Activities About the Chinese Culture

One of the world's oldest and largest civilizations, China is home to almost a fifth of the world's population, with just over 1.3 billion inhabitants as of 2011. With a vast, complex history and a steadily growing influence in the global marketplace, Chinese culture is a fruitful and fascinating topic for a variety of classroom activities.


Crafts

Children can learn about Chinese culture by replicating or making models of items like the Chinese flag, the Great Wall or traditionally dressed Chinese people. Younger children can color in pictures of famous moments in Chinese history, while older children can attempt to replicate them in three-dimensional models or puppet shows. The Chinese are also responsible for the invention of many common objects, such as matches, silk, kites, paper and gunpowder. Children can research the development of some of these inventions and try to make their own. Alternatively, students could research traditional Chinese art forms, such as calligraphy and ink paintings, and try to create their own artwork using these forms.


Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is one of the most important and elaborate celebrations of the year. Have children investigate their Chinese Zodiac signs and make drawings with explanations about what the signs mean. To prepare for a celebration, let the students construct red paper lanterns and Zodiac puppets. Make fireworks out of construction paper and glitter, a papier-mache dancing dragon, or a lion made from Popsicle sticks. Students could also prepare traditional food for the New Year, complete anagrams and word searches related to the New Year and participate in Chinese New Year traditions.


Cuisine

Most students have probably encountered "Chinese" fast food restaurants, but they probably do not know much about authentic Chinese cuisine. To teach children about Chinese culture in an enticing and interactive way, allow them to participate in preparing simple Chinese dishes, such as scallion pancakes, dumplings or mooncakes. You might also teach them about proper Chinese dining etiquette, including how to hold and use chopsticks. Tea is also an integral part of Chinese culture, and it has a very specific set of rules, traditions and history that older students could learn.


Literature

The Chinese have a long history of poetry, legends and literature that teachers can use to teach students about Chinese culture. Have students research different types of Chinese poetry and try to write poems in this style. Read younger children Chinese fairy tales and have them illustrate the stories they hear, or describe some of the similarities between Chinese and Western fairy tales, such as "Cinderella" and "Little Red Riding Hood." Older students can compare ancient Chinese legends or novels to those of other cultures and write about the common themes or differences they perceive. Students might also enjoy learning about the Chinese alphabet and practicing the art of Chinese writing.

About the Berlin Wall for Kids

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to separate East and West Berlin in Germany. It was 96 miles long and 12 feet high. West Germany, America, and other democratic nations disapproved of the Berlin Wall. In 1990, after East Germany allowed the wall to be torn down, the countries reunited.


Geography
 The Berlin Wall was built in Berlin, Germany, in 1961. Berlin is Germany's capital as well as one of its 16 states. It is located on the east side of the country. Germany borders Poland, the Czech Republic, and Austria to the east, and it borders Belgium, the Netherlands, and France to the west.


Time Line
 Construction on the Berlin Wall began on Aug. 13, 1961. In 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy visited Berlin to show America's support for those blocked in by the Wall and to argue that the Wall should be taken down. He said: "Ich bin ein Berliner" (German for "I am a Berliner"). President Ronald Reagan visited Berlin in 1987 and also asked that the Wall be taken down.


Appearance
 The Berlin Wall circled the western half of Berlin. It was made of concrete blocks 12 feet tall and topped with barbed wire, to keep anyone from climbing over. There were more than 300 watchtowers along the Wall so guards could see anyone trying to escape. Sections of the Berlin Wall were covered with colorful graffiti artwork until it was torn down in 1990. Some parts of the Wall are still standing as a historical landmark.


History of the Wall's Construction
 After World War II (1939-1945), Germany was left in conflict. The east side (East Germany) was communist and allied with the Soviet Union, while the west side (West Germany) was democratic and allied with the United States. Since Germany's capital, Berlin, fell within East Germany's borders, the city was torn between the two sides and also split into East and West Berlin. The Berlin Wall was built by the East Germans to keep its citizens from going to West Berlin.


History of the Wall's Destruction
 Democratic nations (such as America, Great Britain and France) disapproved of the Berlin Wall since its construction. President Kennedy began to pressure the East Germans to take down the Wall when he visited in 1963, and President Reagan pressured them even more in 1987. By the end of the 1980s, communist power had greatly declined, and East Germany's government foundered in late 1989. On Nov. 9, it allowed East Berlin residents permission to visit West Berlin. That day, thousands poured across the checkpoints, and started to tear down portions of the wall to celebrate as guards watched. German reunification followed on Oct. 3, 1990.

How Was the Great Wall of China Made?

Qin Dynasty

• Construction of the Great Wall of China began around 700 B.C. During this time, China was divided into seven different lands, which began building walls to protect themselves from one another. Within 500 years, the walls stretched over 3,000 miles. About 200 B.C., the Chinese states were united for the first time under Emperor Qin, who began the process of connecting the many different walls to protect China from northern invaders. Throughout these early years of the wall's history, it was constructed primarily by soldiers. Different types of materials were used, depending on what was available locally. Often, wood timbers or boards were set more than a dozen feet apart. The space between the wood was then filled with earth, sand or debris. In mountainous regions, the Chinese took advantage of natural rock formations to build parts of the wall, while in some desert or lowlands, the wall was constructed from simple piles of loose stones.

Han Dynasty

• Throughout the first century A.D., attacks on China continued. During this time, construction and fortification of the wall became a top priority for the government, which forced millions of people into construction work. The building crews were supplemented by prisoners, who were required to serve four years of hard labor, as well as by local peasants forced into service. Construction on the Great Wall was dangerous work, and it is estimated that between two and three million people died during the building process. The Han Dynasty added miles to the wall, as well as new military features, including watchtowers, trenches and passes. Builders continued to use local materials, and much of the wall was built with packed sand and mud as it wound its way through the desert during these years.

Ming Dynasty

• The Ming Dynasty began in the 14th century, and led to construction of some of the most solid and well-fortified sections of wall. By this time, simple packed earth walls did little to protect China from invaders who had gunpowder and other advanced weapons. To hold off cannon and gunfire, the Mings ordered the new walls to be constructed of bricks, which were made from baked mud or clay. Under the Ming Dynasty, the wall was redesigned for serious protection, with watchtowers placed at specified intervals. These watchtowers contained living spaces for soldiers, and were often protected by deep moats and trenches. By the end of the Ming Dynasty in the 17th century, the Great Wall stretched more than 4,500 miles, with an average height of 33 feet and and an average width of 15 feet.

Forbidden City

We got up later than we wanted to but after breakfast and a grueling two hour game of UNO that just wouldn't end we finally managed to get to the Forbidon City. When we got there we were greeted with a rediculously large line-up for tickets and proceeded to wait in the blistering sun for about half an hour. I don't want to burst anyone's bubble but the Forbidon City is huge and has lots of buildings but other than that it is somewhat not very impressive, sorry. We started at the south entrance and walked our way up to the north side taking pictures of the various rooms and different thrones that the emperors used. We went into the porcelain display room where they had dozens of old jars and flower pots from hundreds of years ago.

We read about a display called the room of clocks and that they were supposed to go off at 2 o'clock so we walked and walked and tried to find out where excactly it was in time

We got there only to discover they only set off two or three clocks and there were too many people to really see what was going on; what we did get a glance at was kind of neat though.

After the clocks we went into the jewlery exhibit and thought we were going to see huge crowns full of jewels and diamonds, sadly no. It was cool to see the tiny intricate carvings in lots of the peices but all-in-all we set our hopes a little high again. Everything was pretty dusty and didn't look really well taken care of, although we do have to remember that this stuff is hundreds or even a couple thousand years old...it's bound to be bent up a little.

When we left we took pictures of the huge portrait of Mau that was hanging on the wall outside.
When we were in the hostel for supper we met a British guy, Steve, who gave us really good advice on the UK, a German guy, Mike, and a couple of American girls, who left the next day so we can't remember their names. We had some drinks with them but finally went to bed because we had to wake up early to go to the wall.

China Printing Museum

The China Printing Museum is situated at No.25, Xinghua Beilu, Huangcun Town, Daxing District. It covers 3,000 square meters (0.74 acre), with a total exhibition area of 4,600 square meters (1.14 acres). It is the biggest printing museum in the world, divided into four exhibition halls and some specialized exhibition areas.

The exhibition hall on the third floor displays the origin of printing and ancient printing methods. With pictures, explanatory notes and articles, it introduces the origin, invention and development of printing and its introduction to other countries from the late New Stone Age to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The hall shows the well-known diamond sutra of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the movable type made of certain kind of earth that was invented by Bi Sheng in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), and the rotary composing plate invented by Wang Zhen in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

The hall of digital technology on the first floor focuses primarily on the historical leap from letterpress to offset printing. It contains a specialized exhibition area to show the excellent products of printing. The exhibition area of the German Gutenberg Museum displays a brief history of printing in Germany and Europe from the 15th century onward. A model of the wooden hand press invented by Gutenberg and the earliest font presswork in Europe-Bible is on display.

On the second floor, the exhibition hall traces the development of printing in modern times. It shows the evolution of four types of printing technology-relief, planographic, intaglio and stencil printing-and displays the achievements of printing after 1949. The hall also includes three specialized exhibition areas: paper currency printing, stamps printing, and printings in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

The China Printing Museum is a specialized museum reflecting the history of printing. The museum underscores the close relationship between printing and the advancement of civilization.

The underground floor features printing equipment that prevailed from 1865 to the 1990s. There are manually operated iron press, the hot-metal typesetting machine, and the phototypesetter. Displayed are also a lithographic printing press made in Austria in 1892 and a hulky offset press made in America in 1962. The latter weighs 45 tons (99,208 pounds) and is the only surviving one of its kind.

Admission Fee:	CNY 20
Opening Hours:	08:30-16:30 (Closed on Mondays)
Bus Route:	410, 456, 610, 631, 937 Zhi 6 (937支6), 954, 968 to Qingyuan Xili (清源西里), and then you could walk to the China Printing Museum (中国印刷博物馆).

Silver Fox Cave

The Silver Fox Cave, or Yinhu Cave, has a wide reputation for an amazing fox-like stalactite, which is rare worldwide. Situated in Fozi Village, Fangshan District, this mysterious cave is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Beijing. Characterized by karst landscape wonders and clear underground rivers, this large solution crevice group in North China is a prodigy of nature.

The astonishing stalactite, which resembles an overhanging sliver fox with a cat's head, is a national treasure in China. The two meters (6.6 feet) long white stalactite, covered by pure fluff, looks like a splendid jade carving. The spotless fluff of 1 to 3 inches long beautifully grows in a compact mass. Such a marvelous and wonderful stalactite is the first that was ever found in the world; hence, the cave got its unique name. However, the origin of the intriguing cave remains a mystery so far!

This multilayer karst cave is luxuriantly a wonderful spectacle. The winding cave is about 5,000 meters (5,470 yards) long, and nearly 3,000 meters (3,280 yards) is open to tourists. More than 90 distinctive sights have a dazzling effect on your eyes. In the cave, there are uncommon various stalactites, white stalagmites, grand stone pillars, asbestos, shining stone waterfalls. In addition, rare crystal stone grapes, brilliant stone pearls and glittering calcites are seen here. A remarkable amount of various stone flowers are scattering in the cave.

The meandering underground rivers penetrate as deep as more than 100 meters (328 feet). Tourists can boat on the clear and winding waters. It is asserted that the water is a natural mineral of high quality with many beneficial microelements.

A simple tramcar inside the cave may be taken instead of walking, and the waterway adventure games make the trip more interesting. About 2,000 meters (2,190 yards) inside the cave lies Beijing's first underground music bar in karst caves, which offers a pleasant place for tourists to rest.

Admission Fee:	CNY 41 (CNY 15 for boating included)
Opening Hours:	08:00-17:00
Bus Route:	917 Bei (917北), or 948 to Yinhudong (Silver Fox Cave, 银狐洞)

Gubeikou Great Wall

The Gubeikou Great wall is located northeast of Beijing, 128kms from the city center. With the total length of 21 kms, this section of the wall was first built in 1368 and expanded in 1567 by a famous general named Qi jiguang in the Ming dynasty.

Gubeikou section meanderes through mountains 400 to 900 meters high. unlike other sections, it varies in width, with the widest part able to accommodate 5 horses walking abreast and the narrowest spot allowing only a single person to pass. A road leading to the section of the wall hs been built for tourist. many cultual relics have been discovered in the preliminary digging, including arrows, bamboo guns, stone mills and knives. they are wxhibited as part of the tourist attraction.

A Students Report

Hi, My name is Sadeiah. While in China this summer for 1 month I went to school to study Chinese language. I got a certificate from school. But I did this project on my own about China. So this is my project. Everyone liked my project. Hope you enjoy.


CHINA
by Sadeiah M.

Facts About China

1. Population: 1,336,718,015

2. Capital: Beijing

3. Major Cities: Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Harbin, Chengdu

4. Area: 3,705,407 square miles

5. Bordering Countries: Fourteen

6. Coastline: 9,010 miles

7. Highest Point: Mount Everest at 29,035 feet
8. Lowest Point: Turpan Pendi at -505 feet

Introduction:
China is the third largest country in the world in terms of area but it is the world's largest based on population. The country is a developing nation with a capitalist economy that is controlled politically by communist leadership. Chinese civilization began more than 5,000 years ago and the nation has played a crucial role in world history and is continuing to do so today.


History
Modern Chinese history began in 1912 after the last Chinese emperor abdicated the throne and the country became a

republic. After 1912 political and military instability were common in China and it was initially fought over by different warlords. Shortly thereafter, two political parties or movements began as a solution to the country's problems. These were the Kuomintang, also called the Chinese National Party, and the Communist Party.

Problems later began for China in 1931 when Japan seized Manchuria - an act that eventually began a war between the two nations in 1937. During the war, the Communist Party and the Kuomintang cooperated with each other to defeat Japan but later in 1945 a civil war between the Kuomintang and the communists broke out. This civil war killed more than 12 million people. Three years later the civil war ended with a win by the Communist Party and leader Mao Zedong, which then led to the establishment of the People's Republic of China in October 1949.

During the early years of communist rule in China and the People's Republic of China, mass starvation, malnutrition and disease were common. In addition, there was an idea for a highly planned economy at this time and the rural population was divided into 50,000 communes, each of which were responsible for

farming and running different industries and schools.

In an effort to further jump-start China's industrialization and political change Chairman Mao began the "Great Leap Forward" initiative in 1958. The initiative failed however and between 1959 and 1961, famine and disease again spread throughout the country. Shortly thereafter in 1966, Chairman Mao began the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution which put local authorities on trial and attempted to change historic customs to give the Communist Party more power.

In 1976, Chairman Mao died and Deng Xiaoping became China's leader. This led to economic liberalization but also a policy of government controlled capitalism and a still strict political regime. Today, China remains much the same, as every aspect of the country is heavily controlled by its government.

China's government is a communist state with unicameral legislative branch called the National People's Congress that is made up of 2,987 members from the municipal, regional and provincial level. There is also a judicial branch comprised of the Supreme People's Court, Local People's Courts and Special People's Courts.

China is divided into 23 provinces, five autonomous regions and four municipalities. National suffrage is 18 years of age and the main political party

Helping a young boy out the tree

in China is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). There are also smaller political parties in China, but all are controlled by the CCP.

China's economy has changed rapidly in recent decades. In the past, it was focused around a highly planned economic system with specialized communes and was closed to international trade and foreign relations. In the 1970s however, this began to change and today China is more economically tied to the world's countries. In 2008, China was the world's second largest economy.

Today, China's economy is 43% agriculture, 25% industrial and 32% service related. Agriculture consists mainly of items like rice, wheat, potatoes and tea. Industry is focused on raw mineral processing and the manufacturing of a wide variety of items.

China is located in Eastern Asia with its borders along several countries and the East China Sea, Korea Bay, the Yellow Sea, and the South China Sea. China is divided into three geographic regions: the mountains to the west, the various deserts and basins in the northeast and the low lying valleys and plains in the east. Most of China however consists of mountains and plateaus such as the Tibetan Plateau which leads into the

Himalayan Mountains and Mount Everest.
Because of its area and variations in topography, China's climate is also varied. In the south it is tropical, while the east is temperate and the Tibetan Plateau is cold and arid. The northern deserts are also arid and the northeast is cold temperate.

I have lots of photos of peaks and valleys and mountains that I couldn't put here. But China is a magnificent place.

The end.
Sadeiah is a middle schooler

And some photo pics are added to show my adventure in China.