This article was first published at JustOneOpinion.com on January 27, 2009. It is presented here in exactly the same text and format for the readers of my own site. - Chi Newman

China is a vast country in Asia, bordering the Pacific Ocean. Many of China’s largest cities are along the east coast, where the land is low and flat, and easy to plant rice in the paddies, rice being the main staple in China. Farther inland, snow capped mountains tower over the landscape. China’s major rivers are the Yangtze and Hwang He, which is also called the Yellow river. They both flow eastward into the sea.

China has a population of several billion people. However, the government is trying to control population growth, limiting each family to only one child. It is a necessity, but it also has disadvantages. The only child often gets very spoiled, and it’s no fun not having a sister, brother, aunts or uncles.

There are many dialects in the Chinese language. Mandarin, which has four tones, is the official dialect, now called the people’s language. Every child who goes to school is required to speak Mandarin, which has proved to be a good way to unify the country.

The Chinese write with characters or symbols, instead of letters. Each character stands for a complete word or idea. There are more than 40,000 characters and no letters in an alphabet, as is true in most western languages, including English. If one knows the alphabet, he can read English. In the Chinese language, you have to memorize every character. Don’t get discouraged, however, because learning to speak Chinese is not that difficult.

Writing, on the other hand, is a different story. We have no grammar in Chinese. We have no gender, tense, case or participles. For example, the verb “eat” never changes. In Chinese we say “I eat now, I eat two days ago, or I eat tomorrow.” We use the word “ta” for “he”, “she” or “it.” For example: “Ta” is my father, “ta” is my mother, or “ta” is my dog. That is why you might hear a Chinese person who hasn’t yet mastered the English language say: “She is my father”, or “he is my mother.” We just use more modifiers in each sentence.

I once taught an American from Knoxville, Tennessee, to speak Chinese. He learned it in less than a year. Many years later, I called him and asked if he still remembered how to speak Chinese. He said “No”, but sometimes he would carry a Chinese newspaper and pretend to read it, just to impress people.

China’s capital is Beijing. It is a beautiful city with many palaces and famous buildings. For thousands of years, China was ruled by dynasties, or powerful families. Members of the same family ruled until it was overthrown, then another dynasty or family would follow.

During the Qin dynasty, the emperor wanted to protect the country from invaders and began construction of the Great Wall, which extended at one time for about 1,500 miles.

In 1275 Marco Polo arrived in China from Italy and remained for many years. When he returned to Italy, his reports about China excited great interest, for he brought back many exotic goods never before seen in Europe. China, which means, “Middle Kingdom,” believed it was the center of the universe. Today, people from all over the world are interested in China for its culture, art, cuisine, and technical development.

During the Ming dynasty, Europeans arrived in China. Catholic missionaries came to convert the Chinese to Christianity. Some of the missionaries gave rice to the poor to lure them into their churches, hence the origin of the name, “rice” Christians.

A two-year-old boy, named Pu Yi, was the last Emperor of China. He reigned from 1908-1912. After the Emperor was deposed, China became a Republic. The first president of the new Republic was Sun Yat Sen.

Mao Ze Dong, a dedicated Communist, overthrew the government in 1949 and became the dictator of Communist China. Before Mao, there were very rich families who owned beautiful mansions. Jade, ivory, gold, and exquisite things decorated their homes. But when Mao became the country’s leader, he theoretically made everyone equal - there were to be no rich, no poor.

Since Mao’s death in 1976, China has evolved into a quasi-capitalist country, in spite of the fact that it is still ruled by the Communist Party. China is very proud of its development and how it has continued to grow in order to deal with its many challenges.

The Chinese grow many vegetables, so the food is always fresh. Rice is the main staple, and is eaten with every meal. We also have wheat products, including items like noodles, dumplings and breads stuffed with meat. Delicious fruits grow throughout China with each region of the country having its own specialties depending on the local climate. Peaches, apples, figs, pears, and citrus fruits are all picked when they are ripe, which is why the fruit is so scrumptious.

Three out of five people in China work on farms. The country’s major farm crops are rice, wheat, cotton, fruits, and vegetables. Many farmers also raise chickens and pigs.

A 2-minute tour of China

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv2NNUPYN-A

For many Chinese there is work available in factories or in the shipping business. Gigantic ships from all over the world pull into the ports to trade with China. Americans are aware of this since so many of their clothes, toys, TVs, and other electronics being sold  in retail stores are labeled “Made in China.”

Last year some of our Chinese friends came to visit and went looking for some souvenirs to take home. To their amazement, they were unable to find anything that was not made in China. Finally they took back two big bags of “fortune cookies,” which are not seen in China. Fortune cookies were actually invented in San Francisco’s Chinatown strictly for the American market.

The Chinese calendar follows the cycles of the moon, which is why we call it the Lunar Calendar. Chinese New Year usually comes in January or February’s full moon. There are twelve different animals that represent the Lunar Calendar. For example, 2009 is the “Year of the Ox,” 2010 the “Year of the Tiger,’ 2011 the “Year of the Rabbit,” and the year 2012 is the “Year of the Dragon.” The Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Cock, Dog, Boar, and Rat all have their own years as well.

Depending on what “animal” you are, you are supposed to have certain good and bad qualities. Most women won’t tell what animal they are, for it not only gives away their age, but also shows their bad qualities. Certain animals do not get along well with certain other animals, so before they marry many superstitious couples go to marriage counselors for advice.

China is a very artistic country with many fine arts and crafts. The Chinese are famous for their beautiful calligraphy, done by hand with brush and ink. The Chinese were the first to produce silk. Silkworms spin their shiny threads, which are then woven into beautiful fabrics.

One of China’s greatest teachers was Confucius. Among his most important teachings was that he believed all people should show respect for each other. Although there are many Christians in China now, many Chinese still follow the teachings of Confucius. Many others follow Buddhism, which originally came to China from India. Buddha taught unselfishness and kindness to others. The Chinese built many temples to honor Buddha, but many of them were severely damaged or destroyed during Mao’s “Cultural Revolution.” These and other teachings have made the Chinese people who they are today.

China is a budding super power. If Americans would like to learn something worthwhile, they should learn to read and write Chinese. Because so many Chinese admire Americans, they especially love to hear Americans speak Chinese. Frequently, they will invite visitors to the country into their homes to share their meals. The Chinese are a very sociable people and love to give gifts to make their visitors welcome.

I am a proud American citizen, I’m also very proud of my Chinese heritage. Whenever possible, I enjoy telling people I meet about China, the Chinese people, their customs, and other facts about my country of origin.