CHINA115
SHANGHAI
The largest city in
China, Shanghai
(right) is one of
the world’s biggest
seaports. For
centuries China was
closed to the west, but
in 1842, the Treaty of
Nanking, between China
and Britain, opened the port
to western trade. Since then,
Shanghai has been the leading
commercial and industrial center in
China. Today, about half of China’s
foreign business passes through the city.PANDAS
The giant panda lives only in the mountainous
forests of southwestern China. It feeds almost
exclusively off bamboo. The woody grass is
low in nutrients, so pandas must eat about
26–84 lb (12–38 kg) of it every day to
survive. The panda is classified as an
endangered species, and about 1,800
remain in the wild today. They live in
areas of forest set aside as nature
reserves by the Chinese government.HAN CHINESE
China has a large number
of ethnic groups. The Han
Chinese people make up
about 90 percent of the total
population. Their ancestors
may have come east from
Turkestan, which is now
partly in western China,
Central Asia, and Afghanistan.
However, it is possible
that Han Chinese people
descended from Mongolian
tribes who moved south.JUNK
The junk is an oceangoing sailing vessel of
ancient unknown origin. By the Middle Ages,
Chinese junks had sailed to the waters of
Indonesia and India. The junk carries up to five
sails consisting of panels of linen or matting
flattened by bamboo strips. Each sail can be spread
or closed with a pull, like a venetian blind. A
massive rudder, which steers the boat, replaces a
keel or a centerboard and keeps the boat from
tipping over or drifting with the wind. The hull is
partitioned by solid bulkheads, which adds
greatly to the boat’s strength.INDUSTRIAL TAIWAN
Boasting a highly educated and
ambitious workforce, Taiwan is one of
Asia’s wealthiest economies. The country has
grown to be one of the world’s top computer
technology producers. It also specializes in
shoe manufacturing. Taiwan’s mineral
industry is not significant because mineral
resources are relatively modest.LHASA
Monasteries in Lhasa, the capital of
Tibet, are reminders that the city was
once the center of Lamaism (Tibetan
Buddhism). The religion is an important
part of Tibetan life, and at one time one-
sixth of all Tibetan men were monks. The
head of the religion, the Dalai Lama, was
also the ruler of the country. However, in
1950 Communist China invaded Tibet
and has ruled the region ever since.
To Western eyes in the
Middle Ages, the Chinese
junk (left) seemed like an
ungainly figure. However,
the junk is still widely
used today.The spectacular
Potala Palace
(left) in Lhasa
was built in the
17th century.