Chinese Geography: Lesson 1; What is China?

In order to understand the geography of China one must first understand what is China and where is it. When people ask me, "Where in China are you?" "Where is Kaifeng?". I pause because this is not an easy question to answer. (Perhaps that's just what I get from reading too much.)

Often, I will say it is in North China or in Central China. But I don't know if it is clear what exactly that means. Probably not. So I am going to delve into one of my favorite topics: Geography. Hopefully it will be enjoyable.

What is China? A difficult question really, in my opinion. China is a country, right? Yes, but... Its more than that. I like to describe China as a sub-continent, at least geographically. Really it is just too big to be understood in the same terms as a country like say France or even the U.S. But why?

First, it is huge. Both in terms of size and population. Everybody knows that China has lots of people (and does it ever!) 1.3 billion. Although that is really an estimate. The place is too vast and varied for everybody to be counted exactly. I have heard that the margin of error in the common estimate of 1.3 billion is 300 million. That's the same as the population of the U.S.! So it is possible that there is another United States inside China. Or, for that matter less another United States. But more on population another time. In terms of size China is geographically about the same size as the U.S., maybe a little bit bigger, depending on whose calculations you look at.

Second, China is so varied in terms of languages and cultures and ethnic groups as to not be comparable to say France which is made up of French people who all speak French. (A generalization for sure but which is beside the point). Take as an example the language, Chinese, it is really a collection of languages (Mandarin, Cantonese, Fujianese, Shanghainese, Hakka, etc...). All of which do share the same writing system (with a few exceptions) but which are all totally unintelligible between each other when spoken. And yet there are many tens of millions of people in China who speak languages which don't even fall into that large category of Chinese.

My point I guess is that China is too big, too varied, too deep to be understood as a mere country.

So, enough blathering and on to the map:

(its a little blurry, I'm still working on my Photoshop skills)

China Proper and MORE China!

So in this map we see the national boundaries of China and inside them some regions which I have shaded blue and labeled. These regions surround China Proper and are places where throughout history the Chinese people have had much influence in and oftentimes even controlled but which up until quite recently have had few Han people living in them.

They are:

• The North East, known in the West as Manchuria. A term, which all though descriptive, is shunned by Chinese people since "Manchuria" has bad connotations and is reminiscent of the Japanese puppet state "Manchukuo" and the all bad memories of the Japanese invasion during WWII. Manchuria is a full of forests and mountains and lots of rivers. And it is the place where the Manchus originated, before they eventually conquered China in the early 1600s. They then set up the last of the Chinese dynasties the Qing (CHING) and have lent their name to various things Chinese, such as Mandarin (the language), a mandarin (as in a bureaucrat or official), and the Mandarin Orange (which are lovely and plentiful in the winter).
• Inner Mongolia is a region of grasslands and is generally too dry to support much agriculture. The inhospitably towards traditional Chinese-style agriculture being the major reason all these regions where never incorporated into the Chinese State until much more recently. Geographically Inner Mongolia has always been part of Mongolia and in the past both parts have at times been under the control of the Chinese state. The last time being under the Qing. When the empire collapsed in 1911 China fragmented into a dozen or so separate entities all headed by warlords who fought amongst themselves. When the Communists finally reunited the country in 1949, they were unable to re-conquer "Outer Mongolia", which was backed by the Russians, and instead recognised it as a separate entity. (Mongolia and Taiwan are the only two parts of the former Qing Dynasty that the Communists were unable to re-conquer.) Describing this place as "Inner" Mongolia and the nation of Mongolia as "Outer" Mongolia (in the past anyway) speaks to the China-centered mindset of the Chinese. That even more famous group of conquers, the Mongols, of course hailed from this region. (And when the took over in the 1200s they also set up their own Chinese dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty).
• Xinjiang in Chinese means "The New Frontier", which really isn't all that descriptive of a name, I know. I have heard it called Chinese Turkestan or East Turkestan by some; it is the West of the Xiyouji or The Journey to the West. Xinjiang is a huge place, with tall mountain ranges and sweeping deserts dotted with Oases and caravan towns. It is mostly inhabited by a people called the Uygurs (Wee-gur s). They are a Central Asian people and speak a language that is close to Turkish. In appearance they look Turkish or even like southern Europeans. On occasion I am mistaken for a Uygur, especially if I am by myself and speaking Chinese and in a place that few foreigners go. Uygurs are one of the Muslim groups who live in China, though certainly not the largest. Xinjiang has for most of Chinese history been China's link to the outside world. For a thousand years the Silk Road ran in and out of China, through this region and on to India, Persia, the Middle East, and finally the Mediterranean and Europe. Just like Mongolia this region has from time to time been under the control and influence of the Chinese State. Most notably the Tang Dynasty (from about 600-900 AD). It is also the place where China's grapes are grown and where its mediocre wine comes from. Uygur people also recently have begun to immigrate to China proper, where they look for jobs. They often set up Uygur restaurants (their food has a Central Asian flavor and is quite different from Chinese food) or rug shops. In Kaifeng and other cities I have often seen them grilling kebabs or selling slices of fruit-nut cake in the streets or night markets.
• Tibet or the Tibetan Plateau, is probably the best known of China's regions. It is very remote, difficult to get to, and very mountainous. The Tibetans like the Manchu, Mongols, and Uygurs have lived on the outskirts of the Chinese state for centuries, sometimes separate and sometime incorporated into the Empire. Today both Tibet and Xinjiang are experiencing government sponsored immigration of Han people (the ethnic group of 90% of the Chinese). They come from poor parts of China looking for work (the government has poured lots of money into both of these regions to improve their economic situation and tie them closer to the Chinese State).