Show League Studying I The China Puzzle The League of or Women Voters of Bountiful Is beginning its study of or Communist China More than 1200 local Leagues in communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia representing women will be participating in this study FEW AMERICANS have had the opportunity for even an armchair exploration of earths earth's most populous country the great terra Incognita in our modern world While we may have bits and pieces of ot information Information information mation the realm of Mainland China remains mostly a mysterIous mysterious mysterious mys mys- land The intent of this study is to cast away the shrouds of mystery mystery mystery mys mys- tery by opening up the subject for tor thoughtful study and discus dIscus- sion ston League me members and their guests will be provided geographic geographic geographic geo geo- graphic and historical background background background back back- ground Chinas China's internal problems problems problems lems and her relations with the world will be examined and some of the major Issues that divide the United States and China will be identified THE AMERICAN public is faced with both an opportunity and a responsibility The opportunity opportunity op op- op comes from the fact tact that US U.S. national interest dictates dictates dictates dic dic- tates a new look at U.S. China relations The responsibility comes from the judgments we as concerned citizens must make In ass assessing relations be between tween the most powerful nation and the most populous Americans often think of Cl China na as much larger than the I United States perhaps because a mental picture of Chinas China's vast teeming millions conjures up a picture of an equally vast terri terri- tory Yet the two countries are about the same In area HOWEVER China has nearly four times as many people over million compared to nearly million Also Chinas China's millions are crowded Into a relatively small area with the inhabited part of ot China only one-half one as large as I that of the United States Al Although Although Although Al- Al I though more than 85 per cent of i the population In China is rural I compared to 36 per cent int i United States overall there Is less than one-half one acre of ot food producing land per person in China compared to 62 acres In this country THE LAND Mainland or Com Communist m uni s t China consists of the area historically historically historically his his- known as China Proper Prop Prop- er that er that is the 18 provinces which occupy the almost square populated densely-populated h he heartland e a art r t l I and south of the Great Wall Inner Mongolia and the three provinces inces inces Kirin LI- LI which which collectively vely traditionally traditionally tra tra- traditionally were called Manchuria Manchur Manchur- ia all ia all to the north Chinese Turkestan to the northwest and Tibet Tibet to to the southwest Inner Mongolia and Tibet are autonomous admInistrative administrative administrative adminis admInis- regions of China as are and Chuang located in the heartland NATURAL ISOLATION A sheltered pocket In Eastern Asia China is cut off from the rest of the Asian land mass by bya a arim rim of sweeping deserts rugged rugged rugged rug rug- ged mountains and tropical jun jun- Chinas China's major population centers are for the most part far away from her land bound bound- aries Her sparsely-populated sparsely periphery provides a striking contrast to the densely boundaries between European European European Euro Euro- countries or to the eastern part of the U.S.-Canadian U.S. bor bor- der China has a land boundary of miles Her eastern boundary is miles of ocean coastline longer than the combined combined combined com com- A Atlantic t I ant 1 c and Pacific coastlines of the United States Mainland Chinas China's ocean neighbors neighbors neighbors neigh neigh- bors include Japan the island of ot Taiwan and the Philippines SHORTAGE OF ARABLE LAND Ninety per cent of the population population population tion lives in the agricultural re regions regions regions re- re gions of China Proper and Manchuria Manchuria Manchuria Man Man- churia the remaining ten percent per percent percent cent on the grazing lands of Tibet and Inner Mon Mon- golia However even in so- so called agricultural China 70 per cent of the area is unsuitable unsuitable able for farming A large part partI of the terrain is mountainous characterized by low tempera tempera- tures and Inadequate rainfall So Chinas China's major agricultural agricultural agricultural tural regions are in the lowlands near the great rivers the rivers rivers the Yellow Yellow Yel Yel- low River in North China the Yangtze in Central China and the Pearl River in South China GEOGRAPHY therefore ac accounts accounts accounts ac- ac counts for the exceedingly high population density In the rural areas of ot the plains and along the river valleys valleys part part of the Yangtze Valley supports people to the square mile For centuries four-fifths four of the population population pop pop- has been concentrated in inthis inthis inthis this area assiduously cultivating cultivating cultivating ing In small plots every bit of suitable farmland land land The shortage of ot arable from ten to 15 per cent of the theland land Iland area of all China has ChIna has produced produced produced pro pro- an exceedingly high la la- la to land ratio and has led to labor intensive ve methods of ot production production production pro pro- bringing high yields per land unit but low yields per man CLIMATIC CONDITIONS When man lives as close to nature as he does In China no physical factor is as Important as climate Most of the country Is temperate but the variation and unreliability of rainfall typical typical typical ical of the monsoon pattern constitute constitute constitute con con- a constant threat to well- well being throughout China Al Although Although Although Al- Al though the two great river systems systems te ms provide more than one- one half of ot the Chinese with sustenance sustenance nance and livelihood their nev nev- er-ending er succession of catastrophic catastrophic catastrophic cata cata- strophic floods results In loss of life and economic chaos on a ascale ascale ascale scale unknown in most other parts of the world THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THEY Although there are many ethnic eth eth- ethnic nic groups within China the Chinese or Han people represent represent represent sent about 94 per cent of the total population At least 50 other groups make up the rest Racially most of the minority peoples belong to the Mongolian r type generally resembling the Chinese majority BUT EACH minority group has rooted deep-rooted traditions of language occupation social structure and religion which are quite distinct from the true Chinese Although the minorities minorities minorIties minori minorI- ties represent less than ten percent per percent percent cent of the total population they are often majorities in the outlying outlying outlying out out- lying provinces where they live which constitute more t fK than half of the total country area of th We the e Offsetting the effect of the of spoken languages language S th h uni universal versal written laj langu China has e o of served as a U unifying force at least for the Chinese ie POPULATION EXPLOsION There are to dramatize ys s j Chinas China's plus million po ij lation compares with the r T rest es t of the world Approximately one out of ev evv ev ery four persons in Chinese s China has as many people a. a as the rest ret of Asia put to together gether a a 60 per cent larger population POPUlation than the next populated most Asian country country India India Chinas China's population over 20 per cent of the worlds world's three billion people lives on seven per cent of the worlds world's available land and cono con consumes con only four per cent of the worlds world's output It is estimated that over million children have been born since the Communists came to power in China In 1949 proVide ing an extraordinarily youthful population in China today CHIN CHINAS CHINA'S AS A'S AN ANCIENT HERITAGE A round stone on a plateau near the Te Temple mple of Heaven In Peking marks the center of the earth earth- as deter determined mined by hy Chinese astrologers and geog raphers many generations ago It is still there there a a symbol of Cl Chinas China's nas na's past and present Image of her rightful preeminence in the world THE UNIQUENESS of Chinas China's ancient civilization is often cited by references to her firsts The Chinese m made depa paper pa- pa per more than 2000 years ago ago- gunpowder for fireworks and the compass over 1000 1004 years ago moveable type years ago Furthermore China has had hada a written language at least since 1200 BC B.C. which made It poSe pos sible sable to record customs and ideas Her rich and original art dates back more than years bronzes paintings ceramics ics acs and carvings still renowned for their subtle beauty and universal appeal IN NO OTHER place In the J world has so large and varied varieda a population developed a common common com com- mon civilization and maintained Its cultural integrity for so long I despite changing po political 11 c al boundaries Central to this continuity con con- of Chinas China's history areher are areher her religious political antisocial I cial cia traditions Further articles will appear on China |