China is one of the oldest civilizations with a long and rich history, known for many inventions including soccer (football), kites and ice cream.
China boasts numerous “ghost cities”, and when combined, its railway lines could go around the globe twice! Furthermore, they even employ trained pigeons as messengers!
The Great Wall
One of the world’s most renowned landmarks, The Great Wall of China stands as an impressive testament to ancient engineering as well as an integral component of Chinese culture. Stretching over 4,163 miles through deserts, grasslands, mountains and more – some parts have since vanished but the wall remains one of humanity’s greatest architectural and historic achievements.
During the Warring States Period in 7th-century BC, individual states constructed walls to defend against northern nomadic tribes. But it was Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty who first ordered linking of these separate walls into a single massive fortress; his motivation? A rumor suggesting northern nomads might soon overrun his empire and overthrow it all.
As an iconic tribute to China’s spirit of national pride and determination, the wall stands as a testament to perseverance. Therefore, its popularity is no secret, leading to popular sayings such as: “Until You Reach The Great Wall You Aren’t A Hero”. Yet despite its prominence there remain several myths pertaining to it; one such myth being that it can be seen from space (this is false as it cannot be seen from low Earth orbit or the Moon without aid). However it can be seen from spacecraft flying at higher altitudes with ideal weather conditions).
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is something most of us would rather avoid thinking about, though its presence has long been part of human history. From disgusted reactions and tabloid coverage to lame jokes, cannibalism has always been present as part of history and human cultures.
For instance, Fore people of Papua New Guinea were cannibals until the late 1950s; eating brains caused them to contract an illness similar to mad cow disease that causes trembling and ultimately leads to death. Over time, however, they evolved a gene mutation which protects them from prions that transmit this illness – as an evolutionary survival mechanism.
Cannibalism is also prevalent among animals. Cannebalism has been observed among cane toads, caecilians and redback spiders as forms of eusociality; larger and stronger members consume weaker members to ensure survival of their own species.
Human cannibalism has often surfaced during times of famine and war. Reports of cannibalism surfaced during North Korean Famine of 2013, Leningrad Siege 1940s and China Great Leap Forward 1960s; as well as during civil wars such as Liberia Sierra Leone War of 1999-20th Century. Furthermore, certain women engage in intrauterine cannibalism when their fetuses become too big to fit through birth canal.
Fortune Cookies
Visit any Chinese restaurant and you’re likely to receive one of these little candies, famous for containing proverbs, advice or lucky numbers written on small slips of paper inside them. While these gifts have become part of American Chinese food culture, few know their source or where they originated from.
Though many believe fortune cookies were first produced in China, their origin can actually be found elsewhere: Japanese immigrants in San Fransisco prior to World War I are responsible for creating them; specifically Makoto Hagiwara who created these delicate yet crunchy snacks. But, it wasn’t until Edward Louie revolutionized their folding process that they became the dessert that can now be found at restaurants worldwide.
Today, several large fortune cookie manufacturers produce over 3 billion fortune cookies annually. Their batter is typically comprised of sugar, flour and water and when warm is flexible and can be folded into many different shapes before being sealed up with an array of fortune papers and folded around it for sealing purposes. Once cool enough to harden properly the cookies harden into their familiar forms.
Next time you and a friend sit down for Chinese cuisine, take some time to enjoy your fortune cookie’s message and its surprising message. But remember, this cookie does not originate in China and you should never attempt to fold it with chopsticks — this is illegal!
Mushrooms
Fungi are one of the most amazing and diverse groups of organisms on Earth, responsible for producing many foods we enjoy and for centuries used in making dyes, fabrics and holistic medicines. Additionally, they act as saprophytes recycling dead material while breaking down organic matter, while their mycorrhizal relationships provide trees with access to essential nutrients from soil sources.
Mushrooms are fruiting bodies of fungi that can both be consumed as edible and poisonous. While mushrooms have low calories and fat intake per serving, as well as being fat free and sodium free; they’re packed full of proteins, vitamin C, niacin and potassium – plus antioxidants – making them a delicious way to supplement any diet!
Fungi that produce mushrooms spread underground via mycelial networks of thin threads known as mycelium, which allows them to form and spread spores. Mycelial networks also enable mushrooms to absorb nutrients from the ground while communicating with other forest plants through this network – transferring carbon-rich sugars from tree roots into mycelial networks, helping new seedlings survive, etc. Additionally, certain fungi species produce light by combining with oxygen and producing chemicals called luciferin and luciferase which emit light; thus emitting light onto nearby surfaces or creating luminescent surfaces that give off light when combined with oxygen; these light emitting chemicals combined produce chemicals called luciferin and luciferase which create glowing spots of light that emit light when combined with oxygen they produce chemicals which produces chemicals known as luciferin and luciferase which causes luminescent glow effects causing glowing surfaces.
Toilet Paper
Toilet paper is a type of thin soft paper used to cleanse oneself after eliminating urine or feces from their bodies, as well as for other purposes, like wiping noses or eyes or cleaning baby faces. Made from materials such as wood pulp, cotton yarn or bamboo pulp; toilet paper may even come pre-fragranced or impregnated with chemicals to kill germs.
Manufacturers begin the production of toilet paper by harvesting tree bark. Next, manufacturers chip it into pieces before pressure cooking it into pulp for further processing. Finally, this pulp is washed and bleached until colorless before being pressed and dried before being rolled into long paper logs which can later be cut down to individual rolls for consumer purchase. Some toilet papers may also feature additional features, like perfumed scents such as chamomile or peach fragrances or funny texts (jokes/poems/graffiti) or printed features like banknote motifs/advertisements etc.
Before the 1700s, people generally used whatever was on hand from nature – usually grass, leaves, straw, hay or seashells – as toilet paper. Joseph Gayetty of New York invented what we now consider toilet paper in 1857 when he released “Medicated Paper for the Water Closet,” packaged into flat sheets that bore his signature watermark and sold by packages with flat sheets watermarked with his name.
Kites
Geometry defines a kite as a quadrilateral with two pairs of equal sides and opposite equal angles that bisect each other diagonally; its long diagonal bisects its shorter diagonal, creating an oval-like structure similar to diamonds; kite diamonds (or darts) provide an effective way of teaching students the properties of quadrilaterals.
Any kite, whether flying outdoors or indoors, is propelled by four forces: lift, weight, drag and thrust. Lift is the upward force that pushes a kite into the air; this occurs due to differences in air pressure when air moves over it at various speeds – the faster the air moves, the higher its lift is; 18th century Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli is widely credited as having discovered this principle and ultimately what makes kites fly.
Kites have long been used as a form of protection from evil spirits, to convey messages, represent gods or raise banners – they were even used during prehistoric times as the precursor to modern flight! Today they remain popular forms of recreational flying as well as artistic expression and an educational tool.