Before your visit to the China at Harewood exhibition at Harewood House it would be useful to learn about Chinese history and culture.
Geography
The People's Republic of China lies on the eastern side of the Asian continent and on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. The Republic covers seven percent of the world's land area.
Over forty percent of the country is mountainous. The mountains are mainly in the west with plains in the east. China also has desert regions. The Yellow River and the Yangtze River, two of the world's greatest rivers, flow across China.
Beijing (formerly Peking) is the capital of China with a history of over two thousand years. Shanghai is China's largest and most prosperous city. Other important port cities are Wuhan, Nanjing and Dalian (Canton).
History
The earliest human remains found in China date back 600,000 years and for the last 4,000 years it has been a continuous civilisation; making it the oldest civilised country on earth.
People first settled in the fertile banks of the Yellow River, and developed tools and techniques to grow and harvest crops. However, the war lords of the various settlements began to fight. Eventually ruling dynasties formed several kingdoms.
The first ruling dynasty recorded in China was the Shang (c. 1650 – 1027 BCE). China was then united as a single empire in 221 BCE, under the Qin dynasty. This dynasty created script and currency for the country.
Over the next years China’s imperial system survived many dynastic power struggles and wars and foreign conquests, but it lasted until 1912.
Science and technology
Many everyday objects and useful technologies were developed in China. Early Chinese inventions include silk, porcelain, paper, printing, cast iron, kites, umbrellas, wheelbarrows, compasses, the abacus, fireworks and gunpowder.
During the 20th century China workshops were used by Western countries as cheap goods could be mass produced there easily.
Art and design
China’s rich tradition in arts and crafts began in the imperial times. Chinese people produced ceramics, landscape paintings on paper and silk, and sculptures in ivory, jade, terracotta and bronze.
The act of writing is also considered to be an art form in China, this art form is known as calligraphy.
Music, Theatre and Dance
China’s culture today is very diverse. The people of China take part in many forms of entertainment including traditional folk songs, Chinese opera, puppet shows, poems set to music, dragon dances, and teahouse music.
A traditional Chinese instrument is the finely decorated sihu or spike fiddle from the 19th century. Si means four (as the fiddle has four strings) and Hu is the family of traditional Chinese instruments to which it belongs.
