China’s Government
中国 The Chinese character for China means “middle kingdom.” Why? Long ago, Chinese people believed China was the center of the world. Today, China has 22 provinces, plus five autonomous regions like Tibet, created for minority groups, four separate big cities (Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, and Tianjin), plus Hong Kong and Macau.
This is the Great Hall of the People in Beijing where the National People’s Congress meets.
The National People’s Congress elects China’s President (Xi Jinping in 2013), and the President of the Supreme People’s Court. The people of China do not elect their leaders. The laws and programs carried out in China are developed and approved by the Communist Party, and enforced locally by people appointed by the Party.
人民币
China’s money is called the renminbi, or RMB for short. A common unit of RMB is the yuan.
Did you know Taiwan was originally part of China? In 1949, Taiwan separated from China, keeping China’s name (the Republic of China, or ROC), while mainland China became the People’s Republic of China, or PRC. Like two arguing brothers, Taiwan and China disagree over whether or not Taiwan should still be a part of China. Perhaps one day they will find a way to coexist in harmony. Taiwan is bustling with growth, just like China.
China’s Favorite Folk Song
“Mo Li Hua” means “Jasmine Flowers”
Composed during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1735–1796), Mo Li Hua has been performed on many important occasions, including the opening of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Mò Lì Huā 茉 莉 花
The Legend of Pan Gu 盘古开天辟地的神话
How the Earth Came To Be
Before Earth existed, a giant egg floated in the vast universe. Inside was a jumble of yin and yang, the foundation of life, and a powerful giant, Pan Gu, who was waking up from a sleep of thousands of years.
“Where am I?” roared Pan Gu. “I will build a new world from this yin and yang. I will create women and men who will know sadness and joy, and eat food that is both bitter and sweet, so they may live a full life.” Out of the shell he made the sky, Earth, mountains, and valleys. His breath became the wind and clouds. As he passed away, his blood became the oceans and rivers, his eyes became the moon and the sun, and his hair turned into trees, flowers, birds, animals, insects, and of course, people.
“I love this world—the sweet melodies of the birds, the fragrant smells of the flowers and the harmonious ways of the people,” proclaimed Nu Wa, a beautiful goddess who came down to Earth.
One day two gods had a big fight, causing it to rain so hard the sky collapsed. Nu Wa pushed a huge stone into the hole where the flood waters poured in, adding colorful stones from the seas, rivers, and lakes. She wrapped the stones with all the vines, bamboo, and reeds she could find. At last, the rain and the floods stopped and the sun appeared again.
“I have defeated the quarreling gods and saved Earth’s rich resources, its people, and the creations of Pan Gu,” said Nu Wa. And she was glad that the yin and yang remained for all time.
5,000 Years of Culture and Inventions
The earliest Chinese people lived along the Huang He (Yellow) River, beginning more than 12,000 years ago during the Neolithic Period according to archeologists—so long ago! Legend says that Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor, is the common ancestor of all Chinese people. So many things we use today were invented by the Chinese. How many do you know about?
About 2600 BCE, it is said that Huang Di created the lunar calendar and the zodiac. People also figured out a way to record time, as no one had clocks then! They also created a standard counting system using multiples of 10, and an early form of writing.
夏朝 Xia Dynasty (2070–1600 BCE)
Over 3,500 years ago in the Xia Dynasty, they grew rice, corn, tea, and soybeans, and made pottery and copper objects. Chopsticks were in use even then!
商朝 Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BCE)
China became the most skilled bronze-working civilization in the world, as people heated, melted, and cast metal to make pots, pans, tools, weapons, and household items. How were things preserved? People found that painting lacquer (tree sap) on wood protected it from water, bugs, and decay. Beginning about 1300 BCE, lacquer was painted on wood, houses, bowls, furniture, and ships. This allowed ancient things to survive for centuries, helping archeologists to see how people lived so long ago.
周朝 Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BCE)
Around 400 BCE, huge blast furnaces were invented to melt the iron out of iron ore, 1,200 years before this happened in Europe. It was now possible to make extra big pots, tools, and sculptures of gods.
In the last of the ancient dynasties, the Zhou Dynasty, people invented clever ways to bring water to crops—called irrigation systems—to grow ever larger amounts of food. Planting and irrigating crops in rows came about in this period. Over the centuries, Chinese agricultural methods became world famous, being adopted and used around the world today.
秦朝 Qin (“Ch’in”) Dynasty (221–206 BCE)
China’s name, meaning “Middle Kingdom,” comes from the Qin Dynasty, which Europeans used to pronounce as “Chine.” Powerful Emperor Qin Shihuang ruled from 221 to 206 BCE. In only 15 years he created standardized coins, weights and measures for use in trading, and built roads and canals linking the provinces with the capital. Qin imposed heavy taxes to pay for these huge projects.
The Dujiangyan Irrigation System was an engineering wonder! It stopped flooding, and channeled the Minjiang River to provide water for farming on the Chengdu Plain, now known as China’s breadbasket. Built in 223 BCE, this irrigation system still operates today.
Qin Shihuang built one of the most elaborate tombs known to mankind. Guarding his underground tomb were the Terra-cotta Warriors—8,000 life-size soldiers, all made of clay. Each one wore different clothes, with a different face, nose, eyes, hair, and armor. Many rode horses or chariots and held real bronze weapons. Qin had the tombs booby-trapped to stop grave robbers, so archeologists did not discover these underground warriors