Modern Chinese History
The Republic of China 1912-1949 Modern History The years 1912-49 marked the difficult transition from centuries of Imperial dynastic rule to that of a Republic. Sun Yatsen's dream of a democratic Republic was never achieved amidst the turmoil of the Japanese Occupation and then the Civil War with the Communists. Read more…
Superpower China Modern History An in-depth overview of the position of China in the world and its likely future. Is China on track to become the leading world super-power as it once was? For thousands of years China was by any measure the top nation on Earth, and so it seems natural that after 150 years of turmoil China will become the leading country again. We speculate on what this might mean to China and the rest of the world. Read more…
The building of China's railways The building of railways became a competitive scramble between foreign powers in the late 19th and early 20th century. Railways were seen as the key first step to opening up inland China for trade. Britain, France, Germany, Japan and America all invested in the building of them only for the investment to be lost in the following years of turmoil. Read more…
China's Space Mission Modern History China is putting a great deal of money and effort in building a space exploration program . Already missions have put people into orbit around the Earth and landed robots onto the Moon. Plans exist for a large space lab and manned landings on the Moon and even missions to Mars. In a race to put people on Mars it could well be China that gets there first. Read more…
The South China Sea China lays claim to a vast area of sea as far south as northern Borneo. The sea contains two main groups of islands: the Paracels and the Spratleys. China's claim is disputed by all the neighboring countries around the South China Sea. China and the other countries have occupied some of these tiny islands and tensions continue to simmer. The U.S. navy has recently provocatively sailed through the region and plans further naval maneuvers. Read more…
Lofty Everest As the international border runs directly through the mountain China claims the eastern half of the world's highest mountain. The English name is named after the surveyor who measured its height - Sir George Everest. In China it is known as Zhumulangma 'Holy Mother'. Read more…
Best China Sights In this page we give information on the top attractions all over China to maybe tempt you to explore further. Each attraction is clearly marked on a map and further information on each place is readily available. From furthest Heilongjiang to Hong Kong and Lhasa to Shanghai we have selected the top travel highlights. Read more…
Dao De Jing ancient classic The Dao De Jing (or Tao Te Ching using the old spelling) is a much loved Chinese classic. It is written as a series of short, individual thoughts and contemplations of our place in the world. It follows the Daoist (Taoist) philosophical tradition. It is over 2,500 years old but still has a message for us today. Read more…
Proverb
凿璧偷光
Zuò bì tōu guāng
Borrowing light through a hole in the wall
Using a hole in the wall to get light to be able to read with. Striving hard to study diligently. The story is of a boy from a poor family who could not afford to buy candles to study books with. Instead he bored a hole through to his neighbor's room that was well illuminated so he could then read.
All about Chinese proverbs
