The images we see of China are of a country rich in history and culture, with a diverse range of peoples and environments within its extensive borders. Being the third largest country in the world and home to approximately one fifth of the world's population, it has long sparked the imagination of many a traveller.
The country has been traversed by emperors, kings and generals throughout history due to its critical position in the heart of the continent of Asia and is consequently home to a variety of peoples from the Han Chinese to Tibetans and Mongols, with most people speaking Mandarin or standard Chinese.
Key questions
-
Where in the world is China?
-
Discover the importance of the Yangtze River
-
Why is there a historical collection of photographs at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)?
-
Who was Isabella Bird Bishop?
-
What was the Cultural Revolution and what impact did it have on the people?
-
What are the views of the Chinese community in London?
Factsheets
These factsheets provide background information to each of the key questions. They can be used together with the associated downloadable activities to investigate each area.
Downloadable resources
The downloadable activities used with the associated factsheets can be used in the classroom to investigate each area.
An education pack exploring China's past and its human and physical geography has recently been developed. The pack entitled 'Seeing China: Snapshots of the past and present' contains activities for students from the ages of eight to 12 and can be downloaded in sections here:
Links
-
Foreign and Commonwealth Office: find out more about China's government and economy from the FCO's country profile
-
BBC News Online: keep up to date with what's happening in China today
-
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Image Library: search through the Society's extensive collection of historical and modern images
-
Mantralingua Bi-lingual Books: details of a selection of bi-lingual children's books
This theme was developed with support from King's Cross Neighbourhood Centre, Soho Family Centre and Camden Chinese Community Centre in London. Workshops were conducted with these groups exploring some of the themes raised within these resources.
