China Unit Study

Wow!  China!  I can honestly say that I have learned more about China over the past several weeks than I have in a lifetime.  I am so pleased that my children have a much greater understanding of China than a great deal of the U.S. population.  More importantly, they have a heart for the people of China which I believe is every bit as important to their education.

Here is a sampling of our reading for this unit: 

God's Adventurer: Hudson Taylor by Phyllis Thompson

Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis

Eric Liddell: Something Greater than Gold by Janet and Geoff Benge

Mission to Cathay by Madeleine Polland

The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong

We read all of these books aloud together, which was quite an undertaking,

but well worth the time and effort.  

We also watched videos:

Chariots of Fire (to complement our reading on Eric Liddell)  *Netflix

China From the Inside: Power and the People (a look at communism in modern-day China)  *PBS Home Video

Modern Marvels: The Great Wall of China  *Netflix

My children built a replica of The Great Wall of China for their project.  The wall itself is constructed entirely of Legos.  It is approximately 40 inches long.  My daughter sculpted and painted the landscape and added sprigs of greenery, rocks and sand to add a realistic touch.

One of the interesting things that we learned about in this unit was Calligraphy.  The essential elements of this art are called the Four Treasures of the Study.  They are the ink brush, ink, paper and inkstone.  We received  a Chinese calligraphy kit in our Sonlight Eastern Hemisphere curriculum package.  Our friends, Sam and Susan, who are Chinese and own Buffet City, were kind enough to join our family for an American-style holiday dinner and then demonstrate this ancient art.  Sam and Susan both learned this very intriciate skill as schoolchildren in China.

Sam writing 'China' in calligraphy.

Susan grinding the inkstick with water on the inkstone.

Sam, David, Sarah and Susan
The characters say "Happy Family"

My favorite observation about this study came from my son who noted. "When I think about China, I don't think of the Great Wall, I think about Sam."   To me, that is the greatest measure of success.  We have acquired a good foundation of knowledge while establishing a personal connection with our international friends. We are, indeed, a Happy Family!