CD1 - Track 18 | Текст песни

• Тексты песен
• CD1
• Track 18

Hello, welcome to Then and Now. Today we’re talking about an incredible country, with a fascinating culture and a long history going back over three thousand years. China is hugely rich in art and culture, and its food and traditions are well-known around the world. But two aspects of China are perhaps lesser known. Firstly, this vast country has a long history of inventing things and secondly, it is now the third-biggest economy in the world, with ultra-modern cities and many booming industries. Today we’ve got China expert Mei Zhang here to tell us all about this flourishing ‘Land of invention’. Hello Mei.
Hello.
Well, this programme is called Then and Now, so let’s start with ‘Then’ – China’s history, and this idea of a ‘land of invention’. I knew that the Chinese invented paper, but I must admit I didn’t know that they invented so many other important things. Before we talk about those, can you remind us about the story of paper?
Yes. It was in one o five AD that paper-making was perfected in China. The first paper was made of silk. Well, it was really the waste from silk-making, which they pulped up to make paper.
Of course, paper had an enormous impact on China, didn’t it?
Yes, with paper and then printing, it meant people could get information much more easily.
Mm. So, what else did the Chinese invent?
Well, quite a few simple but important things. I think one of the simplest inventions was the wheelbarrow, invented around two twenty AD, which meant that enormous loads could be carried by just one person – as well as other things that we take for granted today like silk, porcelain, the kite and even the umbrella!
And we have the Chinese to thank for fireworks, don’t we?
Yes, that’s right! In the eighth century, the Chinese discovered gunpowder. And by the tenth century, it was being used to make fireworks, the gun, the rocket and the bomb – so, it eventually had a huge influence on the whole world, of course. Another major invention was a machine for making cast iron, which they first developed in the 6th century BC.
Wow! That really is a long time ago! That must have made a big difference to people’s lives too.
That’s right. A lot of iron was used for agricultural tools, so production was increased hugely, which brings me quite nicely to the present, really – to the ‘Now’ – to present-day China.
Mm. Is agricultural production big in China now?
Well, yes, there’s a lot of agriculture – about fifteen percent of the economy is based on agriculture. You know, things like rice, tea, cotton and fish. But it’s certainly not just countryside and agriculture. There are some massive cities in China, like Shanghai, whose population is around twenty million. And, as I said, China is now the third-biggest economy globally. Industry is huge and expanding all the time. Production of iron, for example, is growing at a rate of about twenty-two percent a year at the moment.
That’s certainly a booming industry. So, what other industries are important now?
Well, so many of the things we buy are made in China, aren’t they? Industrial production accounts for over half of China’s economic wealth, including such consumer items as toys, clothes, shoes, cars and electronic goods, as well as the heavier industrial products like iron.

CD1 еще тексты