Jeremy Killian, age 15, of Nashua, N.H., for his question:
HAS MANCHURIA ALWAYS BEEN PART OF CHINA?
Today Manchuria is the northeast portion of China but the vast territory has not always been part of the Chinese nation. Through the years, Manchuria has been controlled by a large number of rulers.
Actually, Manchuria has known some Chinese colonization since 300 B.C., but its early rule was by Manchu tribesmen, nomadic herdsmen closely resembling the peoples of Mongolia.
The Great Wall was built partly in an effort to keep out the Manchus although early invasions were frequent. In the 17th century the Manchu leader Nurhachi united his tribesmen into a powerful force that conquered all of China. From 1644 until 1912, when China was proclaimed a republic, the Manchu dynasty actually ruled China.
The modern development of Manchuria started with Russian penetration and railroad building in 1900. Japan likewise had interest in Manchuria, particularly as a source for raw materials. Manchuria was one of the causes of the Russo Japanese war between 1904 and 1905 and with the defeat of Russia, Manchuria came strongly under Japanese influence.
Chinese rule in Manchuria from 1911 until 1928, while the Chinese Republic was in its infancy, was largely by bandit warlords. In 1928 the Nationalist Chinese government assumed control but then Japan seized the area in 1931.
Following the defeat of Japan in World War II, Soviet troops occupied Manchuria. During this time the Chinese Communists were established in the area.
Chinese Nationalists possession of Manchuria from 1946 to 1949 was in name only. In 1949 Manchuria came completely under Communist control and since then the area has been marked for increasing industrial development as an important part of China.
Manchuria has an area of about 310,000 square miles. The population is in the neighborhood of 100 million.
Manchuria lies in approximately the same latitude as the northern United States and southern Canada. Its climate is roughly the same as that of Minnesota and the Canadian provinces to the north.
Winters in Manchuria are long and very cold. Snowfall, although light, occurs six months out of the year in the north, four months in the south. Winter temperatures average below freezing throughout Manchuria.
Summers, by contrast, are short and hot. Temperatures often rise above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Fortunately for the growth of crops, these two summer months are also the season of heaviest rainfall.
The great central plain, where most of the people of Manchuria now live, is one of the most prosperous agricultural regions of China. The millions of Chinese immigrants who poured into this relatively newly settled area quickly took advantage of the rich black soil in the Liao and Sungari river valleys.
Today, particularly all land suitable for cultivation has been put into crops.