Let's Explore National Development!
Hello, young explorers! Welcome to our exciting journey into National Development. Have you ever wondered how our country grows and becomes better? It's like a character in a video game leveling up! In this chapter, we will learn about amazing things our country has done in the past and is doing right now to make life better for everyone. It's important because we are all part of this amazing team, and understanding our country helps us be proud and helpful citizens. Let's begin!
Part 1: Amazing Stories from Our History (Primary 5)
To understand our country's development today, we first need to look back at some incredible stories from history. These people and events show that China has always been a place of great ideas and achievements!
The Great Explorer: Zheng He and the Maritime Silk Road
A long, long time ago, during the Ming Dynasty, there was a brave explorer named Zheng He. He was the captain of giant ships called "treasure ships."
- He led huge fleets on seven amazing voyages across the ocean to faraway lands.
- He didn't go to fight, but to make friends, trade things like silk and porcelain, and share Chinese culture.
- These sea journeys are known as the Maritime Silk Road (a "road" on the sea for trading and making friends!).
- His travels showed that China was strong and friendly, which is important for homeland security (keeping our country safe) and cultural security (protecting our unique way of life).
Think of it like this: Zheng He was like an astronaut of his time, but instead of exploring space, he explored the vast oceans to connect China with the rest of the world!
Did you know? Zheng He’s biggest treasure ships were over 120 metres long! That's longer than a football field!
The Super Scientist: Li Shizhen
Also during the Ming Dynasty, there was a brilliant doctor and scientist named Li Shizhen. He spent almost 30 years of his life studying plants, animals, and minerals to see how they could be used as medicine.
- He wrote a huge and very important book called the "Compendium of Materia Medica".
- This book is like an encyclopedia of traditional Chinese medicine. It describes thousands of medicines and how to use them.
- His hard work and perseverance (never giving up!) helped save countless lives and is still used by doctors today.
Key Takeaway for Part 1
Even hundreds of years ago, our country was a leader in exploration, science, and medicine. Great people like Zheng He and Li Shizhen helped China share its culture and knowledge with the world.
Part 2: Our Country's Big Modern Plans (Primary 5)
Fast forward to today! Our country has some amazing plans to keep growing and working with other countries. Don't worry if these names sound big; the ideas are simple and exciting!
Connecting the World: The Belt and Road Initiative
This is a giant plan to connect China with countries all over Asia, Europe, and Africa. It's like building friendship routes!
A simple way to think about it:
- The "Belt" is a network of roads and railways on land. (Imagine a friendship belt made of train tracks!)
- The "Road" is a sea route connecting different ports. (This is a modern Maritime Silk Road, just like Zheng He's!)
By building these connections, it becomes easier to trade goods, share ideas, and help each other grow. It's all about teamwork with other countries!
Our Super Region: The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA)
The GBA is a plan to link Hong Kong, Macao, and nine cities in Guangdong province together to form one super-powerful team.
- By working together, these cities can share their strengths. For example, Hong Kong is great with money and business, while other cities are great at making new technology.
- This makes it easier for people to travel, work, and start businesses in the whole area, creating more opportunities for everyone.
Finding Our Way: Navigation Satellite Systems
Have you ever used GPS on a phone or in a car to find your way? Our country has developed its own amazing navigation satellite system called BeiDou!
- It works just like GPS, helping cars, ships, and planes know exactly where they are.
- Having our own system is a huge technological achievement and is very important for our country's development and security.
Did you know? "BeiDou" (北斗) is the Chinese name for the Big Dipper star pattern, which people used for navigation for thousands of years!
Key Takeaway for Part 2
Our country is using amazing new ideas and technology like the Belt and Road, the GBA, and the BeiDou system to build a better future and work with friends around the world.
Part 3: Making Life Better for Everyone (Primary 6)
National development isn't just about big buildings and new technology. It's about making sure every single person has a good life. Here are some of our country's recent achievements!
Helping Everyone Succeed: Poverty Alleviation
This means helping people who don't have enough money or resources to live a better life. Our country has worked very hard to make sure everyone has a safe home, enough food, and a chance to go to school. This is a huge achievement!
Growing Our Cities: Urbanisation
Urbanisation is the process of more and more people moving to live and work in cities. Our country has built amazing modern cities with tall buildings, beautiful parks, and convenient transportation for people to live in.
Super-Fast Travel: Transportation
Getting around our huge country is now easier and faster than ever before! We have built the world's largest network of high-speed railways. Imagine hopping on a super-fast train that feels like it's flying on the ground! We also have new airports and giant bridges connecting cities.
Healing Our Planet: Combating Desertification
A desert is a very dry place where it's hard for plants to grow. Combating desertification means stopping deserts from spreading. Our country has done this by planting millions and millions of trees, creating a "Great Green Wall" that turns dry land back into healthy, green land.
Reaching for the Stars: Aerospace Technology
Our country is exploring space! We have sent astronauts to our own space station, landed rovers on the Moon and Mars, and launched many satellites (like BeiDou!). This shows our amazing progress in science and technology.
A Modern Hero: Yuan Longping
Yuan Longping was a modern hero and scientist known as the "Father of Hybrid Rice." He spent his whole life developing special types of rice that could produce much more food. His hard work has helped make sure that people in China and all over the world have enough to eat. He is a perfect example of how development is people-centred—focused on helping people.
Key Takeaway for Part 3
Modern development in our country is about improving life for everyone, from helping people in need and building modern cities to creating faster transport, protecting our environment, and exploring space!
Part 4: What Does This All Mean?
Our Country, Our Future
As we've seen, National Development is a long journey with amazing stories from the past and exciting plans for the future. The most important idea is that the development of our country is people-centred. It's all about making life safer, healthier, and happier for its citizens.
And guess who the most important part of the future is? YOU! There's a saying: "A nation will prosper when its young people thrive." This means that when young people like you learn, grow, and work hard, you help our country become even better. By learning about our country's achievements, you can feel proud and be inspired to contribute your own amazing ideas one day!
Great job exploring with us! Keep being curious!