China is located in East Asia, on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. The area is 9.6 million square kilometers, which is slightly smaller than that of the whole of Europe. China is the third largest country after Russia and Canada, surpassing the United States. It stretches over 5,200 kilometers from east to west and 5,500 kilometers from north to south. The most eastern point of China (135 ° 2'30'' E) - the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri, the most western (73 ° 40'E) - Pamir Mountains, the southernmost (3 ° 51'N) - Lydie shallows of the Spratly Islands, most northern - fairway Amur River Mohe county, where China borders with Russia. Chinese territory crosses five time zones, however, the whole China lives on a Beijing time.
China has a very diverse topography. The main feature is that the landscape descends from west to east, as it were three steps. The highest part is the Tibetan Plateau to the Himalayan mountain range in the southwest of the country. A belt of mountains, plateaus and highlands occupies most of China. Accumulative plains, located in the East make the third part of Chinese relief.
Mountainous relief makes an interesting geographical feature of China. At this point the Himalayas - the world's highest mountain range, are worth special mentioning. The Himalayas separate China from South Asia. On the Chinese border there are 9 out of 14 "eight-thousanders" - the highest mountains of the earth, exceeding 8000 meters. On the border between China and Nepal is Qomolangma (Everest) - the highest mountain in the world (8848 meters), and on the border with Pakistan - Chogori (K2) - the second in the world by height (8611 m). Other "Eight" of China are Lhotse (8516 meters, 4th in the world), Makalu (8481 meters, 5th in the world), Cho Oyu (8201 m, the 6th in the world), Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, Gasherbrum III ( 8080, 8051 and 8035 meters respectively) and Shishabangma (8027 meters, 14th in the world).
The climate of certain regions of China is determined by country’s latitude and distance from the sea. In the south, at Hainan Island one can observe a tropical climate, in the north-east – moderate climate. Most of the country is in the temperate climate zone. The coast is in monsoon climate zone. In southern China the average temperature ranges from 10 °C in January to 28 °C in July. In the north, the annual temperature difference is greater. Cold winter in Heilongjiang province can reach -30 °C. Precipitation range is even higher than the temperature, but does not depend on latitude and the distance from the sea. The wettest regions are southeast, which suffer from monsoon rains and hurricanes; the driest regions are northwestern, located in the Taklamakan, Gobi and Ordos deserts where virtually no rain falls. Every spring North China is covered with sandstorms from the Gobi desert, which often reach up to Korea and Japan.
Chinese culture
Modern China has a very rich and diverse culture. Chinese traditional culture evolved millennia almost in isolation. After 1949, the culture was greatly enriched by communist influence. From 1966 to 1976 the country held the Cultural Revolution, during which the traditional Chinese culture was banned and destroyed. In 1980's Chinese government abandoned this policy and began the revival of traditional culture. Contemporary Chinese culture is a mixture of traditional culture, communist ideas and post-modernist influences associated with the processes of globalization. One can observe the influence of Chinese culture on architecture, theater, cuisine, and holidays. Chinese architecture is as old as the entire Chinese civilization. From the Tang Dynasty Chinese architecture had a significant impact on the construction technology of Vietnam, Korea and Japan. In the XX century construction technologies spread in western China, especially in the cities. Traditional Chinese buildings rarely exceed three floors, and urbanization led to western-looking Chinese cities. However, in the suburbs and villages one can observe traditional methods of building. Classical Chinese theater called Xiqu combines singing, dancing, stage speech and movement, as well as elements of circus and martial arts. In rudimentary form theater Xiqu appeared during the Tang Dynasty. Different provinces developed their own versions of traditional theater. The most famous of these is the Beijing Opera. Theatre Xiqu continued to evolve and change in the Republic of China, and after the Communist takeover. Chinese cuisine is another good examples of traditional influence on people’s lifestyle. There are many culinary schools and trends. Each province has its own cuisine, almost every town or village - their specialties. The most famous and influential culinary schools are Cantonese, Shandong and Sichuan. There are many events and festivals, both traditional and modern, in China. Major holiday in China is New Year, celebrated according to a traditional lunar calendar. It comes from January 21 to February 21, depending on the phases of the moon. Chinese New Year is officially celebrated for three days, actually - two weeks or more.
China's legislative system
Relation to the right in the Chinese society has not been straightforward throughout its long history. Various philosophical and ethical systems differently understand the place and role of law in the regulation of social relations.
Thus, Confucianism came from the supportive role of law, which is necessary when there are no rules of ritual or morality. Such an understanding has emerged from the idea of a patriarchal society in which the family is the basic unit with absolute authority of the family head and rigid dividing the total population into three groups depending on their functions: senior, middle and junior. Confucius idealized person, ascribing it various virtues, obedience, and following the customs and rituals. Supporters of legalism, on the contrary, proceeded from the assumption that human nature being aggressive and selfish. To ensure social order people should keep at bay with the help of preventive penalties. This requires permanent laws and control over them by the ruler. Until the XIX century China was growing out of foreign influence, and after meeting with Western culture had a negative attitude to the idea of subjective rights with its individualism and abstraction. According to traditional philosophy, man should strive to accord the benefit of all and forget about yourself. Chinese are educated in such a way that they are looking for the cause of conflict in any way for their own mistakes. Therefore, the right serves as an auxiliary element, when there is no morality. After the overthrow of the Manchu dynasty in 1911 and the establishment of the Republic, China was seeking to develop a legal system based on national traditions, morals, rituals, rejecting Western notions of law. In 1949, China was proclaimed the People's Republic of China and there was a sharp transition from a traditional to a socialist law, based on the idea of class struggle. Moral education of civic virtue was expelled with feeling of hatred for "counterrevolutionary elements”. Hostility to the law, the court, the right was explained by the denial of Western liberal values and institutions, as well as the desire to form alternative ways of organizing and regulating social relations. Chinese reforms in 1979, aimed at modernization of the various areas of society and the creation of a mixed market economy, have caused a return to Confucian tradition. New Constitution was adopted in 1982 under the influence of the Roman-Germanic system. However, the basis of the regulatory system of Chinese society remains ritual, moral norms, and customs prevailing in the countryside.
Chinese contributions
China is also well known for its contributions to the world culture, which became widely used among people of various traditions. This paper will discuss four major contributions, such as compass, gunpowder, paper, and printing. The first prototype of the compass is believed to appear in the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 BC), when the Chinese began to use the lodestone, oriented north-south. However, it was used for divination, not navigation. Gunpowder was developed in China in the X century. Initially it was used as a filling in incendiary shells, and later - in explosive shells. Gunpowder barreled weapon, according to Chinese chronicles, was first used in combat in 1132. It was a long bamboo tube, where the gunpowder was laid and then ignited. This "flamethrower" caused severe burns to the enemies. Another great invention of ancient China is paper. According to Chinese chronicles, the court eunuch of Han Dynasty - Cai Lun in 105 AD, invented paper. The invention of the paper, in turn, led to the emergence of printing. The oldest known sample of printed book is a Sanskrit sutra, printed on hemp paper between about 650 and 670 BC. However, the first printed book with the standard size was made during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), which is The Diamond Sutra. It consists of 5.18 m scrolls.
Works Cited
"China" World Factbook. 2014. CIA. 07. Apr. 2014 <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html>.
"Early Settlements China" The Human Journey. 07. Apr. 2014 <http://www.humanjourney.us/china.html>.
Clark, Josh. "Top 10 Ancient Chinese Inventions" How stuff works?. 07. Apr. 2014 <http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/10-ancient-chinese-inventions.htm#page=2>.
"Development of the Chinese Legal System" China Law Deskbook. 07. Apr. 2014 <http://www.chinalawdeskbook.com/pdf/CLD%20Ch2.pdf>.
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