Dena De Clute

World Geography Wednesday Visits China

I’ll never forget my first time watching a Chinese film at the Downer Theater in downtown Milwaukee. It had worn red carpet, a sweeping staircase, and gold-gilt trim around the faded movie posters and mid-century modern wall sconces. I was there to see CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, and the theater did not disappoint.

Neither did the film.

The Chinese landscape onscreen was elegant and hauntingly beautiful, a juxtaposition of raw nature and stark architecture. Towering trees and ancient bamboo groves were set against geometric courtyards of pristine gray stone, carved ebony doors, and red walls with inlaid gold. And don’t even get me started on the gorgeous costumes.

“I often feel like an outsider wherever I go, so I’m always attracted to stories about identity and the meaning of home.” – Chloé Zhao

Co-Writer and Director of superhero film ETERNALS

Though a trip to China isn’t in my family’s immediate future (or budget, sadly), we can still visit it online. For this World Geography Wednesday, we started by watching “China: Pandas – Travel Kids in Asia”, which takes place at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province. My kids’ favorite part was learning they made paper and masks out of dried panda poo.

Hey, I never said my children were enlightened.

Then we pulled out our maps of Southeast Asia, China, and Beijing.

I was shocked to see how many different types of topography China has: terrace farms, deserts, mountains, rivers, rain forests, and even tundra. It makes sense since China is the third-largest country in the world based on land mass.

Then we read, “Day of the Dragon King” by Mary Pope Osborne, and some Chinese fables from “World of Enchantment: Legends and Myths” and “Fairy Tales and Fables” by Gyo Fujikawa.

Considering how large China is, it should be no surprise that the country is connected by a vast network of railways. In fact, if you laid China’s railways end-to-end, they could encircle the Earth twice!

Here are some more fun facts about China:

1. Soccer actually originated in China. It was called “tsu-chu”, which means “kicking the ball”.
2. The Chinese national animal is the Giant Panda. Seriously – go watch the video, they’re adorable.
3. The Great Wall of China is the longest man-made structure in the world. It’s over 13,000 miles long!
4. The Chinese New Year celebration lasts 15 days.
5. Ice cream was invented in China 4000 years ago.

But enough learning, it’s time to eat!

Foodie Police Disclaimer: I understand Chinese cuisine is extremely complex and varied. This menu is just to give my kids a general idea of what Chinese food is like.

Drinks and Nibbles

Then I served a quick ramen noodle stir-fry with mushrooms, onions, and tofu. My son doesn’t like the texture of beans, so the tofu messed with him a bit. But we all loved the flavor and were much more patient for the main course!

Main Course

The main attraction was pork lettuce wraps. Lettuce wraps are popular in many countries in Southeast Asia. This Chinese recipe is called san choy bow.

Basically, it’s marinated pork (usually ground, though I used a roast) and rice stuffed inside a Bibb lettuce leaf wrapper. Iceberg lettuce is cheaper, but it tends to crack and make a mess. Fair warning.

Julienned raw vegetables, bamboo shoots, fresh herbs, and chopped peanuts are the usual toppings. Pro tip: Blot any wet veggies (like cucumbers) with paper towels when prepping.

If you’d like to learn how to make Chinese lettuce wraps, check out my video: WGW Visits China.

Dessert

Ah, dessert! My family adores mangos, so I made a rich coconut mango pudding. It’s super easy to make, so I’ve added the recipe below. Enjoy!

Coconut Mango Pudding

INGREDIENTS:

2 large mangoes, chopped

½ cup water

1 packet of plain gelatin

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup coconut milk

whipped cream

toasted, shredded coconut

TOOLS:

cutting board and knife

blender

measuring cup

rubber spatula

small pot

whisk

PROCESS:

Put the chopped mango in the blender and blend it until it’s a smooth puree. Then leave it in there.

In a small pot over high heat, heat the water until it boils. Turn off the heat, and whisk in the gelatin packet, stirring nonstop to prevent lumps. Add the sugar to the hot mixture and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Add this sugar mixture to the mango in the blender. Add coconut milk and blend it until all the ingredients are combined. Pour the pudding mixture into individual bowls (or a shallow serving dish) and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Top with whipped cream and toasted coconut right before serving.

I hope you enjoyed this article on teaching kids about China! Follow me for more kid-friendly geography ideas.