China Today

• Do you know where China is?

China

• Called the People’s Republic of China

• Beijing is the capital

• The 2008 Summer Olympic games were held in Beijing

China in the News

• Toy recalls

• Pet food recalls

• China in space

Population

• More than a billion people live in China, that’s 1,321,851,900 to be exact!

• The U.S. population is about 301 million

• Most people live in rural (country) areas

• # of every 5 people live in China?

School in China

• Students must go to school for nine years• Some students go to five years of elementary school,

three years of junior high and two years of high school

China’s Geography• China’s geography includes mountains,

deserts and fertile river basins• It’s the world’s third largest country after

Russia and Canada• The world’s highest point- Mt. Everest

borders China

What do these maps tell us??

Map of Agricultural land Map of Population density

What about Ancient China?

• We’re going to start studying China after the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220

Ancient China

• After the Han Dynasty fell, China split into several rival kingdoms

• This period is called the Period of Disunion

• Nomads from the north entered China during this period, they lived peacefully with the Chinese and mixed cultures

• As cultures mixed, new art and music developed and Chinese culture spread

Reunification

• The period of disunion lasted from 220-589

• It ended when the ruler Yang Jian conquered southern China and formed the Sui dynasty