Honecker Vho-ns-korV Erich (b. Aug. 25, 1912, Neunkirchen, Ger.—d. May 29, 1994, Chile) German communist head of East Germa¬ ny’s Socialist Unity Party (1971-89) and chairman of the Council of State (1976-89). A member of the German Communist Party, he was impris¬ oned by the Nazis from 1935 to 1945. In 1946 he cofounded and led the Free German Youth movement in East Germany. In 1961 he oversaw the building of the Berlin Wall. He succeeded Walter Ulbricht as head of East Germany, which under his rule was one of the most repressive but also one of the most prosperous of the Soviet-bloc countries. He allowed the growth of some trade and travel ties with West Germany in return for West German financial aid. He was forced to resign with the collapse of communism in 1989.
Honegger \,6-na-'ger,\ English Vha-ni-garV, Arthur (b. March 10, 1892, Le Havre, France—d. Nov. 27, 1955, Paris) French composer. Born to Swiss-French parents, he studied in Zurich, then at the Paris Conserva¬ tory. One of the group known as Les Six, though not truly in sympathy with its aims, he first gained international renown for his oratorio Le Roi David (1921). His exciting orchestral piece Pacific 231 (1923), portraying a loco¬ motive, caused a sensation. Prolific throughout his life, he composed five symphonies (including Symphony No. 3 known as Liturgique, for the end of World War II), the oratorio Jeanne d’Arc au bucher (1938), and numerous scores for ballet, theatre, and films (including Abel Gance’s Napoleon).
Honen Vho-nen\ orig. Seishimaru (b. May 13, 1133, Inaoka, Mimasaka province, Japan—d. Feb. 29, 1212, Kyoto) Japanese Buddhist leader. As a monk at the Mount Hiei monastery of the Tendai (Tiantai)
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honey ► Hongwu I 891
sect, he learned the Pure Land doctrines of Chinese Buddhism (see Pure Land Buddhism), which taught salvation by the mercy of Amitabha Buddha, and he subsequently became the founder of the Pure Land (Jodo) sect in Japan. H5nen believed that few people were spiritually capable of fol¬ lowing the Buddha’s own path to enlightenment, and in 1175 he pro¬ claimed that the only thing needed for salvation was the nembutsu, or chanting of the name of Amida (Amitabha). Honen settled at Kyoto and gathered disciples, including Shinran. Persecuted by other Buddhists, he was driven into exile in 1207 but returned to Kyoto in 1211.
honey Sweet, viscous liquid food, golden in colour, produced in the honey sacs of various bees from the nectar of flowers. Honey has played an important role in human nutrition since ancient times; until about 250 years ago, it was almost the sole sweetening agent. Honey is often pro¬ duced on a commercial scale from clover ( Trifolium) or sweet clover ( Melilotus ) by the domestic honeybee. The nectar is ripened into honey by inversion of most of its sucrose into the sugars levulose (fructose) and dextrose (glucose) and the removal of excess moisture. Honey is stored in the beehive or nest in a honeycomb, a double layer of uniform hex¬ agonal cells constructed of beeswax and propolis (a plant resin). The honey is used in winter as food for the bee larvae and other members of the colony. Honey extracted for human consumption is usually heated to destroy fermentation-causing yeasts and then strained. See also beekeeping.
honey bear See sun bear
honeybee Broadly, any bee that makes honey (any insect of the tribe Apini, family Apidae); more strictly, one of the four species constituting the genus Apis. The term is usually applied to one species, the domestic honeybee (A. mellifera ), also known as the European domestic bee or western honeybee. The other Apis species are confined to Asia. A. mel¬ lifera is usually about 0.5 in. (1.2 cm) long. All honeybees are social insects that live in nests or hives. They have three castes: workers (undeveloped females), queens, and drones (sting¬ less males). See also beekeeping.
honeysuckle family Family Caprifoliaceae, containing approxi¬ mately 500 species. It is well known for its many ornamental woody shrubs and vines, composed mostly of northern temperate species but including some tropical mountain plants. The genus Lonicera contains shrubs with opposite leaves and often showy flowers rich in nectar. One member, Japanese honeysuckle (L. japonica), is a highly fragrant flowering vine that kills other plants by climbing over them and shutting out the light. Also included in this family is the elder.
Hong Kong Chinese Xianggang Vshyag-'gaqV or Hsiang-kang
Special administrative region of China (pop., 2005 est.: 6,926,000). Located on China’s southern coast, it consists of the island of Hong Kong and adjacent islets in the South China Sea (ceded by China to the British in 1842), the Kowloon Peninsula (ceded in 1860), and the New Territo¬ ries (leased by the British from China from 1898 to 1997). The entire territory was returned to China in 1997. It covers 425 sq mi (1,102 sq km); the New Territories, lying north of the Kowloon Peninsula and con¬ stituting an enclave in China’s Guangdong province, are more than nine- tenths of the total area. The administrative centre of Victoria on Hong Kong island’s northwestern coast is also the centre of economic activi¬ ties. Hong Kong has an excellent natural harbour and is one of the world’s major trade and financial centres. It has many educational institutions, including the University of Hong Kong (1911). See map opposite.
Hong Kydng-nae \ , h6q- , kyoq-na\ Rebellion Peasant uprising in northern Korea in 1812 organized by Hong Kyong-nae, a fallen yangban (court official), in response to oppressive taxation and forced labour dur¬ ing a time of famine caused by crop failure. The rebels prevailed for sev¬ eral months and were put down only after a concerted military campaign. A similar rebellion occurred in the 1860s.
Hong Xiuquan Vhuq-she-'u-chie-'anN or Hung Hsiu-ch'uan (b.
Jan. 1, 1814, Fuyuanshui, Guangdong, China—d. June 1, 1864, Nanjing) Chinese religious prophet, leader of the Taiping Rebellion (1850-64). Born
Honeybee (Apis mellifera )
INGMAR HOLMASEN
into a poor Hakka family, Hong showed signs of great intelligence but failed three times to obtain even the lowest degree on the civil-service exams. Suffering an emotional collapse, he had a vision in which he was instructed to rid the world of evil demons. He became the leader of his own brand of Christianity, demanded the abolition of opium smoking and prostitution, and promised an ultimate reward to his followers. In 1850 he began plotting a rebellion; the next year he declared himself Heavenly King of the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace (Taiping Tianguo). His army of more than a million men and women soldiers captured Nanjing, which became Hong’s new capital. Power struggles culminated in his leaving affairs of state to his incompetent older brothers; he withdrew and committed suicide in 1864 after a lingering illness.
Hongli See Qianlong emperor
Hongshan \'huq-'shan\ culture or Hung-shan culture (4000- 3000 bc) Prehistoric culture of far northern China. It appears to have had a three-tiered elite whose members were honoured with complex burials. Painted pottery found there may link it to Yangshao culture, while its beautiful jade artifacts link it to other jade-working cultures on the east¬ ern coast, such as Liangzhu (3300-2200 bc). See also Erlitou culture; Longshan culture.
Hongshui River or Hung-shui \'hui]-'shwe\ River River, southern China, a principal source stream of the Xi River. Rising as the Nanpan in eastern Yunnan province, it flows south and east to form part of the boundary between Guizhou province and Guangxi autonomous region. Flowing for 215 mi (345 km), it unites with the Yu River at Guiping to form what eventually becomes the Xi River.
Hongtaiji Vhuq-'ti-'jeV or Abahai or Tiancong \'tyan-'k6q\ (b. Nov. 28, 1592, Manchuria—d. Sept. 21, 1643, Manchuria) Creator of the Qing empire in Manchuria. Under him, Inner Mongolia and Korea became vas¬ sal states of the Manchus. On the counsel of his Chinese advisers, Hong¬ taiji began the conquest of China. He did not live to see its completion a year later, but his reign greatly strengthened the foundations of Manchu rule, and he became the first emperor of the Qing dynasty. See also Dor- gon; Nurhachi.