China Middle Kingdom

CHINA MIDDLE KINGDOM (Insert Name) (Institutional Affiliation) CHINA MIDDLE KINGDOM The ancient people of China referred to their land as the ‘middle kingdom’ because they believed they were at the centre of the earth, due to the fact that China was isolated both in terms of distance and civilization. The isolation of China was aided by the geographical barriers, where to the west were the Tian Shan Mountains and the Himalayas. To the southwest were the vast jungles and to the north was the Gobi Desert. (The Middle Kingdom) This isolation from the outside world ensured that the Chinese culture flourished. One of them is the arts, which is a characteristic of the civilization of the Chinese people. A majority of the early population lived between the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. The soil here was rich and fertile for agriculture. These rivers were also used for transportation and irrigation. The nomadic population of China occupied other areas such as Mongolia and Manchuria, which were harsh both in terrain and climate. These resources led to a high growth in population during this period (White et al, 2011). The first significant Chinese civilization arose in the Yellow River Valley, when people settled to begin farming. These led to the building of dams and other irrigation systems. During the 1950s the government of China adopted the ‘Great Leap Forward’ policy which led to growth of production and urbanization. This left few people to maintain agriculture, which had started to flourish. The famine of 1960 led to almost 30 million people dying due to the fewer numbers who engaged in agriculture (The Middle Kingdom). This indicated the failure the policy and hence many people returned to agriculture. However, in 1970s, there was restoration of jobs in the urban areas and people were obtained from t...