China is an incredible nation with a captivating history. There are many fascinating facts about China that are sure to surprise and amuse!
Did you know that Chinese consider the number 4 unlucky because its pronunciation sounds similar to death in Chinese?
1. China is the largest country in the world
China is the world’s largest country and home to over one billion people. China ranks first for exports worldwide and economic growth. Furthermore, they lead in renewable energy technology while having one of the world’s largest forest areas.
China is the second-most-populous nation and home to Mount Everest – one of the highest mountains on earth! At one time or another. China covers such an expansive territory that the entire United States could fit inside it!
Other fun China facts include:
Chinese tradition boasts more than 3 billion fortune cookies produced each year and table tennis as its national sport, while half of the world’s pigs reside here as well as over 1,700 skyscrapers in China – yet most English speakers require over 2,000 hours to learn it!
Chinese is not easy to learn! Most find Japanese and Spanish easier. Additionally, with its numerous dialects it may not always be straightforward separating one dialect from the next.
2. China is home to over 1 billion people
China is home to over one billion people and continues to experience rapid population growth. China also hosts many intriguing traditions and innovations such as chopsticks being invented there or having Ping Pong as the national sport. Furthermore, Chinese art and architecture has a history that spans millennia.
China has been around for over 1,500 years and boasts one of the oldest written Chinese texts ever produced, in addition to being home to over 300 million pigs – over half of all global swine herd. Additionally, China offers breathtaking natural landscapes and rivers like Yangtze River.
Beijing literally means “Northern Capital”, while there are other Chinese cities with similar names such as Nanjing (Southern Capital) and Zhongdu (Central Capital). Chinese is notoriously difficult to learn; English speakers could spend over two thousand hours becoming proficient in Mandarin alone! Over one billion Chinese citizens speak Mandarin; approximately the same amount of time would be needed to learn Italian or French together.
3. China is the most populous country in the world
China is home to over 1 billion people, making it the world’s most populous nation and home of over 1000 civilizations. Chinese culture was one of the first in use paper, bronze, silk, jade wood as materials for making art and other objects.
China is organized into 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities and two special administrative regions. Furthermore, its diverse population speaks many different languages including Mandarin as well as many dialects.
China is home to vast natural resources and is one of the largest producers of goods globally. With vast forests and wetlands essential for carbon capture, helping mitigate climate change, as well as home to several endangered species such as giant pandas and golden monkeys; China boasts abundant resources that make up one of its primary exports: goods.
4. China is the birthplace of Buddhism
Buddhism first entered China around 3rd Century BCE; however, widespread practice did not occur until early centuries of the Common Era. Han Dynasty Emperor Mingdi had a dream about an apparent Buddha figure which he later sent an official named Cai Yin to Central Asia to study Buddhist texts and monks before returning with Buddhist scriptures and monks who spread Buddhism throughout China.
At first, Chinese were reluctant to embrace Christianity because its beliefs and teachings were unfamiliar to them. Additionally, its written word seemed strangely written for their ears.
Additionally, Buddhism placed great importance on celibacy and equality for all humans; these views ran counter to Han Dynasty beliefs. Additionally, Chinese were unfamiliar with spiritualism, viewing Buddhism practices as threats to state power – leading to several violent clashes between the two religions.
5. China is the home of the Great Wall
The Great Wall of China is one of the most iconic symbols of Chinese culture and an official UNESCO World Heritage Site, created over two millennia ago by Emperor Qin Shi Huang to defend against Northern Frontier Tribes and protect China as it united into one kingdom. Furthermore, some claim it can even be seen from space (although NASA has since refuted this claim).
The walls owe their longevity to a special mortar made of glutinous rice flour that tightly seals each brick so weeds cannot grow between them. Some sections even boast guard towers or fortifications while others appear endlessly long.
Legends abound regarding the Great Wall, such as Meng Jiangnu’s tears which caused an area to collapse. Furthermore, many believe the Wall was used as a burial ground for fallen soldiers and is currently undergoing serious repairs with approximately 30% disappearing annually due to natural weathering and irresponsible human behavior.
6. China is the birthplace of paper
Chinese papermaking has a rich and long history, and this country can take credit for developing many different varieties. One popular type is lajian paper – known for being used for writing scriptures, imperial decrees, calligraphy and calligraphic composition – known for its beauty, texture and vibrant colors – even featuring embellishments such as gold or silver flecks for further customization.
Prior to paper’s invention, people wrote on bones, bamboo slips, or tortoise shells – heavy materials which were difficult to transport but suitable for writing important documents on. Eventually these became impractical storage solutions.
Cai Lun, an official during the Han Dynasty, is widely recognized as having invented paper in 105 AD. By improving on an existing process by mixing coarse fibers like mulberry leaves with rags and old fishnets to produce paper that was lighter, cheaper, and suitable for calligraphy he created lighter paper that was cheaper to produce and more suitable than previous methods for calligraphy.
Chinese papermakers had kept the process of papermaking a closely guarded secret for generations; nevertheless, its spread throughout the globe eventually occurred. Some believe that ping pong was invented there but this is incorrect as a similar ball game known as soccer was first played there first.
7. China is the birthplace of ice cream
Sorting fact from fiction when discussing relatively recent inventions such as an ice cream cone can be challenging; but when talking about ancient creations it can become even harder. Many historians believe ice cream originated 4,000 years ago in China when people mixed a mixture of milk, rice and snow together and then frozen it. From there it spread worldwide and Marco Polo is widely credited with introducing it back to Europe after visiting China himself.
Ice cream has long been enjoyed throughout history in various forms, from using hot water to melt the mixture before pouring it onto snow to more refined versions of this dish such as in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), where mixtures of buffalo, goat and cow milk would be heated until fermented before being thickened with flour for thickening purposes and camphor for flavor before being served to the Tang emperor whose staff of 94 “ice men” was said to be dedicated solely for its preparation.
8. China is the birthplace of nail polish
Nail polish has become one of the world’s most beloved beauty products, but its success didn’t always lie within reach. The first nail polish ever invented dates back to Ancient China around 3000 BC as an indicator of social class distinction – noblemen often wore gold-tone nail polish while common folk painted their nails earthy colors such as black or green to identify themselves within society.
As this trend spread, more elaborate nail designs began appearing. Women of the Zhou dynasty began embellishing their nails with intricate dragon and flower designs as part of a work of art; long nails became a status symbol worn to show that someone was wealthy.
Nail color was another way women used to express themselves and express themselves individually. Nefertiti and Cleopatra used henna to tint their nails red; while ancient Babylonians painted warriors’ nails with kohl so they could easily identify one another on battlefields.