GEOGRAPHY

The Chinese people developed a dynamic and rich civilization at the eastern end of Eurasia. Geographically and politically united by Emperor Huang Di in the 200’s BC, China’s civilization has alternated between times of political centralization with rule from a capital city and times of fragmentation when local warlords dominated. Confucianism, a belief system which supported centralized political power, a professional bureaucracy, and a hierarchy of social relationships has remained influential in China for 2500 years. With a dense population from early times (50 million by 750 AD), the Chinese have achieved high levels of productivity and exported many sought-after goods such as iron, porcelain, and silk. With a common language, paper to print it on, and a varied and distinctive cuisine, the people have been rightfully proud of their cohesive and distinctive culture. They have traditionally viewed themselves as living in “The Middle Kingdom ”- that is, the center of the known world, but have sometimes seen neighbors and outsiders as "barbarians " from whom they demanded tribute