Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Up with Geography: China

Country Name:
China

Capital:
Beijing

Continent:
Asia

Maps:

Asian continent. China outlined in dark ink & shaded.

A close-up of China & its neighbors. I think my placement
of the Yellow River is faulty.

Neighbors:
Mongolia, Russia, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan

Water Borders:
Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea

Total Area:
3,705,407 square miles

Five Largest Cities:
Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen

Famous Geographical Point:
Yellow River

Famous Person:
Ip Man, Wing Chun master (teacher of Bruce Lee and many others)

I chose him in honor of my husband, who loves the Ip Man movies.

Book Set In/About:
Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang

Set during the 1940s, a young divorcee, shunned by her family, potentially finds love again. Told through a series of short stories and novellas, the tale closely resembles Chang's own life.

Movie Set In/About:
"Huo zhe (To Live)" (1994), directed by Yimou Zhang

A wealthy couple lose their fortune and struggle to survive/raise a family through decades of massive cultural upheaval. It's a great portrayal of both pre- and post-Cultural Revolution China. I chose this film because I love it. You Ge, who plays the male lead, gives a performance that the mere memory of can tear at my heartstrings.

Headline of the Day:
"Why China Really Thinks It Owns the South China Sea" on news.com.au.

2 comments:

Patricia said...

China! Such a big country. While looking at your map, I found myself wondering if they use the same Mercader Projection maps in China. My guess is no, as the flattening makes Russia look really big.

My experience with Postcrossing has taught me that postcards sent to China aren't really guaranteed to reach their destination. It's a little better if you print the address, instead of writing it in English, but still no guarantee.

balyien said...

I had the same experience with postcards to China. I thought I would get back into Postcrossing after moving, but I haven't. I probably never will.