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Table of Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................1
1. Traditional Food ........................................................................................32. Traditional Clothing..................................................................................4
Manchu ........................................................................................................................4
Han ...............................................................................................................................4
3. Climate .......................................................................................................7
4. Population ..................................................................................................8
5. Main Industries .........................................................................................96. Famous People .........................................................................................10
Yao Ming ..................................................................................................................10
Qin Shi Huang ............................................................................................................11
7. Famous Sites & Places ............................................................................12
Forbidden City ..........................................................................................................12
Oriental Pearl Tower ..................................................................................................13
8. Chinese Currency ...................................................................................14
9. Landscape and Geographical Location .................................................15
10. Canadas Trade with China ..................................................................16
Journal .........................................................................................................17
Bibliography ................................................................................................22
Websites Used ............................................................................................................22
Search Engines Used .................................................................................................22
Introduction
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China is a country in East Asia. Chinas full name is the Peoples Republic of
China. China includes four parts, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and
Taiwan. It is one of the worlds oldest civilizations, and is said to be the source of
some of the worlds greatest inventions, including paper, gunpowder, the
compass, and printing.
China is most commonly called Zhongguo in mandarin Chinese. The first
character, Zhong () means middle, and Guo () means country. China has this
name because in ancient times, everybody in China thought that China was in
the middle of the world, and all the other countries were around it.
China has a long history of about five thousand years. In total, there were
about 17 ruling families, which are called dynasties. The first dynasty was the Xia(Hsia) Dynasty started at 2205 BC, followed by the Shnag, Zhou (Chow), Spring
and Autumn Annals, Warring States, Qin (Chin), Han, Three Kingdoms, Jin (Tsin),
Southern and Northern, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song (Sung), Yuan, Ming, and
the Qing (Ching) Dynasty, which ended at 1911 AD. After the Dynasties came the
Republic of China, and finally, the present Peoples Republic of China.
While in China, I have researched about traditional food, traditional clothes,
climate, population, main industries, famous people, famous sites, currency,landscape and geographic location, and last off all, Canadas trade with China.
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1. Traditional Food
The Chinese have a reputation for cooking and making some of the most
delicious foods in the world. Some of the worldwide known Chinese foods include
dumpling, spring rolls, and Niangao. Most of the traditional Chinese foods are
eaten on the Lunar New Year. Here are some traditional Chinese foods.
Dumplings -- a dumpling is made of a filling wrapped in thin sheets of flour-
covered dough. Usually, the filling includes beef or pork, Chinese cabbage, and
sometimes carrots. It can be steamed, boiled or stir-fried.
Spring rolls -- spring rolls are made of filling rolled into a thin dough sheet. It is
then fried, making it crunchy. Spring rolls are the best when eaten hot. Most of
the time, the filling consists of Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, and carrots.
Niangao -- niangaos are usually made of rice flour. It is sticky and gooey, and
sometimes filling is added into it. Niangao is sometimes referred to as pudding.
Niangao also sounds like happy year in Chinese.
Chinese food is usually steamed, boiled, and stewed. Chinese food seldom
cooked on a barbeque grill. Chinese people use chopsticks to eat and spoons to
drink. Soy sauce is the most popular dipping sauce.
A Plate of Yummy Dumplings
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Crispy Spring Rolls
2. Traditional Clothing.
There are many types of traditional Chinese clothing. Most of these clothes
are similar to robes, with skirts for men and women. Ancient clothes consisted of
two pieces, the skirt and the top. These clothes are usually very popular while
filming Kong Fu movies or movies with Chinese characters in them. Here are two
examples of two types of Chinese clothes.
Manchu
Upper Part: Consists of a Pao. They have secured lapels on the collar
and no side openings.
Lower Part: Consists of pants or trousers called Ku
Collars: Consists of parallel vertical collars with parallel diagonal lapels,
that overlap
Sleeves: the sleeves of a Manchu are narrow and tight.
Buttons: there are many buttons and can be seen.
Fittings: Buttoning system used to fit the collar around the neck and upper
torso.
Han
Upper Part: Consists of Yi. They have loose lapels and are open.
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Lower Part: Consists of skirts called Chang/Shang
Collar: The collars overlap, with the left crossing over the right.
Sleeves: The sleeves of a Han are long and loose.
Buttons: there are very few buttons and cannot be seen.
Fittings: Belts and sashes were used to close the Han around the waist.
An example of a traditional Chinese Garment and the parts that is consists of
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Another example of Chinese Clothing, and the parts in consists of
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3. Climate
The climate of China varies greatly during different seasons. The northern
part of China, which contains Beijing is very hot (over 30 degrees Celsius) during
the summer, and has Arctic-like weather conditions during winter. The central
part of China, which contains Shanghai, really hot summers and cold winter. The
southern part of China, containing Guangzhou has a subtropical climate with very
hot summers and mild winters.
Precipitation in China is normal each year. The place with the most rain is
Huoshaoliao, Taiwan. The average annual precipitation can reach over 6,000
mm!
Every spring, there is a sand storm in Beijing. All the sand blows over from
the Gobi Desert. During the sand storm, outside it might look like a badly
developed picture.
Also, if you ever go to Beijing, you might want to bring face and hand cream,
winter jackets, and a large supply of water. Beijing can be really cold, windy, and
chilly sometimes. Also, if you stay in Beijing for the summer, bring a fan,
sunscreen, lots of water, and a hat, because the Sun can be dangerous and if
you dont get sunscreen on, you can get seriously sunburned.
A Beijing Sandstorm
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4. Population
The last census done in China was in 2004, and the population found was 1.3
billion. The main religions are Daoist (Taoist) 6%, Buddhist 6%, Christian 3%-4%,
Muslim 1%-2%, and most people are nonreligious.
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.4%
15-64 years: 71.7%
65 years and over: 7.9%
There are many ethnic groups in China, such as Han, Hui, and Yi. Han people
make up about 91.9% of Chinese people, and other ethnic groups make up 8.1%of the population.
The crowded streets of China
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5. Main Industries
Chinas main industries are manufacturing, mining, electrical power
generation, and building and construction.
China is rich in mineral resources, including some important industrial
minerals. The worlds largest coal mining industry is China. Many small
coalmines are scattered through out the country, but the main producers are
found north of the Yangtze River, mostly in Shanxi. Coal is in a large portion of
freight trains.
China is currently producing a great amount of steel products, including
tungsten steel, stainless steel, heavy steel plate, and seamless pipe. Some mainproducing areas are Manchuria, North China, and the Yangtze Valley.
Among Chinas heaviest industries are shipbuilding, making trains, and
making tractors. Other important manufactures are cement, paper, bicycles, cars,
sewing machines, watches, and cameras.
China is one of the worlds leading manufacturers of electricity. Although
this is true, there is still not enough electricity, especially in big cities. 18% of
electricity is hydro electricity, and the rest is made from coal burning plants.
One of the power plants in China
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6. Famous People
Yao Ming
Yao Ming is a Chinese professional basketball player, and is one of the
best in the NBA. Standing at 2.29 meters tall, he is a five-time NBA All- Star
winner. He is on the Houston Rockets, and his former team was the Shanghai
Sharks.
Yao Ming was born on September 12, 1980. Yao Ming is genetically tall,
and he does not have pituitary gigantism, or Acromegaly.
Yao Ming played for 5 years in the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association),
achieving many records such as Most Dunks in A Career, Most Blocks in a
Career, Most Blocks in a Season, and Most Blocks in a Game. All four records
still stand today.
After leaving the CBA, Yao Ming entered the NBA. At the NBA, he is a
five-time NBA All-Star winner, a two-time All NBA winner, a TSN NBA Rookie of
the Year, and NBA Western Conference's Player of the Month. He plays center
position in the Houston Rockets and he has an accurate jump shot from as far as
6.1 meters, though he usually shoots from 3 to 3.7 meters away from the net.
Being as tall as he is, he has an advantage of shooting the ball higher than the
defender can reach. Yao Ming wears size 18 shoes.
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Qin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang was the first Emperor of China. He was born on 260 BC, in
the State of Zhao. Before he became Emperor, he was the King of the largest
state during the Warring States dynasty. He conquered all of China and made it
one large country. Before, China was separated into seven warring states. Also,
the name China may have also been derived from Emperor Qins name. During
his life, he ate many mercury pills, which he thought would let him live forever. At
the end, instead of living forever, the mercury made the Emperor die of mercury
poisoning during a road trip. Emperor Qin was buried in a large mausoleum,
along with his favourite girls and the makers and designers of the tomb. Also
buried with him were many terracotta soldiers that he thought would protect him
when he passed on to the next world. None of the soldiers faces were alike.
After his death, his second son forged a will, since his father did not write one,
and forced Qins first son to commit suicide. Emperor Qins second son became
the new emperor. The new Emperor, Qin Er Shi was not as good as an emperor
as his dad. Soon after, China went into a civil war again.
A portrait of Emperor Qin Shi Huan
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7. Famous Sites & Places
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is located in Beijing, China. It used to be the Imperial
Palace of China from the middle of the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing
Dynasty. The Forbidden City now houses the Palace Museum.
The Forbidden City consists of 800 buildings with a total of 8, 886 rooms.
The whole palace covers 720, 000 square meters.
The Palace Museum is not the same as the National Palace Museum in
Taipei. Both museums are from the same institution, and they were separated
after the Chinese Civil War.
Construction of the Forbidden Palace was started during 1406, and lasted
fourteen years. It took about 200,000 men to build. For pillars of the most
important halls, Phoebe zhennan was used. This type of tree would be found in
western Asia, and are very precious. The original pillars are now gone, as they
were newly constructed with multiple pieces of plank wood.
A 7.9 m tall wall and a 52 m wide moat surround the Forbidden City. The
surrounding walls are 8.62 m wide at the base, thinning into 6.66m at the top.
These walls were specially made to withstand canon fire. The bricks used were
specially baked, and mortar was used in the cracks.
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Oriental Pearl Tower
The Oriental Pearl Tower is located in Shanghai, China. It is beside the
HuangPu River. Designed by Jia Huan Cheng, the tower stands at 468 m high.
Construction started during 1991 and ended during 1995. It is the tallest Tower inAsia, and the third tallest tower in the world. The tower belongs to the World
Federation of Great Towers.
The tower features eleven spheres, which are big and small. The two
largest ones are the lowest and the second lowest ones. The diameter of the
biggest sphere is 50 m and the other is 45 m.
One of the highlights of the Pearl Tower is the revolving restaurant. At the
height of 267 m, it provides a grand 360 view of Shanghai. Other highlights
include a shopping mall, exhibition facilities, and a twenty-room hotel between
the two large spheres.
The design of the tower is based on a verse in a Chinese poem by Bai
Juyi. The verse is about pearls big and small falling onto a jade plate. There are
eleven spheres on the tower, representing the pearls falling on the jade plate,
and the jade plate is the HuangPu River.
The Oriental Pearl Tower
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8. Chinese Currency
The official currency used by Mainland China is renminbi. The Peoples
Bank of China issues it. The currency is used everywhere in China except for
Hong Kong and Macau.
The Peoples Bank of China in December 1948 first issued Renminbi.
Hong Kong has its own currency, the Hong Kong dollar, but allows bank
members to hold renminbi in bank accounts. Macau has its currency the pataca.
Banks in Macau can issue credit cards based on the renminbi, but not loans.
Renminbi based credit cards cannot be used in Macau's casinos. In Taiwan, it is
illegal to use renminbi. The Chinese government believes bad things will happen
if there is too much usage. Tourists are allowed to bring 20,000 renminbi when
visiting Taiwan, and must convert that money into New Taiwan Dollar upon
arrival.
Chinese Renminbi
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9. Landscape and Geographical Location
The geographical location of China is 3500N, 10500E. it is bordered by
Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos,
Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Vietnam. The total
area of China is 9,596,960 km, the land area is 9,326,410 km, and the water
area is 270,550 km. China is the fourth largest land in the world after Russia,
Canada, and USA. Since it would take me hours to describe the whole landscape
of China because of its massive size, I will only describe the landscape of
Beijing. In the north, northeast, and west, the are mountains. At the northwestern
part of Beijing, especially Yanqing Country and Huairou District, is dominated by
the Jundu Mountains, while the west part of Beijing is surrounded by the XishanMountains. The Great Wall of China stretches along the northern part of cities,
and took advantage of the rugged terrain to defend China from invaders. Some
rivers that flow through Beijing are the Yongding River, and the Chaobai River.
A satellite image of China showing the terrain
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10. Canadas Trade with China
Families in Canada benefit greatly from importing goods from China.
China seems to be making more and more goods each day, and exporting more
to Canada each day. The electric equipment, shoes, watches, clothes, furniture,
and toys make up a large part of the things that China exports. This keeps the
prices down in stores, and raises the wages of workers because they are
shipped in large quantities and are cheap. Canadas stores also benefit from the
low prices of the goods that China makes, which allows them to save money and
keep their competitiveness in the market.
Currently, China is the fourth largest market in the world for Canada. While
exports for other countries have only risen 20% in the last five years, exports to
China have risen 91%. If there was a cutoff in exports and imports to and from
China, billions of dollars could be lost.
Trading with China is a win- win situation. Canadian people win as
consumers, because of the low prices, and as workers, because it doesnt cost a
lot to buy goods from China so employers will have more money to pay
employees. Chinese people win because they can get money from exporting,
and China will have a better reputation in the worlds markets.
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Journal
Day 1 (April 18)
Just took off from Toronto at 11 a., m., and we have bad
luck already! Major thunderstorms are blasting our balloon while
we try to climb above the clouds were it isnt so wet. Our
altimeter shows that we are at 1000 feet in the air, and our
compass is showing that we are heading south. Jay is navigating
the balloon to Trinidad, while Muhammad is bailing out water so
we can keep a decent ascent rate. Its my break time right now,
so I am writing my journal.
Day 2 (April 19)
Finally made it to Trinidad, and we have landed in Port- of
Spain. I dont think I will ever let Jay fly the balloon again. He justmade a terrible landing, and the rough pavement of the airport
has bore a hole in the basket of the balloon. While Jay is
researching, we will go off to get postcards and to find materials
to fix our balloon. When Jay comes back, we will setup sleeping
bags near our Hot Air Balloon.
Day 3 (April 20)
So we are off again. Last nights sleep was everything but
comfortable. The grass near our hot air balloon was filled with
bugs, and thats were we set up our sleeping bags. After
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successfully fixing our balloon with the help of friendly civilians,
we are on the go to Pakistan. Along the way, we will stop in Mali
to stock up on supplies. It is a beautiful day to be flying the wind
is calm, and skies are clear. Visibility is about 80 kilometers.Muhammad is flying the balloon to Pakistan, and it is a much
smoother ride. We encountered some nasty turbulence during
ascent, but we made it through.
Day 4 (April 21)
We just came back from stocking up goods in Mali. There
are some very nice street vendors there that provided us food at
a discount price, as we are running low on saved money. The sun
is scorching hot here. We bought a lot of water during the trip in
Mali, so it shouldnt be a problem.
Day 5 (April 22)
Its really getting hot up here from all that sun. My shirt is
sticking onto me, and I bet I could squeeze out a million gallons
of water out of this. Isnt a really good day for flying, as the winds
are blowing at 20 km an hour and there seems to be much more
turbulence today than on any other day.
Day 6 (April 23)
Finally made it to Pakistan. While Muhammad goes off to do
his thing, Jay and me get to buy postcards and enjoy the
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delicious foods of Pakistan. We just filled our bellies with some
curry chicken from a local restaurant, and we are now trying to
see if there is traditional Pakistani drink we can get. When
Muhammad gets back, we might go to a hotel for a try.
Day 7 (April 24)
And we are off again. This time, I am navigating the ship. I
can already see my destination, China, because it is right beside
Pakistan. This afternoon, we should be landing and staying at a
hotel for the night, and I will begin my research on China the next
day.
Day 8 (April 25)
I woke up early, and careful not to wake up my tired friends,
I set out to do my research. First, I went to the Forbidden Palace,
and what an amazing place that was. There were beautiful and
tall columns, stone carvings of lions, and really nice chairs. It
took me about an hour to rush around parts of the massive place
and take notes. Next, I went to meet a professor who new many
things about China. He invited me to go to the revolving
restaurant on the Oriental Pearl Tower to discuss things. When
we finally got there on the busy streets, there was a long line of
people waiting to get their tickets. When we finally got our
tickets, we took and exhilarating ride up the tower on the fast
elevator. As we entered the restaurant, I saw a fantastic view of
Shanghai. As we found a seat by the window, we started
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discussing about China. A waitress came, and the professor
ordered all the traditional foods he could find on the menu. The
first dish to come was the dumplings. They were delicious. Nest,
came spring rolls. Those were even better than the dumplings. Aswe ate, we drank tea, which many Chinese people do, and he
told me many things I never new about China, like how much
people there are (theres so much numbers that I cant
remember without writing it down!). He told me about Chinese
history, and all about and ancient emperor called Qin Shi Huan.
He also told me many interesting facts that he new about his
favourite basketball player, Yao Ming. Finally, it was time for me
to go back to our hot air balloon. When I got back, I found Jay and
Muhammad playing with some little souvenirs they found at
street vendor stalls. We found a hotel with untaken rooms, and
we slept and prepared ourselves for the long trip tomorrow.
Day 9 (April 25)
It is finally time to go home. We are all excited to tell our
teacher about our trips and adventures. We are going to take
shifts navigating the balloon. Jay went first, then Muhammad, and
then me. The weather today is a beauty. The sun is bright, there
is a slight cool breeze, and visibility is almost unlimited. Jays
navigational abilities still arent very good, and I bet we will go of
course.
Day 10 (April 26)
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Jay is crazy, and he flew the balloon so fast that we had
even had time to make a stop in Paris to get supplies and stay
around for a while. Its Muhammads turn to navigate today, and I
can almost see the Atlantic Ocean looming up ahead. Theweather is gray and fogged in. Visibility is only a few kilometers,
and we all need to keep a look out for any obstacles.
Day 11 (April 27)
We have finally made it back. The landing was sort of
rough, but that was because of the high crosswinds. Now, Jay
wont stop bothering me about that landing and how it was worse
than when he landed in Paris. I think my nerves are going to blow
soon.
George
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Bibliography
Websites Used
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/climate.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#Geography_and_climate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_money
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_China#location
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Chinese_clothing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Pearl_Tower
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang_Di
http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1462681
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/nations/china.html#fw..ch122500.a10.c30
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yao_Ming
Search Engines Used
http://www.google.ca/
http://www.askforkids.com/
http://www.yahoo.com/
http://www.live.com/
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/climate.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#Geography_and_climatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_moneyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_China#locationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Chinese_clothinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Pearl_Towerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang_Dihttp://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1462681http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/nations/china.html#fw..ch122500.a10.c30http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yao_Minghttp://www.google.com/http://www.askforkids.com/http://www.yahoo.com/http://www.live.com/http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/climate.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China#Geography_and_climatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_moneyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_China#locationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Chinese_clothinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Pearl_Towerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang_Dihttp://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1462681http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/nations/china.html#fw..ch122500.a10.c30http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yao_Minghttp://www.google.com/http://www.askforkids.com/http://www.yahoo.com/http://www.live.com/Top Related