China Flashcards
What are the physical features of Ancient China?
- Taklimakan Desert
- East China Sea
- South China Sea
- Mount Everest
- Tian Mountain Range
- Turfan Desert
- Mekong River
- North China Plain
- Yellow River
- Plateau of Tibet
- Yangzi River
- Gobi Desert
Taklimakan Desert
~Vast sandy desert
~Located in northwestern China between the Kunlun Mountains on the south and the Tian Mountains and Tarim River on the north
~Occupies 105,000 square miles in the central part of the Tarim Basin
~The earliest Chinese contacts with the West were made along the Taklimakan oases
The East China Sea
~covers an area of 290,000 square miles and is an arm of the Pacific Ocean.
~ is bounded on the east by the Kyushu and Rykyu islands, on the south by Taiwan, and the west by China.
~The East China Sea is largely a shallow sea, with 7% of the area less than 650 feet deep and an average depth of only 1.145 feet.
~A monsoon wind system dominates the weather in the East China Sea.
The South China Sea
~covers an area of 848,000 square miles,
~sits between the Southeast Asian mainland and Taiwan, the Philippines, and Borneo.
~The southwestern part of the sea from the Gulf of Siam to the Java Seam is a submerged plain and generally shallow.
~In contrast, the northeastern part of the sea is a deep basin, reaching depths of up to 18,000 feet,
~Many islands are near the South China Sea.
Mount Everest
~known to the Chinese as Zhumulong Mafeng,
~is on the border of China and Nepal in the central Himalayas.
~height of 29,028 feet; highest mountain in the world
More Physical Features
~Tian mountain range extends 1,500 mi from Pamir Mts (in former Soviet Union) through northwestern
~In the region’s dry climate, tian’s sow line is generally above 11,000 ft
~Coal, iron, lead, and zinc are mined in the region and grains are the main crop in the valleys
Turfan Desert
~The Turfan has a fault which descending at its lowest point is 505 ft below sea level- the lowest point in China
~The depression, which lies between the Bogeduo Mountains to the north and the Kuluke range to the south
~It is intensely farmed and especially famous for its grapes, melons, peaches, apricots, nuts, cotton, silk, and wheat
Mekong River
~2,600-mile-long
~rises in the Tibetan Highlands of China
~ flows south through Yunnan province.
~Leaving Yunnan, the Mekong forms the Myanmar-Laos border, then curves east and south through Laos before marking part of the Laos-Thailand border.
~From southwestern Laos, the river flows into Cambodia.
~finally flows into the South China Sea through many tributaries in the Mekong Delta, a fertile region in Vietnam
North China Plain
~covers an area of 135,00 square miles,
~2nd largest plain in China.
~Most of it lies at heights below 150 feet, with river channels that are higher than the surrounding area.
~has the highest proportion of land under cultivation of any region in China.
Yellow River
~3,000 miles long,
~rises in the Kunlun Mountains in Qinghai province and flows east around the Ordos desert into the Bohai, an arm of the Yellow River.
~During the dry winter season, the Yellow River is slow-moving and occupies only part of its huge bed
~In the summer the river rages out of control. Since the second century, the Yellow River has flooded the surrounding region some 1,500 times and made nine major changes in its course
~In an attempt to forestall the Japanese invasion of China in 1938, the Chinese diverted the river south, flooding 20,000 square miles. The river is a major source of water and hydroelectric power
Plateau of Tibet
~comprises 1/4 of whole country.
~large part of the plateau lies at elevations above 13,000 feet with individual peaks rising to 26,000 feet
~The interior slopes of the mountains that border the plateau are gentle, while the exterior slopes are rugged.
~The only settlements in the region exist in the low valley terrain along the Brahmaputra River
Yangzi River
~rises in the Tibetan Highlands and flows east for 3,450 miles through central China into the East China Sea at Shanghai.
~flows through China’s middle basin (one of the country’s most productive agricultural regions and one of the world’s most densely populated regions).
~has long been used as a major east-west trade and transportation route in China
Gobi Desert
~extends 1,000 miles from east to west across southeastern Mongolia and northern China.
~located on a plateau that comprises an area of 500,000 square feet.
~most of the region’s soil has been removed by prevailing northwesterly winds, and the grassy fringe of the desert supports a small population of nomadic Mongolian groups engaged in sheepherding.
~Fierce sand and wind storms are common in the Gobi.
Regime
A form of government in power, or period of rule
steppe
flat dry grassland
unify
to bring together in one unit; to join; to make into one group
Calligraphy
Artistic handwriting
Porcelain
A ceramic made of fine clay baked at very high temperatures
Neo-Confucianism
A new form of the ideas of he philosopher Confucius; included Buddhist and Daoist beliefs
Civil
Having to do with citizens and their government
Dynasty
A line of hereditary rulers of a country
Yangdi
~Son of Wendi and became the next Emperor of the Sui Dynasty after his father’s death
~Wanted to expand China’s territory and tried to regain lost lands
~His army fought the Koreans but it was badly defeated
~Within China, he was more successful at expanding his empire
~Wanted to bring back the glory of the Han Dynasty
~Repaired the Great Wall and rebuilt Changan (Han capital city)
~The most ambitious project was building the Grand Canal
~To rebuild China, he required help from the Chinese people by forcing farmers to build the Great Wall/Grand Canal and had to pay higher taxes to support the projects
~The taxes also paid for the Emperor’s luxurious life which made farmers angry
~Farmers revolted against Yangdi and he was killed
Grand Canal
~Approximately 1,100 miles (1,770 km)
~Connected by Huang He (Yellow River) and Chang Jiang (Yangtze River)
~Made it easier to ship rice and other products between Northern and Southern China and united China’s economy
~It took 5 million people and over 6 years to build
Tang
~The Tang Dynasty started in 618 AD and ruled for about 300 years
~Started by Emperor Taizong and he used violence to raise power
~People liked Taizong because he took land from the rich and gave it to the poor
~The Tang Dynasty copied the Sui’s Dynasty Tax system because it was good
~Tang Dynasty made Changan the capital city because it was on a major trade route
~Imperial State
~Tang Dynasty created highly effective laws for all of China
~All officials in the government had to take an exam to prove themselves for jobs in the government
~If you passed, you were an official (mostly rich family members passed the test because of more education
~The Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty also grew after they made roads and waterways
~Transportation brought China together and improved trade
~Tang and Song also were the first to make paper money
What is one word that describes Confucianism?
MORALS
