China

At a Glance

Student Profiles

•  Zachary Henak
   China
•  Charles Ng
   Hong Kong
•  Anand Singh
   Shanghai
•  Erica Shafer
   Shanghai

Cherrington Scholars Eligible

• China lays claim to countless technological innovations, including the compass, paper, printmaking/printing technology, the crossbow, the stirrup and gunpowder.
• Due to habitat loss and an extremely low birthrate, only 1,600 giant pandas are believed to survive in the wild. The mammal serves as the symbol of the World Wildlife Fund. It also appears on Chinese gold coins.
• The Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) is credited with spreading a wave of culture across the country, including porcelain production and the development of the Chinese novel.
• During the Ming Dynasty, China’s Great Wall expanded to nearly 4,000 miles—making it one of the largest construction projects ever completed.
• In 1934, poet-playwright Tian Han penned “The March of the Volunteer Army,” the composition that became China’s official anthem in 2004. Singing the song was forbidden during the Cultural Revolution, when Tian Han was arrested.
• Penjing, the Chinese art of growing plants and trees, is widely regarded as the precursor of the Japanese art of bonsai.