Country Report

China is the largest and most populated country in the world, currently home to over 1 billion people. "The population of China is not easy to calculate, in spite of the existence of a sophisticated bureaucracy from early times" (Morton 8). According to the CIA's World Fact book Website, the death rate for China is at 7.17 for every 1,000 people while their birth rate sits at 12.31 for every 1,000 people. This means that there are more people who are being born everyday, but not enough people are dying to balance out their quickly growing country.

Chinese history and all of the traditions that are carried over to the next generations is one of the most fascinating things someone could study. Written Chinese history could be dated as far back into the Shang Dynasty, which began in 1600 BC. Old Chinese traditions are also carried over carefully into the younger generations. “A custom is often an established behavioral pattern that prevails through years. It is commonly the result of social influences on the people of a society. Traditional customs have their own analogies. They associate certain things or actions with certain happenings in life. Traditional customs are meant to invite good omen while warding off the evils” (Ancient Chinese Traditional Customs, Buzzle). Along with traditional customs, comes traditional holidays that are widely celebrated through the whole country. One of the biggest holidays that are celebrated in China is Chinese New Years. Chinese citizens live off of two different calendars. They have the regular calendar that is used throughout the whole world and they have their own special calendar, called the Lunar Calendar, which is used for special holidays. “The ancient Chinese calendar, on which the Chinese New Year is based, functioned as a religious, dynastic and social guide. Oracle bones inscribed with astronomical records indicate that it existed at least as early as 14th century B.C., when the Shang Dynasty was in power. The calendar's structure wasn't static: It was reset according to which emperor held power and varied in use according to region” (Chinese New Years, History). With Chinese New Years, it actually begins in the middle of the 12^thmonth and would come to a conclusion in the middle of the 1^st month. Unlike New Years that is celebrated around the rest of the world, Chinese New Years actually is celebrated in a lengthier time span.

Since China is such a large country and has such a huge population living there, knowing the basics of the culture and their history could even be a difficult thing. By doing these 3 interviews, I hope to expand my knowledge on the country and how their people live their daily lives.

Work Cite:

"Ancient Chinese Traditional Customs." Buzzle.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012.< http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ancient-chinese-traditional-customs.html>.

"Chinese New Year." History.com. A&E Television Networks, Jan. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://www.history.com/topics/chinese-new-year>.

Morton, Scott, and Charlton M. Lewis. China Its History and Culture. 2nd ed. United States of America: McGraw Hill, 2004. Print.