Introduction
Rise and Spread of English in China
Geography
The People's Republic of China is located in Eastern Asia. China covers almost 9,600,000 sq km (9,596,960 sq km exactly). The country is the second largest in the world by land area after Russia and fourth by total area. Its biggest city is Shanghai and its capital city is Beijing.
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History
![Picture](/uploads/1/0/3/2/103239358/published/terracotta-army-1864972-640.jpg?1495668945)
China has witnessed many occupations throughout history. It allegedly goes back to the Neolithic Age in between 8500 and 2070 BC. Afterwards, China went through three different periods : Ancient China (from 2100 to 221 BC), Imperial China (from 221 BC to 1911 AD), and lastly Modern China (since 1912).
China's territories were occupied by various dynasties and states, mainly the Zhou dynasty for almost 800 years.
The English name "China" dates from the period of the Qin (Chin) rulers who were the first imperial dynasty of ancient China. The Chinese name of the country is Zhongguo which translates as "Central Nation".
China's territories were occupied by various dynasties and states, mainly the Zhou dynasty for almost 800 years.
The English name "China" dates from the period of the Qin (Chin) rulers who were the first imperial dynasty of ancient China. The Chinese name of the country is Zhongguo which translates as "Central Nation".
Population
Politics
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The PRC is a socialist state presided over by Xi Jinping who is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China as well as the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
The People's Republic of China controls 22 provinces, five autonomous regions (Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Guangxi, Ningxia, and Tibet), four municipalities (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing), and two special administrative regions (Macau and Hong Kong). China also claims Taiwan to be its 23rd province.
The PRC is a socialist state presided over by Xi Jinping who is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China as well as the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
The People's Republic of China controls 22 provinces, five autonomous regions (Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Guangxi, Ningxia, and Tibet), four municipalities (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing), and two special administrative regions (Macau and Hong Kong). China also claims Taiwan to be its 23rd province.
Religion
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The PRC government is officially atheist. Formally, it recognizes five religious doctrines, including Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism. 52.2 percent of Chinese people are unaffiliated (irreligious), 21.9 percent follow folk religion, 18.2 percent are Buddhist, 5.1 percent are Christian, 1.8 percent are Muslim, and 0.8 percent belong to other religious organizations.
The world's tallest religious statues are located in China. The tallest one is called Spring Temple Buddha in Henan.
The PRC government is officially atheist. Formally, it recognizes five religious doctrines, including Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism. 52.2 percent of Chinese people are unaffiliated (irreligious), 21.9 percent follow folk religion, 18.2 percent are Buddhist, 5.1 percent are Christian, 1.8 percent are Muslim, and 0.8 percent belong to other religious organizations.
The world's tallest religious statues are located in China. The tallest one is called Spring Temple Buddha in Henan.
Education
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China has become one of the top destinations for international students in Asia. All Chinese citizens must attend school for at least nine years, including primary (six years) and junior secondary (three years) schools. The nine-year education is free and funded by the government. The primary language used in China's schools is Standard Chinese. As of 2015, 96.4 percent of Chinese people are literate: 98.2 percent are males and 94.5 percent are females.
Languages
There are over 295 living languages in China which are spoken by the 56 ethnic groups. Standard Chinese is the official national language in mainland China. Being a form of Mandarin Chinese, it is used as a lingua franca in the country between people of different linguistic backgrounds. China's languages can be divided into, at least, nine families. One of them is named the Sino-Tibetan family which includes Mandarin spoken natively by almost 70 percent of the population. Many dialects from various regions are not mutually intelligible, such as the Sinitic languages (sometimes referred to as Chinese varieties). Hong Kong and Macau have different official languages: English and Cantonese (Chinese variety) are official languages in Hong Kong while Portuguese and Cantonese are official languages in Macau.
The English language has begun to take over in China. "There has been a dramatic and rapid spread of English throughout China in the last forty years or so" (Bolton, 2003, p.228). Based on statistics presented by Wei and Su in 2012, there are about 390 million people in China who have learned English. A 2010 article in the Chinese newspaper China Daily stated the number of English learners in China as almost 400 million, or about a third of the Chinese population (Bolton and Graddol, 2012). This entails that there are more Chinese speakers of English than speakers of any other variety of English.
The English language has begun to take over in China. "There has been a dramatic and rapid spread of English throughout China in the last forty years or so" (Bolton, 2003, p.228). Based on statistics presented by Wei and Su in 2012, there are about 390 million people in China who have learned English. A 2010 article in the Chinese newspaper China Daily stated the number of English learners in China as almost 400 million, or about a third of the Chinese population (Bolton and Graddol, 2012). This entails that there are more Chinese speakers of English than speakers of any other variety of English.
The two videos below present China and its people. The video on the right (The World in 2 minutes: China) illustrates some of the well-known activities, traditions and customs practiced in China.
The video on the left (China in 2 Minutes) summarizes many of what is dealt with in the Introduction, including China's history and population. The video also provides us with important information about the attractions of China as well as the Chinese culture and heritage.
The video on the left (China in 2 Minutes) summarizes many of what is dealt with in the Introduction, including China's history and population. The video also provides us with important information about the attractions of China as well as the Chinese culture and heritage.
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