Fun Facts About China You Might Not Know
Chinese culture is rich and dynamic. You might discover some surprising facts you didn’t know before!
Do you know that China only has one time zone, meaning some places experience sun rise as late as 10 AM. China also features the world’s longest wall and the Forbidden City palace that boasts over 9,000 rooms!
1. China is the largest country in the world
China is an enormous country with an enormous population and long history. Bounded by 14 other countries and possessing diverse terrain ranging from forests to deserts to high arid plateaus to humid coastlines – China boasts it all!
China boasts many natural wonders, such as the Great Wall and Giant Pandas, as well as one of the oldest civilizations on Earth. Additionally, Chinese cuisine features unusual ingredients like rats, snakes, and dogs – not to mention delicious food made using these unusual components!
China’s flag is red with one large star representing communism and four smaller ones representing its people. China is the world’s leading exporter and boasts an expansive economy; it uses Renminbi as its currency; however, Chinese written language contains over 10 000 characters which are only ever used a handful of times every day.
Many Chinese believe in the legend of Yeren, similar to Bigfoot. They believe this legendary creature resides in mountainous forests and represents power and strength. If all China’s railway lines were connected together they would span around three times around Earth; China also ranks second most densely populated country worldwide.
2. It has the world’s largest population
China is home to over 1.4 billion people – that’s more than the combined populations of Colombia, South Korea and Kenya combined! Furthermore, Chinese population growth is so rapid that China will surpass global population in five years or less.
Chinese civilization began around 6000 BC. Since then they have created many inventions like gunpowder, paper and printing technologies; their written language remains in widespread use worldwide; they even invented the compass! Furthermore they boast the highest population numbers following religions such as Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.
One of the most captivating facts about China is their use of exotic animal ingredients in their cuisine, from rats and snakes to dogs and more unusual ingredients such as crickets. Furthermore, cricket battling is a sport popular in China! Additionally, special pants with holes at the bottom allow people to squat easily whenever they need to pee or poo and not use diapers – more likely just squatting directly into a toilet than using pads!
3. It has the world’s oldest civilization
China is the oldest civilization on Earth, continuously inhabited for more than 6,000 years. China boasts some of the greatest inventions ever known – gunpowder, papermaking and printing technologies were all developed during this period – as well as being home to Confucianism itself. They were also pioneers in bridge technology for transporting goods and troops over large distances.
Chinese buildings that remain mostly intact date back at least 1400 years; however, many archaeological remains dating even further back are also discovered there.
As early as the Zhou dynasty, people started growing out their fingernails as a signal that they did not engage in manual labor. This tradition continues today among Chinese women, many of whom keep them long and even have them painted!
China holds that the Dragon is one of the most powerful creatures in existence and often features it as a symbol of luck and prosperity in art and culture. Additionally, this creature can transform into different animals depending on where it lands – including mountains, sky or ocean environments – making the Dragon an everlasting sign of good health and longevity.
4. It has the world’s largest skyscraper
China boasts six of the fifteen tallest skyscrapers worldwide. These structures tower high over Shanghai and Guangzhou cities.
Shanghai Tower stands proud at 632 meters. A true engineering feat, this spiraling cylindrical structure can even withstand typhoons!
China Tower stands out among green skyscrapers as one of the few to earn LEED Platinum certification, which recognizes their sustainability efforts and stands as a testament to China’s famed pollution and deforestation. This achievement stands as testament to how China is taking steps toward cleaner air and greater forest preservation.
Tianjin Goldin Finance 117 stands 597 meters tall. This structure stands out with its odd taper nearing the top that forms a diamond shape.
Changsha IFS Tower T1, situated in an obscure Chinese city that most have never heard of, stands as China’s third-tallest skyscraper and features a rotating restaurant, world’s fastest elevators and its own observatory – further proof that China loves breaking records!
5. It has the world’s largest mountain
China boasts an ancient civilisation dating back over five millennia and boasts some of the most breathtaking natural sites on Earth. Furthermore, China covers an area of 9,600,000 square kilometres making it the world’s largest country.
China boasts more than one third of the world’s mountains, including Mount Everest at 29,029 feet and bordering China and Nepal. Two men – Apa Sherpa and Phurba Tashi Sherpa – hold the record for most successful Mount Everest summits with 21 climbs each!
China is also home to the Leshan Giant Buddha, the world’s largest carved stone statue. Constructed over 90 years, its exquisite architectural artistry includes 1,021 giant buns used as hair for the statue’s hair tufts and hidden gutters and channels scattered through its head, arms, ears and clothes to divert rainwater away from it.
Chinese culture is well known for being efficient. One of the first ancient civilizations, paper money was invented there. Not surprisingly, many consider China one of the most powerful countries worldwide.
6. It has the world’s oldest Olympic Games
Chinese are one of the oldest Olympic Games participants, beginning their Olympic competitions as early as 1952 when a delegation traveled to Helsinki, Finland with men’s football and basketball teams as well as swimmer Wu Chuanyu who competed in official events.
China boasts the world’s longest high-speed railway lines – over 14,000 kilometers! These railways have helped transform China into an economic powerhouse around the globe.
China is home to some of the world’s most iconic landmarks, including the Great Wall – an expansive manmade structure covering more than 5,700 kilometers and built over 22 centuries, it is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Chinese travelers are famously fond of traveling. Each year they spend over twice what Americans spend traveling abroad. Additionally, Chinese people are well known for their love of kites – invented thousands of years ago in China itself – which are still widely used today for both battle purposes and superstition purposes.
7. It has the world’s largest man-made structure
The Great Wall of China is one of the world’s greatest manmade structures, created through connecting small walls together into a massive barrier that kept enemies at bay and helped defend China against attack. Covering 13,171 miles, its most visited section can be found at Badaling where over 70,000 visitors visit daily!
Chinese culture has many modern innovations, despite being an ancient civilization. Paper money and fortune cookies were both first invented there, while its language contains over 10 thousand characters that date back thousands of years.
China boasts the fourth longest river in the world and boasts some of the world’s most spectacular mountains, while being an industry leader when it comes to renewable energy, producing more solar panels than any other nation on Earth.
China is well-known for its stunning natural features and unique cuisine. Chinese meals often include unorthodox ingredients like pig heads, snakes and dog meat in dishes served. China has also long been recognized as an innovator and has contributed some of history’s greatest inventions such as gunpowder, paper and printing technology.