Comparison between North and South China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Comparison between North and South China - Essay Example Important ecological and climatic differences between southern and northern China are also demarcated by the Qinling range. Southern China received more rainfalls than northern China, and with the introduction of the seeds and technology necessary for wet rice cultivation into southern China in A.D. 200, there was a population explosion because of the increased food production in the South. The South had very large rice harvests, which were able to sustain a much larger population than northern agriculture ever could. This was responsible for causing the population of southern China to grow both through a net migration into the region and by natural increase. As a result of this, by around A.D. 1100, the south was the home to the majority of China’s population, a situation which is currently prevalent (Wright, 2011). Although northern China has a smaller population in comparison to southern China, it is vital to remember the fact that the north and not the south was the cradle of the Chinese civilization (Wright, 2011). Large parts of the people of China are of the Han decent. The Han identify themselves with China’s dominant national culture in addition to having a huge sense of tradition and history that can be traced back to more than a thousand years and encompasses many scientific, artistic, and cultural accomplishments. Some of China’s minority groups like the Manchu have almost been totally assimilated, although they still maintain their own religion and languages. When the Mao who led the communist government took over in 1949, the new government quickly set out to try and establish and form a sense of national uniqueness that was based purely on the common ideals of hard work and equality. Minority groups like the Mongolians, Kazakhs, Zhuangs, and Tibetans have not been totally assimilated and they still try and maintain their cultural, historical, and linguistic distinctness (Barabantseva, 2011). Currently, the Chinese government officially recognizes about fifty five minorit y groups spread out all over the country, each having its own distinct culture and set of traditions. Most of the minority ethnic groups in the country are found to live in the outer China region. This is because the Hans have consistently and persistently been forcing them over the centuries into those generally harsh and less desirable lands. The Hans also seem to consider these other minority groups as greatly inferior to them, if not totally not sub-human, and have been using the Chinese character for â€Å"dog† to refer to them until very recently. As a result of this, the minority groups are found to harbor a great deal of resentment for the Hans, with some of them, like the Xianjiang and Tibet, repeatedly attempting to secede and separate themselves from the main Chinese republic (Barabantseva, 2011). Religious Comparison between North China and South China Modern day religious differences between north and south China are not very vast. In describing religion in China , basically two sorts of religiosity can be