EASC Study Tour 2006
Topic of the Week

Welcome to the "Topic of the Week" series! Each week we will discuss areas of interest or things that need your attention in preparing for the Study Tour to China.

Week 13: Geography

Geography: Mountains, Plains, and Coasts - Oh, my!

China's geography is as diverse and awe-inspiring as any you can find on the earth. The northern landscape is dominated by deserts, the southwest by the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayan chain, and the sea in the east. As a result of China's peripheral geography, the nation has always been protected from external threats and that provided time for the Han civilization to emerge.

Almost every single climate and landscape on earth can easily be found in China. Xinjiang Province in the west has immense deserts that match the intensity of the Sahara in Africa. There are no mountain chains that can match the Himalayas and a vast expanse of that chain is found along the border between Tibet and Nepal. Yet, most of China is not as imposing a landscape as are Xinjiang and Tibet. Most of China can be characterized as river basins, plateau grasslands, and semi-tropical forests. The Yellow and the Yangtze, China 's two most important rivers are also where the majority of the population can be found. China 's land mass is the third largest of any nation on earth (Russia and Canada are both larger), but only an estimated 15-20% of the land is arable. The Yellow River basin was the original home of the Han ethnicity that developed into the dynasties. Yet, as the population grew several thousand years ago, so to did the need to find new lands for farming. The Han moved south, populating the southern provinces of China along the way. As the population migrated south, many settled along the Yangtze River. Where the Yellow is muddy and inundates as it floods, the Yangtze is clear, swift, and sweeps away when flooding. These two rivers created the basins where a vast majority of the population still lives and produces the majority of China's food, both agricultural and livestock.

China is made up of 21 provinces, 5 special administrative regions, and four special municipalities (Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, and Chongqing). Taiwan is considered by the Chinese government and mainland Chinese to be one of the 21 provinces. Additionally, the Spratly Island chains, supposedly rich in oil deposits, is claimed by China (along with Brunei, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia) and China took possession of the Paracel Islands from Vietnam. Both island chains are in the South China Sea and are the possible source of political conflict between China and its neighbors.

Population:

93% of the Chinese population belongs to the Han ethnic group. The Han, however, only inhabit around 50% of China 's land area and that land is primarily located in the eastern portion of the country. 55 ethnic minority groups (more exist but are not recognized) make up the remaining 7% of the population and live in the other 50% of the nation.

Ethnicity:

Minority groups living along China's border regions have long been the source of separatist movements. Tibetans and Uyghurs (pronounced We gers), who live in Xinjiang province, have often clashed with Chinese authorities. Today, both Tibet and Xinjiang are under special government zones that have increased the number of Chinese troops living in these regions. While claiming to be there for purposes of protecting China's borders with Afghanistan and India, these troops are also there to put down rebellions. To assist in pacification efforts, the Chinese government has promoted and even made monetary arrangements to Han migrants to the border regions from the east. This process, believed to be destroying traditional culture in China 's border regions, is slowly altering the population statistics to favor Han Chinese.

Other Chinese minority groups besides the Tibetans and Uyghurs are: the Hui (Yunnan Province and Guangxi Province), Zhuang (Yunnan Province), Yi (Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province), Mongols (Inner Mongolia and elsewhere), the Hakka (Guangdong , Fujian , and Jiangxi Provinces), and many others.

Other Population-related issues:

China's population faces another major issue besides ethnic unrest, food. China's land is only 15-20% arable and this must feed a population of 1.3 billion people. In 1979, facing a major food crisis and wishing to avoid famine (a frequent occurrence in China throughout history), the Chinese Communist Party pushed through the One Child Policy. This policy allowed only 1 child per family, and had severe consequences throughout the country.

First, the state became the defining institution, over the family, on women's reproductive issues. Forced abortions and sterilizations were not uncommon in China, especially in rural areas. Many families still had more than one child to help support the family's economic pursuits, but with the One Child Policy came rules prohibiting additional children from receiving education.

Second, families following the One Child Policy still wanted male children over female and were abandoning, murdering, or giving away baby girls to have the opportunity to once again have a male child. This has created a gender unbalance in China. For every 114 males there are 100 females and in some rural areas it has become a ration of 145 men to 100 women.

Third, the One Child Policy has created an increasingly elderly Chinese population. Many young adults today must care for their two parents and often, four grandparents. By 2040, an estimated 400 million Chinese will be elderly and this will require major economic adjustments to care for them.

All in all, the One Child Policy failed. Women's reproductive rights were destroyed, cultural biases towards men reemerged, and the Chinese population continued to grow.

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EASC Study Tour 2006 Topic of the Week

Week 13: Geography

EASC Study Tour 2006
Topic of the Week