The majority of China's population is densely distributed on the East side of the country. This is due to the geography of the West side which consists of deserts and vast mountains, thus being land that is hard to rely on. Along sources of water such as the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys, the Xi Jiang River Delta, and the Sichuan Basin are where density is highest in population. Following these abundant locations are China's urban areas: Shanghai, Beijing (China's capital), Chongqing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and more.
In researches conducted in 2018, data showed that 831 million people lived in urban areas in contrast to the 564 million that inhabited rural land. China has a 2.42% urbanization rate and about 64% of its overall population are residents of urban areas. The dominance of water availability is at 93% in rural locations and 97% in cities. Altogether, 95% of the population has sufficient access to water supplies. Source: CIA Factbook |
STATISTICSChina's population is approximately 1, 394, 015, 977, the largest in the world. China ranks 170 in terms of population growth rate at 0.32%. Of this population, the Chinese government recognizes 56 different ethnic groups. The most notable of these groups are: the Han Chinese (91.6%), Zhuang (1.3%), and others (Hui, Mao, Yi, Korean etc.) that make up the remaining 7.1%. The official language of China is Mandarin, or Standard Chinese, which is based off of Beijing dialect. Other languages spoken include: Shanghainese, Cantonese, and more. The majority of the population (52.2%) are unaffiliated in terms of religion; However, the most practiced religion is Buddhism which makes up 18.2% of the population whereas Christianity, the second most practiced religion, takes up 5.1%. In regards to age, it's estimated that 46.81% of the population is around the ages of 25-54 years old.
Source: CIA Factbook |
SHANGHAI'S CULTURE
Shanghai's culture is known to be a large mix of things. Due to its exposure to Chinese, Western, and other Asian countries' cultures, it has become what it is today. Shanghai culture is labeled as "Hai Pai," which in translation is "The ocean absorbs the flow of hundreds of rivers." This is thought to refer to Shanghai as the ocean and the rivers as the many different cultures that were adapted into Hai Pai. The culture of Shanghai is thought to be deeply tied to traditional Chinese cultures. It's also described to encourage things such as: diversification, openness, and creative. It is meant to be familiar to everyone, regardless of ones own culture, yet different from anywhere else in the world. While doing this Shanghai preserves its own traditional practices, folk culture, recreational activities, and arts and crafts.
Source: TopChinaTravel.htm
Source: TopChinaTravel.htm
FOOD
China has eight main regions of cuisine. Shanghai's is labeled as "Hù cài," cuisine. This includes "Benbang" cuisine or, local cuisine, and Hai Pai cuisine. On a closer look of Benbang cuisine, there's 400 years of rich history within it. It's considered to be one of the most prominent of the eight regional cuisines, and is characterized by its addition of sugar to every dish. They are also detailed by "red braising", which is a cooking method that marinates vegetables and meats with wine. Next, they are simmered until they reflect a crimson red color.
Hai Pai cuisine, in contrast to Benbang which is considered to be much more traditional, is referred to as the blur between the West and the East. This is because this certain way of cuisine adopted many foods from the West and altered them with traditional ingredients. Foods like pork chops, borscht, and potato salad, have been altered to the tastes of the Chinese people. Hai Pai is seen as trendy and popular in younger chefs, and with the rise of Communism has slowly been diminishing away. However, some dishes still remain, loved, in large restaurants in the cities.
Source: The Culture Trip
Source: The Culture Trip
Photos used under Creative Commons from rickmassey1 Michael Elleray