WELCOME TO CHINA !!!

Welcome To
China
 The flag of China was officially adopted on October 1, 1949.
 The red of the Chinese flag symbolizes the communist revolution,
and it's also the traditional color of the people.
 The large gold star represents communism,
 The four smaller stars represent the social classes of the people.
 In addition, the five stars together reflect the importance placed on the
number five in Chinese thought and history.
China’s Geography
The People's Republic of China
Area: 9,600,000 sq. km
Population: 1.3 billion
Capital City: Beijing
National Flag: Five-Stars-Red-Flag
Location: middle and East Asia, bounded on the east by
the Pacific Ocean
Territorial Seas: the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East
China Sea, and the South China Sea
Climate: mainly continental monsoon climate (Tibet:
vertical climate zone)
PEOPLE: HAN CHINESE (93.3%), PLUS
55 ETHNIC GROUPS LIKE MIAO, LI, MONGOLIAN
LANGUAGE: MANDARIN CHINESE (PUTONGHUA)
BASED ON BEIJING DIALECT, PLUS LOCAL
DIALECTS
MAIN RELIGIONS AND BELIEFS: OFFICIALLY
ATHEIST, CONFUCIANISM, BUDDHISM,TAOISM,
ISLAM (OVER 22 MILLION), CATHOLICISM (OVER 4
MILLION) AND PROTESTANTISM (OVER 10
MILLION)
CURRENCY AND MONETARY UNIT: RENMINBI/YUAN
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: SYSTEM OF NATIONAL
PEOPLE'S CONGRESS
ADMINISTRATIVE DEMARCATIONS:
23 PROVINCES, 5 AUTONOMOUS REGIONS, 4
MUNICIPALITIES, AND 2 SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE
REGIONS
CHINESE PRESIDENT: HU JINTAO
 HISTORICAL CONTEXT
歷史背景
 Chinese history is generally
divided into dynasties or periods
during which particular family or
group of people reigned.

 Chinese states were unified into a

large empire with a central
government.
 The Chinese empire lasted foe over
two thousand years surviving
periods of internal turmoil, attacks
from outside invaders and the rise
and fall of numerous dynasties
 The poet T’ao Ch’ien lived during
the period known as the Six
Dynasties (220 A.D – 581 A.D),
one of the most tumultuous eras in
the Chinese History.
 SHANG DYNAST Y (ABOUT 1700-1050 BC)

 Shang Dynasty (about 1700-1050 BC) -

Development of Chinese Writing
 The first dynasty for which there is
historical record and archaeological
evidence is the Shang Dynasty.
 It was a small empire in northern central
China.
 No documents from that country survive,
but there are archaeological finds of
hieroglyphic writing on bronze wares and
oracle bones.
 The hieroglyphic writing system later
evolved into ideographic and partly -
phonetic Chinese characters.
 CHOU DYNAST Y (1045-255 BC)
BASIC PHILOSOPHICAL AND RELIGIOUS LITERATURE

 Their dynasty lasted for about 800

years,
 The great literary works of
philosophy and religion that became
the basis for Chinese religious and
social belief stem from what is
called the Spring and Autumn Period
(770-476) and the Warring States
Period (475-221).
 Taoism, Confucian literature, and
other prominent religious and
philosophical schools all emerged
during these periods.
 CH’IN DYNAST Y (221-206 BC)
LITERARY DISASTER AND LEGALISM

 The Dynasty had big armies and

conquered the others.
 Once the Ch’in emperor had control, he
wanted to keep it, and they squelched any
opposition to his authority.
 A big philosophical and religious school
then was called Mohism.
 An early form of Buddhism was also
established in China at that time, but
their temples and literature were
destroyed and even less is known about
them.
 HAN DYNAST Y (206 BC – 220 AD)
SCIENTIFIC AND HISTORICAL TEXTS

 The Han Dynasty era lasted for 400

years.
 At the beginning of the era,
Confucianism was revived. Confucian
texts were rewritten and republished.
 The resulting ideology was the
official ideology of the Han Dynasty
and influenced political thinking
afterwards.
 The era’s major contributions were
historical texts and scientific works.
 T’ANG DYNAST Y (618-907)
EARLY WOODBLOCK PRINTING AND POETRY

 The T’ang Dynasty had a big empire that

benefited from trade with the west
along the Silk Road, battled with the
Tibetan Empire, and experienced the
growing influence of organized Buddhist
religions.
 This era’s main contribution to Chinese
literature was in the poetry of Dufu, Li
Bai and many other poets. Dufu and Li
Bai are often thought of as China’s
greatest poets.
 SUN G DY N A ST Y ( 9 6 0 -1 27 9 )
E A R LY WOODBLO C K P R I N T I N G , T R AV E L L I T E R ATUR E , P OE T RY,
SC I E N T I F I C T E X T S A N D T H E N E O- C ON F UC I A N C L A SS I C S

 Military technology greatly advanced. They traded

little with the west due to the presence of warring
Muslim states on the old trade routes.
 There wasn’t territorial expansion, but the empire
was continuously attacked by nomadic tribes and
countries around them.
 So the era is divided into two eras called the
Northern Sung (960-1127) and Southern Sung
(1127-1279) eras.
 MING DYNAST Y (1368-1644)
NOVELS

 The Chinese rebelled against the

Mongols, and the Ming Dynasty era
began about 1368.
 One of the four great classics
called Journey to the West about a
monk going to India was written
during this time of isolation.
 Novels were the era’s main
contribution.

 YUAN DYNAST Y (1279-1368)
DRAMA AND GREAT FICTIONAL NOVELS

 The Mongols established the ver y rich Yuan

Dynasty.
 The Mongols were nomadic people who
herded cattle nor th of the Tang Empire and
wandered over a large area fighting on
horseback .
 It was a big empire with high technology, a
big population and a big army.
 It was an era of some historically renowned
dramatic playwrights and novelists who
wrote in vernacular language.
 CHINESE LITERATURE
1000 B.C.- A.D.1890

Know contentment
And you will suffer no disgrace;
Know when to stop
And you will meet with no danger.
You can then endure.
- the Tao Te Ching
 LITERARY CONTEXT
文藝上下文
 Poetry is a part of everyday life throughout the
history of China
 Poets have been among the most highly
regarded members of Chinese Society
 2 n d -12 t h centuries A.D. the main Chinese
poetic form was the Shih Ching ( The Book of
Songs)
 Even the number of lines , each of which has the
same number of words
 Often expressed personal emotions
 Many have brooding or trouble tone , but can
express contentment
 CHINESE PHILOSOPHY
中國哲學
 Contrast between Chinese and Western
modes of philosophic thinking
 Western philosophers seek out the being of
things, the essential reality lying behind
appearances

 Chinese principal and establishment and

cultivation of harmonious relationships within
their social structures
 Chinese thinking is far more concrete , this
worldly and above all, practical.
 CULTURAL CONTEXT
文化背景

 Chinese attitudes and beliefs

were shaped by 3 religious and
philosophical schools:

Taoism
Confucianism
Buddhism
 TAOISM
道教
 Tao- path or the way

 Stresses freedom , simplicity and the

mythical contemplation of nature
(“Tao”)
 Force that controlled the universe

 Beyond the scope of human concerns

, but can see its workings by
observing nature
 TAOISM
道教

 Avoid human desires

 Not educating
 Not honoring men of worth or
encourage cleaver to act
 Cause jealousy and greed

 Opposite of Confucianism
 CONFUCIANISM
儒
 How people act – moral behavior

 Social relations based on

subordination: family ruled by

authoritarian father , state ruled by

authoritarian king.

 Respect and obey those with

superior status

 However, governed by the concept

ren – with a loving attitude towards

others
 CONFUCIANISM
儒

 Tried to teach students to become

true gentlemen- morally and

spiritually

 Must conduct oneself in a virtuous

manner, those in power serve as

models

 Heaven is the supreme moral

authority , which dictates how one

must live.
 BUDDHISM
佛教
 To lead a moral life

 To be mindful and aware of thoughts

and actions
 To develop wisdom and
understanding
 Life is sorrow and sorrow is caused by
desires
 Rid self of desires

 Does not claim to be God

 Attain enlightenment through

meditation
 BUDDHISM
佛教
 Solutions to our problems are within
ourselves
 Beliefs are incorporated into poetry
through symbols, imagery and
language of Chinese Literature
 Quietude and calmness is a central
notion in Buddhist thought
TRADITION AND CULTURE
傳統與文化
 CHINESE WEDDING TRADITIONS
中國的傳統婚禮
 Red is the Color of Weddings in China

 Red is central to the wedding theme of

China. It signifies love, joy and
prosperity and is used in a variety of
ways in Chinese wedding traditions.
 The bride's wedding down is of ten red,
as are the wedding invitations, and
wedding gif t boxes or envelopes for
cash gifts. Even the bride and groom's
homes are decorated in red on the
wedding day.
 CHINESE WEDDING TRADITIONS
中國的傳統婚禮
 Before the Chinese Wedding Day
 Before her wedding celebration, a Chinese bride traditionally
goes into seclusion with her closest friends. This Chinese
custom gives the bride-to-be some time to symbolically mourn
the loss of her friends and family.
 CHINESE WEDDING TRADITIONS
中國的傳統婚禮
 S o m e t i m e b e fo r e t h e c o u p l e a r e m a r r i e d , t h e

groom's family carries wedding gifts in red

b a s ke t s a n d b oxe s to t h e b r i d e ' s h o u s e .
 O n e o f t h e b a s ke ts w i l l c o n t a i n " u a n g s u s u " o r

' m i l k m o n ey ' . O t h e r s w i l l c o n t a i n p e r s o n a l t h i n g s
fo r t h e b r i d e , s o t h a t o n h e r w e d d i n g d ay a l l o f
her personal belongings will be in the groom's
house.
 T h e b r i d e t a ke s t h e g i f t s to a n o t h e r r o o m w h e r e

t h ey a r e s o r te d t h r o u g h . T h r e e d ay s b e fo r e t h e
w e d d i n g d ay, w o m e n f r o m t h e b r i d e ' s f a m i l y
r e c i p r o c a te , b e a r i n g g i f t s - - i n c l u d i n g s o m e
' r e t u r n s ' - - i n r e d w r a p p i n g s to t h e g r o o m ' s
f a m i l y.
 CHINESE WEDDING TRADITIONS
中國的傳統婚禮

 The Day of the Wedding Ceremony

 Wedding anniversaries in China, are

carefully chosen according to astrological
signs. It is also customary for couples to
be married on the half-hour or their
wedding day rather than at the top of the
hour.
 In this way, the couple begins their new
lives together on an 'upswing', while the
hands of the clock are moving up, rather
than down.
 CHINESE FESTIVALS
中國節日

 Event: Chinese New Year Date: The

first day of a year in lunar calendar,
usually between late Jan and early Feb
 Activities: fireworks display, visiting
and greeting, Yangke dancing, lion and
dragon dancing, holding temple fairs
and many other great folklore-inspection
events.
 CHINESE FESTIVALS
中國節日
 This was a time for the Chinese to
congratulate each other and
themselves on having passed
through another year, a time to
finish out the old, and to welcome in
the new year.
 Common expressions heard at this
time are: GUONIAN to have made it
through the old year, and BAINIAN to
congratulate the new year.
 CHINESE FESTIVALS
中國節日
 Event: Lantern Festival Date: 15th of
the fir st lunar month
 Activities: Lanterns expositions, garden
par ties, firework displays and folk
dances.
 The New Year celebrations ended on
the 15th of the Fir st Moon with
the Lantern Festival .
 In the legend, the Jade Emperor in
Heaven was so angered at a town for
killing his favorite goose, that he
decided to destroy it with a storm of
fire.
 CHINESE FESTIVALS
中國節日

 Event: Dragon Boat Festival

 Date: Date: 5th day of the 5th

lunar month
 Activities: Dragon Boat races and
eating Zong Zi (pyramid shaped
rice wrapped in reed or bamboo
leaves
 CHINESE FESTIVALS
中國節日
 Event: Mid- Autumn FestivalDate: 15th of
the 8th lunar month
 Activities: Dragon Boat racing, enjoying
moonlight and eating moon cakes.
 Probably the second most important
festival in the Chinese calendar, Zhong qiu
has ancient origins.
 Abundant meals are eaten during the
festival and moon cakes, round pastries
filled with nuts, dried fruits, preserved
flowers, sesame and/or marinated beef or
bacon are eaten.
 CHINESE FESTIVALS
中國節日
 Event: Qing ming Date: 12th of the
3rd lunar month, usually around
April 4th or 5th.
 Activities: Cleaning ancestors'
graves and holding memorial
ceremonies, spring outing, and flying
kites
 This is a time when ice and snow
has gone and plants are beginning
to grow again, and is a time for
respect to ancestors
 . Qing Ming is often marked by an
indulgence of the Chinese passion
for kite flying.
 CHINESE FOOD AND COOKING
中國食品和烹飪
 Confucius once said: "Eating is the
utmost impor tant par t of life".
 Food is a central par t of the
Chinese culture.
 Chinese cuisine is one of the
greatest methods of cooking.
 The Chinese people enjoy eating
good food at all levels of society,
so cooking has developed into a
ver y sophisticated ar t.
 CHINESE CUISINE IS NOTED FOR THE
FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS:

 Vegetables are the main

ingredients.
 The Chinese people like well-
prepared food.
 Chinese also like to eat together, a
tradition that can be traced back a
long time ago.
 Tea drinking is an integral part of
Chinese life and the Chinese food
experience.
 EDUCATION
教育
 A good education has always been highly

valued in China, as the people believe that

education ensures not only the future and
development of the individual but also the
family and the countr y as a whole.

 The great master Confucius taught that 'it

is a pleasure to learn something and to tr y it

out at inter vals'. Similarly, numerous
students have been convinced that 'reading
books excels all other career s'.
 EDUCATION
教育
 As far back as the Shang Dynasty
(16th century BC - 11th century BC),
inscriptions on bones or tortoise
shells were the simple records of
teaching and learning.
 In the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th
century BC - 771 BC), nobles built
schools to teach their children, as
their offsprings would be the
officials of the future, while those
who were gifted but of poor families
could but dream of approaching
state affairs.
 EDUCATION
教育
 The deve lopment of education system led to a

form of eva luation th at became the means by

which dynastic Ch ina appointed those with
talents as of ficials.
 In general, this process can be divided into three

periods - 'ch aju' and 'zhengpi' in the Han

Dynasty, th e 'jiupin zh ongzheng' system from
Han to th e Nor th ern and Southern Dynasties,
and th e Imperial Exa mination whic h sur vived
from t he Sui Dynasty (589 - 61 8) right through
to th e last fe udal dynasty Qing Dynasty (1644 -
1911).
 THE CHINESE LANGUAGE
中國語言
 Ch i n es e ( 漢 語 ) co mp r i s es o f s ev en mai n d i al ect s , Man d ar i n
( 官 話 ) , Can t o n es e ( 廣 州 話 , 廣 府 話 ) , Hak k a ( 客 家 話 ) , Wu
( 吳語 ) , Mi n ( 閩語 ) , Xi an g ( 湘語 ) , an d Gan ( 贛語 ) .
 Th e v ar i et y o f Man d ar i n b as ed o n t h e s p eech i n t h e cap i t al
Bei j i n g i s t h e o ff i ci al n at i o n al l an g u ag e o f mai n l an d Ch i n a
an d i s t er med P ŭ t ō n g h u à, Co mmo n l an g u ag e ( 普通話 ) .
 Th e d e f act o co mmo n l an g u ag e i n Ho n g Ko n g an d o v er s eas
Ch i n es e co mmu n i t i es i s Can t o n es e. Amo n g s t t h e o ff i ci al
l an g u ag es o f Tai wan ar e Man d ar i n , Tai wan es e, an d Hak k a .
 THE CHINESE LANGUAGE
中國語言
 All varieties of Chinese belong to the
Sino-Tibetan family of languages.
Members of the Sinitic family are
typically tonal, meaning that different
tones, or intonations, distinguish words
that otherwise are pronounced
identically.
 Chinese by origin is monosyllabic. The
vocabulary of dialects more recent in the
linguistic tree such are Mandarin tend to
become more polysyllabic (compound
words) as an adjustment to the loss of a
number of sounds compared to ancient
Chinese.
 THE CHINESE ALPHABET
中國字母表
 In the Chinese alphabet, small letters are written like capital
letters, and vice versa. J 杰 jié

A 诶 ēi K 开 kāi
L 艾勒 ài lè
B 比 bǐ M 艾马 ài mǎ

C 西 xī N 艾娜 ài nà
O 哦 ó
D 迪 dí P 屁 pì

E 伊 yī Q 吉吾 jí wú
R 艾儿 ài ér

F 艾弗 ài fú S 艾丝 ài sī
T 提 tí

G 吉 jí U 伊吾 yī wú
V 维 wéi

H 艾尺 ài chǐ W 豆贝尔维 dòu bèi ěr wéi

X 艾克斯 yī kè sī
I 艾 ài
Y 吾艾 wú ài
CHINESE MONEY AND COUNTING
中國貨幣和計數

 The 100 yuan note has pictures

of four of the founders of the
People's Republic of China.
From right to left these are:
Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu
Shaoqi, and Zhu De.
 CONFUCIUS
孔子
 Kong Qui, better known as Confucius,
was born in 551 B.C. in the Lu state
of China. His teachings, preser ved in
the Analects, focused on creating
ethical models of family and public
interaction, and setting educational
standards. He died in 479 B.C.
Confucianism later became the
of ficial imperial philosophy of China,
and was extremely influential during
the Han, Tang and Song dynasties.
 THE ANALECTS OF CONFUCIUS
孔子的“論語”

 An anthology of brief passages that

present the words of Confucius and his
disciples.
 Describe Confucius as a man, and recount
some of the events of his life.
 The Analects includes twenty books, each
generally featuring a series of chapters
that encompass quotes from Confucius,
which were compiled by his disciples after
his death.
 THE ANALECTS
“ 論語”
 "The Master said, 'At fifteen I set my heart upon
learning. At thirty, I had planted my feet firm
upon the ground. At forty, I no longer suffered
from complexities. At fifty, I knew what were
the biddings of Heaven. At sixty, I heard them
with docile ear. At seventy, I could follow the
dictates of my own heart; for what I desired no
longer overstepped the boundaries of right.'"

Book II, Ch.4, p. 88

 THE ANALECTS
“ 論語”

 "The Master said, 'From the very poorest

upwards - beginning even with the man who
could bring no better present than a bundle
of dried flesh - none has ever come to me
without receiving instruction.'"

Book VII,
Ch. 7, p. 124
 THE ANALECTS
“ 論語”

 "The Master said, 'A horn-gourd that is

neither horn nor gourd! A pretty horn-gourd
indeed, a pretty horn-gourd indeed.'"
Book VI, Ch.23, p. 120
PO CHU-I
白居易

 Po Chu-i was a gentleman poet and

government official during the golden
age of the Tang dynasty in China.

 Po Chu-i eventually retired to a

monaster y when he was in his 50s.
One of his legs was paralyzed at the
end of his life.
 His poetr y often has the easy, retiring
quality of Chan poetr y of the time.
 LAO TZU
老子
 La o Tzu ( "ol d m a n " o r "ol d s a g e ") wa s th e a n ci e n t

a uth or of Ta o Te C hing , th e m os t wi de l y tra n s l a te d

Ch i n e s e wo rk of a l l ti m e a n d th e cl a s s i c bo ok of
th e re l i g i on o r ph i l o s ophy k n ow n a s Tao i s m .
 A g e n e ra l h i s tor y of Ch i n a from th e fir s t ce n tur y

B .C. de s cri be s La o Tzu a s a n o l de r co n te m pora r y

a n d te a c h e r of Con fuci us ( 551 -479 B .C.) .
 It s ays h e wrote th e two -vol um e Ta o Te C hing a t

th e re q ue s t of th e ke e pe r of a "pa s s " wh i l e o n a
wes twa rd j o urn ey.
 La o Tzu ta ke s a m ore mys ti ca l a pproa c h to tun i n g

i n to th e n a tura l orde r of th i n g s a s a way o f

a c h i ev i n g pe r s on a l and s o ci a l h a rm o ny.
T'AO CH'IEN
錢陶鑄
 T'ao Ch'ien (365-427) was one of China's
foremost poets in the five-word shih style,
and his influence on subsequent poets
was very great.
 Also known as T'ao Yüan-ming

 One of T'ao's best-known poems is a

debate among "Substance, Shadow, and
Spirit, " who speak respectively for
hedonism, Confucian fame, and a kind of
Taoist stoicism which accepts life in its
totality
 TU FU
國節

 Tu Fu was a great Chinese poet of the T'ang

dynasty, a family that ruled China from 61 8 to

907.

 He is known as a poet-historian for his

por trayal of the social and political disorder s

of his time and is also noted for his ar tistr y

and craf tsmanship.

 His poetr y he introduces an intense, dramatic,

and touching per sonalism through the use of

symbols and images, irony and contrast .

 Ivory
Chopsticks
When King Chow

ordered chopsticks
made of ivory
 Chi Tzu
For he
was most feared
perturbed

had ivory
that once the king chopsticks
HE WOULD NOT BE CONTENT WITH EARTHENWARE,

but would want cups

of rhinoceros

horn
and jade
 and instead of and vegetables
beans

he would insist on such and baby

delicacies as elephant's leopard
tail
 He would hardly be willing
either to wear rough
homespun

or live under a thatched roof

but would demand silks and splendid mansions.

It is fear

of what this
will lead to

" said Chi Tzu

 that upsets me

Five years later, indeed

King chow
 had a
garden filled with meat

tortured his subjects with hot irons

and caroused in a
lake of wine.

And so he lost his kingdom.

 REPORTERS

Mark Bahian Kevin Malinda

Franzelle Mae G. Lignes

The End