To a novice Geography and Chinese Studies may look as two completely separate parts of academia. Geography or ‘geographia’ translated from Ancient Greek to the ‘earth’s description’ has been used since 276 BC and was the groundings for now modern Geography categorised by Human Geography; the study of places, the space they occupy, the environment in which they are located in and the Human implications caused by this (Gregory, D. et al. eds 2009 The Dictionary Of Human Geography). The other Physical Geography; is the characterization and explanation of geological, hydrological, biological and atmospheric phenomena and their interactions at, or near the Earth’s surface. (Gregory, D. et al. eds 2009 The Dictionary Of Human Geography). Compared to Geography, Contemporary Chinese Studies is a newly born subject in the pool of academia, as it has only been properly taught in universities since the 1980s compared to Geography becoming a discipline the 1820s. Due to the age of the the groundings subject definition is always rapidly changing, but it could be considered as the undertaking and promoting advanced interdisciplinary social sciences research into key aspects of the rapid changes in China (Governance and Politics of China). Reflecting this, it could be considered that the presentation, teaching style and the academic staff that are involved in developing and teaching these subjects would differ greatly, along with the nature of the subjects and what they involve. These questions will be the basis of this paper along with exploring, contrasting and comparing these academic subjects.
The origins of both Geography and Chinese Studies is the bases of its academic acknowledgement. To most people, Geography means knowing where plac...
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...ll into new Human Geography research.
In conclusion is Academic Geography and Chinese Studies similar? ‘When things draw near or happen now, Our minds are useless’ This warning from Dante’s Inferno reminds us how close everything is and making a clear defined decision is always difficult. Geography and Chinese Studies are both very much their own subjects. Geography being so broad and used by many has both Physical and Human aspects to it. Only the Human aspects of Geography overlap truly with Chinese Studies, which in turn allows them to be compared. On the other hand, Physical Geography, a wider and well respected subject has no part to play in the arena of Chinese Studies. So, yes academic Geography and Chinese Studies are similar; but not the same. They are partners in a growing world of academia and work well together, but they could never be one subject.
Boorstin’s bias against the Chinese is initially difficult to detect because, early on, he is constantly singing their praises; they are lauded for the organization of their government, their astronomical endeavors, their cartography, and other technological advances such as Su Sung’s astronomical clock. Later, however, they are portrayed as increasingly oblivious, naïve, and literally self-centered. On their otherwise-excellent maps, China was the central and largest figure, which accurately depicts what the Chinese thought other countries and their discoveries to be – insignificant. Regarding the invention of the clock, Boorstin stated that “Tradition, custom, institutions, language, a thousand little habits . . . became barriers,” which was why the “drama of the clock in the West was not reenacted in the East.” (Boorstin, 56) He believed that China’s barriers of the mind – their zealous nationalism and insistence that theirs was the best way – caused them to lag behind in discovery. One example of the degree that their egomania extended can be seen in their reaction to a giraffe being brought from Mozambique to the Imperial Court. Believing it to be a mythical animal signifying that all was perfect under heaven, it brought “an orgy of self-congratulation,” (Boorstin, 196) showing that “’the world’s curiosities had become mere symptoms of China’s virtue. So was revealed a Chinese Wall of the Mind
The Qin and Zhou Dynasties were very much alike In their economy and geography but there style of government is what set them apart. Geographically the Qin and Zhou dynasties were both located in the Northeast part of China. They both were very successful in agriculture because of the fertile soil from the Yellow River. However the
Growing up in the American education system, I always took my education for granted. My mother would always say, “You know how much people would want to be in your place and go to school?” In Chinese culture, education is the only way to achieve upward social mobility and leave the poor social economic class; whether you are rich or poor, you must have education and go to school. Education is not equal for everyone so how can one play the game when it is set up against you. Education is based on the resources that are offered in the area, thus if you live in a poor area, you get fewer resources. When the One Child policy was passed, it helped because all the family’s resources are focused on one child but the child is the only one to take care
British Historian Edward Gibbon once said,"Every man who rises above the common level has received two educations: the first from his teachers; the second, more personal and important from himself." Nowadays, our society is developing rapidly, more and more parents want their children to be educated. Every parents notice that how education important is. There are different kinds of education, not only going to school everyday, but also learning knowledge or skills by yourself. More and more international schools are founded in China nowadays, they absolutely show that how Chinese education system and Canada education system are different. In this paper, it will illustrate that Chinese education is different from Canadian education because it's
China has gone through many changes in its history. Changes include economic, political, and social. In the early 1500 and throughout history, mostly all social classes followed Confucianism. Confucianism is a type of religion based on an ideal society (Chang 2012, 22). China was molded though Confucianism but that slowly deteriorated as years went on. One main group that has been a main part in these changes is the Chinese literati. The Chinese literati include the higher-class people such as officials and scholars. The Chinese literati were the dominant social class during the 1500’s but their power slowly decreased throughout history. Throughout my paper, I will explain the Chinese literati involvement as centuries passed.
Ancient Egypt and Ancient China often seem like polar opposites in almost every way. However, in one way, they are more similar than most people think. The beliefs of both of these civilizations were remarkably parallel, yet perplexingly different at the same time. Religion before 600 B.C.E. varied from society to society all around the globe, with just a few major religions taking hold in large areas. In both Egyptian and Chinese religions, they adhered to a polytheistic religion. Boths religions believed there were many gods who individually ruled over the many different parts of life, instead of one god ruling over all. Both Egyptian and Chinese cultures believed in life after death. Each one of these religions believed in some form of
1. Aspects of cultural geography: This is a field which focuses on spatial aspects of human cultures, which is spilt between cultural hearths and cultural landscapes. Cultural hearths are the crucibles of civilization that changed regions, mainly due to cultural diffusion. Understanding the cultural diffusions allows geographers to study the migration patterns of civilizations. Cultural landscape is the landforms that a culture creates. Physical and cultural geography interact in unity.
Retrieved March 21, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://english.peopledaily.com. Chinatown Online is a wonderful site with an abundance of information about China. http://www.chinatown-online.com/. Henslin, J. M. (1999). The Species of the Species. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (4th ed.).
Geography is the study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by it, including the distribution of populations and resources, land use, and industries. Environmental influences, such as cost, changing weather, climate patterns, their potential impacts, and the threat of spreading diseases, are of increasing concern. Geography allows us to participate and enjoy our planet. It gives us a sense of reference to where we live and where we may be going in relationship to where we have been, and the appreciation of the world we live in. Anthropology is the study of human kind and culture, everybody wants to know where and how humans came to be. Our daily lives such as family, friends, co-workers and the under...
Human activity has major effects on geography. When studying the earth you can come to several conclusions about the geography of any particular civilization. Distribution of life in the civilization allows you to analyze whether their geography is their own destiny. Do people control their own destiny? Is geography something that people can control? Technology is really the key to why geography can be overcome by any people.
Fawssett, S., 2009. On the move. In: T. O. University, ed. U116 Environment: journeys through a changing world, Block 5, 'Changing China'. Milton Keynes: The Open University.
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Since the beginning of humankind, the study of geography has captured the imagination of the people. In ancient times, geography books extolled tales of distant lands and dreamed of treasures. The ancient Greeks created the word "geography" from the roots "ge" for earth and "grapho" for "to write." These people experienced many adventures and needed a way to explain and communicate the differences between various lands. Today, researchers in the field of geography still focus on people and cultures (cultural geography), and the planet earth (physical geography).
The six concepts of geography are location, region, spatial pattern, spatial interaction, human/ environmental interaction, and culture. The location is everything; it is the starting point in geography. The region is the area of the land with consistent recognizable features, it has variations in its physical features. There are mountains, hills, valleys, plains, plateaus, oceans, lakes, deserts and wilderness, variations occur in its social and cultural features too. The spatial pattern is when a pattern is found in places that are far apart. Spatial interaction is when geographers believe one event can lead to a change in another location that is far away. Managing change is a key aspect of geography, geographers learn from past changes and predict and future ones. Human/ environmental interaction is the impact humans have on the environment. Interaction is closely linked to change. Again, in both physical and human aspects of the subject, geographers want to find out how things are linked together and how one aspect affects another. Lastly culture has different impacts on the environment, natural resources, concern issues of how people think about the world and how they communicate that thinking to