China Geo Discussion Questions
Group #1
General Maps (China in Asia)
1. Using the points of the compass, north, south, east, and west, where does China have land borders? Sea borders?
2. Is China's terrain varied in terms of lowland, mountains, river systems, desert land, and sea coast?
3. Where do you think the earliest inhabitants of China would be likely to settle? Why?
4. Can you tell if all Chinese people speak the same language?
5. Can you tell what are the most populated areas of China today?
China Geo Discussion Questions
Group #2
Outline Maps of China
(The questions relate to the outline maps, moving left to right, starting with "China and the World." Many of the questions provided under the section headings below may also be used in relation to these outline maps.)
- In which continent is China?
- With how many countries does China have a common border
- Using the outline map of China and the maps in the General Maps section, can you draw in (a) China's rivers? (b) China's mountains and deserts? (c)China's most important cities? (d) a blue line indicating China's sea coast?
- Water and rivers have always been very important in Chinese history. Can you tell why?
10. What part of China would be best for (a) traveling by camel? (b) mountain climbing? (c) finding high pasture lands?
11. What part of China would be best for (a) plowing fields for crops? (b) growing rice?
12. Looking at your map, where do you think most people would be likely to live? In the west of the China? The east? Why?
13. What can you tell about a river that changes its course as the Huang He (Yellow River) has over the centuries? What sort of terrain would allow a river to change its course?
14. Has China's size changed over time? When was it smallest? When was it biggest? What is it like today?
15. Why would the Chinese want to build the Great Wall? Why build it where it is instead of somewhere else? Why would the Chinese build canals? Why build them where they are? How do you think the Great Wall and the Grand Canal were built? By hand?By machine? How many people do you think it would take to build a mile of the Great Wall or the Grand Canal? How fast could this mile be built? How would you get the people to work on such projects?
China Geo Discussion Questions
Group # 3
Rivers, Borders, and Civilizations
Major Rivers
16. What are China's two major rivers?
17. Huang He (Yellow River)
a) Why is this river called a "yellow" river?
b) Why is this river called "China's Sorrow"?
c) What is loess? How is it useful for human habitation?
18. Chang Jiang (Yangzi River)
a) Why is this river called China's "main street"?
b) In what part of China are the upper reaches of this river?
c) Why is happening in the area called "The Three Gorges"?
19. Zhu Jiang (Pearl River)
a) What kind of land surrounds this river?
b) What is grown in this river's ecosystem?
Research questions involving all the readings and maps about China's rivers:
20. If you wanted to travel in China with a row boat, which river would you choose to go on and why?
21. Could you travel by boat from one river to another without going into the open sea or carrying the boat across land? Which parts of China would you see if you did this?
China Geo Discussion Questions
Group # 4
Early Civilizations
22. Where were the cradles of Chinese civilization? Why do you think people chose to settle in these places?
Mountains and Deserts
23. Why was China's early civilization relatively isolated from other early civilizations?
24. What sort of terrain did the eventual route between early China and other civilizations follow?
Historical Borders
25. Have China's historical borders changed over time?
26. What geographical features can be found on China's borders?
27. Is it easy to travel across China's borders in terms of the terrain?
Bordering Nations
28.Why is China the core of East Asia?
29.What countries in East Asia were particularly influenced by China?
China Geo Discussion Questions
Group # 5
Supplementing Geography
30. The Great Wall
a) When were the first segments of the Great Wall begun?
b) What is the Great Wall built out of?
c) What was the purpose of the Great Wall?
31. The Grand Canal
a) What was the purpose of the Grand Canal?
b) When was the original canal built?
c) Can it still be used today?
32. Terracing and Irrigation
a) Why do people build terraces on hill slopes?
b) How is water managed on terraced hill slopes?
China Geo Discussion Questions
Group # 6
Population and Agriculture
33. Is China the most populous nation in the world?
34. Where is China's most arable land?
35. What areas of China are most populated?
36. Which country is bigger, China or the United States?
37. How do the most populated areas of China and of the United States differ?
38. What crops do the Chinese grow?
39. What is meant by "wet rice cycle"?
China Geo Discussion Questions
Group # 7
Geography and Regions
40. What is the difference between the western and eastern regions of China?
41. Why is interregional trade important in China?
42. Do the differences between the regions create problems for China?
Political Divisions
43. How many provinces are there in China?
44. What cities have provincial-level status in China?
45. How many autonomous regions are there in China?
46. What is the Special Administrative Region (SAR)?