Pages on our web site
We've grouped our pages into sections: geography; history; modern history; language; culture and quizzes.
Chinese Geography
Our province pages give details of the main cities; airport; universities and tourist sites in each province. Each province shows the current weather conditions together with a summary of the history of the province. There are also pages on the country of China as a whole, its neighbors as well as The Yangzi, Yellow River, the Grand Canal and the Silk Road.
| China | Overview of the country of China |
| Chinese Provinces | A table of population; area; GDP; literacy for each province in China |
| Anhui | Details of Anhui province, China |
| Beijing | Details of Beijing, capital city of China |
| Chongqing | Details of Chongqing, western large city |
| Fujian | Details of Fujian province, China |
| Gansu | Details of Gansu province, China |
| Guangdong | Details of Guangdong province, China |
| Guangxi | Details of Guangxi autonomous region, China |
| Guizhou | Details of Guizhou province, China |
| Hainan | Details of Hainan province, China |
| Hebei | Details of Hebei province, China |
| Heilongjiang | Details of Heilongjiang province, China |
| Henan | Details of Henan province, China |
| Hong Kong | Details of city of Hong Kong in far south |
| Hubei | Details of Hubei province, China |
| Hunan | Details of Hunan province, China |
| Jiangsu | Details of Jiangsu province, China |
| Jiangxi | Details of Jiangxi province, China |
| Jilin | Details of Jilin province, China |
| Liaoning | Details of Liaoning province, China |
| Macau | Details of city of Macau in far south |
| Inner Mongolia | Details of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, China |
| Ningxia | Details of Ningxia autonomous region, China |
| Qinghai | Details of Qinghai province, China |
| Shaanxi | Details of Shaanxi province, China |
| Shandong | Details of Shandong province, China |
| Shanghai | Details of city of Shanghai, China |
| Shanxi | Details of Shanxi province, China |
| Sichuan | Details of Sichuan province, China |
| Tianjin | Details of Tianjin province, China |
| Tibet | Details of Tibet autonomous region, China |
| Xinjiang | Details of Xinjiang autonomous region, China |
| Yunnan | Details of Yunnan province, China |
| Zhejiang | Details of Zhejiang province, China |
| Visitor attractions | Some of the many sights throughout China that deserve a visit; all places have a map and description. |
| Airports | A table of all the airports with information on code, location and distances |
| Cities | A table of all the cities with information on name, location, population and distances |
| Universities | The top universities with information on history, student numbers and ranking |
| Neighbors | The countries around China's border |
| Population | China's burgeoning population and measures taken to limit it |
| Peoples | All about the many ethnic minorities that make up the people of China |
| Climate | The varied weather of China from Tropical to Arctic and Desert to Monsoon |
| Geography | A description of all the main geographical regions of China from jungles to deserts and mountains to swamps. |
| Wildlife | China's very varied and widespread wildlife |
| Panda | All about China's most famous animal the Giant Panda |
| Bamboo | How the humble bamboo plant is used in China |
| Yellow River | The historic wanderings of the Yellow river (Huang he) |
| Yangzi River | The long, twisting Yangzi (Yangtse) river |
| Great Wall | China's most significant tourist attraction |
| Grand Canal | History of this ancient, impressive travel artery, the longest in the world |
| Silk Road | Ancient travel route into China |
| Taiwan | China's former province and island neighbor |
| Japan | China's important neighbor across the Yellow Sea |
| Korea | History of relations with Korea over the Yalu River |
| Singapore | Former British colony with large Chinese community |
| Philippines | Important string of islands to the south-east |
| South China Sea | China's claims of sovereignty in the southern seas |
| Google map | Zoom in on a province of China with a Google map |
Culture and Traditions
Our cultural section covers all sorts of topics, anything that gives a flavor of China's distinctive traditions.
| Culture Index | Introducing the traditions, language and culture of China |
| Festivals | All about the many festivals |
| Chinese New Year | The week long Spring Festival |
| Chinese Calendar | The traditional Chinese calendar that still sets the dates of festivals |
| Customs | The customs and traditions of the Chinese people with explanations of 'face' and 'guanxi' |
| Religion | All about the religions of China |
| Ancestor veneration | Reverence for ancestors in China |
| Confucius | Confucius the great ancient sage of China |
| Daoism | Daoism and the sage Laozi, and doing nothing! |
| Dao De Jing | Tao Te Ching - the best known ancient classic of Daoism. |
| Buddhism | Buddhism in China |
| Christianity | Christianity in China and the Jesuit mission |
| Judaism | Judaism in China and the Kaifeng Jewish community |
| Islam | Islam in China |
| Traditional gods and goddesses | Folklore pantheon of deities and heroes |
| Legendary rulers | Founding fathers of China |
| Women | How attitudes to women have changed down the centuries |
| Astrology | A look at Chinese astrological years |
| Year of the Tiger | The Chinese year of the tiger |
| Stars | Exploring Chinese astronomy |
| Feng Shui | Introducing the ancient tradition of feng shui |
| Magic squares | Ancient Chinese numerology |
| Qi | The ancient idea of divine vitalizing essence |
| Yin-Yang | Best known ancient Chinese concept of balance between alternatives |
| Yi Jing | The very ancient classic ‘Book of Changes’ or ‘I Ching’ |
| Yi Jing methods | How to consult the ‘Book of Changes’ |
| I Ching consultation | Consult the ‘Book of Changes’ or ‘I Ching’ using the yarrow stick method online. |
| Hexagrams | A page for each of the 64 ‘Book of Changes’ or ‘I Ching’ hexagrams (guas). |
| Dragons | All about dragons and other mythological creatures |
| Symbolism | An index of over 150 symbols and art motifs used in Chinese art divided into six sections. |
| Architecture | All about traditional Chinese house and town architecture as well as gardens |
| Taijiquan | Keep fit and agile with Tai Chi |
| Name of China | Why we call the country China |
| Chess | The Chinese take on the board game of chess |
| Weiqi | The original Chinese board game of strategy better known as ‘Go’ |
| Mahjong | The Chinese game of collecting sets of tiles - Mahjong |
| Inventions | Some of the many important Chinese inventions |
| Examinations | The age old civil service examination system |
| Medicine (TCM) | Traditional Chinese Medicine including acupuncture |
| Rice | All about China's most significant food source |
| Food | The Chinese attitude to food and the huge range of cuisines available |
| Tea | The growing and export of China's key export : tea |
| Silk | A look at the history of China's silk industry |
| Opera | Traditional Chinese Opera with video links to performances |
| Painting | Traditional Chinese Paintings: history, styles and principal artists |
| Music | Traditional musical instruments and music |
| Performing Arts | Theater, puppetry and dance |
| Paper-cuts | The simple but effective way of cutting paper to make art |
| Double happiness paper-cut | Making a double happiness paper-cut |
| Rooster paper-cut | Making a cockerel paper-cut |
| Spring sculpture paper-cut | Making 3-D Spring paper-cut |
| Five girls paper-cut" | Making 5 linked girls paper-cut |
| Astrology paper-cut | Making Chinese astrological paper-cuts |
| Jade | Jade is the precious treasure of Chinese people |
| Porcelain | History and manufacture of porcelain |
| Kites | The making and flying of kites in China |
| Torture | System of Imperial punishment in China |
| Weights and Measures | All about the traditional system of weights and measures. Handy convertors to and from Chinese units to Imperial and Metric units |
| Money | Development of coins and paper money in China |
Language
A grasp of the language helps considerably with understanding China.
| Language | Introducing the Chinese language |
| Strokes | How to write Chinese characters |
| Characters | The characters of the Chinese language |
| Character radicals | All the most widely used Chinese radicals used in characters |
| Character components | All the most widely used components used in characters |
| Common Characters | A detailed look at the most widely used Chinese characters |
| Dictionary | Online Chinese - English and English-Chinese dictionary |
| Calligraphy | The ancient art of writing in Chinese |
| Oracle Bones | The ancient Shang dynasty Bronze age script |
| Steles | Inscription on stone go back over 2,500 years in China |
| Traditional characters | The recent simplification of Chinese characters |
| Input methods | How Chinese characters are entered on keyboards and phones |
| Wade Giles | The Wade Giles system for writing Chinese |
| Numbers | The traditional way to write numbers in Chinese |
| Date and Time | Telling the time in China |
| Language Guide | A first Chinese lesson Chinese |
| Basic language 2 | A second Chinese lesson Chinese |
| Basic language 3 | A third Chinese lesson |
| Proverbs | Hundreds of Chinese proverbs divided into 17 categories with 7 index pages |
| 100 names | The introductory classic that lists all the ancient Chinese family names |
| Three Characters | Traditional language primer for young children in China |
| 1000 Characters | A language and calligraphy primer of 1,000 unique characters |
| Literature | An overview of the long history of books and some popular novels |
| Poetry | A look at poets and poetry |
| Good Fortune | Wishing good luck in Chinese |
| Cantonese | The Cantonese spoken language |
| Pidgin | Chinese Pidgin English 1770-1880 |
Chinese dynastic history
We have pages covering 5,000 years of Chinese dynastic history from its very earliest beginnings up until the foundation of the Republic in 1912. Pages also list important events in each dynasty.
| History | Chart covering Chinese history from 3,000BCE to the present day |
| Qing | The last dynasty under the Manchus |
| Taiping | All about the Taiping Rebellion |
| Coolies | Chinese slaves and laborers |
| Railways | Foreign built railways in China |
| Treaty Ports | Foreign control of Chinese cities 1840-1920 |
| Opium Wars | The historically important wars with Britain and France |
| Lay-Osborn Flotilla | The unlikely story of a joint Anglo-Chinese navy 1862-63 |
| Ming | Resurgence of China under the Ming |
| Ming tombs | The elaborate and exquisite necropolis of the Ming Emperors |
| Yuan | China under the rule of the Mongols |
| Mongol conquest | How the Mongols formed their vast empire |
| Song | Cultural highpoint under the Song dynasty |
| Five dynasties | Another period of disunity |
| Tang | Prosperity under the mighty Tang dynasty |
| Wu Zetian | Empress Wu Zetian - China's only ever female ruler |
| Sui | Reunification under the Sui dynasty |
| Disunity | Period of break-up |
| Han | Influential Han dynasty |
| Qin | Founding Qin dynasty |
| Warring States | Second part of Eastern Zhou dynasty |
| Spring and Autumn | First part of Eastern Zhou dynasty |
| Western Zhou | Western Zhou dynasty 1100-770BCE |
| Early history | The early dynasties of China |
| Emperor | All about the institution of Emperor of China |
| Eunuchs | The most powerful of Imperial servants: the court eunuch |
| Sacred Ways | Paths to the tombs of eminent people |
| Officials | The Imperial Civil Service and army of government officials |
| Mandate of Heaven | The right to rule China |
| Ancient states | The early states and kingdoms of China |
| Hanlin Academy | The Top Imperial 'university' for 1200 years |
| Shen Kuo | The Chinese Leonardo da Vinci |
| Kowtow | The formal show of respect for ancestors and superiors |
| Bound Feet | For centuries half the women of China had their feet bound to make them much shorter in length. |
| Needham Question | Why China lagged behind the rest of world in science and technology 1800-2000 |
| Early British Contacts | Contacts between Britain and China before 1700 |
| 18th century British Contacts | Contacts between Britain and China 1700-1800 |
| Macartney embassy | British embassy of Lord Macartney 1793/94 |
| Chinese Gordon | General Gordon's time on China during the Taiping Rebellion |
| Chinoiserie | The worldwide fad for everything Chinese 1700-1840 |
Modern History (P.R.C.)
These pages bring our coverage up to modern times from the foundation of the Republic in 1912.
| Modern History | Chinese history from 1912 to present day |
| Peoples Republic | The last 65 years of the Peoples Republic of China |
| China's Future | Speculation about how China will develop as a new world super-power |
| Leaders | Profiles of Chinese leaders |
| Government | How China is governed under the Chinese Communist Party |
| Space Exploration | All about China's past and present missions into Space |
| Economy | Introduction to the Chinese Economy |
| Long March | Defining moment in Communist China's history |
| Republic | Republic of China under Sun Yatsen and Chiang Kaishek |
| May 4th Movement | Trigger point in the modernization of China after the Versailles Treaty |
| Opinion: One China Policy | Debate about the key Taiwan/PRC issue |
Quizzes
Try out our quizzes to test your knowledge of all things Chinese.
| Quiz list | All the quizzes that are available on the web site |
| General Quiz 1 | General knowledge quiz 1 about China (Easy) |
| General Quiz 2 | General knowledge quiz 2 about China (Novice) |
| General Quiz 3 | General knowledge quiz 3 about China (Medium) |
| General Quiz 4 | General knowledge quiz 4 about China (Medium) |
| General Quiz 5 | General knowledge quiz 5 about China (Hard) |
| General Quiz 6 | General knowledge quiz 6 about China (Fiendish) |
| Geography Quiz 1 | Quiz about Chinese Geography (Medium) |
| History Quiz 1 | Quiz about Chinese History 1 (Easy) |
| History Quiz 2 | Quiz about Chinese History 2 (Medium) |
| History Quiz 3 | Quiz about Chinese History 3 (Medium) |
| History Quiz 4 | Quiz about Chinese History 4 (Hard) |
| Language Quiz 1 | Language quiz about China (Novice) |
| Picture Quiz 1 | Quiz about famous Chinese landmarks 1 |
| Picture Quiz 2 | Quiz about famous Chinese landmarks 2 |
| Traditions Quiz 1 | Quiz about traditions and customs 1 |
| Traditions Quiz 2 | Quiz about traditions and customs 2 |
General Pages
These pages give you general information about the web site.
| Index | Main index page |
| News | Recent news from China |
| Sources | First page of a series reviewing the many books used to provide and verify the text of this web site |
| Company | Who we are |
| Contact | Get in touch with your comments; queries and suggestions |
| Privacy | Our privacy and data protection policy |
| Terms | Legal terms and conditions |
| Search | Search our site by key-phrase or keyword |
