Review 2024 PDF

National Anthem  March of the Volunteers was written in 1935 and was officially adopted as the national anthem of the PRC on December 4, 1982.  The lyrics of March of the Volunteers goes as follow: Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves; Let us amount our flesh and bloo...

National Anthem  March of the Volunteers was written in 1935 and was officially adopted as the national anthem of the PRC on December 4, 1982.  The lyrics of March of the Volunteers goes as follow: Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves; Let us amount our flesh and blood towards our new Great Wall! The Chinese nation faces its greatest peril, The thundering roar of our people will be heard! Arise! Arise! Arise! We are many, but our hearts beat as one! Selflessly braving the enemy’s gunfire, march on! Selflessly braving the enemy’s gunfire, march on! March on! March on! on!  National Day  Chinese celebrate October 1 as National Day in honor of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on October 1, 1949.  Population China has one of the largest population in the world. According to the 7th national census, the population of China is more than 1.4 billion. (2020)  Nationalities/Ethnic groups China is a multi-ethnic country.  56 ethnic groups populate China. The largest ethnic group is Han, accounting for about 92% of the total population. And therefore, the rest 55 ethnic groups are ethnic minority in China, enjoying preferential policies.  Language The national official language is Chinese Chinese also is one of the six working languages of the United Nations.( Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish) Mandarin  Chinese characters: Chinese characters constitute the oldest continuously used system of writing in the world. Beijing Opera  The new trend is the combination of modern music and traditional opera.  Our City-----Xi’an The most famous historical city located in the heart of China.  Statutory Holidays All together there are 7 national/public holidays stipulated by the law.  Modern Holidays and Traditional Festivals.  Traditional Chinese Festivals Major Chinese traditional festivals are: Spring Festival---Chinese New Year Lantern Festival Qing Ming Festival---Tomb Sweeping Day Dragon Boat Festival Middle-autumn Festival Double Seven Festival  Traditional Chinese Festivals Traditional festivals in China are arranged according to the lunar calendar, so the same festival can be celebrated on different days in different years. In contrast to solar calendars, lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases. Ancient Chinese used such calendar to help scheduling farm work.  The Story of Nian Spring Festival is the official name, people also call it guo nian, meaning keeps the monster nian away. There are many legends about the origin of Nian. A popular legend from ancient times described Nian as a fierce monster resembling a bull with a lion’s head. During winter, when food was scarce Nian would leave his mountain lair to eat local villagers or drive them from their homes.  The Story of Nian Accidentally one person found out that nian was afraid of the sound of firecrackers, so pass this information to everybody and all together people everywhere set off firecracker to drive away monster nian for good.  Chinese Zodiac 十二生肖 shí èr shēng xiào A classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its attributes to each year in a repeating 12-year cycle. Rat 鼠 shǔ Perfectionist Thrifty with money  charm and attraction for the opposite sex  OX 牛 niú patient and speak little stubborn and fractious  Always inspire confidence in others Tiger 虎 hǔ sensitive and capable of great sympathy short-tempered  Can command respect easily Rabbit 兔 tù articulate and talented virtuous and reserved  Financially lucky Dragon 龙 lóng healthy and energetic honest and trustworthy  But sometimes eccentric Snake 蛇 shé hardly have to worry about money deep and determined  Sometimes vain and selfish Horse 马 hǔ populous and cheerful perceptive and talkative  Impatient and hot-blooded about new things Goat 羊 yáng elegant and highly accomplished in arts shy and pessimistic  Usually deeply religious Monkey 猴 hóu clever, skillful and flexible remarkably inventive and original  Sometimes too agreeable Rooster 鸡 jī like to be busy and are devoted to their career difficult in relationship with others  adventurous Dog 狗 gǒu loyal and honest care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money  Good leaders  Pig 猪 zhū chivalrous and gallant picky about friends choices  Have a great thirst fro knowledge  Lantern Festival  Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15 day of the first month in the lunar Chinese calendar. It marks the final day of the traditional Spring Festival.  Customs of Lantern Festival  Eating Yuan Xiao.  Double Seventh Festival  The Double Seventh Festival, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, is a traditional festival full of romance. It often falls on a day in August.  It has been regarded as China’s Valentine's Day. China spans across 5 time zones, but the whole country uses the Eastern Standard Time (EST) of Beijing, its capital.  Land boundary line  China has the longest combined land border in the world, measuring 22,117 km from the mouth of the Yalu River (Amnok River) to the Gulf of Tonkin.  China borders 14 nations, more than any other country except Russia, which also borders 14.  12 out of 14 land border disputes have been resolved by negotiation. Neighbor Country East ： North Korea Northwest &northeast ：  Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan North  Mongolia  West and Southwest  Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan  South  Coastline  There are some 5,400 islands dot China's territorial seas.  The largest island, with an area of about 36,000 sq km, is Taiwan.  The second largest island is Hainan with an area of 34,000 sq km.  The many islands, islets, reefs and shoals in the South China Sea, known collectively as the South China Sea Islands.  Yuan Long-ping and Hybrid Rice （ 2013-2021 ）  The Yangtze River  The Yangtze River is the longest river in China and it is the world’s third longest river. (6,300m)  It originates from snowy peak of the Tanggula Mountains on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.  It runs through 11 provinces, namely Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu and Shanghai.  长江 (long river)  The Yellow River  The yellow river originates from Qinghai Province, passing through 9 provinces and autonomous regions and flows into the Bohai Sea.  All together it is over 5400 m long and it is the second longest river in  Mother river of China  The Yellow River is considered as the Mother River of the Chinese people. The drainage area of the Yellow River is honored as the cradle of the Chinese people and also one of the origins of the world civilization. This is the place where numerous legends about Chinese civilization originated. It was said that man was made by Nv Wa with mud in the Yellow River.  Mother river of China  Written in 1939, the Yellow River Cantata was created to encourage Chinese people to fight back Japanese invaders and do not give up hope.  The most famous song among the Cantata is Protect Yellow River. Administration Divisions  China's administrative units are currently based on a three-tier system, dividing the country into provinces, cities and townships.  The province level contains 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities and 2 special administrative regions. City Province town The division of the north and south parts of China is Qinling Mountains and Huai River  Hua Bei （ north ） Zone  Beijing 北京市  Beijing Central Axis was inscribed in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in 2024.  China currently has 59 world heritage sites, including 40 cultural heritage sites, 15 natural heritage sites, and 4 mixed cultural and natural heritage sites.  Hua Dong （ east ） Zone  Shandong Province Confucian temple  The Nanjing Massacre  Starting on December 13, 1937 and lasted for 6 weeks, during which soldiers of the Japanese Army murdered over 300,000 disarmed soldiers and Chinese civilians and perpetrated widespread rape and looting.  The Good German of Nanking *The German businessman who worked for the Siemens AG China Corporation during the Nanking Massacre. *His Nanking Safety Zone sheltered some 200,000 Chinese from slaughter during the Massacre. *After he went back to Germany ， he showed films and photographs John H.D. Rabe of Japanese atrocities in lecture (Nov, 1882 - Jan, 1950) presentations in Berlin  The Good German of Nanking *In his later lives ， he lived in poverty and the people in Nanjing heard this and raised donation about 2000 dollars to support him. Receiving drips of water when in need, and I shall return the kindness with a spring. The monument of Rabe donated by Nanjing municipal government and people in 2013 in Berlin.  The island---Hua Nan (The South Zone)  Hainan Province 海  Sunshine and 南省 beach  Coconut  Tax-free  Fast track for visas  An innovation island for international education  Northwest China  Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region  Northwest China  Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region  The North China  Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region  It is the home of several minority nationalities, especially Mongolia nationality. Over 90% of Mongolia nationality lives in this region.  Central-South China  Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region  广西壮族自治区  Southwest China  Xi Zang 西藏藏族自治区  Municipality  There are 4 municipalities directly under the leadership of central government in China.  Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing.  Ideology A set of beliefs, especially the one held by a particular group, that influences the way how people think and behave  Confucianism Buddhism Taoism Both Confucianism and Taoism emerged in Eastern Zhou (770B.C.--- 256 B.C.)  The golden age of Chinese philosophy Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought ( 百家 争鸣 ) Eastern Zhou was fraught with chaos and bloody battles because of annexation wars, which also led to a wide range of thoughts and ideas being developed and discussed freely. which flourished as rival lords patronized itinerant scholars Buddhism was introduced to China by Han people from India in the 1st century AD.  Confucianism  Confucius 551-479 BC 孔子 The founder of Confucianism.  He was surnamed Kong and his given name was Qiu. He was born in Qufu, Shangdong province （ Lu State ）.  Confucius was a great educator, thinker and stateman.  Analects of Confucius  The disciples of Confucius recorded his words as while as deeds and compiled a book called Analects of Confucius. Education  Confucius advocated that everyone was equal in education. No discrimination, no matter what the learner’s social status was.  He established private schools and broke the government’s monopoly over education.  Teaching students according to their aptitude.  Combine study with thinking  Best learners should be employed by 三人行必有我师焉。 When I walk along with two others, I am sure that at least one of them can be my teacher. 学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆 Learning without thinking, People will be fooled by appearance of knowledge ； Thinking without learning, people will get nothing ,because of the uncertainness. 己所不欲，勿施于人。 What you do not want done to yourself ， do not do to others. 不患人之不己知，患不知人也。 I will not be afflicted at men’s not knowing me; I will be afflicted that I do not know men.  Confucianism  Mencius About 372-289BC  孟子 The great developer of Confucianism.  民为贵，社稷次之，君为轻  To a state, the people are the most important. The state comes second. The ruler is the least important.  The nature of human is good  Confucianism  Xuncius About 313-238BC  荀子 The great aggregator of Confucianism. Collected from and absorbed other Confucians. different opinions  The nature of human is bad  Shows early Materialism  知天命而用之  Adapting the rules of heaven and making  Ideas/Thinkings Confucianism  The ideology of ren (benevolence)  Ren stresses love others.  Benevolent people shall sympathize, care, respect, help and think about others.  Ideas/Thinkings Confucianism  老吾老以及人之老 , 幼吾幼以及人之幼  Expend the respect of the aged in one’s family to that of other families; expend the love of the young ones in one’s family to that of other families  Ideas/Thinkings Confucianism  The ideology of ren (benevolence)  Political rule should be based on virtue not on force; against exploitation of the people.  Ideas/Thinkings Confucianism  The ideology of yi (righteousness)  The right and reasonable valued standard to judge the right and wrong of people’s behaviors.  The choice between righteousness and personal interest.  Ideas/Thinkings  Li (propriety)  Detailed code of conduct of people  Ordered social hierarchy that maintains social stability -son to father; -younger to elder -wife to husband; -servant to emperor  Ideas/Thinkings  Zhi (wisdom)  Rationality and intelligence  The basic function of wisdom is to distinguish right from wrong, and establish correct moral concepts.  Ideas/Thinkings  xin(Faith)  Associated with loyalty and sincerity  Xin requires people to be honest, to act accordingly with words, and to keep a promise.  suit the action to the word  Buddhism Buddhism was introduced to China by Han people from India in the 1st century AD, is the largest religion in China.  Chinese Buddhism In 64 AD, guided by a magical dream, emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty (reigned 58-75 AD) sent envoys to the western Regions for Buddhism doctrines. 3 years later, envoys returned to the capital Luoyang with 2 Indian Buddhist monks, and brought back Buddhist scriptures and statues. The White House Temple was specially built by the emperor at the location where the monks settled down and  TAOISM Lao-tzu was revered as the father of Taoism for his contribution to later Taoism. Although his concepts laid the foundation of Taoism, distinctions are noteworthy to be made between Taoism Lao-tzu and Lao-tzu’s philosophy. (about 580- 500 BC) Tao Te Ching written by 老子 Lao-tzu was regarded as a classic of Taoism in later  TAOISM  Lao-tzu’s concept has nothing to do with pill of immortality.  无为” – “ doing nothing”  无为而治 “ government which does nothing” as the ideal government. What man needed was to be let along in his state of primitive freedom.  All things have their opposites, e.g. strong and weak. And they are all pairs of opposite aspects of a unity and can be transformed into each other. The Old man By two means: Written Records （ eg. historical records/books, letters, diaries, documents ） Artifacts （ eg. pottery, tools, and human or animal remains, relics, tomb ） 1.Yuanmou Man Lived in Yunnan province, China about 1.7million years ago, credited as the earliest genus Homo in China. Yuanmou man were discovered due to the two incisors in 1965 found by The fossils are on display at the geologist Fang Qian. National Museum of China, Beijing. Later, stone artifacts showing signs of human using tools and ash from campfires dug up from the site were also found. 2. Lantian Man Lived in Lantian County, Shannxi, approximately 50 km southeast of Xi’an China about 1.63million years ago, the skull remnant of Lantian man is the only hominin’s skull held in China. A mandible (jaw bone) was discovered first at Chenjiawo ( 陈家 窝 ), and a skull with nasal bones and teeth of another specimen of Lantian Man were found at Gongwangling ( 公王岭 ), another site in Lantian. Homo erectus  Also known as Beijing Man, lived in a 3. Peking Man place named Zhoukoudian near Beijing roughly 750,000 years ago. Peking Man are also considered as a modern human ancestor and specifically an ancestor of Chinese people. Excavation of Peking Man remnants began in 1921 and came to an end in 1937 with the Japanese invasion. The original fossils inexplicably disappeared in 1941. The Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1987. Since there was no characters to preserve written records back than, lots of myths fills this period. 1 、 Pangu creating the sky and earth 2 、 Nvwa creating human being from dirt 3 、 Huang Di and Yan Di  Xia Dynasty (2070B.C.---1600B.C.) The first dynastic period in China. A series of rulers of a country who all belong to the same family. Father to son, son to grandson and so no.  Before Xia, the method of handing over the crown was by voluntary abdication of the old ruler and assessing the candidate for his competence. (Shan Rang 禅让） governance ,popularity, morality  Xia Dynasty (2070B.C.---1600B.C.) King Qi abrogated Shan Rang and began the long tradition of China’s “Family country”.  And this is the start of the dynastic cycle of China. Shang Dynasty (1600B.C.---1046B.C.)  The territory of Shang is largely overlapped with today’s Henan Province.  And in a site named ‘Ruins of Yin’, near Anyang city, has yielded the earliest known body of Chinese writing ------Oracle bone script. Most of them are divinations inscribed on bones and turtle shells.  Zhou Dynasty The longest dynasty in Chinese history (790 years)  The social system of Zhou was a decentralized system. When the dynasty was established, the conquered land was divided into many parts and gave to family numbers of the king or meritorious followers of the king, which were hereditary and eventually became powerful in their own right.  Zhou Dynasty Western Zhou (1046B.C.---771B.C.) Xi’an as the capital Mandate of Heaven and the justification of power  To justify taking over the country from the rulers of Shang, Zhou rulers introduced the concept of the "Mandate of Heaven“, which is heaven imposes a moral mandate on the chosen one to replace the old decayed ruler and return good governance to the people.  This became the most enduring political doctrine in China, even East Asia: Wars to overthrow a regime must be justified, be mandated by Heaven and therefore have moral superiority.  Son of Heaven 天子  Zhou Dynasty Eastern Zhou (770B.C.---256B.C.) Zhou moved its capital eastward in 770B.C to Luo Yang and this constitutes the beginning of Eastern Zhou.  Royal authority weakened as vassal states became mo -re powerful on their own. Eventually the King was just a ceremonial sign with no real power.  Qin (221---207BC) The first dynasty that truly unified China. Qin unified the country under a highly centralized feudal regime and this was the inauguration of Chinese long-lasting feudal system. (from 221  B BC, with interruption and adaptation, until 1912 AD)  Qin Dynasty was developed upon the powerful Qin state of Zhou Dynasty. It was the shortest major dynasty in Chinese history, only lasted for 15 years with two emperors.  Qin (221---207BC) Qin Shi Huang （ 18 February 259 BC – 10 September 210 BC ）  The founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China.  He was only 13 when he succeeded on the throne and when he was 38, he conquered all of the other Warring States and unified all of China.  He coined the word “huang di (emperor) to address himself, rather than maintain the title of “wang 王 " (king) borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers.  Qin Shi Huang Administrative reforms Abolished vassal states and divided into 36 ‘Jun’ (counties/ commanderies) which were governed by administrators, military commanders and censors appointed by Shi Huang himself together.  Economic reforms  Standardizing the currency, the units of measurement such as weights and measures, and the length of the axles of carts to facilitate transport on the road system.  Qin Shi Huang Culture reforms Unified and standardized the Chinese script, this is probably the most significant contribution that Shi Huang made since forming one language, one communication system for all of China made the country as a whole ideologically.  Qin Shi Huang Public work The Great Wall of China To defense nomadic tribes to the north and north-west, Qin Shi Huang ordered the construction of the immense wall.  Qin Shi Huang The Terracotta Army To protect the emperor in his afterlife, he ordered to build a terracotta army that would buried with him. Part of Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Qin Shi Huang  Criticism -----------------Over slaving his people Burning of books and burying of scholars For suppressing intellectual discourse to unify thought and political opinion, he ordered to burn texts in 213 BC and bury 460 Confucian scholars alive in 212 BC.  Emperor Wu of Han 30 July 157 BC – 29 March 87 BC Change the status quo: reforms 1. Officially endorsing Confucianism as the national philosophy to consolidate his power Confucianism advocates Grand Unification, which consolidates the imperial power. 2. weakening the nobles Forcing the nobles to go back to their own vassal state, so that they couldn’t have any power to influence the central court.  Encouraging the reporting and prosecution of criminal activities by nobles.  Sui 581–618  Ke Ju （ the Imperial examination ） A civil service selection system in ancient China for the state bureaucracy according to their written examination results. Before Ke Ju, choosing bureaucrats were by birth rather than merit and ability.  Increased Social mobility  Emperor Taizong of Tang 28 January 598 – 10 July 649  Ease the burden of people (1)Reduced tax burden on people (2) took and asked for less from people as an emperor Upon the foundation of reducing tax, serving days for country and allowing converting between them, Taizong also modified rites in order to ease the burden of agricultural labor.  Emperor Taizong of Tang 28 January 598 – 10 July 649  Attach importance to business Agriculture is the basis of a peaceful country, whereas business and trade would lure commoners away from framing for its lucrativeness. Four Occupations    Ancient Chinese social status rank  Scholar,  Farmer,  Artisan and craftsmen  Merchant  Emperor Taizong of Tang 28 January 598 – 10 July 649  Attach importance to business Provided loans to commoners who were willing to do business. Cut tariff Commanded Anxi Protectorate ( today’s Xinjiang) to protect the safety of the Silk Road  Emperor Taizong of Tang 28 January 598 – 10 July 649  Wisely chose chancellors He employed many capable chancellors regardless some of them serviced his enemies before. The original 24 in Lingyan Pavilion  Emperor Taizong of Tang 28 January 598 – 10 July 649  Allowing criticism from below achieved greatness by enduring criticism which other emperors would find difficult to accept whilst trying hard not to abuse his absolute power.  Emperor Taizong of Tang 28 January 598 – 10 July 649  Overcoming his rivals and securing the borders of the country.  Made efforts to resolve dispute peacefully, thus various Turkic nomads addressed Emperor Taizong as Tengeri Qaghan (the God like Emperor).  Wu Zetian 17 February 624– 16 December 705  The only female monarch in the history of China.  Founder and ruler of Zhou （ wu ） dynasty A brief interruption of the Li family's Tang dynasty Concubine Queen of Gaozong, Empress of of Taizong Two Saints Zhou (15 years)  Song (960–1279) Economy thriving Song issued the first banknotes or true paper money nationally in world history. During Song period, common people with extra money would invest their funds in joint stock companies and in multiple sailing vessels since at that time monetary gain was assured from the vigorous overseas trade and domestic trade along the Grand Canal and Yangtze River.  Song (960–1279) Science and technology reached new heights Four Great Inventions Han dynasty