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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

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.

Downloads

File nameFiles

File type

Size

Download

Teacher's Notes - KS3

.doc

93 KB

Teacher's Notes - Section one

.doc

111 KB

Teachers Notes - Section two

.doc

900 KB

Biography of Isabella Bird Bishop - Teacher Factsheet

.doc

41 KB

Bound Feet

.doc

41 KB

Coalmine - Teacher Factsheet

.doc

38 KB

Country Factsheet - KS2

.doc

1 MB

Cultural Revolution

.doc

40 KB

Image information

.doc

382 KB

Images of modern Yangtze

.pdf

347 KB

Images of old Yangtze

.doc

9 MB

Jung Chang's Cultural Revolution

.doc

39 KB

Modern Yangtze - Titles and captions

.doc

61 KB

Rapids - Teacher Factsheet

.doc

38 KB

Recent history timeline

.doc

49 KB

Reflections of a community

.doc

241 KB

River Yangtze Factsheet

.doc

208 KB

Seeing China - Activity four

.pdf

84 KB

Seeing China - Activity one

.pdf

132 KB

Seeing China - Activity three

.pdf

135 KB

Seeing China - Activity two; part one

.pdf

451 KB

Seeing China - Activity two; part two

.pdf

243 KB

Seeing China - Archive map of China

.pdf

269 KB

Seeing China - Image cards

.pdf

3 MB

Seeing China - Introduction to pack

.pdf

18 KB

Seeing China - Peoples poetry

.pdf

134 KB

Seeing China - record table

.pdf

8 KB

Student Activity Sheet - Comparing Views

.doc

41 KB

Student activity sheet - Guidelines

.doc

47 KB

Student Activity Sheet - I Spy

.doc

45 KB

Student Activity Sheet - The five W's

.doc

37 KB

Student Activity Sheet five

.doc

39 KB

Student Activity Sheet four

.doc

3 MB

Student Activity Sheet one

.doc

38 KB

Student Activity Sheet seven

.doc

39 KB

Student Activity Sheet six

.doc

43 KB

Student Activity Sheet three

.doc

1 MB

Student Activity Sheet two

.doc

41 KB

Isabella Bird Bishop - Student Factsheet

.doc

38 KB

The life of Isabella Bird Bishop - Storyboard

.doc

40 KB

Views of Isabella Bird Bishop

.doc

50 KB

The Society Archives

.doc

1 MB

Three Gorges - Before and after

.doc

1 MB

Trackers - Teacher Factsheet

.doc

40 KB

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