Practice

Prepare a presentation on any topic related to the Russian-Japanese partnership you have chosen yourself (e. g. the Russian-Japanese partnership in different spheres: culture / education / economy, etc).

UNIT 3. CHINA

Section 1. LOCATION

Reading

Scan the text below and do the assignment that follows.

Located in Southeast Asia along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, China is the world’s third largest country, after Russia and Canada. With an area of 9,6 million square kilometers and a coastline of 18,000 kilometers, its shape on the map is like a rooster. It reaches Mohe in Heilongjiang Province as its northern end, Zengmu Ansha (or James Shoal) to the south, Pamirs to the west, and expands to the eastern border at the conjunction of the Heilongjiang (Amur) River and the Wusuli (Ussuri) River, spanning about 50 degrees of latitude and 62 degrees of longitude. China is bordered by 14 countries – Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia. Marine-side neighbors include eight countries – North Korea, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

China is a mountainous country, with two-thirds of its total land area covered by mountains, hills and plateaus. Out of the world’s twelve high peaks of more than 8,000 meters, seven are located in China. The Highest peak in the world, Mount Qomolangma (8,828 m) stands on the border between China and Nepal.

There are five major mountain systems in China. These mountain systems, together with numerous intermontane plateaus, basins, and plains are interwoven into three macro landform complexes in China. Therefore, the topography of China from the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau eastward is broadly arranged into four great steps descending step-by-step from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the coastal area in the east.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the top of the staircase, covers 2,2 million square kilometers and averages 4,000 meters above sea level. It is the highest and largest plateau on earth and is popularly called “roof of the world”.

From the eastern margin of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau eastward up to the Da Hinggan-Taihang-Wushan mountains line, composed mainly of plateau and basins with elevation from 2,000 to 1,000 kilometers.

From the above-mentioned line eastward up to the coast are the largest plains of China. The plains are also interspersed with hills generally below 500 kilometers in elevation.

China has a great number of rivers. The inland river system accounts for 36 per cent of the total land area in China, more than 1,500 square kilometers of which have a catchment area exceeding 1,000 square kilometers. Among these, the Yangtze River, Yellow River, Heilongjiang River, Pearl River, and Huaihe River are the major ones.

The Yangtze River is the longest river in China and the third longest in the world. It has a total length of 6,300 kilometer and a drainage area of more than 1,800,00 square kilometers. It is an arterial waterway connection such important cities as Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, and Chongqing.

The Yellow River is the second longest river in China. It has a total length of 5,464 kilometers. On its banks lie Lanzhou, Baotou, Zhengzhou, Jinan and other important cities. The Yellow River Valley is considered the cradle of Chinese civilization.

China is also a country with numerous lakes. Approximately 2,800 natural lakes with total area more than 80,000 square kilometers. Five major lake regions can be identified: the Northern Lake Region, the Northwester Lake Region, the Qinghai-Xizang Lake Region, the Eastern Lake Region, the Southwest Lake Region.

(from http://www.columbia.edu; http://www.travelchinaguide.com)

Assignment

Using the map, describe the main features of the physical geography of China.

Practice

Using information from library resources and the Internet, comment on the following old saying:

“If you dig a hole in your back yard and keeping digging, you’ll end up in China”.

Section 2. SOME POINTS OF CHINESE HISTORY

Getting Started

Consider the basic events and the periods of Chinese history and say which of them were familiar and which were new to you.

• Historical Setting

• The Ancient Dynasties

  • Dawn of History

  • Zhou Period

  • Hundred Schools of Thought

• The Imperial Era

  • First Imperial Period

  • Era of Disunity

  • Restoration of Empire

  • Mongolian Interlude

  • Chinese Regain Power

  • Rise of the Manchus

• Emergence Of Modern China

  • Western Powers Arrive First Modern Period

  • Opium War, 1839–1842 Era of Disunity

  • Taiping Rebellion, 1851–1864

  • Self-Strengthening Movement

  • Hundred Days’ Reform and Aftermath

  • Republican Revolution of 1911

• Republican China

  • Nationalism and Communism

    • Opposing the Warlords

    • Consolidation under the Guomindang

    • Rise of the Communists

  • Anti-Japanese War

  • Return to Civil War

• People's Republic Of China

  • Transition to Socialism, 1953-1957

  • Great Leap Forward, 1958-1960

  • Readjustment and Recovery, 1961-1965

  • Cultural Revolution Decade, 1966-1976

    • Militant Phase, 1966–1968

    • Ninth National Party Congress to the Demise of Lin Biao, 1969–1971

• End of the Era of Mao Zedong, 1972-1976

  • Post-Mao Period, 1976–1978

  • China and the Four Modernizations, 1979–1982

  • Reforms, 1980–1988

(from http://www.travelchinaguide.com; http://www-chaos.umd.edu)