1. How does the physiography of the Huang He River valley differ from that of th
ID: 1199819 • Letter: 1
Question
1. How does the physiography of the Huang He River valley differ from that of the valley of the Yangtze?
2. Why is Japan so much more heavily forested than China?
3. Why has Shanghai emerged as the most populous urban area in China?
4. What are the major ways in which Japanese cities differ from those in the United States?
5. Where are the non-Han peoples of China concentrated? Why are they concentrated in these areas?
6. What have been the main consequences of the geographical division of Korea into two states?
7. Historically speaking, how did China and Japan act differently as imperial powers?
8. How have the different countries of East Asia followed different paths to economic development?
9. Where in China would one find the most rapid economic development, and why would one find it there?
10. How does the position of women in Japan compare to the position of women in other wealthy, industrialized countries?
Explanation / Answer
Winding about 3,964 miles, Yangtze River is the largest in China and the third largest in the world after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America. Originating from the Tanggula Range in Qinghai Province in western China, it traverses eleven provinces and cities from west to east, including Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai. Finally it pours into the East China Sea at Shanghai. As the largest water system in China, Yangtze River is historically, economically and culturally important to the country. It has numerous tributaries including Min River, Han River, Jialing River, Gan River, and Huangpu River. The Three Gorges Dam on the river is the largest dam project and hydropower station in the world. Generally, people consider the river a dividing line between North China and South China. Areas to the north and the south of the river have many differences in climate, scenery, economics, culture and folk customs.
The Yellow River is the second longest in China only inferior to Yangtze River . It originates from the northern slope of the majestic Bayankera Mountains in Qinghai Province, traversing through nine provinces of Qinghai Province, Sichuan Province, Gansu Province, Ningxia Hui Nationality Autonomous Region, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi Province, Shanxi Province, Henan Province and Shandong Province before flowing into the Bohai Sea. More than 30 branches and countless streams join the Yellow River on the way to the sea. Being the river with the most excessive silt in the world, the Yellow River gets its name from the muddiness of its water, which bears a perennial ochre-yellow color.
2. Unlike China, Japan has historically had a tradition of conservation of their forrests and national resources. China on the other hand has burned down entire forrests for the ash to use as fertalizer as well as cleared hill sides to better farm and produce crops in these locations. It is because of these reasons that the forrest rate is much lower in China than in Japan. Japan, historically, is much more conservative about natural things then China, which is probably linked to their Shintoistic beliefs, which are heavily tied to nature.
3. Shanghai, Hu for short, also known as Shen, is a multi-cultural metropolis with both modern and traditional chinese features. The city has a status equivalent to a province, and reports directly to the central government. Serving as the largest base of Chinese industrial technology, one of the most important seaports and China's largest commercial and financial center, Shanghai draws the attention of the whole world. And this is why Shanghai emerged as the most populous urban area in China.
4. The 441 US-Japan sister city relationships and 23 sister state relationships represent the highest number either country has around the world. These are local partnerships to build civic and commercial ties. Cities across both countries also host Japan-America/America-Japan Societies to deepen crosscultural understanding.
The first US-Japan sister relationship was formed on December 7, 1955 between St. Paul, Minnesota and Nagasaki City as an act of peace marking 10 years since the end of WWII. Today, 45 states and all but one prefecture share sister city relationships.
When people talk in America, they are usually quite direct and to the point. Often stating their opinion on a given subject quite brazenly.
But that’s generally impolite in Japan. Here, rather than directly stating an opinion—especially a conflicting one—a person’s feelings are usually expressed more indirectly.
In Japan, people are expected to be subtle and “read between the lines”.
– Americans typically deal with facts and opinions. Those are important inJapan…but not as much as people’s feelings.
For example, an American person might be joining some Japanese friends for dinner. The plans were made to go to a certain restaurant that everyone likes. On the way there they pass another restaurant and the American might comment that he likes that other restaurant a lot.
5. As a large united multi-national state, China is composed of 56 ethnic groups. Among them Han Chinese account for 91.59% of the overall Chinese population and the other 55 make up the remaining 8.41% according to the Fifth National Population Census of 2000. As the combined population of these other minorities is far fewer than that of the Han, they form the 55 minorities of China. With a population of 1159.4 million, the Han Chinese can be found in almost every part of China. However, they mainly live in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, Yangtze River and the Pearl River, and also in the Northeast Plain Region (Songliao Plain). They form the largest ethnic group within China and also the largest in the world. The Han people have their own distinctive way of life.
6.
The division of Korea into North Korea and South Korea stems from the 1945 Allied victory in World War II, ending Japan's 35-year occupation of Korea. Through General Order No. 1, issued by General Douglas MacArthur, the United States and the Soviet Union were to supervise the surrender of Japanese forces in their sectors, divided by the 38th Parallel, as well as temporarily establish their respective military governments until such time as Korea was either administered under an international trusteeship or achieved independence. In 1948, the Soviet Union refused to participate in the United Nations supervised peninsula-wide democratic elections for a new government, leading to the UN's recognition of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) as the sole legitimate government in Korea.
The Korean War (1950-1953) and its Armistice Agreement left the two Koreas permanently separated by the DMZ—roughly approximate to the 38th Parallel and through which runs the Military Demarcation Line—remaining technically at war through today. North Korea's communist government has presided over a state-controlled economy historically dependent upon massive aid from Russia and China to survive. South Korea, meanwhile, has developed into one of the world's leading economies, employing free enterprise economic policies as well as fostering a democratic government. Since the 1990s, the two Koreas have held two symbolic summit meetings (in 2000 and 2007) and slightly increased economic cooperation, but reunification still seems a relatively distant goal, barring unexpected events.
7. The period between 1750 and 1914 was pivotal in world history, and particularly in East Asia. China had long been the only superpower in the region, secure in the knowledge that it was the Middle Kingdom around which the rest of the world pivoted. Japan, cushioned by stormy seas, held itself apart from its Asian neighbors much of the time, and had developed a unique and inward-looking culture.
Beginning in the 18th century, however, both Qing China and Tokugawa Japanfaced a new threat: imperial expansion by the European powers and later the United States. Both countries responded with growing nationalism, but their versions of nationalism had different focuses and outcomes. Japan's nationalism was aggressive and expansionist, allowing Japan itself to become one of the imperial powers in an astonishingly short amount of time. China's nationalism, in contrast, was reactive and disorganized, leaving the country in chaos and at the mercy of foreign powers until 1949.
8.
The spectacular growth of many economies in East Asia over the past 30 years has amazed the economics profession and has evoked a torrent of books and articles attempting to explain the phenomenon. Articles on why the most successful economies of the region Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan Province of China have grown, to say the least, robustly invariably refer to the phenomenon as "miraculous." When practitioners of the Dismal Science have recourse to a Higher Power, the reader knows that he is in trouble. Confusion is compounded when he discovers that ideological debate has multiplied even further the analyses of this phenomenon. Rather than swelling the torrent of interpretations, this paper sets for itself the modest agenda of reviewing the weightiest arguments in the literature that attempt to identify the reasons for the extraordinary economic growth in East Asia and trying to decide which arguments make sense. The exercise has value because finding the right explanation might suggest how to replicate this success elsewhere and, as a bonus, might also satisfy the reader's urge to solve an engaging intellectual puzzle. It is best if we start with the facts.
Since 1960 Asia, the largest and most populous of the continents, has become richer faster than any other region of the world. Of course, this growth has not occurred at the same pace all over the continent. The western part of Asia grew during this period at about the same rate as the rest of the world, but, as a whole, the eastern half (ten countries: China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan Province of China, and Thailand) turned in a superior performance, although variations in achievement can be observed here too. The worst performer was the Philippines, which grew at about 2 percent a year (in per capita terms), about equal to the average of non-Asian countries. China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand did better, achieving growth rates of 3-5 percent. This impressive achievement is, however, still modest compared with the phenomenal growth of Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan Province of China, known as the "Four Tigers" because of their powerful and intimidating economic performance. The Tigers have had annual growth rates of output per person well in excess of 6 percent. These growth rates, sustained over a 30-year period, are simply amazing. While the average resident of a non-Asian country in 1990 was 72 percent richer than his parents were in 1960, the corresponding figure for the average Korean is no less than 638 percent.
9. Shenzhen because of its proximity to HK and distance from Communist Centered Beijing and Xian
10.
The place of women in Japanese society provides an interesting blend of illusion and myth. There are two distinct Japanese societies - public and private. The popular Western image of the subservient Japanese woman is real, it is however, only an image. In their private family role, women quite often dominate the male members of the household. Judged by Western standards, the women of Japan are unusually dedicated to their families. The current position of women in Japanese society can be attributed to the vestiges of two old philosophies - Confucianism, and Samurai based feudalism. These influences are still strong, however in spite of these influences the public role of women has changed markedly since the beginning of World War II.
Japan, perhaps more so then any other country, has undergone numerous, radical transformations during the past 150 years. Beginning with those born in the early 1800's, every generation of Japanese has experienced some sort of revolutionary redefinement of society. Japan has evolved from its semi-feudal roots to become a world power. Along the way Japan struggled with the West, admiring, imitating, fighting, and ultimately, equalling its power. Its feudal lifestyle legislated out of existence, Japan turned to democracy, only to have it replaced by a right wing totalitarian government. This was followed by a devastating war, and then a socially devastating peace. Finally, the Japanese people have had to cope with the problems that came with their newly found economic power. Women, although ruthlessly exploited, became the key to the country's success. In a time of social upheaval, women were encouraged to be the moral foundation of the country. The traditional notion of the Confucian family, ie.- father to son, senior to junior, husband to wife, was pushed by the government as it attempted to increase the birth rate so that Japan could compete on a more equal footing with the countries of the West. Women were urged to live according to the saying "umeyo fuyaseyo" - produce more babies and increase the population.
Related Questions
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.