Discovering the Beauty and Diversity of Asia

Asia is one of the many continents in our world. Having a population of 4.5 billion overall, and is accompanied by two of the most highly populated countries in the world. China and India are found in Asia, both having a rather large population. Being so,

China has extraordinarily large cities. Such as Beijing and Shanghai, both of which are known around the world for their bigger and richer qualities. Though, China has many more locations aside from these two big cities. There is much more beyond the surface, locations which represent agriculture and history, too. Longsheng for example, which is commonly known for its intricately shaped terraces of rice. Also, China’s neighbor, Mongolia. Mongolia, who traditionally has an economy based on agriculture, has a wealth of deep history. All of these locations have much history and information to them. Such as Longsheng, which is also known for more than its rice terraces.

With attention to Longsheng, it is located in the northeast region of Guangxi Province, about 50 miles from the famous tourist city Guilin. The hot spring and rice terraces are the main attractions. Longsheng has sixteen springs, and the Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces. The terraces were created by people of the local area, who are each from different ethnic groups. It was first built some 600 years ago in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The rice terraces are distributed on mountains between 3,609 and 984 feet above the sea level. Moreover, the Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces have graceful lines and is admiringly said to be a fascinating rhythm of the earth. The center of the autonomous county is Longshen Town. Yinshui Dong Village in the town is a typical Dong village with distinctive architecture and ethnic customs. Aside from the Dong there are the Yao, Miao, and Zhuang ethnic groups.

Beijing, previously known as Peking, is the capital city of the People's Republic of China. Beijing’s history can be traced back 3,000 years. The city retains a wealth of historical sites, such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. Beijing is also one of the oldest inhabited areas in the world. Fossils indicate that Peking Man lived there from 770,000 to 230,000 years ago. Beijing’s long and rich history has left behind an abundant historic and cultural heritage, including seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the Ming Tombs, Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian, and the Grand Canal. Meanwhile, Beijing’s Municipality has a population of almost 22.5 million, in an area of 6,500 square miles. It is China's second largest city after Shanghai.

Shanghai, Hu for short, also known as Shen, is a multicultural metropolis with both modern and traditional chinese features. The city has a status equivalent to a province, and reports directly to the central government. Serving as the largest base of Chinese industrial technology, one of the most important seaports and China's largest commercial and financial center, Shanghai draws the attention of the whole world. The city covers an area of 6,340.5 square kilometers, which extends about 120 kilometers in north and south and nearly 100 kilometers in east and west. Shanghai has an urban area of 2,643 square kilometers, land area of 6,219 square kilometers and water area of 122 square kilometers. The city's Chongming Island is the third largest island in China, covering an area of 1,041 square kilometers. Shanghai has a population of 24.2 million as of 2018, and it is the most populous urban area in China, and the seventh most populous city in the world.There is a huge floating population of itinerant workers, probably numbering two million.

Mongolia, historically Outer Mongolia, is a country located in north-central Asia. It is roughly oval in shape, measuring 1,486 miles from west to east and, at its maximum, 782 miles from north to south. The national capital, Ulaanbaatar, is in the north-central part of the country. Some three-fourths of Mongolia’s area consists of pasturelands, which support the immense herds of grazing livestock for which the country is known. The remaining area is about equally divided between forests and barren deserts, with only a tiny fraction of the land under crops. With a total population of fewer than three million, Mongolia has one of the lowest average population densities of any country in the world. As for history, Mongolia was inhabited by tribal people for thousands of years. It is most famous, however, for the powerful Mongol Empire that began in 1206 AD when a single empire was formed by the powerful ruler Chinggis also called Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan mobilized a great army of Mongol warriors and, along with the rulers who came after him, conquered much of Asia and Russia. Genghis Khan's grandson was the famous Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan conquered China and established the Yuan Dynasty. Though, the Mongol dynasty in China was overthrown in 1368. By 1691, Mongolia itself was under control of China. Outer Mongolia was a Chinese province until 1911 when Russia took over. After the fall of the Russian Empire, China took control again for a brief period. In 1921 Mongolia gained its independence with help from the Soviet Union. The government installed was communist, along the lines of the Soviet Union.  

In conclusion, the locations of China and Mongolia, such as Longsheng, Beijing, Shanghai, and Mongolia itself, offer a fascinating blend of history, culture, and natural beauty. These diverse regions showcase the rich heritage and enduring legacy of Asia, inspiring us to appreciate the interconnectedness of our global civilization and cherish the unique stories embedded within these captivating destinations.