Straits of Formosa; to the east by Formosa (Japan), the Philippine Islands and Borneo (British); to the south by the Java Sea. Hence it is girt by British, French, Chinese, Japanese and American dominions, countries that will no doubt deyelop into centers of civilization and wealth in days soon to come. East China Sea lies to the north of Formosa, being partly shut off from the Pacific by the Liu-Kiu Islands, a possession of Japan.
China-Ware, a species of fine porcelain, originally manufactured in China (whence its name). It is characterized by the fineness of its texture, transparency and beautiful color. It is made from two kinds of earth, known as petunse and kaolin, which are worked into a white paste, the kaolin enabling it to withstand great heat in the furnace; after this the article, cup, vase or whatever it may be, passes into the hands of the painters for decoration and delicate coloring, when it is then glazed or varnished, and once more submitted to the furnace to have the colors burned in and given their rich luster. China-ware has been manufactured more or less successfully in Europe. The finest imitations are those known as Sèvres, Dresden and Wedgwood or queensware. The French have turned out some beautiful china, which they call faïence fine, or Henri II ware; but the most artistic, probably, is Sèvres, manufactured in that town, in France, together with the Dresden ware manufactured in Saxony. The most notable English ware turned out has been that of Josiah Wedgwood, whose classical vases, ornamented by the sculptor Flaxman, attained great repute and command high prices. The Japanese have also reached great perfection in the manufacture of porcelain; the Hizen or “old Japan” ware being noted for its elegance and beauty of color.
Chinch-Bug, an insect very destructive, especially to corn and wheat. It is estimated that the loss from this pest—mainly in the Mississippi valley—has amounted to $60,000,000 in a single year. It is a true bug—having a sharp beak, instead of jaws, with which it punctures the grain and sucks the juices. The plants are not eaten but sapped of their life. The chinch-bug is a small bug about one sixth of an inch long, blackish in color, with snowy white wing-covers marked with a dark spot and line.
China. Its boundaries now embrace China Proper, Manchuria, Ili (including Sungaria and East Turkestan) and Tibet, and also a wide territory in eastern Asia. According to recent Chinese estimates the following is the area and population of the republic: China Proper, 1,532,420 English square miles; population, 433,553,030. In 1904, however, Mr. Rockhill, American minister to China, after careful inquiry concluded that all official estimates since 1750 have far exceeded the truth and that probably the inhabitants of China Proper number less than 270,000,000. The dependencies are Manchuria, area 363,610 English square miles and the population 16,000,000; Tibet, area 463,200 English square miles and 6,500,000 population; and Chinese Turkestan containing 550,340 English square miles and 1,200,000 population. Mongolia, part of which is now independent, has an area of 367,600 miles, population, 2,600,000. The natives call their country the Flowery Kingdom or the Middle Kingdom, while the name Cathay came from the Persians. The name China comes from India.
Surface and Drainage. China Proper slopes from the mountainous regions of Tibet and Nepal toward the eastern and southern shores of the Pacific. The Nang Ling or Southern Range, a spur of the Himalayas, is the most extensive mountain range, separating southeastern China from the rest of the country. North of this long range, as far as the Great Wall, lies the Great Plain, covering 210,000 square miles, on which live 175,000,000 people. The soil of most of it, called loess beds, is a brownish earth, crumbling easily between the fingers. It covers the subsoil to a great depth, and is apt to split into clefts. These clefts afford homes for multitudes of the people, who live in caves dug at the bottom of the cliffs. Sometimes whole villages are so formed, in terraces of earth which rise one above the other. These loess beds are very rich, and have given to the province of Shan-hsi the name of the Granary of the Nation. The two largest rivers are the Ho or Yellow River and the Yang-tze-Chiang, each over 3,000 miles long. Ho has changed its course many times, and its numberless floods have given it the name of China’s sorrow. It last burst its banks in 1887, destroying millions of lives. The Grand Canal, built by King Kublai, joins the northern and southern parts of the empire and is over 600 miles long. The Great Wall (see adjoining article) is 1,500 miles long.
Cities. The nominal capital is Pekin, in the province of Chili, population estimated at 700,000, part of which reside in the Chinese city and part without in the Tartar city. The other chief cities, with their estimated populations, are Canton (1,250,000), Tientsin (750,000), Shanghai (651,000), Hankau (870,000), Ningpo (400,000) Fuchau (624,000), Nankin (270,000) and Chung-King (620,000). Hong-Kong (population, 366,145) is a crown-colony of Great Britain, ceded to that power in 1841.
Resources and Exports. China’s coal-fields are extensive, coal being found in all of the 18 provinces, but chiefly so far in Shansi, Feng-tse, Kai-Ping, Pashan, Annan and Kansu. Tin, copper, lead, silver and gold are found, but very little has been done in the way of mining. China’s imports in 1910 were in value about $310,000,000, while her exports were $155,000,000. Silk,
