01/23/98

China

Gung Hay Fat Choy! May you be blessed with prosperity in the New Year. The first day of the Chinese lunar year is the most important of all Chinese festivals. This year, the Chinese welcome the Year of the Tiger on January 28. Chinese New Year is celebrated with a sumptuous family meal, and kids are given lucky money in red envelopes. Want to learn more? Here are my recommendations for an online tour of China.

Condensed China

No study of China would be complete without understanding some of its long, rich history. Condensed China, written to "inform, enlighten, and attract netizens interested in China" is described by the author himself as "Chinese History: the Cliff Notes version" or "Chinese History's Greatest Hits." The site is easy to navigate, and fast to load (no graphics at all to slow you down). Come here for quick lessons about the dynasties of Tang, Ming, or Qing.

Discover China

Discover China features three ways to learn more about China. Start with a virtual tour, a new one is added twice a month. Current tours include the Silk Road Trip, the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. The weekly-updated China Experience features cultural tidbits such as Chinese poetry, folk music, and recipes. And last, but not least, is the ultimate Chinese search tool Hyper-C, which allows you to both search and browse thousands of China-related Web sites.

Made in China

"Did you know that the people who invented pistols, paper and parachutes, are now building the world's longest suspension bridge, its biggest dam and Asia's fastest ferries?" In the fall of 1996, a team of digital journalists led by science-cartoonist Larry Gonick went in search of the meaning of "Made in China." Their five-week exploration is documented here in journal and cartoon form. Despite all the differences between Western and Eastern culture, the Made in China crew concluded that as China is modernizing, it is also westernizing.

Six Paths to China

Six Paths to China is home to six educational activities created as models for online learning. The most comprehensive are the WebQuests found at the end of the list. "Does the Tiger Eat Its Cubs?" challenges the reader to find the truth about reported mistreatment of Chinese orphans. "Searching for China" invites students to prepare a policy recommendation on U.S.-China relations. Students take the role of either senator, businessman, human rights activist, religious leader, museum curator or environmental activist. After researching their roles, each participant brings his individual perspective to the group project.

Traditional Chinese Culture in Taiwan

From the Government Information Office of Taiwan, comes this terrific overview of traditional Chinese arts. Clothing, jade, tea, pottery, architecture, furniture and Chinese dance are but a few of the subjects covered. Embroidery, for example, is one of the oldest Chinese handicrafts. Historical documents record its use as early as 2255 B.C., and archaeologists have found embroidery from the Shang dynasty (1766 B.C. to 1122 B.C.). Originally used to signify one's caste position, embroidery evolved into a purely decorative art.

The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!

China ABC

Chinese Astrology

Inside China Today

Land of Beauty

Please send questions or comments to feldman@surfnetkids.com.