Stories (re)told on Tales from Around the World

  • The Marble (coming soon!)
  • Polka-dot!
  • Tukama Tootles the Flute (from Antilles, Caribbean)
  • A Ride on the Red Mare’s Back (from Sweden)
  • The Full Belly Bowl
  • WATCH ALL of these STORIES ON Charlottesville's Public Access TV CHANNEL 13 !!!
  • Rainbow Crow (an Lenape Native American tale)
  • The Empty Pot (from China)
  • Magical Mice (from Japan)
  • Tasty Baby Belly Buttons (a fun story from Japan)
  • Kanji-Jo, the Nestlings (a Mende folktale from Liberia)

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Tales from Around the World blog revisions

Hello world! I will be trying to post more often to the Tales from Around the World blog, and will HOPE that more of YOU will read and comment!

My friend Jessie has worked very hard to share interesting information and photos of China. I hope you'll post a comment to share your appreciation, and/or to ask a question! THANK YOU, Jessie!

So far, Tales from Around the World stories (tales!) have come from Liberia, Japan, China and the USA (from the Lenape Indians/Native Americans). Can you find all of these countries on the map? Do you remember the stories?

Please explore the Tales from Around the World blog frequently and please post a comment or question (or both!).

Thank you,
Holly

China's geography

Geography & Landscape & Travel
*Do you have a map ready?
Please try to find and use a map of China as you study and learn from the information below. Please be sure to read the information before AND after the slideshow! 
Located in the east of the Asian continent, on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean, China has a land area of about 9.6 million square kilometers. China is a very diverse land in a changing configuration of broad plains, expansive deserts, and lofty mountain ranges, and fertile river basins.
Slideshow of China geography, landscape and travel:

In general, the eastern half of the country is a region of fertile lowlands, foothills and mountains, deserts, steppes, and subtropical areas. The western half of China is a region of sunken basins, rolling plateaus, and towering massifs (a massif is “a large mountain mass or compact group of connected mountains forming an independent portion of a range” Answers.com/massif). The proportion of various landforms of China is as follows: 33% Mountains, 26% plateaus, 19% basins, 12% plains, and 10% hills.
China has a terraced terrain, which gradually descends from the west to the east step by step. The first, and also the highest terrace, is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of more than 4,000 meters and known as "the roof of the world"!! The second step consists of the Inner Mongolia, Loess and Yunnan-Guizhou plateaus, and the Tarim, Junggar and Sichuan basins, on an altitude of 1,000-2,000 meters. The third step, about 500-1,000 meters in elevation, begins at the line from the Greater Hinggan, Taihang, Wushan and Xuefeng mountain ranges eastward to the seacoast.
China's two Major Rivers, the Huang He (Yellow River) and the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) have provided the framework for agricultural development and population growth throughout Chinese history.
Few countries boast such a majestic landscape, a venerated history, and a rich cultural legacy as China. UNESCO has included 27 renowned Chinese scenic places on its lists of world cultural and natural heritage sites. For more information on China World Heritage, please go to http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/cn

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

An Introduction to China

March's story, The Empty Pot, originated in China. With each country that Tales from Around the World "visits," I like to share information and activities -- to encourage everyone to learn more about this amazing world we live in!

Below you will find beautiful photos from China and additional information. Please enjoy viewing and reading:


A Brief Introduction to China
National Flag:
The flag of the People's Republic of China is the "Five-Starred Red Flag.

Map of China:
China is situated in the eastern part of Asia, on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, bordering Japan, India, Mongolia, Russia etc. The territory area of China is as much as that of the United States.
At present, China is divided into 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities, and 2 special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Region).

Population & People:
With around 1.3 billion people, China is the world's largest and most populous country. This is about one-fifth of the world's population!!
China has 56 ethnic groups, among which Han is majority, and makes up an estimated 90% of the population. China officially recognizes 55 ethnic minority groups. Most of them are from the Northwest, Southeast and Northeast regions of China. Almost all of the minority groups have their own languages, and each of them displays a unique culture.
China is the most ethnically diverse country in the world! Chinese culture is also markedly diverse, and reveals strong regional characteristics.

Chinese Language:
The Chinese character is one of the most ancient character systems, and the only one which continues in use today. Chinese characters are known as pictographs, however, the vast majority of Chinese characters are truly pictophonetic characters consisting of a radical and a phonetic element.
Over its four thousand years of history, Chinese characters have experienced several different writing styles. They were engraved on oracle bones, bronze, stones, and later written on paper.
As a language family, Chinese has an estimated 1.3 billion speakers, outnumbering any other language in the world. Mandarin is the official language of the China, and has around 850 million native speakers.

Chinese History:
China is one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations. China has a long history, with written records dating back 5,000 years ago. For over three thousand years since 2000 BCE, China was ruled by Emperors and their dynasties. Dynastic China went through Xia Dynasty, Shang Dynasty, Zhou Dynasty, Qin Dynasty, Han Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, which is a country alternating between periods of political unity and disunity .
In the early 1900s, the country came out from under dynasty rule to create the Peoples Republic of China. In 1949, People’s Republic of China was established. China has been under control of a communist government from then and now.
Now enjoy the video “Welcome to China “ :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzRKJNwNy9Y&feature=related

Want to learn more?...

Tales from Around the World is the name of a NEW television show to be broadcast every Saturday morning at 11 a.m. on Channel 13, Public Access TV, from Charlottesville VA. ***SOON we hope to have podcasts for you here on this blog site, AND video streaming, too! Please keep checking!***

CPA-TV Director Cal Tate encouraged me (Holly Dilatush) to share stories -- he wanted a way to bring more joy and hope and FUN to viewers.

Each month we plan to tape a new show, sharing new stories.


Maybe one day you'll join us on the show?! We hope you'll also check the schedule (see the link below to CPA-TV) and watch the show often!