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Weekly Online LessonOnline Lesson ArchivesGrade Level: 7-12
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A Visit to China
On
April 7, 1999, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji arrived in
Washington D.C. to begin his official U.S. visit, his
objective being to overcome certain economic and
political disputes that have prevented China's entry into
the World Trade Organization. By the second full day of
his visit, attending the U.S.-China Forum on Environment
and Development, Zhu had made substantial trade
concessions aimed at reducing $57 billion trade deficit;
however, negotiations fell far short of a complete
agreement. To learn more about the longstanding disputes
between China and the U.S., visit the MSNBC Interactive
Report Between
Two Giants.
This week's online lesson isn't actually about U.S.-China trade relations. It's about China. Since Premier Zhu is visiting the West, it's only fair that pay a visit to the Far East.
China Today
Billed
as "the most comprehensive information base on today's
China," China
Today is a great place to begin your cyber-visit
to the People's Republic of China. From here you'll find
eighteen different Chinese topics to read about, but
begin your visit by clicking Basic
Information about China. As the heading
suggests, you'll discover a great overview of this, the
third largest country in the world, with plenty of facts
about China's geography and topography, population,
government, history, language, religion, and so on.
Go back and click on some of the other topics that interest you. For example, click Culture and Ethnics to learn about China's 56 ethnic groups, and to find links to museums, cultural organizations, and related sites. Don't miss the "Golden Girls" link. Art and Entertainment is a similar link, with information about traditional Chinese opera, and links to other artists, poets, and film makers.
If you're
interested China's Armed
Forces and National Defense, this link will
take you face-to-face with the world's largest military
force. Scroll to the bottom of the page to view the
Chinese Military Photo Gallery.
To learn about China's laws and legal system, click the Law, Justice and Legal Services Link. Here you can read the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, adopted on December 4, 1982.
China Vista
China
Vista is an Internet gateway into China,
with information about business, culture, and travel.
Pick a language (English?) to enter. At this point you
can link to China
Business Vista, a site with information
about China's growing economy—if that's something you
want to know about.
More interesting, perhaps, is the Discover China: China Virtual Tours link. When the page opens, choose a virtual tour from the list. For example, select the Great Wall tour, read the overview, and then click the Next Stop link at the bottom of the page to continue with the tour.
There
are enough virtual tours here to keep you busy for hours,
but before you get too caught up in touring China, go
back and click Discover
China: The China Experience to explore
Chinese culture. Read the current articles, or click the China
Culture Index link for a
list of past articles and topics. For example, want to
know more about the origin of firecrackers?
Read the article.
Muzi.Net
Last
stop on your visit to China is Muzi.Net,
a Chinese e-zine/portal site. Click the News
link to read current national and local news—relevant to
China, of course. Click the Travel link to enter
Chinaroma, a travel guide to 500 cities and scenic
destinations. The Gallery
link takes you to—well, a little of everything: cities,
universities, celebrities, models, athletes, and
politicians. You'll find similar information in the Stars
link, which is not unlike America's People Magazine. Find
out who's hot in China, but don't expect it to be the
same celebrities you know and adore.
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