What's Up, World? China

Giant pandas live in mountain forests where they eat bamboo and climb trees. They can weigh more than 200 pounds.

Pandas used to be endangered. People hunted them and destroyed their forest habitats. But now China protects pandas, so their numbers are rising.

The Chinese Lantern Festival is held 15 days after the Lunar New Year. People welcome good fortune with bright lanterns, or hanging lights. To celebrate, they dance, march in parades, and watch fireworks.

Hot pot is a stew that cooks while you eat it. Family and friends gather around this bubbling pot of soup. They add meat, vegetables, and other ingredients and wait while it cooks. Sauces like chili garlic oil are used for dipping. Yum!

The Great Wall of China is the world’s biggest structure. It was originally more than 13,000 miles long. That’s about 5 times the distance between Los Angeles and New York City. The wall was built over thousands of years to protect China from attacks.

A popular game in China is jianzi (jeeahn-zeuh). Players use feet and knees to pass a light object called a jianzi, or shuttlecock, back and forth. The jianzi can be made with a coin, paper, and colorful feathers.

1. What can you infer about Harbin’s climate from the article’s description of the Harbin Ice Festival?
2. According to the article, what was the purpose of the Great Wall of China?
3. List three facts about China that you can learn from the map.