EAST ASIA CHPT 28 CHINA AND MONGOLIA PHYS

EAST ASIA

CHPT 28: CHINA AND MONGOLIA

PHYS GEO OF CHINA • 2 parts: mountains and plateaus (west); plains and hills (east) • Mountains: Kunlun Shan (central west) and Tian Shan (northcentral west) • Create the Tarim Basin • Tarim Basin has Taklimakan Desert • Gobi Desert in north-central China and southern Mongolia

RIVERS • Huang He (Yellow): called “China’s Sorrow”; made “yellow” by Loess—yellowish-brown sediment made of silt and clay • Chiang Jiang (Yangtze): China’s longest river • Zhu (Pearl): with tributaries, forms largest major river system in China

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

CHINA • DYNASTIES: ruling houses or continuing family of rulers • Chinese culture dates back 5000 years • Began in the Wei River Valley • 1 st dynasty: C. 1776 B. C. (Shang Dynasty) • Ruled by “mandate of heaven” (approval of gods and goddesses) • Shang ruled for 700 years

ZHOU DYNASTY • Ruled for 800 years • Trade grew • Chinese culture spread • Iron tools • Confucius: founded Confucianism---based on discipline and proper moral conduct • Lao-Tzu: founder of Taoism— harmony with nature and simple living

QIN DYNASTY • Founded by Qin Shihuangdi • 1 st to unify the country • Built the Great Wall of China

OTHER DYNASTIES • Han and Tang saw rise of traders and missionaries • Ming Dynasty: exploration opens; Zheng He sails to Africa (1400 s) • Qing Dynasty: last dynasty

END OF DYNASTIES • Dynasties ended in 1911 (rebellion led by Sun Yat-sen) • 1925: Chang Kai-shek forms Nationalist govt of Republic of China • Rivaled by Mao Zedong, leader of the communist party • Civil War • 1949: Communists take over and set up the People’s Republic of China • Republic of China moved to Taiwan

COMMUNIST CHINA • 1950 s: “Great Leap Forward”— small farms replaced by large govt farms • Not enough food produced; millions die of starvation • Mao wanted a classless society • 1966: Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution—urban and educated Chinese sent to work on farms; meant to cleanse elements of capitalism • Late 1970 s: Deng Xiaoping opens some free-market

MONGOLIA • Early inhabitants were the Xiongnu • Genghis Khan (12 th and 13 th centuries) leads the Mongol Empire to conquer much of China, Russia, and Central Asia • Fell to the Qing Dynasty (called Outer Mongolia) • Qing overthrown in 1911; Mongolia created

SOCIETY AND CULTURE TODAY

EDUCATION • Mao Zedong closed schools b/c educated people were seen as a threat • Policy reversed after his death

LANGUAGE • Mandarin is the dominant language • Uses IDEOGRAMS: pictorial character that represents a specific meaning or idea • Thousands of ideograms in use • Very difficult to learn

RELIGION • Buddhism, Taoism, and Islam are practiced • Many identify as atheist • Buddhism is restricted in Tibet

ECONOMICS • Shift from communes to small, family farms • China is the world’s largest exporter of goods

HUMAN RIGHTS • DISSIDENTS: a citizen who speaks out against govt policies • 1989: Tiananmen Square— students protest for democratic reform; Chinese govt responds brutally • U. S. , Japan, and EU (major trade partners w/China) impose ECONOMIC SANCTIONS: trade restrictions • China released several dissidents; U. S. relented

HONG KONG • Under British control until 1997 • Has a strong economy • In a SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE (SEZ): small district in China that is fully open to global commerce