22.2 / 22.3 The History and Culture of China

 Chinese civilization is over 4,000 years old – it is the oldest in the world (not to be confused with Mesopotamia).  Most of China’s history is comprised of dynasties with emperors in charge.  Qin Dynasty  one of the most important dynasties because it was the first to unite China under one empire.  Shi Huangdi was the greatest Qin ruler who ordered the construction of the Great Wall of China.  The Qing Dynasty was the last one.

Outside Influences in China  The Chinese saw their culture as superior so emperors often limited contact with other countries and civilizations.  Over time, people from other parts of the world started to demand Chinese goods like tea and silk.  Europeans forced China to open up to trade in the 1800s.

China’s Modern History  1911  rebels – who were unhappy about increased foreign influence in China – forced the last emperor out.  The rebels formed a republic where voters elect their leaders.

 A power struggle emerged between two groups – the Nationalists (led by Chiang Kai-shek ) and the Communists (led by Mao Zedong ).  The two groups fought a violent civil war that ended with a Communist victory in  A new Communist government was set up called the People’s Republic of China.  Nationalists fled to the island of Taiwan and created the Republic of China.

Communist China  Mao Zedong became the head of China’s new government.  Under a Communist government, the government owns most businesses and land as well as controls all areas of life.  In addition to taking over all businesses and factories, the Chinese government seized all private farms and organized them into large, state- run farms.

 Other changes included…  Women gained more rights and could now work. (positive change)  The government limited freedoms of citizens and imprisoned those who criticized it.

 Mao died in 1976 and Deng Xiaoping took over.  He worked to modernize and improve China’s economy by allowing some private businesses and encouraging other nations to invest in China.

 Today, China is still a Communist country.  The government controls newspapers and Internet access.  It harshly punishes critics of the government as seen in 1989 when 100,000 pro-democracy protesters gathered in Tiananmen Square were violently shut down by government troops.

China’s Economy  Communist China began as a command economy (government owns all businesses and makes all economic decisions)  Today China has a mixed economy where there is still some government control but also some market economy ideals such as private ownership and foreign investment.  China is the world’s largest economy (recently passing up the United States) and most people work as farmers or in factories.

China’s People and Culture  1.3 billion people – world’s largest population  The populated areas of China are not very spread out – 10% live in West China, while the remaining 90% are packed into East China along the rivers and coast.  Largest city = Shanghai (14 million people)  Capital City & second largest city = Beijing (11.5 million people)  Because there are so many people, China has a lot of air pollution.

Ethnic Groups  92% of Chinese identify as Han Chinese and speak Mandarin – China’s official language.  There are over 55 other ethnicities in China.

Religion, Values, Beliefs  Even though the Communist government discourages the practice of religion in China, people follow the ideas of Daoism (stresses living simply and in harmony with nature), Buddhism, and Confucianism.  Christianity and Islam are also practiced in some smaller areas of China.

The Arts and Popular Culture  Some popular things that came out of China:  Architectural style of pagodas (Buddhist temples that have multi- storied towers with an upward curving roof at each floor).

Calligraphy – a decorative way of writing Martial arts – Buddhist monks train students in the art of kung fu

Sports like table tennis Games like mah-jongg