CHINA:The World’s Most Populous Country

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:

Ancient Chinese believed China stood at the center of the World and that they were the only civilized society on Earth (much like many other ancient civilizations.)

WHY, YOU ASK???? China was isolated from the rest of the

world… West= deserts and mountains cut China off from

the rest of Asia East= Pacific ocean

Today the Chinese refer to China as Zhong Guo, “The Middle Kingdom”

CHINA

Nearly equal in shape and size/ China is a bit larger

CHINA’S LANDSCAPE Geographers sometimes describe China as a

giant slope- it stretches from mountains of Central Asia in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east.

West:MountainsPlateausbasins

Central: Lower mountainsHillsPlateaus Gobi Desert

East: Low hillsFertile river valleysPlainsVast floodplains covered with fieldsTHIS IS WHERE MOST OF CHINA’S 1.3 BILLION PPL LIVE

CHINA’S POPULATION… WHY IS IT SO LARGE?

Great Teacher. Great Leader. Great Supreme Commander. Great Helmsman

Lead a revolution that brought a communist gov’t to China in 1949

He ruled until his death in 1976

Mao believed large families would make China strong=population grew rapidly=average woman had 5 kids

MAO ZEDONG Why is he important?

1958 GREAT LEAP FORWARD GLF was a plan to become a modern

industrial country(when other countries=modernized by use of new technology such as machines & computers) Mao thought China could leap forward by

getting more work out of a huge population 1) INCREASE STEEL PRODUCTION(people began to make “backyard furnaces” that they would take metal possessions- bikes- cooking pans- iron bed frames- doorknobs and melt them down2) INCREASE FOOD PRODUCTION= small farms were lumped together to create large factory farmsTHIS DID NOT TURN CHINA INTO AN INDUSTRIAL GIANT

At the same time… severe droughts across China=FAMINE= more than 20 million people died btw 1958 & 1962

NEW SOCIETY- UNDER MAO

Goal to create a new society in China- everyone would follow his ideas and work for the common good (COMMUNISM)

People were sent to prison if they were suspected of not being loyal to Mao

Turned the country into ciaos state/revolutions

Communist gov’ts decide what should be produced and at what price- gov’t controls who should do what job and for what pay

1976 MAO DIES NEW GOV’T IMPLEMENTS“ONE CHILD POLICY”

Moving toward ZERO POPULATION GROWTH

Slowed growing population rate=reduced the strain on food and water supplies

Reduced the problem of too many workers and too little jobs

Moms/babies had healthier lives in small family units- fewer kids= more money- women have more time for education & career

People don’t want to be told how to live their life/how many kids they can have

Rural areas=large families are tradition=more farm workers

BOYS are preferred in China- many people want a son if they can only have one kid- some couples end pregnancy if they find they are having a girl= more boys than girls (who will all the boys marry…?

Old people are cared for by their kids (esp. sons)- one child policy leaves fewer kids to care for their elderly parents

benefits cost

CLEAN ENERGY

Most electricity the Chinese need is supplied by power plants that burn coal= not clean energy= smoke containing toxic chemicals (mercury) pours out of power plants=winds carry poisonous fumes around the world

US discovered mercury pollution from China Disease related to air pollution=leading cause of

death in China SOLUTION: Three Gorges Dam (hydroelectric

power to meet energy needs= clean energy) Dam provides 1/9th of China’s electricity Built on Yangtze River=longest River in Asia- used

to transport people/cargo and provides fresh water

3 G DAM

Clean energy Flood control- river

floods about every 10 years=causes widespread death and destruction-dam will hold back extra water that would usually cause problems

Help river shipping=easier to navigate by boat

Cover up 100s of ancient historical settlement sites- china’s distant past will be lost

Cover up 13 cities-140 towns- 100s of villages

10s of 100s of acres of farmland will be submerged

Over 1 million people were forced to move

Animal and plant species will lose habitats

Dam sits on earthquake fault

benefits cost

ECONOMIC GROWTH: NEW LEADERS AFTER MAO’S DEATH

Special economic zones with different laws than the rest of China pertaining to businesses

In these zones businesses have the right to choose what to produce and at what price

SEZs

SEZS

Economic growth Created millions of jobs

often filled by migrant workers from rural areas

Wages are not high but most ppl earn more than they would in rural areas

Ppl can support themselves and have enough to send some back to support families

Widening gap between rich and poor-may lead to unrest if it continues to widen

Floating population of migrant workers

If they can’t find work they may turn to crime in order to survive

benefits cost