10 Things You Need to Know About China

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: Why is it important for Americans to understand China??

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article. Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• potent (p. 8)
• enterprises (p. 9)
• successor (p. 10)
• dissent (p. 10)
• unvarnished (p. 11)
• exacerbated (p. 11)

3. Engage
Explain that the term superpower has been used historically to describe certain nations, such as the United States. Ask: What do you think it means to be a global superpower? What characteristics would a superpower have that other nations might not?

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: 10 Things You Need to Know About China, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear on the following page of this lesson, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• What is the author’s main purpose in writing the article?  How does the article’s question-and-answer structure support that purpose? (Author’s purpose, text structure) (The author’s main purpose is to inform readers about China by describing important aspects of it. The question-and-answer structure allows the writer to connect a variety of ideas about China in a logical way. In addition, by assuming the voice of a reader who is curious about China, the writer makes each idea seem more interesting and important.)

• According to the section “Has China Become a Superpower?,” summarize why China might be considered a superpower and why it might not be. (Summarize, cite text evidence) (China could be called a superpower because it has developed a “world-class” economy and a modernized infrastructure that includes a high-speed rail system, digital marketplace, nuclear weapons, and a space program. However, it might not be called a superpower because its GDP per capita is smaller than that of some struggling countries.)

• In the section “Why Are So Many Things Made in China?,” the author writes, “In some ways, China is a victim of its own success.” What does the author mean? What can you predict about China’s future economy based on this sentence?( Analyze language, make predictions) (The author means that China’s ability to make cheap goods has caused it to grow economically, which has led to a more skilled workforce that expects higher wages. Because labor has become more expensive, China won’t be as attractive to foreign companies looking for cheaper manufacturing. Students may predict that China’s economy might shrink, or its focus might shift away from manufacturing.)

• In the section “Is China Still a Communist Country?,” the author says that China places ”strict limits on individual rights.” What evidence does the author provide to support that idea? What evidence from other sections also supports it? (Cite text evidence, integrate information) (In the section “Is China Still a Communist Country?,” the author describes facial recognition cameras and digital tracking systems that allow the Chinese government to monitor people. In “Do China’s People Have Any Freedom?,” the author quotes an expert who says that elections aren’t free and fair and that citizens don’t have freedom of religion. The author also says that the government censors the internet through “The Great Firewall.”)

• What conclusions can you draw about China and the U.S. by analyzing the information presented in the infographic “China & the U.S.”? (Analyze visual data, draw conclusions) (Students’ answers may vary, but students may conclude that because China has a lower GDP than the U.S. but a much larger workforce, the U.S. workforce is currently more efficient than China’s and U.S. workers probably earn more money. Students may also conclude that because China has a much larger workforce than the U.S. but only a slightly larger military, either America has a very large military for its population size or China has an unexpectedly small one.)

• In the final section, the author says that U.S. officials have “a lot of reasons to be concerned” about China. Do you think America should be concerned about a conflict with China? Why or why not? (Evaluate a claim) (Students’ responses will vary, but students should cite instances from the text and support their opinions with explanations and reasoning.)

6. Writing Prompt
In the article, Damien Ma describes China as an “authoritarian capitalist system.” Have students use details from the text to explain how it is capitalist and how it is authoritarian.

7. Video
Watch the video about the history of China and the U.S. What does it add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Should the U.S. pressure China to become a more free society?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess comprehension and Be the Editor to review grammar skills.