Don't be an echo be a voice!

The more things change… the more they stay the same. 

China has a lot of issues or problems, and basically all because of our government. We have to keep in mind that the Chinese government is NOT the same as Chinese civilians. The decisions that the government makes NEVER involve the people of China, never involve the hard workers, never involve our silenced voices. 

Our Chinese government needs to be more open minded, and leave behind the past. We need to move on to the future. We need to make wise decisions all together, as one, as China. How can China be called a country? If people don't even have basic human rights. 

We need you'r help, we need YOU to help China move forward, for a better tomorrow for you, you'r children, and the children of your children. 

People in China can't vote, can't protest peacefully, can't have the freedom of speech, can't surf the  web without being stalked by ''internet police'', and have to go to jail in fear that they will take their organs. Imagine if this had to be you, living in China without even knowing the real history of you'r country because the government censorships all ''bad'' or ''corrupt'' information about them. 

Chinese voices have been silenced for so many years. We cannot go back and change the past, but we can make a brighter tomorrow. With you'r help we can unzip these locked and unheard voices, so they can be heard all around the world. 

Silenced Voices

The relationship between China and USA has been very controversial. Many people say or wonder, how can USA have such a good relationship with a country who treats its people poorly and constantly 'violate' human rights? Many people also say that China controls or has control over USA, this is shown in the comic above. 

SOME HUMAN RIGHT PROBLEMS IN CHINA:

1. The Great Firewall of China
2. Organ ''Harvesting''
3. Media
4. Lack of Political Freedom 

• The Great Firewall of China was named after the Great Wall of China. The government calls this program The Golden SHIELD Program. It is the censorship internet system in the People's Republic of China. It is the biggest internet blocking in history. Both from all the websites that are blocked, and all the people that can't see these websites. Webpages that have instant messaging, chat rooms, or comment pages, are all blocked. And any other webpage and/or website with the tools to make it possible for people to COMMUNICATE, and make it possible to organize groups. Websites that are not block are being monitored 24/7. To do this China has what they call ''INTERNET POLICE''. They have just about 30,000 internet police men to do this job. Any comment that has information not approved or that is suspicious will be removed by the internet police within minutes of posting. You could even go to jail for ''abusing'' of the internet.
• Organ ''Harvesting''- In China they remove organs from ''executed'' prisoners. Who supposedly are prisoned for life in jail and things like that. But the reason why critics call it ''harvesting'' of organs is because they believe that they en-prison people just to get their organs, as they pay A LOT of money for organs.  

Here is a criticism against China and their ''HARVESTING'' of organs. 

• ALL MEDIA in China is controlled by the government. Certain shows are BANNED in China. Everything aired on Chinese media MUST be approved by the government. If anything is shown on TV or said over the radio that wasn't approves, it is considered ILLEGAL, and you can go to prison for trying to go against the laws of Chinese media. 
• Since 1949 the Communist Party has gained and establish power in China. Since then, the government has always had control over ALL political issues. In fact, it's said that China uses ''threats'' to force authority in China. After the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989  many foreign shows were banned, the local media was controlled to an extreme, and  any member of the communist party who agreed or contributed to this protest was put under house arrest. 

*HERE ARE SOME PICTURES THAT CRITICIZE MEDIA IN CHINA.*

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://chinacartoons.wordpress.com/category/china-2/human-rights-china/page/2/

http://www.globalissues.org/article/144/china-and-human-rights

http://www.china.org.cn/english/2002/Mar/29138.htm

''China is a nation whose soul is firmly rooted two thousand years in the past"

China is the oldest world civilization, going back about 3,500 years. Powerful dynasties developed ever since. In 1644 the Manchus dynasty overthrew the Ming dynasty. They established the Qing Dynasty and Beijing was to be the capitol. During the next half century, the Ming Dynasty took over Xinjiang, Yunnan, Tibet, Mongolia, and Taiwan. 

In 1800 Manchus provided peace and stability to China. BUT population GREW and there was food shortage. The Western influence threatened their society. 


OPIUM- it's a highly addictive drug grown in North India. 

Opium in China

Opium in China 

The British used it to control Chinese trade. This led to The Opium War, from 1839 to 1842. The British won. Which meant more trade. Hong Kong was given to Britain in 1842.  


China was suffering! The Qing dynasty was getting weaker! China was going through all these things:

• MASSIVE population growth
• ECONOMICAL problems
• SOCIAL strife
• INFLUENCE from the Western 

''Self Strengthening Policy''
-This policy indicated that China should ''adopt'' Western technology, but still keep Confucian values.


''Open Door Policy''
-This Policy allowed Great Britain and USA to trade more with China. 


After August 1900, when Germany, France, Britain, Russia, America and Japan attacked Beijing, the Chinese Imperial Government was forced to pay money, CHINA AT THIS MOMENT WAS WEAKER THAN EVER! 


*SUN YAT-SEN*
-He wanted to prepare China for democracy. 

Sun Yat-Sen's followers revolted against the Manchus Dynasty, it collapsed! 

The last emperor was Henry Puyi 

General Yuan Shikai was the new president, although he was not an elected president. 

Although he had good intentions to end democracy, he did elect himself and used terror and murder to destroy or end with all democratic efforts. During his years in power he unsuccessfully tried to name himself emperor of China. 

Western Influences

• Created an export market 
• Introduced means of production
• Chines market was included into 19th century world economy 

The economy was growing with industry, transportation, banks, and trades. Most of these changes occurred in cities, middle class people. 

After Sun Yat-Sen died from cancer, Jiang Jieshi succeeded. Jieshi was trying to prepare China for a democracy, but he did this through a dictatorship! 


Jieshi had a plan that consisted of 3 steps:

1. Gain control of China (CHECK✔) 
2. Prepare China for Democracy (GREAT PLAN, IF HE WOULDN'T HAD DONE IT THROUGH A DICTATORSHIP!) 
3. Create a democratic Government in China! (HE NEVER GOT HERE)

Mao Zedong- he was the new communist leader.

The LONG MARCH 


-Mao led his troops from South to Northwestern China. Many of them died from hunger or ended up frozen. 


China Under Communism
1946: War between Nationalists and Communists. 

• A lot of Nationalist soldiers changed sides to join PLA.

1948: PLA occupied Shanghai and surrounded Beijing.

• Nationalist ran away to Taiwan
• Communist now in control -Mao Zedong- 

1949: China is finally in PEACE!

• NEW DEMOCRACY- (temporary program) Provided land for peasants.
• Land was taken from the rich/wealthy.
• Mao's goal: A CLASSLESS society.  

1955: Private land became collectivized. 
1958: GREAT LEAP FORWARD 

• Although this sounds like a good thing, it was very harsh on China. Over 15 million people died of starvation. The Great Leap Forward was a program that combined farm land and created peoples communes. But, it wasn't such a great leap forward after all, it was A GREAT LEAP BACK! 
• FINALLY in 1960 they returned to collective farming system. 

Cultural REVOLUTION
Red Guards- their job was to ''cleanse'' society of capitalism.

Education in China was recreated under Mao's ideas.

The four OLDS

1. Old ideas
2. Old culture
3. Old customs
4. Old habits

*ALL OF THESE WERE TO BE ELIMINATED! THE RED GUARDS JOB WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE SPOKE AGAINST MAO, IF THEY DID THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN BRUTALLY BEATEN OR EVEN KILLED*

• 1976- Mao DIED! -at age 83-

Deng Xiaoping took over! He ended Mao's cultural revolution.


The Four MODERNIZATIONS -NEW-

1. Industry
2. Agriculture
3. Technology
4. National Defense 

These modernizations and new technology encouraged people to study abroad, or outside of China. This caused many of the young people to doubt in their government. They wanted DEMOCRACY! 

In MAY 1989 students showed up in Tiananmen Square to protest peacefully against their current government. Xiaoping sent tanks to destroy/kill them. On June 4, 1989 the tanks showed up and killed hundreds.

*COMMUNISM STILL REIGNS IN CHINA* 
----------------------------------------------------------

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/18902.htm
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/history/index.htm
Ms. Kaufholds Notes on Class 

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -Confucius

Who Was Confucius?

China’s most famous Philosopher. 

In his lifetime he saw China's government very disordered and cluttered. Which led him to developed a new costumes and teachings. It was based on respect, honesty, education, kindness and strong family bonds. He believed that having a good government was what led to a good,happy, and peaceful society. 

Chinese have a Bad Luck Number?

Yes, Chinese do have a bad luck number. And although many people believe its 13, it's not; It's actually number 4. The number 4 is pronounced "suh" in Chinese, which is very similar to the pronunciation of the word ''death'' in Chinese. This is why they consider this number as ''bad luck''. But, even more interesting, they also have a ''lucky number''. And its number 8. Why? Simply because the pronunciation of the number 8 is very similar also to the word wealth.  Now, heres a very surprising fact The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing started on 08/08/08 at exactly 08:08:08 p.m. 

-For some people these numbers are either good or bad. But because China is so big, people have different pronunciations of Chinese, and some people might not consider either of these numbers to be good or bad luck- 

The Symbol for the number 4 in China 

Chinese Zodiac

According to legend, a few thousands of years ago, Buddha called ALL the animals on Earth, but only 12 came. Which were:

1. Rat
2. Ox
3. Tiger
4. Rabbit
5. Dragon
6. Snake
7. Horse
8. Goat
9. Monkey 
10. Rooster
11. Dog
12. Pig

And these are the Chinese Zodiac signs. 

Chinese Dragons 

China is known around the world for their dragons. They symbolize China because dragons are seen in Chinese festivals(Dragon Boat Races), parades, architectures, temples, decorations, artwork, handicrafts, jewelry, porcelain, paintings, poetry, legends, folklore, and especially in the Chinese New Year. 

Why are dragons so important in Chinese culture? 

Dragons symbolize wealth, prosperity, power, nobility, and wisdom. It was the symbol of the emperor in ancient China. 

Characteristics of Dragons in Chines Culture:

• body of a serpent
  
• claws of an eagle
  
• legs of a tiger
  
• whiskers of a catfish
  
• antlers of a deer
  
• scales of a fish

Dragon & Phoenix 

   

The phoenix also symbolizes good luck, peace, glory, and kindness. The dragon is seen as the male symbol and the phoenix as the female symbol. Together they symbolize a happy marriage. 

Chinese Festivals 

China es very well known for their vivid and colorful festivals. These festivals are what represent Chinese culture. Unlike us, Chines use the lunar calender. Which is why the exact date of these individual festivals will vary each year in our Western Calender. 

Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is the most colorful!! With displays of dragon dances, 

feasts, 

l

antern festivals, and firecrackers!!!! 

Chinese New Year has been celebrated for more than four thousand years! 

WHEN IS THE CHINESE NEW YEAR?

Most Western countries are used to celebrate New Years always on the same day, January 1st. But since Chines use the Lunar Calender, new years is on the first day of the first month of the Lunar Calender. So, new years can be any day from the beginning of January to the beginning of February in China. Interesting, right? This celebration begins on New Years and ends 15 days later with the Lantern Festival. 

Even more interesting, each year they choose a different animal from the Chinese Zodiac. This year (2011) it was the Rabbit. 

Lantern Festival

This festival puts an end to the Chines New Year. Thousands of lanterns are light and hung everywhere! 

Originally these lanterns where round and red, but now they come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. 

In this festival, clowns, stilt walkers, acrobats, float, parades, music, drums, dragons, and firecrackers are seen all along the streets and villages. There is also the "Festival of the Sky Lanterns". In which they release lanterns into the sky with pictures and messages with lucky sayings.

Pandas

Pandas are another huge symbol for Chinese culture. These animals are sadly an endangered species. Pandas were once all over China, but the rapid growth of Chinas population led to deforestation and Pandas were left without their natural habitat home, leading to death. 

Pandas don't only eat bamboos, but it is their major food supply for their bodies. They eat 35 to 65 pounds of bamboo each day! The estimated population of Pandas is 1,200 plus 120 in zoos across the world. 

Chinese Writing

 

As if Chinese wasn't hard enough already to learn there are over 3,000 different dialects in China. But the good thing is that the writing stays the same across all China. So, even though they might have a lot of different dialects they all have the same written language. Chinese writing goes back 3,000 years, and started as pictures. And these pictures evolved  to symbols, which are now used as the Chinese written language. The curious and interesting part of all of this, is that Chinese start writing from right to left. Unlike many of us who write from left to right. So, Chinese would start writing in the upper right corner of the page. 

Chinese Food

You have probably heard about Chinese food, or have ordered this food in what they call a ''Chinese Restaurant''. So, you probably think that you have an idea of what Chinese food looks and taste like. Chinese food in the Western can be VERY different from what people really eat in China. In fact, China is such a big country that their food varies from region to region. 

Traditional Chinese Food Types

1. Beijing Cuisine in the North: Light and subtle flavors. [Ex. Peking Duck] 
2. Sichuan Food in the West: Hot and Spicy. [Ex. Ma Po Tofu & Kong Pao Chicken]
3. Hunan Food in Central China: Spicy zest and also sweet and sour flavors.[Ex. Sour Chicken]
4. Fujian cooking in the East: Clear soups, seafood dishes and subtle flavors.[Ex. Red cooked chicken & egg rolls]
5. Cantonese Food in the South: specializes in stir frying, steaming and roasting. [Ex. Shark’s fin soup & Bird’s nest soup.

Most Chinese meals have several main dishes, instead of just one. These meals usually containmeat dishes, chicken, beef or pork, a vegetable, fish or seafood, and a soup. 

Chinese LOVE white rice and it's present in almost every meal. Chinese don't really eat dessert, instead they finish off with some fruits. Unless it's a special ocation, where they will have a small dessert. Fortune cookies are NOT from China, in fact these were invited by the United States of America. Therefore, you will not find fortune cookies in China.

Chinese don't have soft drinks, sodas, or juices. Instead they have tea or soups. Although, recently these are coming very common in China, but only in the touristic parts of China.

Typical Dinner Setting

• a rice bowl
• chopsticks
• Porcelain soup spoon
• tea cup
• smaller dish for dipping sauce
• plate placed under the bowl that serves as a bone/discard plate

 Bibliography:

http://www.china-family-adventure.com/index.html

http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/

http://www.cultural-china.com/

http://www.youtube.com/

www.google.com

<<The fact that i will be looking for information about China is very convenient for me. I think it will be favorable for me to know a little bit of China before I get there. In this blog I will be presenting an overview of China.>>

''But if USA has 1.3 billion people, USA would have the same human rights problem just like China.''

                  -Alex Chiu 

                     <<He is a famous paranormal from United States of Jewish religion>>
For more info about him visit: http://www.nndb.com/people/266/000027185/ 


And now to China:


China's Geography


Location-Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam. 

Border Countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km

Regional Borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km

Climate- extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north.

Natural Resources- coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, rare earth elements, uranium, hydro-power potential (world's largest). 

POPULATION: 1,336,718,015 

Ethnic Groups- Han Chinese 91.5%, Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uighur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other nationalities 8.5%. 

Religions- Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%

Country Name-

conventional long form: People's Republic of China

conventional short form: China

local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo

local short form: Zhongguo

abbreviation: PRC

Government Type: Communist State 

The Flag of China

The color red represents revolution, the stars symbolize the four social classes - the working class, the peasantry, the urban petty bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie (capitalists) - united under the Communist Party of China.

The National Anthem is ''The March of the Volunteers'' lt was adopted in1949. It was banned during the cultural revolution. The anthem is more commonly known as "Zhongguo Guoge". 

                Poverty in China- 2.8%

21.5 million Chinese live in absolute poverty. They live on $90 per year. Another 35.5 million live above that level but still live below the official ''low income line''. And live on $125 per year. 

Agriculture in China

They produce rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish. 

RICE PLANTATIONS IN CHINA 

MEDIA IN CHINA

<<Here is a comic criticizing ''The Net in China''.>> 

Most of the broadcast media in china is controlled by the Communist Party in China. A lot of websites are blocked in China, some of these being very famous, such as Facebook.com, Myspace.com, and Twitter.com.

Info About China Provided by: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html

  Many people ask or wonder, why is everything made in China? Well, the answer is very simple.China is the largest exporter in the world, with cheap labor, they make more goods and ship it across the world. Thats why almost everything you buy says <<made in China>>. 














CHINA'S STRUGGLE WITH AIR POLLUTION! 


Making more goods for less is good. But since there is so many factories to produce those products, it causes MAJOR air pollution in China. This is both bad for Earth and its people. 

COMING SOON:
UP NEXT I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT CHINA'S CULTURE! A BLOG YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS, FOR CHINESE CULTURE IS BY FAR ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING AND FUN OF ALL. 


HERE IS A PREVIEW: