B is for Beijing

Beijing is the capital of China. Bejing used to be called Peking.

C is for Confucious

Confucious was a philosopher in Ancient China. He wrote many famous quotes, and an entire religion is based off of his ideas.

D is for Dragon

The dragon is a symbol of luck and power. It represents water and the flow of a river.

E is for Elephants

Asian elephants inhabit southern China. They are and were used in parades. Sadly, they were killed for their ivory tusks.

F is for Farming

Many people in China are farmers. People in the rural areas grow food on farms as they have been doing for centuries. Rice is a main staple of China. It is grown on fields called paddies.

G is for Great Wall

The Great Wall of China was built to protect China from invasions and raids. It is a myth that it can be seen from space because it is such a large structure. It is over 3000 miles long!

H is for Horoscope

The Chinese horoscope gives a person predictions based on their zodiac year. The zodiac cycles through every twelve years.

I is for Inventions

The Chinese created so many great inventions, many of which we still use today. Some of these include the abacus, gunpowder, fireworks, kites, compass, and wheelbarrow.

J is for Jewelry

Jade was and continues to be a valued stone. The Chinese value it because it is thought this stone holds qualities of hardiness, durability and beauty. Jade is also thought to protect the wearer.

K is for Kung Fu

Kung form is a form of martial arts. It uses mainly fists and feet. It is gentle but can still be used as a fighting skill. The style differs between Northern and Southern China.

N is for New Year

The lunar new year happens around January or February. Lots of festivals and celebration take place. People clean the house and feast because the new year brings luck.

Click below to see a traditional lion dance, part of the colorful celebration at New Year's in China.

O is for Oracle Bones

Oracle bones are animal bones that are used to answer a question. The priest would write down a question on the bone, then heat it up causing cracks to appear. Then a woman would read the cracks in answer to the question.

P is for Pagodas

Pagodas are temples in China. These temples are sacred buildings and sometimes were temples of buddhism religion.

Q is for Qing Dynasty

Two opium wars broke out during the Qing dynasty. Opium is a drug to relieve pain, but it can be dangerous and addictive. The British had two wars against China over opium, the second allied with France. These Europeans housed opium in China against China's will.

R is for Royalty

Emperors ruled China throughout the dynasties. They lived in palaces and owned many riches They were treated very well. Now China is a communist country. The last emperor's reign ended in 1912.

S is for Spirits

The Chinese believe in spirits. There are bad and good ones. Some roofs in China are concave because the bad spirits will glance off of the house and won't bring bad luck.

T is for The Three Perfections

When there was a gathering of a calligrapher, poet, and painter to create a piece of art, this was called the Three Perfections. The poet would write the poem, the calligrapher would be the scribe, and the painter would paint a picture to accompany the writing.