China Pictures

The third largest country in the world (next to Russia and Canada), China has a land area that is almost a million square kilometers. Most of the country is mountainous; its highest point is Mt. Everest which rises more than twenty nine thousand feet below sea level. The Gobi Desert is located at the northern part of the country and southern part of Mongolia. It is famous in history as having once been a part of the Mongol Empire and as the location of several notable cities along the famous trade route, the Silk Road. The main rivers in the country are the Huang He (Yellow River), the Yangtze (the world’s third largest river), and the Zhu Jiang (Pearl River).

Mandarin is the language of the mainland and many of the locals still could not speak English very well though many living in the urban areas can read and write in this language. But with the push towards more commercial endeavors, this may not be the situation for long as many foreign influences are slowly leaking into the country.

A communist state, China’s official name is the People’s Republic of China or Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo in Chinese. This had not always been the case. Less than two thousand years before the birth of Christ, China had consisted of several states led by kings. In 4th century BC, all the independent states were united under one state, the state of Qin (or Ch’in) under Qin Shi Huang, who later proclaimed himself the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty. China got its name from this dynasty.

The last emperor of China was Henry Pu-Yi. He became emperor at the age of 2 and abdicated when he was 6. Under the Japanese rule 1934, he became a puppet ruler until 1945. After the defeat of Japan, China became a communist state under the leadership of Mao Zedong. Today, the head of state is a legislature elected President who is given a 5-year term of office. The head of government is a Premiere who is elected by the National People’s Congress.

The largest cities in China is headed by Shanghai, next is the capital city of Beijing, and the rest are Tianjin, Wuhan, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Haerbin, Xian, Chungking, Chengdu, and Hong Kong. Hong Kong had been a British colony since 1842 but in 1997 had been returned to China as agreed in the Sino-British Agreement of 1984. It remains to be a duty free port attracting thousands of shoppers all over the world and is a major tourist destination.

China’s capital is Beijing and its climate is at its coldest at -4ºC in January and is hottest at 26 ºC in July. It is the cultural heart of the country. Tian’an Men Square is located at the heart of the city and many historical sites and monuments are seen here such as the Forbidden City, which had once been the home of the emperor and has since been converted into a museum. Other places of interest are the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution. Near the city are the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the tombs of the Ming dynasty, and the Great Wall.

The city of Shanghai also has its cultural spots worth mentioning. The Museum of Art and History has some of the finest collections of Chinese art. There is also the Museum of Natural Sciences. The Garden of the Mandarin Yu is a fine example of the government’s effort to support the arts. Many homes of the wealthy were converted into museums, parks, spots to have tea, and venues for educational field trips.

Guangzhou main attractions are the Guangzhou Museum, the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, the Yuexiu Park (home of Zhenhai Pagoda from the Ming dynasty), the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, and the Huaisheng Mosque (built in 627 AD). The terra cotta army consisting of over six thousand life-sized figures were found in the first emperor’s tomb are located near Xi’an.

The efforts of government since the revolution of 1949 to increase awareness of China’s culture and arts has led to almost every city in China to establish some sort of stake in China’s development.

There are many things to see in China. It is a country rich in culture and the arts and it would take a lifetime to fully explore its wonders. The “Sleeping Dragon” has started to awaken and its part as the venue of the 2008 Olympics only proves that China is opening its doors to the world.

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