Series Foreword Note on Transliteration Abbreviations Preface Introduction Chapter 1: Geography Overview Climate Disputed Islands and Territories Himalayas Hong Kong Huang (Yellow) River Major Cities Manchuria Natural Resources Pollution and the Environment Population South China Sea Taiwan The Three Gorges Project Tibetan Plateau Transportation and Water Conservancy Xinjiang Yangzi (Yangtze) River Chapter 2: History Overview Timeline Cai Lun and Four Great Inventions Chiang Kai-shek Cixi and the Boxer Rebellion Confucius Deng Xiaoping Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan Han Wudi (Martial Emperor) Hu Jintao Jiang Zemin and Sino-U.S. Relations Kangxi Laozi (Lao-tsu) Lin Zexu and the Opium War Mao Zedong Marco Polo Qin Shihuang (The First Emperor) Sun Yat-sen Sunzi (Sun-tsu) Tang Taizong Terra-Cotta Army Zheng He (Cheng Ho) Chapter 3: Government and Politics Overview Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Civil Rights Constitution Corruption and Punishment Criminal Law Death Penalty First Chinese People''s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Human Rights Law Enforcement Li Keqiang Liu Xiaobo National People''s Congress (NPC) People''s Armed Police (PAP) People''s Liberation Army (PLA) Political Dissents Provincial and County Governments Supreme People''s Court Xi Jinping Chapter 4: Economy Overview Agriculture Cost Production Energy Industry Exports Financial Institutions Foreign Investment International Trade Policies Joint Ventures Land and Household Policy Manufacturing Migrant Laborers Pirating and Copyright Issues Renminbi and Currency Exchange Reserve and Foreign Debts Service Industry Sino-U.S. Trade and Other Trading Partners State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Trade Union and Labor Movement Workplace Safety WTO and Stock Exchanges Chapter 5: Religion and Thought Overview Buddhism Catholicism Christianity Confucianism Dalai Lama Daoism (Taoism) Falun Gong Feng-Shui Islam Underground Churches Chapter 6: Social Class and Ethnicity Overview Aging Population Health Care Major Ethnic Groups Middle Class Mongols Muslims Poverty Retirement and Social Welfare Rural-Urban Conflicts Urban Poor Uyghur Chapter 7: Gender, Marriage, and Sexuality Overview All-China Women''s Federation (ACWF) Child Labor Domestic Violence Dowry and Bride-Wealth Family Planning Law Gender Imbalance Gender Inequality Homosexuality Human Trafficking Marriage Law One-Child Policy Selective Abortions Sex Trade Traditional Wedding Chapter 8: Education Overview Elementary and Secondary Education Foreign Exchange Programs National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) Peking (Beijing) University Private vs. Public Education Project 211 and Key Universities Qinghua (Tsing-hua) University Returning Students Chapter 9: Language Overview Chinese Characters Hanyu Pinyin Local Dialects Mandarin Chapter 10: Etiquette Overview Chinese Names Chinese Zodiac Chopsticks Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches Ketou : Bowing Lunar-Solar Calendar Symbols of Auspice in Tradition Table Manners Chapter 11: Literature and Drama Overview Ancient Mythology Ba Jin A Dream of Red Mansions Fictions of the Ming and Qing Dynasties Guo Moruo Journey to the West Outlaws of the Marsh Peking Opera Romance of Three Kingdoms Tang-Song Poetry Vari-Drama of the Yuan Dynasty Chapter 12: Art and Architecture Overview Chinese Silk and the Silk Road The Great Wall Jade Carving Pagodas, Palaces, and Temples Tang Pottery and Song Porcelain Traditional Chinese Painting Chapter 13: Music and Dance Overview Folk Dance Modern Chinese Dance Traditional Instruments Chapter 14: Food Overview Cantonese Dim Sum Holiday Feasts Hunan and Sichuan Cooking Styles Chapter 15: Leisure and Sports Overview Acupuncture, Moxibustion, and Narcotherapy Alcoholic Beverages Chinese Chess Chinese Herbs and Alternative Medicine Chinese Tea The Game of Go Qi-Gong Tai-Chi Quan 2008 Beijing Olympics Wushu : Martial Arts Chapter 16: Media and Popular Culture Overview Censor System Cyber Policing Freedom of Speech Internet and Social Media Movies and Film Industry National Broadcasting Networks Netizen and Online Guerrilla State-Owned Newspapers Appendix A: A Day in the Life A Day in the Life of a Factory Worker A Day in the Life of a Farmer A Day in the Life of a High School Student A Day in the Life of a Housewife A Day in the Life of a PLA Soldier Appendix B: Glossary of Key Terms Appendix C: Facts and Figures Appendix D: Holidays Selected Bibliography Index.