China

When first discussing China with students, the following map is instructive. It shows China superimposed on the US. Showing major cities, it gives the students an idea of the climate and size of China. It is also useful to state the population of the 2 countries in these terms: China has a population of 1.3 billion and the population of the US is .3 billion (this has more impact than saying the the population of the US is 300 million. Then ask them to imagine that population almost entirely on this side of the Mississippi River, as most of China's population is located east of a line drawn roughly from Beijing to Chongqing.toc



There are many good places on the internet for information that will help in teaching about China.

=Reproducible Maps= An excellent source of reproducible images can be found at the Columbia University's site [|ASIAforEDUCATORS] Sometimes when introducing a unit on China to students it might be helpful for their understanding of the size of China as compared to the United States to see a map of the two interposed on each other. Click on the map for a larger version. =Geography & Population Maps=

There is a wealth of information on the geography and population of China on the ASIAforEDUCATORS website by navigating to Topics - China - Geography - Teaching Units - China's Geography - (Reading/Activity) (http:[|//afe.easia.columbia.edu/china/geog/maps.htm])

=Interactive Maps= Another good source for on-line interactive maps is [|World Regional Geography.] Here one will find lesson plans, interactive maps, and many more teaching aids. Another interactive site for [|younger students] that teaches countries of East Asia is the one hosted by Wiley.

This website by [|Sheppard Software] has a tutorial and different levels of difficulty in their interactive maps.

=Silk Road= For those discussing the silk "road", here is a map of the [|Silk Road]

=Political Maps= If you are looking for maps to illustrate the political period in China between 1911 & 1938 check out [|this one]

=Dynasty Maps=

= = Another good site for a timeline and maps on the different political eras of Chinese history is Patricia Ebrey's website [|A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization]. Click on the "Timelines" link.

Yet another source of dynasty maps is the [|Minneapolis Museum of Art Chinese Dynasty Guide]

An examination of material culture during the Song dynasty, including an incredible bridge. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/china/builds.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/programs/27fb_sle2chin.html guide, etc.)
 * NOVA Builds a Rainbow Bridge**

= =
 * Qin** **(221-206 BCE)**................... **Han (206 BCE - 220 CE)**.............. **Tang (618-907)**


 * Song ( 960-1279)**..................... **Ming** **( 1368-1644)**..................... **Qing** (**1644-1911)**

=**Patricia Ebrey’s //A Visual Sourcebook for Chinese Civilization//**= Arranged by Period and Topic, this website offers an incredible array of historical and geographical images that emphasize Buddhism, Calligraphy, Military Technology, Painting, Homes, Gardens, Clothing and Graphic Arts. http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/

=Footbinding= Many students are interested in the practice of footbinding which was outlawed in China but there are still women alive today who have bound feet. The following link shows pictures of an 86 year old woman who allowed her [|bound feet] to be photographed.

=Chinese Language= There are several sites that offer help in learning to speak standard Chinese.

Animated Chinese characters http://www.csulb.edu/%7Etxie/azi/azi.htm Children's songs + more [|http://www.wku.edu/~yuanh/AudioChinese/] Common Chinese Phrases [|Chinese Words and Phrases for K-12 Teachers] FAQs On Many Aspects of Chinese Language[| http://zhongwen.com/] Get your name in Chinese [[[|http://www.wku.edu/%7Eyuanh/AudioChinese/|]http://www.mandarintools.com/]] InstantSpeak Chinese[| http://www.pinyin.org/index.cfm] Learn Chinese Online! http://www.chinese-tools.com/learn/chinese //Pinyin// Romanization Guide http://www.pinyin.info/index.html

=China's Age of Invention= Another NOVA site about the period of time when China excelled in invention. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/china/age.html