What makes china geographically isolated

He sought to force Japan to end their isolation and open their ports to trade with U. S merchant ships. Why did Japan turn itself into an imperialist power? Japan turned itself into an imperialist country because it lacked the space, wealth, and resources it needed to grow and become a powerful country.

Seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria in By Japan controlled large sections of China, and accusations of war crimes against the Chinese became commonplace. Japan was a signatory of the Treaty of Versailles, which stipulated harsh repercussions for Germany. When the First World War erupted in July , its consequence on the Japanese economy was at first uncertain.

It was feared that Japanese investment would be adversely affected. In reality, Japan did experience severe shortage of high-quality machines and industrial inputs while their domestic demand surged. When China declared war on Germany on August 14, , its major aim was to earn itself a place at the post-war bargaining table.

Above all, China sought to regain control over the vital Shantung Peninsula and to reassert its strength before Japan, its most important adversary and rival for control in the region. Japan participated in World War I from to in an alliance with Entente Powers and played an important role in securing the sea lanes in the West Pacific and Indian Oceans against the Imperial German Navy as a member of the Allies. World War 1 casualties. World War One lasted more than 4 years but about 16 million people died.

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home How did geography affect China? Ben Davis May 14, How did geography affect China? What was a major geographic problem for China? How did the physical geography around China affected Chinese civilization? Why did China isolate themselves in ? How did China fall? Monasteries have been at the center of society since at least the eighth century. Economic activities and resources today : Qinghai and Tibet remain remote and largely unpopulated.

Where conditions permit, the Chinese have encouraged the westward migration of farmers from overpopulated areas to the east. Animals continue to be raised, and wool weavings are another important product.

Goods are also produced from indigenous gold and turquoise. Housing : nomads live in yak-felt tents. Homes are two stories with inward-slanting mud, earthen, brick, or stone walls and earthen floors. Social organization : monasteries play a role in Buddhist communities, mosques in Islamic ones.

Nomads gather in family clusters. Transportation : walking, caravans, trucks and buses, horses in rural areas; bicycles and cars in urban areas. Clearly, to create political "China," it is still important to tie these different regions together. Transportation remains the most crucial factor. As the means of tying the country and its regions together proceeded, a common written language and shared cultural values evolved. The written language and the bureaucratic class that used it were pivotal in creating a net of a shared experience and cultural values that bonded the disparate geographies and spoken languages of China and linked the past to the present.

Because the origins of China's empire lay in its interior, imperial highways were initially the most important features of the transportation system. The network of imperial highways was first established by Qin Shihuangdi B. He also initiated the construction of a canal system. By the Song dynasty C. Natural lakes and rivers also helped unify the Chinese Empire, with the Yangzi and its tributaries tying together coastal and interior regions.

Except in Qinghai and the Tibetan Plateau and Xinjiang, an extensive rail system links China and is the most common form of long-distance travel. One cannot underestimate the importance of television and telephones as well as the airlines in promoting the Chinese view of themselves as one people and culture. Their value in political control was demonstrated in when televised "wanted" posters were broadcast instantaneously throughout China, and in June when the reunification of Hong Kong became an ethnic rallying point.

The images and issues were simultaneously shared with Han Chinese throughout the People's Republic as well as in other parts of the world. The Internet is gaining popularity, though chiefly in urban areas.

However, the central government is fearful of its inability to actually monitor and control such communication. Political organization has been as important in creating a common culture. No empire or state can exist without both cooperation and means of enforcing order among disparate geographic areas and peoples. This was the primary achievement of Qin Shihuangdi. This first emperor defined the empire's borders within central Asia and established common laws for everyone within every geographic sector of the country.

In modern times the reunification of China's geographic regions often historically independent kingdoms or "states" under a common Communist ideology was a major achievement of the Chinese Communists and the People's Liberation Army.

Political organization in China has been successful in part because it recognizes the distinctiveness of various geographic areas. Likewise, key economic cities have been created and accorded such status to provide controlled access to minor economics and world trade. Finally geographic areas dominated by non-Han cultures and peoples, such as Xinjiang, Ningxia, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Guangxi, have been declared at least on paper "Autonomous Regions.

Given that the Chinese have long recognized their geographic distinctions, it seems only reasonable that we should teach about China with the same awareness and sensitivity to diversity. Buxton, Leonard H. China: The Land and the People. New York: Gallery Books, W. Smith, Pub. Note: A great collection of photographs and short descriptions of people and places.

Hsieh Chiao-min and Jean Kan Hsieh. China: A Provincial Atlas. New York: Macmillan Publishing, U. Knapp, Ronald G. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, The Chinese Houses. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, McColl, Robert W. Sivin, Nathan, ed. The Contemporary Atlas of China. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Note: Contains excellent regional maps showing topography and cities; lots of photographs define each region and provide a sense of place.

Whitehouse, Patrick, and Maggy Whitehouse. China by Rail. New York: Vendome Press, Zhao, Songqiao. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Unsupported Browser Detected. The North China Plain Physical characteristics : As its name indicates, this is an area of gently rolling topography. Housing : mud-based, single-story structures with flat roofs Social organization : villages and clans Transportation : walking, wheelbarrows, bicycles, cars Food staples : wheat-based foods The Loess Plateau Physical characteristics : The overwhelming distinctive characteristic of the Loess Plateau is the wind-blown alluvium dust that has accumulated to depths of over 1, meters 3, feet in some places and is known as loess.

Housing : caves carved into the loess cliffs and mud-brick houses in rural areas, apartments in urban areas Social organization : nuclear families Transportation : walking, mule, and horse in rural areas; cars, buses, and bicycles in urban areas Food staples : wheat-noodles and sour cabbage The Southeast Coast and Shanghai Physical characteristics : This region shares the entire Yangzi Valley's dominant characteristics of water, wetlands, and hot and humid summers. Housing : plaster or brick to offset rain in rural areas, apartment buildings in urban areas Social organization : class, family, or business compounds Transportation : boats and ships on rivers and canals, cars, buses, and bicycles Food staples : rice, seafood, and tropical fruits The Yangzi Valley Physical characteristics : Separated from other regions by mountains and extensive wetlands is the Yangzi Yangtze or Changjiang-"long river" ; its tributaries and lakes are the focus of life and economics in the valley.

Housing : timber, stone, or straw houses in rural areas; large apartment buildings in the cities Social organization : village clusters in rural areas Transportation : walking, mule, horses, in the mountains; bicycles and cars on the plains, boats on rivers Food staples : varied Southwest Uplands Physical characteristics : Nothing so dominates and defines southwest China as its rugged, highly eroded topography. Housing : caves carved into the loess cliffs and mud-brick houses in rural areas; apartments in urban areas Social organization : nuclear families Transportation : walking, mule, and horse in rural areas Food staples : vegetables, rice, ducks and geese Xinjiang Physical characteristics : China's largest province is a landscape of deserts, mountains, and oases.

Social organization : nuclear families in urban areas; groups of families for nomads Transportation : long-distance trucks and buses in rural areas; bicycles within cities.

Food staples : wheat noodles, flat wheat bread nan , and mutton Northeast Manchuria Physical characteristics : The dominant physical feature of this region is its winter cold and ice. Social organization : nuclear families Transportation : walking, mule, and horse in rural areas Food staples : meat and soybean curds Qinghai and the Tibetan Plateau Physical characteristics : Altitude, which can average Transportation : walking, caravans, trucks and buses, horses in rural areas; bicycles and cars in urban areas Food staples : yak butter, tea, barley, vegetables, yak, or lamb Tying It All Together: From Empire to State Clearly, to create political "China," it is still important to tie these different regions together.

Political Organization Political organization has been as important in creating a common culture. Selected sources and suggested further readings Buxton, Leonard H. Author: Robert W. Additional Background Reading About Asia. Student Jerry Tian gives us his perspective. North Korea: Looking Beyond the Stereotypes. We've compiled resources to help you cut through the stereotypes surrounding North Korea and more deeply examine the country, its people, and the complexities of its politics and nuclear program.

China Learning Initiatives. The World's Most Incredible Alphabet. Hint: It was invented to fit a language that previously used a borrowed writing system.

Visualize the World. Museum resources and educational resources that help students develop visual literacy and a better understanding of the world. Revelations from the Brush. A case for practicing calligraphy from one learner's perspective. The Three Teachings.

In more recent times, historians discovered that the desert played an important business role in China, with 2 oases fertile spots in the desert serving as trading spots on the Silk Road, named as such as it was the most common of the precious goods crossing this area. It is formed due to atmospheric conditions that prevent rain. Cold deserts are formed in temperate regions, at higher altitudes and are located at the centre of the continent. Because of the low temperatures, pressure, moisture, distance from sea, and poor vegetation; precipitation is very low in these regions.

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Social studies Why was China isolated from other civilizations because of its geography? Social studies. Ben Davis April 16,