Terracotta Warriors

The terra otta figures were buried with the first Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huang) in 210-209 BCE. Consequently, they are also sometimes referred to as "Qin's Army."

All 8,099 soldiers are unique and distinguishable with different height and facial features. The soldiers are modeled after selected soldiers from the time period who were considered to be the finest of China. The figures are in several poses including standing infantry and kneeling archers as well as charioteers with horses. Each figure's head appears to be unique showing a variety of facial features and expressions as well as hair styles.

There are three separate pits, which represent three different sections of the army. The largest pit, and most famous, holds the infantry. The second pit contains the cavalry, and the third contains the officers. A fourth pit, which was planned but never built, is thought to be the supply unit.

Qin Shi Huang had the figures created and buried with him in the belief that they would protect him after his death. The figures were buried in battle formation in many vaults, 1.5 kilometers east of Qin Shi Huang's tomb, which is 33km east of Xi'an. The army was built facing enemy territory, and in between these enemies and the Emperor's tomb.

700,000 forced laborers were sacrificed to construct his tomb which was begun as soon as he ascended the throne. All workers and childless concubines were interred with him to safeguard its secrets. According to Sima Qian's "The Historical Records" written a century later, heaven and earth are represented in the tomb's central chamber. The ceiling, inlaid with pearls, represents the starry heavens. The floor, made of stone, forms a map of the Chinese kingdom; a hundred rivers of mercury flow across it. And all manner of treasure is protected by deadly booby-traps.

This tells us a lot about the past of China morally and how much the Emperor was respected by the army, such that such a great amount of people were sacrificed just so to construct his tomb.

Xin Xuan (14) 2G

Pros and Cons of One Child Policy in China

China has a very big population, about 1.2 billion, and is still continuing to rise. In order to reduce the number of population in China, China set up a One Child Policy which controls the number of children each married couple can give birth to, which is one child per couple.

Pros of One child policy:

- reduce number of Population.

 As the population of China is constantly rising, this methods works well in reducing the number of the population.

- lesser poverty in China.

 In poor areas, too many births causes the economy of a family to fall backwards as they will have more mouths to feed if they have a lot of children. By doing so, the government helps the poor people to raise the quality of life for them by helping them do family planning and at the same time, holding the growth of the population under control.

Cons of One child policy:

- brings birth tourism.

 Some parents are escaping to the strict rules of the policy by giving birth to their other child overseas. 

- forces abortion and human rights violation.

 One child policy has been challenged both in practice and in principle for violation human rights to identify the size of one’s family. The proclamation of the International Conference on Human Rights in the year 1968 revealed that parents have the right to determine responsibly and freely the spacing and the number of children. In the execution of one child policy, a lot of local governments demand abortions once pregnancy violates some local regulations.

~ Zhang SiTing (20) 2G

One Child Policy In China Effects

The overall population of China has increased to about 1.2 billion, and it is continuing to rise. The world’s total population is not becoming far too high, and it needs to be regulated before its population boosts uncontrollably. One important way to regulate its population is through the adaption of one-child policy.

The Pros of One Child Policy

-Poverty Eradication in China.

  •In the poor areas in the country, too many births and cultural and economic backwardness mostly interact as cause and effects. Chine government has started to take steps in providing support to develop those poor areas in order to alleviate poverty. The government is doing so by family planning, raising quality of life of the population in such areas and holding the growth of population under control.

-Reduce number of Population.

  •The number if population in Chine is constantly rising that is why it is important to make necessary actions to reduce its number of population. One child policy is one of the most effective ways that the government of China had realized to do this.

The Cons of One Child Policy

-Forces abortions and human rights violation.

  •One child policy has been challenged both in practice and in principle for violation human rights to identify the size of one’s family. The proclamation of the International Conference on Human Rights in the year 1968 revealed that parents have the right to determine responsibly and freely the spacing and the number of children. In the execution of one child policy, a lot of local governments demand abortions once pregnancy violates some local regulations.

-Brings Birth Tourism.

  •Some parents are escaping to the strict rules of the policy by giving birth to their other child overseas. Hong Kong is one of the most preferred destinations because it is exempt from the policy. Another reason for this is the additional advantages of the Hong Kong passport.

-Exaggerated Policy Benefits. 

  •One criticism that people have identified regarding the policy is that its claimed effects on the reduction in the number of fertility rate are exaggerated. One of the most common ways that the government does to promote the policy is to present the exaggerations of the benefits of the policy.

Various issues regarding this policy in China have been a center of criticisms, and different people have their own reactions about it. In this time and age, debates about one child policy is still ongoing.

Danson Tan (31) 2G

One Child Policy in China

The one-child policy is the population control policy of the People's Republic of China, implemented in 1979 to reduce the population and stimulate economic growth. There are many benefits and disadvantages regarding the one-child policy. 

Being a typical Asian country, China has a long tradition of son preference. The explanation for son preference is that sons in rural families are more helpful in farm work, also in Confucianism, it is said to prefer sons over daughters. Sons are preferred as they provide the primary financial support for the parents in their retirement, and a son's parents typically are better cared for than his wife's. In addition, Chinese tradition holds that daughters, on their marriage, become primarily part of the groom's family. Male-to-female sex ratios in the current Chinese population are high in both rural and urban areas. 

As a result, many Chinese families abandoning girls and adopting boys instead, given that they can only have one child. Parents may believe that putting unwanted children in orphanages or foster homes is a safe and beneficial step toward moving the children into permanent adoptive homes. On the contrary, many orphanages in China are overcrowded and can have difficulty meeting children's basic needs.

 

Besides that, due to the unbalance male to female ratio, once males grow up, it will be difficult for them to find a wife and as a result, there would be no offspring to takeover his business and the population of China would decrease greatly given that there would be less babies birthed. Women would also be forced to marry and there is no rights for women to make any choices given that sons are more taken care of given that they are more preferred. Other than that, a low population of women would also cause China to suffer economically, given that business such as skin care, make up or massage stores would have lesser clients as usually such business appeal to women more than man. There would also be less people doing such jobs given that there are less women in China.

However, the one-child policy has it's own benefits for example, parents are able to have a more balanced life given that they would only have to care and provide for one child. The child would also feel more love given that all attention is given to him. The one-child policy also helps provide a better health service for women and a reduction in the risks of death and injury associated with pregnancy. Chinese authorities thus consider the policy a great success in helping to implement China's current economic growth. The reduction in the fertility rate and thus population growth has reduced the severity of problems that come with overpopulation, like epidemics, slums, overwhelmed social services (such as health, education, law enforcement), and strain on the ecosystem from abuse of fertile land and production of high volumes of waste.

In conclusion, we feel that the one-child policy should be removed as there the disadvantages such as an unbalance male to female ratio in China outweigh the advantages of the one-child policy and the number of children should be up to the couple as this is a basic human right. Overpopulation of a country is indeed a big problem but maybe there are other ways to solve it? Perhaps couples could resort to adoption instead of giving birth?

Clarissa Lee

Family structure of China and effects on Chinese Society

When the one child policy was introduced by Deng Xiaoping in 1979, the Chinese population was at one billion. China was not prepared for the rapid population growth. Thirty years later, the Chinese are living longer but China is not as prepared for the rapid aging population. China currently has more than 177 million people aged 60 or above, and the number is predicted to reach 450 million, or one quarter of the country's total population, by the middle of the century, according to statistics from the latest national census released this year. This increase dramatically affects economic development and social welfare. China is faced with the problem of not enough children to take care of the elderly parents.

In conclusion, the One Child Policy has a negative impact and may be scrapped of in future.

Xin Xuan (14) 2G

What makes Singapore... Singapore!

Famous Icons

Esplanade- build in the shape of a durian, one of Singapore's local fruits that is well liked in Singapore, we are reminded of the ban of durian's in the MRT(Mass Rapid Transport) and Singapore's culture.

The Merlion- reminds us of how Sang Nila Utama found Singapore and represents the beginning of Singapore

Statue of Sir Stamford Raffles- as the founder of Singapore, his statue reminds all Singaporeans of the contribution Sir Stamford Raffles have given to Singapore 

Singapore Botanic Gardens- famous for their orchids and hybrids of orchids that are named after celebrities, Singapore's national flower, the Singapore Botanic Gardens allows us to enjoy the flora and fauna of Singapore and allows us to appreciate the uniqueness of our national flower

Fort Canning Park- it is one of Singapore's most historic landmarks and the hill was instrumental in Singapore's war efforts with numerous military buildings located there. One of these buildings was the Fort Canning Bunker or Battle Box, where the decision to surrender Singapore to the Japanesewas made by the British. 

National Museum of Singapore- it's history dates back to 1849 and it is the oldest museum in Singapore. It showcases the history of Singapore allowing us to be reminded of Singapore's past when we visit there

Singapore River- in the past, the city of Singapore initially grew around the port so the river mouth became the centre of trade, commerce and finance. People from different countries came to Singapore in boats via the Singapore River everyday. Now, the Singapore River is used for tourism activities no longer for such activities. The Singapre River represents the culture and history of Singapore as it reminds us of how our ancestors came to Singapore.

The Istana- The Istana means "palace" in Malay and is the official residence and office of the President of Singapore, it is where the president receives and entertains state guests. It is of historical significance to Singapore, given that it was built in 1867-1869 and the it has been to home to all the Presidents who have served Singapore.

Old Ford Motor Factory- The Ford Motor Factory began its illustrious history in October 1941, as the first Ford vehicle assembly plant in Southeast Asia. The Ford Motor Factory resumed operations after the war in 1947 and was finally shut down in June 1980. It is now used to showcase the history of Singapore, for example the drawings of Mr William Haxworth, one of the POW(Prisoners of War), while he was in jail. There were more than just art, as they bear testimony to the consequences of an inadequate diet and other privations suffered during internment, and lay proof to the resilience and resourcefulness shown by the people in times of war and shortage. 

Marina Bay Sands- The Marina Bay Sands hotel has three 55-story towers with 2,561 luxury rooms and suites, which is capped by the Sands SkyPark, which offers 360-degree views of Singapore's skyline. It aimed to attract foreigners to Singapore, showing that it is significant to Singapore's culture as by attracting more people to Singapore, more people would know about Singapore's culture.  

What's popular in China?

Beijing National Stadium (The Bird Nest)

In 2008, Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics. China became the 22nd to host the Olympic Games and the 18th to hold a Summer Olympic Games. 

The centrepiece of the 2008 Summer Olympics was the Beijing National Stadium, nicknamed "The Bird's Nest" because of its nest-like skeletal structure. The stadium hosted both the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics competition.

The Summer Olympics attracted many foreigners to China and China wanted to impress them. 

The 2008 Beijing Olympics caused traditional Hutong neighborhoods to be cleared for the construction of modern Olympic stadiums. In an effort to ensure success for the games, the government invested billions in building new infrastructure, although clearance to tiny, outdated neighborhoods in Beijing called hutongs resulted. Michael Meyer, an American who lives in the hutongs reported that a total of 500,000 residents were relocated from their homes before the Olympics began.

This shows that hosting the Olympics was a big deal to China as they were willing to do anything they could in order to ensure that the 2008 Summer Olympics goes well. Given the state that China was in after the Qing Dynasty, the hard work that China has down is evident, seeing that China is able to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. We should learn from their ambitious and hardworking attitude. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Summer_Olympics

Clarissa Lee 2G