CHINA

*Information taken from Dim Sum

China is the third largest country in the world after all of Russia and Canada. Mount Everest, in the Himalaya Mountains, is the tallest mountain in the world. It is on the border of China and Nepal.

China has two major rivers, the Yangtze River, called the Long River, and the Hwang He, called the Yellow River.

Beijing is China's capital city. It has been a city for over 800 years. In the center of the city is Tiananmen Square. There is room for one million people to gather in Tiananmen Square.

In Tiananmen Square, is a place called "The Forbidden City". The Forbidden City has beautiful temples and palaces with yellow walls. Long ago, China's emperors lived in the Forbidden City and only emperors and members of the royal house or imperial court were allowed in the Forbidden City or to use the color yellow. Ordinary people were not allowed to go into the Forbidden City. Today, The Forbidden City is a museum for all to enter and see.

There is a long wall across northern China. It is called The Great Wall of China. It is 4,160 miles long. It was built to keep invading warriors out. The Great Wall of China can be seen with the naked eye from outer space but not from the moon.

Many people in China are farmers. Many grow rice. China grows more food than any other country. The Chinese also grow tea and soy beans. Many Chinese shop every day in open air markets to get the freshest foods for their family's dinner.

Many Chinese people ride bicycles. The streets of China are crowded with bicycles. There are few cars outside the major cities in China.

Chinese people think it is very important to be polite and kind to others. The family is very important to the Chinese. Children listen and obey their parents and older people are loved and respected.

Many people still practice the old ways of doing things in China. Some new ways are beginning to find their way into Chinese society, too. China is a country that is becoming more and more important to the nations of the world. China continues to be a country that is changing.