China is one of the largest countries in the world, with one of the largest populations. The country is blessed with a plethora of natural bounties and architectural marvels. Travelers from all around the world visit this fascinating country and keep coming back to be surprised every time. There is so much about China that is still hidden from the outer world. The Chinese traditions, their history, their culture, and their heritage are so vast that one trip will never do justice in exploring this country. For people who want to add China to their visit list, this blog is a starting point.
In this blog, we have listed some of the most interesting facts about China that are surely going to take you to the edge of your seat. So get ready to beat your friends in a trivia night about China, or simply know more about this country to fuel your wanderlust.
1 – Chinese people do not use baby diapers
This might come as a culture shock but baby diapers are not very popular in China. Instead of baby diapers, children in China wear pants with big holes in the bottom. At times when they feel like popping or peeing, they just squat down and do it wherever they feel like. This might be hard to believe, but when you visit China, you will get to know their weird side.
2 – China has the largest number of neighboring countries
We all have seen China on Geographic maps, and how big it is. Its vast size is also one of the reasons that China has the largest number of neighboring countries in the world. It’s a tie spot, held by both China and Russia. The number of neighboring country borders that both nations have is 14.
3 – Football was invented in China
When we hear the word football the thing that comes to our minds are the top football clubs of Europe or the superbly talented South American Football teams. But you will be surprised to know that football was invented in China. It was more than 2000 years ago that the Chinese invented a game where the ball was made of leather filled with feathers and hairs, and they named it ‘Tsu Chu’. It meant in Chinese, Kicking Ball. Yes, that is how our beloved football came into existence.
4 – Chinese people have their own Zodiac Calendar
We all are familiar with Western Zodiac Signs, but did you know that the Chinese also have their own Zodiac Calendar? Their Zodiac Calendar comprises 12 animals. The animals in the Chinese Zodiac Calendars are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. These Chinese Zodiac Animals are also associated with an element, which comprises wood, earth, water, fire, and metal. The Zodiac system runs for 12 years and after that, it again repeats the cycle.
5 – China has the world’s largest population
China has the world’s largest population in the world with close competition from its neighbor India. It means that one out of every 5 people that live in India are Chinese. Owing to such a large population, Chinese is also the most spoken language in the world. Around 14% of the entire world’s population speaks Chinese. Well, these are some feats that the largest population can get you.
6 – Only wealthy Chinese people keep long nails
In China, long nails signify wealth and prosperity. Yes, that might be a fashion statement in the rest of the world, but Chinese people have different beliefs about it. There is a logic behind it. If you are engaged in physical work then you cannot afford to have long nails, hence only rich people cultivate long nails. Chinese also believe the whiter the skin more richer the person is. The logic behind it is that people who have to work under the sun can get tan, but not those with luxurious lifestyles.
7 – China only has one time zone
China covers a vast geographical region and still has only one time zone across the country, which is Chinese Standard Time. This means that the western part of the country can have the sunrise as late as 10 am. This is quite weird but Chinese people have adapted to this norm.
8 – China has the largest number of UNESCO-recognized sites
For Travelers China is a jackpot. Yes, China is known for having the maximum number of UNESCO-recognized sites, though this spot is also shared by another country which is Italy and the total number of UNESCO sites they have is 55. Out of 55, there are 37 cultural heritage sites, 14 natural UNESCO sites, and four mountain range sites, in China. This is an assurance that you will never be in a dearth of touristy spots during your trip to China.
9 – China has world’s largest army
We all know about the might of China when it comes to power. But did you know that China also has the world’s largest army? The number of soldiers in the Chinese army is more than 2 Million, which is larger than the population of many big metropolitan cities of the world.
10 – Chinese women are known to restore virginity
Another fun fact about China is that Chinese people also practice the restoration of virginity. In China, it is also a medical term named for this practice, which is known as hymenorrhaphy. Chinese women willingly pay loads of money to restore their virginity before marriage so that their husbands do not get to know that they aren’t virgins.
11 – Visiting elders of the family is mandatory
Chinese people respect their elders and this is very well reflected in their legal system. In China, if you have elders in your family that have an age of more than 60 years then it is mandatory by law to visit them regularly.
12 – Chinese people love their boy eggs
In China, people also have a tradition of enjoying the boy eggs. Well, this is strange and never heard before thing. Boy eggs are eggs that are boiled in the urine of boys that are under the age of 10. It is believed that boy urine has many nutritional benefits. This is practiced in Zhejiang, which is a county in China. The dish in Chinese is spelled as ‘Tong zi dan’ which means boy eggs.
13 – All the Panda’s of the world are owned by China
We all find Pandas to be cute and chubby friends of humans. But did you know that all the Pandas in this world are owned by China? Yes every one of them. Panda that you see in other countries is a panda that is lent to that particular country by China. Whenever a Panda is born it is sent to China for expansion of Gene pool.
14 – 50 Million Chinese people live outside of China
You will find Chinese people all across the world. They are known for their hard work, intelligence, and technology acumen. It is estimated that 50 Million Chinese people live outside of China. It is a number that is larger than the population of many countries.
15 – Chinese New Year Celebrations last for 15 days
Chinese people do not celebrate New Year on the First of January, unlike Europeans or Americans. Their New Year is celebrated on New Moon Day which falls between January 21 and February 20. Now the interesting part over here is that the New Year Celebrations in China last for 15 days, instead of just one day as celebrated by most of the world.
16 – There is a dog eating festival in China
Chinese people are also known for their weird eating habits, out of which one is to eat dogs. Every year to celebrate the summer solstice in Yulin, which is a southwestern city in China, people eat dogs. It is believed that eating dog meat brings consumers good luck and better health. This dog-eating festival is known by the name of ‘Yulin Lychee’. In earlier times there were tens of thousands of dogs that were slaughtered for this festival, but now that number has dropped to a few thousand, owing to regulations on meat eating in China.
17 – Traffic Jam rescue business is real
Traffic Jam is a real problem all around the world, but Chinese people have made a business to solve this complex problem. In cases when you are running late, and you need to reach a place for something urgent, you just need to call these Traffic Jam Rescue Business owners. Now they will send a bike with two people on it. One person on the bike will take you to your desired destination and the other person on the bike will take the driving seat in your car.
18 – 30 Million Chinese people still live in caves
Human ancestors, the ones from the very beginning were known to live in caves. We all have heard this. But what if we tell you that in the 21st century, too people are living in caves? In China, there are an estimated 30 Million people who still live in caves. They do so because they do not have money to build a proper house, and not because they are primitive.
19 – Fortune cookies were invented in San Francisco
People who have traveled the world, and visited the popular China Towns of different cities must have heard about or have relished the popular Chinese Fortune Cookies. But did you know that these fortune Cookies were invented in San Francisco, and they are not a part of the traditional Chinese culture? Still, in present times more than 3 Billion Fortune Cookies are made in a year worldwide.
20 – There is a replica of Hallstatt in China
Chinese people are known for replicating the most picturesque parts of the world. One such replica of the popular town of Hallstatt from Austria is made in China. China Minmetals, which is a Chinese Mining Company has done this. The replicated town looks similar to the town of Hallstatt, with a Parish Church by the side of the lake. At the time of the opening of this replicated town, the Mayor of Hallstatt even visited it, as an opportunity to boost the popularity of their town.
21 – Half of the world’s pig population is in China
China is popular across the world for its eating habits, and one of them is eating pigs, which is normal as per Western norms. But you will be surprised to know that more than half of the entire world’s pig population is in China. Yes, they love eating pigs. On average there are 2 Million Pigs that are eaten every day by the Chinese people.
22 – Mourning color is white
For most of the world, the mourning color is considered to be black. But traditions in China are different. They use white as the mourning color in China. People in China wear white when they go to funerals, as it is white that they consider to be a symbolic color of death.
23 – It has one of the world’s largest rail network
The railway lines in China are so long and extensive that they can loop around the earth twice. Railways are one of the most popular and most common modes of transportation in China.
24 – Imperial Palace is world’s largest palace
The Imperial Palace of Beijing is the world’s largest palace. It was built in the 15th century, and it is estimated that around 1 Million workers were employed to build it. The palace has a total of 980 buildings inside it and has more than 9000 rooms. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.
25 – Ice Cream was first invented in China
Indeed, we cannot imagine a world without ice cream. If there was no ice cream in this world, our summers would have been so boring. It is believed that ice cream was first invented in China some 4000 years ago. The first variant of ice cream was made by mixing milk, rice mixture, and snow. That was the first ever ice cream that the world had eaten.
26 – There is a new skyscraper in China in every 5 days
China is an economic power to reckon with. The country is rapidly making economic progress and to testify to this, here is a fact. The country gets a new skyscraper every 5 days. The interesting part about this fact is that some of these skyscrapers are one of the tallest in the world.
27 – The world’s second largest shopping mall is in China
South China Mall which is located in Dongguan, is the second largest shopping mall in the world when it comes to leasable area. The mall opened its doors to people back in 2005 and then became dormant for a decade. Now again it has become a hotspot for shoppers all around the country.
28 – Live crabs in vending machines
In 2010, a subway station which was located in Nanjing, China became the place to have the world’s first vending machine to sell live crabs. On average this vending machine sells around 200 love crabs per day. In case you get a dead crab from this machine you will be compensated with three live ones.
29 – Alcohol production was practiced in China for as long as 9000 years
Evidence of alcohol production and consumption has been found in several places all across the world for ages back in time. But China has the oldest ones of them. In the Yellow River Valley of China, a Neolithic village has been found that has earth pots with signs of fermentation. It is estimated that these earth pots are as old as dating back to 7000 BC. Now that is the spirit of China.
See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream!
