{"id":7641,"date":"2012-06-03T09:43:34","date_gmt":"2012-06-03T13:43:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=7641"},"modified":"2014-07-12T14:06:43","modified_gmt":"2014-07-12T18:06:43","slug":"the-middle-kingdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/the-middle-kingdom\/","title":{"rendered":"The Middle Kingdom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>So you want to learn Chinese, huh? Well, if you&#8217;re going to learn a language, you might as well learn something about the country, too. I&#8217;m going to be ripping off Stephen Colbert and his &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.colbertnation.com\/the-colbert-report-videos\/72238\/july-27-2006\/better-know-a-district---district-of-columbia---eleanor-holmes-norton\">Better Know a District<\/a>&#8221; segment a little bit, as I roll out &#8220;Better Know a Province,&#8221; a new series here on the Transparent Language Chinese blog. But before we get down into the details of each specific province in China, let&#8217;s step back and take a look at the entire country and some useful Chinese words associated with it:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Official Name<\/strong>: The People&#8217;s Republic of China (\u4e2d\u534e\u4eba\u6c11\u5171\u548c\u56fd &#8211; zh\u014dng hu\u00e1 r\u00e9n m\u00edn g\u00f2ng h\u00e9 gu\u00f3) &#8211; The official name of the country, the PRC, is not commonly used, but if you were wondering what the characters were on the entrance to the Forbidden City, now you know. In full, it reads, &#8220;<strong>Long live the People&#8217;s Republic of China<\/strong>&#8221; (\u4e2d\u534e\u4eba\u6c11\u5171\u548c\u56fd\u4e07\u5c81 &#8211; Zh\u014dng hu\u00e1 r\u00e9n m\u00edn g\u00f2ng h\u00e9 gu\u00f3 w\u00e0n su\u00ec) on the left, and &#8220;<strong>Long live the world&#8217;s peoples<\/strong>&#8221; (\u4e16\u754c\u4eba\u6c11\u5927\u56e2\u7ed3\u4e07\u5c81 &#8211; sh\u00ec ji\u00e8 r\u00e9n m\u00edn d\u00e0 tu\u00e1n ji\u00e9 w\u00e0n su\u00ec).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_10158\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10158\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10158\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2012\/06\/DSC_0206-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"The gate to the Forbidden City.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-10158\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The gate to the Forbidden City.<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Shortened Name<\/strong>: China (\u4e2d\u56fd &#8211; zh\u014dng gu\u00f3) &#8211; Literally translated, the Chinese name for China is &#8220;middle country.&#8221; This is why China is known as the Middle Kingdom.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Geographical Makeup<\/strong>: China is composed of 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two special administrative regions. Sound confusing? It is&#8230; This will be touched on more in the coming posts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_7647\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/the-middle-kingdom\/china-map-800\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-7647\" aria-label=\"China Map 800 300x251\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7647\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7647\"  alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"251\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2012\/06\/china-map-800-300x251.jpg\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7647\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">It&#8217;s a big, confusing country&#8230;<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Population<\/strong>: Over 1.3 billion (\u5341\u4e09\u4ebf &#8211; sh\u00ed s\u0101n y\u00ec) &#8211; China remains the most populated country on Earth, although India is catching up. Thanks to China&#8217;s One Child Policy, India will most likely surpass it within a matter of years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ethnic Groups<\/strong>: 56 &#8211; A majority of the Chinese population are <strong>Han Chinese<\/strong> (\u6c49\u4eba &#8211; h\u00e0n r\u00e9n) &#8211; about 92% &#8211; and there are also 55 <strong>ethnic minority groups<\/strong> (\u5c11\u6570\u6c11\u65cf &#8211; sh\u01ceo sh\u00f9 m\u00edn z\u00fa).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Capital<\/strong>: Beijing (\u5317\u4eac &#8211; B\u011bi j\u012bng) &#8211; While this city has been the Chinese capital a few times throughout China&#8217;s long history, its most recent ascension to the position came on October 1, 1949, when Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the PRC with Beijing as its center.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Official Language<\/strong>: Mandarin Chinese (\u666e\u901a\u8bdd &#8211; p\u01d4 t\u014dng hu\u00e0 &#8211; lit. &#8220;common speech&#8221;) &#8211; While Mandarin may be the official language of China, there are a variety of accents and dialects throughout this massive country with its diverse population. Of course, in Hong Kong, people speak <strong>Cantonese<\/strong> (\u5e7f\u4e1c\u8bdd &#8211; gu\u01ceng d\u014dng hu\u00e0).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Government<\/strong>: Communist (\u5171\u4ea7 &#8211; g\u00f2ng ch\u01cen) &#8211; While it&#8217;s getting harder and harder to really describe China&#8217;s government in one word, this one is still the most common. However, these days many politicians prefer to go with the description &#8220;socialism with Chinese characteristics.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ruling Party<\/strong>: Communist Party of China (\u4e2d\u56fd\u5171\u4ea7\u515a &#8211; zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 g\u00f2ng ch\u01cen d\u01ceng) &#8211; After countless dynasties and a long and bloody civil war, the Communist Party eventually took control of China in 1949 and hasn&#8217;t looked back since.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_7648\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/the-middle-kingdom\/communism\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-7648\" aria-label=\"Communism\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7648\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7648\"  alt=\"\" width=\"190\" height=\"190\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2012\/06\/communism.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2012\/06\/communism.png 190w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2012\/06\/communism-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7648\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The hammer and sickle still reign supreme in China.<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>National Anthem<\/strong>: &#8220;March of the Volunteers&#8221; (\u4e49\u52c7\u519b\u8fdb\u884c\u66f2 &#8211; y\u00ec y\u01d2ng j\u016bn j\u00ecn x\u00edng q\u01d4) &#8211; China&#8217;s national anthem has a long and confusing history. For the full story, check the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/March_of_the_Volunteers\">Wiki page here<\/a>. In the meantime, here are the lyrics in Chinese characters:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u8d77\u4f86\uff01\u4e0d\u9858\u505a\u5974\u96b8\u7684\u4eba\u5011\uff01<br \/>\n\u628a\u6211\u5011\u7684\u8840\u8089\uff0c\u7bc9\u6210\u6211\u5011\u65b0\u7684\u9577\u57ce\uff01<br \/>\n\u4e2d\u83ef\u6c11\u65cf\u5230\u4e86\u6700\u5371\u96aa\u7684\u6642\u5019\uff0c<br \/>\n\u6bcf\u500b\u4eba\u88ab\u8feb\u8457\u767c\u51fa\u6700\u5f8c\u7684\u543c\u8072\u3002<br \/>\n\u8d77\u4f86\uff01\u8d77\u4f86\uff01\u8d77\u4f86\uff01<br \/>\n\u6211\u5011\u842c\u773e\u4e00\u5fc3\uff0c<br \/>\n\u5192\u8457\u6575\u4eba\u7684\u70ae\u706b\uff0c\u524d\u9032\uff01<br \/>\n\u5192\u8457\u6575\u4eba\u7684\u70ae\u706b\uff0c\u524d\u9032\uff01<br \/>\n\u524d\u9032\uff01\u524d\u9032\uff01\u9032\uff01<\/p>\n<p>And here&#8217;s a video, with the pinyin and English:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"China National anthem Chinese &amp; English lyrics\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UctriMuXYS0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Flag<\/strong>: 5-Star Red Flag (\u4e94\u661f\u7ea2\u65d7 &#8211; w\u01d4 x\u012bng h\u00f3ng q\u00ed) &#8211; This flag was first hoisted over Tiananmen Square on October 1, 1949 with the founding of modern day China. The red color represents the revolution and the blood spilled during it. The largest star represents the Communist Party, and the four smaller stars surrounding it represent the Chinese people, as categorized by Chairman Mao &#8211; the working class, the peasantry, the urban bourgeoisie and the national bourgeoisie. These four stars are all aligned around the bigger star, and they point directly at it, signifying unity throughout the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_7645\" style=\"width: 254px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/the-middle-kingdom\/flag\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-7645\" aria-label=\"Flag\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7645\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7645\"  alt=\"\" width=\"244\" height=\"160\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2012\/06\/flag.gif\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7645\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 5-Star Red Flag<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>National Emblem<\/strong>: Depicting the image of the Gate of Heavenly Peace &#8211; or <strong>Tiananmen<\/strong> (\u5929\u5b89\u95e8 &#8211; ti\u0101n&#8217;\u0101n m\u00e9n) as it&#8217;s better known &#8211; the national emblem is also red and yellow, and also contains the stars of the flag.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_7644\" style=\"width: 260px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/the-middle-kingdom\/emblem\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-7644\" aria-label=\"Emblem\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7644\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7644\"  alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"274\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2012\/06\/emblem.png\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7644\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The National Emblem of China<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>National Holidays<\/strong>: In China, there are seven official public holidays &#8211; New Year, Spring Festival, Tomb Sweeping Day, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Check back here in the months to come for more in depth looks at the various areas of this huge country, as we discuss the people, the landscape, the culture, the food, and much, much more! In the meantime, make sure you&#8217;re learning at least one word every day with our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.transparent.com\/wotd\/today\/chinese.html\">Chinese word of the day<\/a> page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"350\" height=\"234\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2012\/06\/DSC_0206-350x234.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image tmp-hide-img\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2012\/06\/DSC_0206-350x234.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2012\/06\/DSC_0206.jpg 650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p>So you want to learn Chinese, huh? Well, if you&#8217;re going to learn a language, you might as well learn something about the country, too. I&#8217;m going to be ripping off Stephen Colbert and his &#8220;Better Know a District&#8221; segment a little bit, as I roll out &#8220;Better Know a Province,&#8221; a new series here&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/the-middle-kingdom\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":10158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,1,13],"tags":[127370,127371,127368,127369,36320],"class_list":["post-7641","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-uncategorized","category-vocabulary","tag-chiense-national-anthem","tag-chiense-national-emblem","tag-chinese-ethnic-groups","tag-chinese-flag","tag-peoples-republic-of-china"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7641"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10160,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7641\/revisions\/10160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}