THE TWO-GETHER EXPRESS EXPLORES ANCIENT CHINA!
THE TWO-GETHER EXPRESS EXPLORES
ANCIENT CHINA!
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Capital:
Beijing is the capital of China. Size: China covers 9,596,960 square kilometers. Population: The population of China is about 1,261,832,482 (as of July, 2000). China has the largest population of any country in the world. Climate: China's climate ranges from desert to tropical to subarctic. Major Rivers: The major rivers in China are the Yangtse River, the Yellow River, and the Pearl River. Mountain Ranges: The highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas, borders China. Other major mountain ranges in China are the Ch'ang-pai Mountains, theTsinling Mountains, and the Nan range. Highest Point: The highest point in China is Mount Everest (8,850 m tall), in the Himalayas. Lowest Point: The lowest point in China is Turpan Pendi (the Turpan Depression), 154 meters (505 feet) below sea level. It is located in northwestern China. |
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The
Great Wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago, by Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor
of China during the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty (221 B.C - 206 B.C.). In Chinese the wall is
called "Wan-Li Qang-Qeng" which means 10,000-Li Long Wall (10,000 Li = about
5,000 km). After subjugating and uniting China from seven Warring States, the emperor connected and extended four old fortification walls along the north of China that originated about 700 B.C. (over 2500 years ago). Armies were stationed along the wall as a first line of defense against the invading nomadic Hsiung Nu tribes north of China (the Huns). Signal fires from the Wall provided early warning of an attack. The Great Wall is one of the largest building construction projects ever completed. It stretches across the mountains of northern China, winding north and northwest of Beijing. It is constructed of masonry, rocks and packed-earth. It was over 5,000 km (=10,000 Li) long. Its thickness ranged from about 4.5 to 9 meters (15 to 30 feet) and was up to 7.5 meters (25 feet) tall. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great Wall was enlarged to 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles) and renovated over a 200 year period, with watch-towers and cannons added. |
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 Confucius say, "What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others." THE GOLDEN RULE IN CHINA! |
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The Chinese Calendar is called the
"Lunar Calendar!"
YEAR OF THE DOG! A Dog Year Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in dog years tend to be loyal, kind, and generous. They will work to right wrongs and are able to keep secrets. Bill Clinton, Shirley MacLain, Benjamin Franklin, and Jane Goodall were all born in the year of the dog. |
  This symbol means GOOD LUCK!   Giant
pandas live only on the rim of the mountains in central China's Sichuan basin.  Click the PANDA to learn more! |
 During the Chinese New Year Celebration, Chinese people have feasts!  
The kite was invented roughly 2,500 to 3,000 years ago. It originated in China.
Some people say that the earliest kites consisted of a huge leaf attached to a long
string (there is a type of leaf that is wonderful as a kite).Chinese people
celebrate lots of holidays by flying kites! |
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 Click here
to complete your MY China Investigation sheet! |
 Did you know gunpowder was invented in China? The Chinese used gunpowder to make fireworks and signals, and later to make weapons of war.  |
CHINESE NEW
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Silk was first made by the Chinese about 4,000 years ago. Silk thread
is made from the cocoon of the silkworm moth (Bombyx mori), a small moth whose caterpillar eats the the leaves of the mulberry
tree. The white cocoon is dropped into boiling water, and silk thread is unwound. Each
cocoon yields about 500 to 1,200 yards of silk. According to Chinese legend, the first
silk thread was made when a Chinese Empress was sitting under a mulberry tree, and a
cocoon fell into her tea; she noticed the strong, silky threads of the cocoon uncoiling.
It is said that Empress Si-Ling-Chi, the wife of Emperor Huang-ti then experimented with
silkworms and developed the use of silk in weaving around 2400 B.C. Silk soon became very
important to the Chinese economy, and it remained a Chinese secret for thousands of years,
due in part to the Great Wall of China. The Chinese traded precious silk fabric to
the rest of the world via the Silk Road, an overland trade route from China through the deserts
of Central Asia to the West. The secret methods of raising silkworms and making silk were
brought to Japan in the 3rd century A.D.
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 Chinese yo-yo is also called Pull-Bell, which has a long history as described in literature from the Ming dynasty (1386-1644 AD). There are two forms of Chinese yo-yo, the single-bell and the double-bell. Kids usually play the double-bell yo-yo.
Karate-do means way of empty hand. Monks in Ancient China used Karate to become both physically and mentally stronger. Soon they were great warriors. |
Click above to: Get your own Chinese name based on your English name and find out your sign in the Chinese Zodiac! |
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China's national flag was
adopted in September, 1949. This flag was first flown in Tiananmen Square on October 1,
1949 - the day of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The rectangular flag has
a red field with five golden-yellow stars (each with five points) in the upper left
corner. The star on the left is larger than the other four. The red color of the flag
symbolizes revolution. The large star symbolizes the Communist Party (which rules China)
and the smaller stars represent the people of China. 
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