| A | B |
|---|
| available | easy to get |
| compile | to collect into a list or group |
| contact | to meet or interact with others |
| drama | a story told by actors who pretend to be characters in the story |
| encounter | to meet unexpectedly |
| erode | to wear away slowly |
| eventual | some time later or in the future |
| medical | dealing with medicine and doctors |
| method | a procedure for doing something |
| project | a planned large task that has many steps |
| seek | to look for |
| barbarian | an uncivilized person |
| calligraphy | the art of producing beautiful handwriting |
| census | a count of the number of people (in a group) |
| economy | an organized way in which people produce, sell, and buy goods and services |
| monastery | a religious community where monks live and work |
| novel | a long fictional story |
| porcelain | a type of ceramic ware that is made of fine clay and baked at high temperatures |
| reform | a change that tries to bring about an improvement |
| steppe | a wide, rolling, grassy plain |
| terror | violent actions that are meant to scare people into surrendering |
| treason | disloyalty to the government |
| tribe | a group of related families |
| warlord | a military leader who runs a government |
| Beijing | modern city in present-day China, it was formerly the city of Khanbaliq, the Mongolian capital |
| Chang'an | a magnificent city and the capital during the Tang dynasty |
| Duo Fu | poet during the Tang era; his poems dealt with issues of social injustice and the problems of the poor |
| Empress Wu | empress of China during the late A.D. 600s and the only woman in China's history who ruled the country on her own |
| Genghis Khan | Mongolian ruler and ruthless warrior known for his cruelty; he built a huge empire across Asia and conquered all of northern China in the A.D. 1200s; his name means "strong ruler" |
| Gobi | a vast desert that covers parts of Mongolia and China |
| Karakorum | capital of the Mongolian empire under Genghis Khan |
| Khanbaliq | city in northern China that Kublai Khan chose for his new capital of the Mongolian empire in 1264; now known as the city of Beijing |
| Korea | peninsula in East Asia located to the northeast of China |
| Kublai Khan | grandson of Genghis Khan who became the new ruler of the Mongolian empire in A.D. 1260; he continued the Mongol conquest of China |
| Li Bo | one of the most popular poets during the Tang era in China; he often wrote poems about nature |
| Mongolia | large area to the north of China |
| Nanjing | capital of China under the Ming dynasty; this city was located in southern China |
| Portugal | a country in Europe on the Iberian Peninsula that wanted to trade with China in the 1500s; the people of Portugal also wanted the Chinese to become Christians |
| Wendi | general who declared himself emperor of China in A.D. 581; he reunited China and founded a new dynasty called the Sui |
| Yong Le | son of Hong Wu; he succeeded his father as emperor of China; he moved the capital north to Beijing in 1421; there he also built the Forbidden City, home to China's emperors for more than 500 years |
| Zheng He | born Ma He, this Chinese Muslim and navigator traveled on seven overseas voyages across the Indian Ocean from 1405 to 1431; his voyages opened the door for trade among China, India, and Africa |
| Zhu Yuanzhang | rebel leader and founder of the Ming dynasty; he became emperor of China in 1368 and ruled for 30 years; he reunited the country after the Mongols were driven out; he was also known as Hong Wu |
