China
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The People’s Republic of China lies on the
eastern side of the Asian continent and on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean.
The Republic covers seven percent of the world’s land area. Many countries share
a border with China. They include North Korea, Russia (Siberia), Mongolia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan,
Myanmar (Burma), Laos and Vietnam. China also has thousands of offshore islands
including Hong Kong Island.
Over forty percent of the country is mountainous. The mountains are mainly in
the west with plains in the east. China also has desert regions. The Yellow
River and the Yangtze River, two of the world’s greatest rivers, flow across
China. Major rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean. China also has many lakes and
wetlands.
Beijing (formerly Peking) is the capital of China with a history of over two
thousand years. Shanghai is China’s largest and most prosperous city. Other
important port cities are Wuhan, Nanjing and Dalian (Canton).
The climate varies considerably covering a number of climatic regions.
Languages: The official language of the People’s Republic of China is
Putonghua (Mandarin). The population of China is so great that Mandarin is
spoken by over fourteen percent of the people in the world. At the moment, the
written language is being modified to simplify the characters involved.
Religion: Chinese traditional way of life is influenced by three systems
of belief: the teachings of Confucius, Taoism and Buddhism. Confucius laid great
stress on the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and
trustworthiness. Obedience and respect for elders were emphasized. Taoism is the
study of the “Way” (Tao means Way) and is concerned with remaining harmonious
with the universe. Buddhism aims to teach its followers how to reach a state of
nirvana through rejection of the material world.
Sport: The best known traditional sports in China are probably the
martial arts such as Tai Chi and Kung Fu.
Sport is important in China and in recent years Chinese athletes have been
particularly successful in gymnastics, diving, running and table tennis. China
played its first international rugby match in 1997 and competed in the Hong Kong
Sevens tournament in March 1998. Soccer is probably the most popular spectator
sport.
Chess is also a favorite pastime. Other popular board games are Go and Mahjong.
Holidays: The most important celebration is the Chinese New Year. This is
the biggest national holiday and shops and offices are closed for three days. As
well as the traditional festivals, the Chinese commemorate the founding of the
Chinese Communist Party and there a number of special celebration days such as a
teachers’ day.
