Introduction

When people think about "The Treasures of China," they usually picture a beautiful pagoda with golden dragons, or a gleaming statue of the Buddha, or the Great Wall's winding ribbon. But the true treasure of China is its complexity. During "The Treasures of China" you will uncover several aspects that might give you insights on such different things as the richness of China's cultural heritage, the wealth of its current economic boom, and the tarnishing that mars China's treatment of some of its people. The Treasure Hunt will help you find out some details about these issues and then bring your learning into greater focus by answering a Big Question: What is the truth about China today? Hint: each Internet link holds the answer for one question. Good luck!

Questions

1. What recent disputes has China been involved in with her neighbors?

2. How did China deal with earlier troubles with a neighbor to the north?

3. According to a fable, how do a person's life and dreams relate to each other?

4. What is China doing in Tibet that disturbs the Dalai Lama?

5. How did the Chinese of the Tang era prepare themselves for the afterlife?

6. How do Western and Chinese business people tend to view each other?

7. Why are some people asking you not to buy Chinese products?

8. Describe an event that occurred before World War II that shows why China might fear its neighbors.

9. What was the response of Taiwanese student organizations to China's missile tests near Taiwan in 1996?

10. What was Deng Xiaoping's defining motto and how does this relate to the changes he brought to China?

The Big Question

Your challenge is to come up with an answer to the question: What is the truth about China today? Consider what you learned about China's past, its relations with neighboring countries, the state of its economy, and how it treats its citizens.

The Internet Resources