms

Fishing…– Aquaculture – raising

and harvesting fish and marine life in ponds or other bodies of water

– Japan, China and South Korea are three of the world’s leading fishing nations

– Commercial fishing is a large part of the economy

Industry…– Japan

• Long history of Japanese industrial success• One reason for Japan’s success is the productive workforce with strong

work ethic• Export economy – goods are produced mainly for export rather than

domestic use• Japan has built up a trade surplus• The United States is Japan’s largest trading partner

– China• China lags behind the other East Asian countries due to their communist

government– Poor government planning– Lack of skilled workers

– Korea• South Korea is much more industrialized than North Korea• North Korean government runs the industries

– Mongolia• Not very industrialized

Environment…• China– Coal causes major air pollution– Burning coal gives off sulfur dioxide and causes acid rain– As industrialization increases in China:

• pollution will increase• consume more energy

• Japan– Highly industrialized and populated, it creates a lot of waste– In the 1970s, the government began to encourage industries to

prevent pollution– Today, Japan has one of the world’s strictest pollution control

laws– The Japanese have used technology to clean up or prevent

pollution