Hello, Brooklyn!
I'm so glad that you are coming with me to China! There is so much that I have to share with you about this wonderful place. When you hear the word "China", what do you think of first? Many people think of China as a faraway and strange place. Actually, China is one of the most important countries in the world and its people share many of the same dreams and feelings that you and I do!
In the Chinese language, words can tell you a lot about how Chinese people think. For example, the Chinese word for China actually means "Middle Kingdom". This is because the Chinese people and their leaders have thought of China as the center of the world for over 4,000 years. That's right -- China is one of the oldest countries on earth. It also is almost the same size as the United States, but it has four times as many people -- the most people of any country on earth. No wonder they think they are the Middle Kingdom!
China is an Asian country on the opposite side of the world from New York. That means that when the sun sets in Brooklyn, the sun is rising here in my city. How strange! Take a moment to close your eyes and imagine that you are a Chinese kid in elementary school on the other side of the earth.
