China is an enthralling land filled with fascinating culture and history. Learn more about it with these China fun facts:
Chinese citizens love traveling and spend an astounding 260 billion dollars annually on trips. China also boasts the world’s heaviest elevator, situated atop a cliff for stunning panoramic views.
1. A new skyscraper is built every five days
China is the fastest-growing nation on earth, and its skyline is rapidly changing. A timelapse video released last month shows one skyscraper being constructed every five days; two of the tallest buildings will likely reside there by 2020.
As China shifts its economy from being focused on growth towards sustainability, Chinese officials are shifting toward prioritizing quality over quantity in their development strategies. Focusing on creating more architecturally impressive structures that make an impressionful statement about their cities while drawing tourists.
China is home to some of the longest rivers in the world. The Yangtze is the fourth longest river and runs through several major Chinese cities – it’s also an extremely popular tourist attraction and can often be used for recreation purposes.
China is well known for inventing many noteworthy items, including ice cream, tea, gunpowder, printing technology and the compass. Furthermore, China boasts several iconic ancient monuments like the Great Wall of China which was constructed two millennia ago to protect China’s first unified kingdom from invasions.
China is also home to beloved animals such as the giant panda, who is beloved by many people and considered an iconic symbol of Chinese culture. Popular tourist attractions can visit zoos across China to witness these gorgeous animals up close; alternatively you could check out other animals including tigers, dogs and swans as well.
2. Fanjingshan Mountain is the best-kept secret of China
Fanjingshan Mountain was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2018 for its breathtaking peaks and Buddhist history. Situated within Wuling Mountains of Eastern Guizhou Province, its sacred destination comprises two temples perched high up into the sky; those willing to brave its nearly 9,000 steps for this religious pilgrimage can find peace and enlightenment here.
Fanjingshan temples stand as an inspiring testament to Chinese Buddhist faith and devotion. Constructed between the 12th and 10th centuries, these two structures sit atop New Golden Summit or Red Clouds Golden Summit as spiritual sites while simultaneously being engineering marvels designed to withstand harsh mountain winds; constructed out of layers of stone 17 feet (5.18 meters wide by 18 feet (5.48 meters deep).
Fanjingshan Mountain has become an attraction for Buddhists from across China and overseas, drawing visitors with over 50 temples for exploration. Devout Buddhists from across both countries frequently flock here for spiritual renewal.
Mount Wuyi is an ecological treasure chest, home to over 2,000 plant species and hundreds of endangered animals, as well as unique geological formations dating back 1 billion to 1.4 billion years – such as steep precipices and deep valleys dating from 1 to 1.4 billion years. Such is its beauty that some have even dubbed it China’s gene database!
3. China is the largest country in the world
China spans an immense geographic region and boasts over seven billion people residing there. As one of the world’s most populous nations, it has a distinctive culture dating back 4,000 years and boasts so much history that books could easily be written about it!
China is an economic powerhouse and boasts the world’s highest literacy rate. Citizens in this nation also love traveling abroad, spending around 260 billion each year on trips abroad – that’s over double what Americans spend!
Chinese people may appear formal on the outside, yet are known for being extremely warm and friendly inside. Additionally, their culture is known as a “coconut culture”, with strong family ties and friendships; several generations often cohabitating within one house.
China is home to an array of unique animals, such as giant pandas. These endearing cuddly creatures exude charm with their adorable innocence that makes it easy to fall in love with them. China boasts many of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in existence today, such as the Great Wall and Forbidden City. Furthermore, kites were invented in China for use during battle to disorient enemy troops and create confusion during combat operations. Long yu, commonly known as the dragonfish, has long been considered an icon of good fortune and prosperity in Asia. Highly prized creatures, these colorful aquatic inhabitants can fetch over $300,000 USD when sold internationally.
4. China is home to the giant panda
China’s beloved panda bear is an emblem of peace and friendship; tribes would raise flags bearing his image in times of war to call for truces.
Pandas reside in temperate forests high in the mountains of southwestern China and subsist on mostly bamboo shoots and leaves – 99 percent of their diet! Giant pandas consume 12 hours each day when feeding themselves; using special bone extensions from their wrist as pseudo thumbs, these creatures use to hold onto bamboo stalks they consume daily. Since they cannot hibernate or store food over extended periods, pandas must consume an enormous amount of food daily or perish from starvation.
As a result, their numbers are on the decline. Pandas can be found living wild in mountainous regions in Sichuan, Sichauni, Shaanxi provinces and Shaanxi’s Qinling Mountains; with the most dense concentration in Foping Nature Reserve. Here the humidity remains all year and 55% of land comprises bamboo – providing ideal living conditions for pandas.
Since 1972, China has employed “panda diplomacy” as part of its conservation efforts and to generate international support for endangered species preservation efforts. But when Memphis Zoo’s panda Ya Ya was recently returned home after 18-year loan at Weibo (China’s version of Twitter), many Chinese were appalled. For them, Ya Ya was yet another reminder of US bullying against China and unwillingness to recognize a nation which has now become a world power.
5. Kites were invented in China
China boasts many interesting facts, but this one stands out as perhaps its most fascinating: Kites were invented there! Although exactly when and how this occurred remains uncertain, scholars believe a Chinese craftsman named Mozi created the first wooden kite in 5th Century BCE that could hold aloft a person. Other accounts suggest its first use may have been for military use: when Emperor Wudi of Liang Dynasty was trapped by Hou Jing’s rebel troops at Taicheng Nanjing near Nanjing for several days he used his kite as an SOS signal to get help from outside forces. Nowadays smaller silk and paper versions remain widely used throughout China often shaped like birds!
Kites were widely utilized in ancient China to measure wind readings and deliver messages, most famously by the story of Xiang Yu and his troops at Gaixia (Liingbi County in Anhui Province today). He instructed his soldiers to create kites out of cowskin and bamboo strips tied together so as to produce musical sounds similar to that of a harp when flying – an action which helped reduce morale among enemy troops, leading them toward defeat and ultimately leading them into victory.
Kites were widely utilized during the Qing Dynasty as a form of communication between China and Japan, when their emperor dispatched a group of kites between their countries to signal each other, helping foster greater mutual understanding between them. Even today, China continues to use kites as an efficient method for communication; not only are SOS signals sent out using them; military members use different kinds of kites with LED lights equipped to send messages between locations or put on light shows by night flights using them as well.