Chinese civilization is very ancient. It has four thousand years. Since the days of Marco Polo, the Middle Kingdom has attracted explorers and travelers. This country has the most inhabitants - it is home to one fifth of all people on the planet. If we consider the area of China, then the state is in third place in the world in size.
And although the days of Mao Zedong have already passed, the power of the Communist Party, as well as its influence on all spheres of life, is still enormous. In 1979, a state program called “2 + 1” was launched in the country. It was designed to limit birth rates. So, families sign an agreement with the state, according to which the spouses undertake to have one child in return for tax and many other benefits. Violation of the established rule entails the deprivation of financial privileges and an impressive fine.
Until the nineties of the twentieth century, the Chinese had no right to use private cars. All vehicles were owned by the state. For this reason, people used bikes without exception, and even now two-wheeled vehicles are no less in demand.
China’s area has previously been divided into five time zones. Such a system existed from 1912 to 1949. Currently, the entire territory of the country is administratively located in one time zone. Daylight saving time is not available.
Geographical position
China is located in East and Central Asia. As the map of China shows, the country borders on Russia, India, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Bhutan, Laos, Myanmar, North Korea and Vietnam. Formally, the state under consideration belongs to the island of Taiwan, but in fact it does not depend on anyone.
The area of China has the following geographical features: in the east - plains, in the center - highlands, in the west - mountains.
Administrative division
The state includes five national autonomous regions, four cities of special subordination, as well as provinces of China, the list of which includes twenty-two items.
Climatic features
The area of China lies in three climatic zones. It is temperate, subtropical and tropical. The mountain climate is sharply continental.
It is noteworthy that the country's weather conditions are largely determined by its topography, because China is a giant staircase, lowering from the highlands of Central Asia towards the ocean. It is she who forms a kind of screen, on the one hand contributing to the retention of moisture, which comes during the summer monsoon from the ocean to land, and on the other, causing the flow of cold air masses from the high-pressure zone, located in Mongolia, Southern Siberia and north- western China.
For the most part, the area of China (in sq. Km it is almost 9.6 million) is influenced by the continental climate. Moreover, the difference between the seasons is significant.
According to written sources dating from the first millennium BC, it used to be warmer in the Great Plain of China. This fact, as well as the fertile soils of forests, have largely contributed to the origin and successful development of agriculture in this region, which, in turn, stimulated the emergence of a great civilization.
At the dawn of our era, the climate became colder. The average annual temperatures were generally in line with modern temperatures, and then widespread cooling began, which over time covered all of Eurasia.
Architecture
The total area of China is simply huge - more than nine and a half square kilometers. Nevertheless, on such an impressive territory one architectural tradition dominates, which cannot be said about any European culture. All the basic constructive and decorative techniques developed many centuries ago and remain relevant until now. At the same time, the cultural stability of a country that has survived many foreign invasions is striking. The secret is that all the innovations the inhabitants of this state passed through the prism of their own worldview. That is why the borrowed elements are not much different from the original Chinese.
Regular urban development was based on the principles of Feng Shui. So, all the buildings were oriented south. The country had a whole system of urban planning rules, according to which the administrative and imperial parts of the city were always located in the center, they were surrounded by walls forming a forbidden territory. The most important buildings were built along the main thoroughfares going from the south gate towards the north.
The height and location of the structure were determined on the basis of its functions and the position of the owner in society. And although the population density in China in the first centuries of our era was impressive, ordinary citizens were forbidden to build houses more than one floor high. For this reason, a unique three-dimensional composition of the settlements was formed. The picturesqueness of the resulting landscape was greatly enhanced due to the color scheme of the roofs. So, at the imperial buildings they were painted golden, at the temples and houses of officials - in green (sometimes in blue). The roofs of the towers were covered with gray tiles.
Most famous drink
Describing China: population, area, climate, culture, architecture, economy and other areas - it is impossible not to mention one amazing drink. It has long been a hallmark of the country. This is tea. It is a product resulting from complex processing of the starting material. Freshly picked buds and leaves are poetically referred to as tea emeralds. Depending on what products were used in their processing, it turns green, yellow, white, turquoise, flower, ground, pressed, red, black tea.
Unique therapy
Locals are actively engaged in tai chi chuan. This is a special type of gymnastics, based on the oldest system of exercises. It, in turn, is based on the inextricable connection of the three components - movement, consciousness and breathing. In many cities, street classes are held under the guidance of professional instructors. Their work is paid by the Ministry of Health, which believes that it is better to pay ten, then treat a thousand.
The main principle of Chinese treatment is not to bring health from outside, but to awaken the internal forces of the body. And gymnastics in this regard is only one of many options. For example, in the resorts on. Hainan is proposed to eliminate nervous disorders by taking mineral and aromatic baths. In local hydropathic centers, modern technologies are successfully combined with traditional methods of getting rid of ailments. Chinese physicians base therapy on the concept of seven emotions. If a person is overcome with anger, fear, pain, anxiety, grief, surprise, or even happiness, this can shake the balance of his body, that is, lead to illness. As for the Hainan mineral waters, they just relieve the existing emotional stress due to the high content of silver, manganese and hydrogen sulfide.
Population
The area of China is almost 9.6 million square meters. km Representatives of fifty-six nationalities live on this vast territory. According to the nationwide census, there are 936.7 million Chinese (Han) and 67.23 million representatives of national minorities in the country.
The China population density map shows the uneven distribution of people. So, the majority of Han people live in the basins of the Yangtze, Yellow River and Pearl River, as well as in the north-east of the country - on the Sunliao Plain. As for national minorities, despite their relatively small numbers, they occupy about 60% of the state. They live in Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia Hui, Guangxi Zhuang, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regions, and also in fourteen provinces.
China Square km is very large, and the internal migration of millions of people play a significant role in the distribution of the population. Often, residents of megacities move to underdeveloped areas.
Currently, the country is witnessing a change in administrative birth control with material incentives. An example of this is the new slogan of demographic policy, which reads: "You have fewer children, get rich quicker." According to the National Bureau of Statistics, on January 6, 2005, the population of China reached one billion three hundred million people. Local authorities are trying to do everything possible so that the natural population growth is zero. It is estimated that by 2030 the number of Chinese people will reach their peak and amount to 1.46 billion. At the same time, it is expected that the maximum number of able-bodied citizens will be in 2020 and will reach 65% of the total population (940 million people).
Experts note that if the authorities of the republic do not soften the current legislation limiting the number of children, then by the middle of this century the title of the most populous state in the world will pass to India.
Features
A map of the provinces of China displays twenty-two territorial units. Each of them has not only an administrative role, but also cultural differences. Most modern provinces have borders established during the Ming Dynasty. Since that time, territorial division has only seriously transformed in the north-eastern part of the country.
In mainland China, the provinces are strictly subordinated to the central government, but in reality, local government is endowed with fairly broad powers in economic policy. Some researchers in this field call the current system federalism with Chinese characteristics. At the same time, an analogy is drawn with socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Most provinces of the country (with the exception of the northeastern ones) found borders during the rule of the Yuan, Qing and Ming dynasties. Moreover, the division was often not based on linguistic, geographical or cultural differences. This was done in order to prevent separatism and the rise of local authorities. The locals themselves say that the boundaries between the provinces alternate like gritted teeth in a dog. Despite this, such a division is of great cultural importance. Residents of each province are endowed with certain traits that fit into existing stereotypes.
Among the recent changes in the territorial division of the republic, the following are distinguished: giving Chongqing and Hainan the status of a province, as well as the establishment of special administrative regions of Macau and Hong Kong. What are the current provinces of China? The list is impressive:
- Shanxi.
- Shandong.
- Guangxi.
- Zhejiang.
- Macau
- Qinghai.
- Jiangsu.
- Anhui.
- Jiangxi.
- Gansu
- Jilin.
- Guangdong.
- Henan.
- Guizhou.
- Heilongjiang.
- Liaoning.
- Hebei.
- Sichuan.
- Hunan.
- Fujian.
- Qinghai.
- Hubei.
sights
Millions of tourists annually visit China. The area of the country, equal to 9.6 million km², includes a great many architectural monuments, which attracts travelers from all over the world. The state carefully cares for the preservation of a unique historical heritage. Even entire cities (there are 24 in all) are declared protected and properly protected, not to mention individual monuments.
The most famous example of fortress architecture in the world is, of course, the Great Wall of China. Its length is four thousand kilometers. A unique structure guards the northern borders of the country. It began to be erected in the fourth or third centuries BC, at a time when individual Chinese states were creating defensive structures to protect themselves from the attacks of nomadic tribes from Central Asia. According to historians, about four hundred thousand people took part in the construction of the Great Wall of China. After the formation of a centralized state, its individual sections were connected. Thus, a single defensive complex was formed. The completion of construction work came in the third century AD. The wall was a defensive wall, the height of which reached ten meters. Troops and carts could move along the wide top. Every two hundred meters, defense towers rose.
Beijing is known for the largest state museum in China called the Gugong. In the past it was an imperial palace. The construction of a unique architectural monument began in the first half of the fifteenth century. Subsequently, the palace was rebuilt and increased in size. Modern Gugun is a grandiose complex, which includes more than a hundred structures. Along the perimeter, it is surrounded by a wide channel and surrounded by a high stone wall. The total area of the palace is 720 thousand square kilometers, and the number of exhibits is 800 thousand. The latter are represented by antique values, including ritual palace utensils, ancient copper mirrors, jade and porcelain products, unique books and archives of the royal palace, of which eight thousand are classified as treasures of national importance. Every day the museum receives thirty thousand visitors.
In China, a great many garden and park complexes are broken. Basically, they are located in former imperial palaces and in private parks of different landscape types. Of particular interest are the beautiful man-made mountains, ponds, cozy arbors, bridges and bizarre piles of stones.
A classic example of the work of masters of landscape gardening art is Yi He Yuan, a park of serene relaxation. It is located on the territory of the summer imperial palace in the vicinity of Beijing.
In the capital of China there is a park called High Bay, which literally means "North Sea". It is famous for its artificial lake, on the banks of which interesting arbors, pavilions and temples are installed.
Suzhou is rightly called the green city. Currently, there are more than one hundred garden and park complexes. All of them are designed to please the eye and give coolness in the summer heat.
Conclusion
Admiration is caused not only by the impressive area of the country. China is the state that presented the world with paper, gunpowder, and a compass. In addition, the striking role of national culture. It has influenced the vast majority of areas of people's lives and the development of the country and continues to do so until now.