Asia in 1933

This small report book is over 150 pages! And as you read through it, some things haven't changed since 1933, some things are ominous premonitions, and other things have merely faded away...

Asia

by Lottie Jensen 7a

1933

Excellent

Very neat and shows much work.

L.R.

China

The people of China have many curious customs that it almost seems like another world. Their minds are as bright as ours and if you should trade with a Chinese you should always look out or he will get the best of the bargain. They are very old people, as they had civilization long before Rome was founded. The Empire consists of five provinces, Tibet, Manchuria, Mongolia, Sin Xiang, and China Proper. In its mountains there are many kinds of minerals, and it is said to have coal near iron beds in every one of the eighteen provinces of China Proper.

China Proper is where most of the people live. it is not quite half as large as the United States but it has five times as many inhabitants. This dense population of China Proper is because in other parts of China are deserts and mountains. At the north the people dress in sheepskins during the winter, while in the southern most parts the children often go barefoot at New Years.   ...

Siberia

Siberian farmers have vast numbers of camels, sheep, horses and cows. They think it is more respectable to live in tents and they do more herding than farming. In Siberia mares are milked.

The Russian government has begun building branches along some parts of the Trans Siberian railroad so there are hundreds of Russians at work grading and laying the rails. The eastern end of the railroad is at Vladivostok and the western end is at Cheliabrunck. The trains are already running over some parts of the country.   ...

Japan

Japan is made up of many little islands winding in and out like a snake. There are more than thirty-eight hundred mountainous islands. Japan is a land of forest. It is said there is no country that has a greater variety of beautiful scenery. Japan is also a land of earthquakes, and its capital Tokyo is said to feel at least one shock every day in the year. Japan is a very crowded country being it is only about the size of Montana and has about half as many people as the United States.   ...

India

The peninsula of Hindustan or India (without Burma) is almost half as large as the United States. At the north of the peninsula is the snow-clad Himalayas. India contains about three hundred million people more than one sixth of the population of the world. The peninsula is divided up into many states, the most of which are governed by Great Britain. Some parts of the country is governed by rajahs or native Indian princes but have a British adviser in his court. The government collects in taxes from India more than four hundred million dollars a year.

The British have greatly improved India. Modern schools and colleges have been improved and established in many of the cities. They have also introduced its postal and telegraph systems in all parts of India.   ...

Burma

Burma is twice as large as Great Britain and is naturally one of the richest countries of the world. Its broad valleys with many canals produce great quantities of delicious rice. It has mines of rubies and sapphires and its mountains contain gold, silver, and copper.

There are many large cities, such as Mandalay with population of about two hundred thousand people and Rangun with about one quarter of a million people. The Iriwadi river which runs through Burma is one of the great rivers of the world being navigable for small boats for a distance of nine hundred miles.

Burma belongs to Great Britain and is governed as a part of India.

Korea

Korea is sometimes called "The Hermit Nation" because until a short time ago the rest of the rest knew little about her. Yet it existed as a nation two thousand years before America was discovered. The country is now governed by Japan. The Koreans have always looked upon their country as the most beautiful in the world and have tried to keep other nations from learning of it for fear they might come and seize it.

Korea has many fertile valleys covered with rice, but nowhere well farmed. In the mountains there are rich mines of gold and valuable coal fields which have not yet been worked. Also many signs of petroleum. ...

Siam

Siam contains over five million inhabitants and its area is a little greater than that of Spain. It has many rivers and much of the land is cut up by canals. It has rainy seasons, during which the streams overflow and almost the whole country becomes one vast lake. At such times the people move from village to village and from city to city in boats.

The houses on land are built upon high posts to be out of the way of the water at the time of the floods and to be somewhat protected from tigers and snakes.

Siam has much rich soil. Its mountains contain mines of gold, silver, iron, and tin.

Persia and Arabia

The country of Persia looks very small on the map but it is really larger than France, Germany, Great Britain and Ireland put together. It consists of a high plateau with a rim of mountains around it. The land is made largely up of barren deserts, some which are covered with salt and sulphur. Some salt deserts are as big as one or two of our states.

There is no country which is less inviting and more desolate than Arabia. Arabia is the least known country in the world. It is about one third the size of the whole United States. In this vast territory there are no railroads, no great rivers, and very little soil is used for farming.   ...

The streets of Jerusalem are as queer as their houses. They are narrow and winding. In some places there houses are built over the streets and when walking through them seems as though you were through a long line of vaulted caves.   ...

The End