China

China

China

China's climate is clearly different. The external China, as much to O as to N (Inner Mongolia) of the own China, introduces continental climates characterized from average annual temperatures of 5-10 °C (even lower on the mountains and the plateaus of high altitude), strong thermal excursions, generally very little precipitations (200-400 mm annual). As a consequence, the spontaneous vegetation varies between more or less arid herbaceous formations, and only in the oases produced by the outcrop of the stratum or where the snow melting waters are conveyed is it possible to have a stable and relatively dense human settlement; apart from the enhancement resulting from recent mining discoveries, the prevailing economic use in the whole area has been sheep farming, nomadic or semi-nomadic.

The first dynasty recorded in Chinese chronicles is the Xia dynasty (21st-16th centuries). The Bronze Age marked the beginning of the Shang dynasty (around the 16th century -1066 BC), whose reign appears to be very extensive. The social and political structure, very primitive, seemed then founded on a kind of protofeudalism, in which the sovereign had above all sacred functions. In the North-West the State of Zhou was formed, on a similar ethnic basis but with some cultural peculiarities. Around 1070 BC its king destroyed the Shang kingdom by taking possession of its territories, which were distributed among faithful leaders. Thus a feudal structure arose, in which the king's authority weakened more and more, while the struggles between the princes led to the disappearance of the weakest. Attempts to give China a more stable footing under a hegemonic prince failed, and the 5th to 3rd centuries BC were a time of unrelenting struggle (the so-called fighting states). Among the contending dynasties, which all, one after the other, took the royal title, obtained the upper hand that of Qin, which in 256 prevailed over the Zhou. In 221 the king of Qin, having unified North and Central China, assumed the title of emperor, abolished feudalism, gave the country a bureaucratic organization, protected it by connecting in the Great Wall the sections of the existing wall, and started the conquest and colonization of the South, inhabited by non-Chinese populations.

A typical meal of Chinese cuisine is also characterized by the sharing of dishes, shared and often placed at the center of the table available to diners: the dishes are already cut and ready to be eaten with the help of sticks or spoons, typical utensils of China, almost always made of wood or porcelain, as is the case on formal or festive occasions. In China, products based on cow's milk are little used because of a widespread intolerance to lactose and sweets are consumed on special occasions, such as banquets and ceremonies.