Fun Facts about China

We all know China is a big country. It actually has 1.3 billion people which are 20% of the world’s population! There are 55 ethnic minorities in China along with the 93% Chinese! China is a Communist Republic.

China produces the largest bulk of cotton and silk in the world. It has for thousands of years.

The Chinese New Year is the first day of the lunar calendar based on the cycles of the moon.

There are twelve animals in the Chinese Zodiac! They are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. A full Zodiac is 12yrs and a calendar cycle is 60yrs.

China’s money is called renminbi meaning the peoples currency.

The Great Wall of China can actually be seen from outer space! The wall was started 21/2 thousand years ago and is more than 5,000 km long!

Chinese love their foods. It is divided into the north, east, and south, central and south-western regions.
Some of the many crops include rice, wheat, soya beans, sesame, peanuts, and sesame.

You have probably seen the giant pandas. They are the national treasure in China. There are 1,600 living in the wild.

You may not have known this but the compass, paper; gun powder and printing are all Chinese inventions!

China has cultivated tea for 2,000 yrs.

When you write your name in China you put your family name first then your first name. There are no middle names. In Ancient China, characters were written on animal bones, turtle shells, silk and bamboo slices. They really needed paper!

Symbols with two imaged animals indicate harmony. Dragons, phoenixes, lions and white cranes are all benevolent. A lion which can often be seen in pairs on either side of a gate or palace is also auspicious. They are thought to drive away evil.

The turtle and white crane are thought to bring longevity so you will see them at Chinese birthday celebrations for their elderly.

China must really be into taking care of their teeth because they set aside Sept. 20th as National “Love Your Teeth Day”!In the ancient times people would wrap parchment around painful teeth which contained prayers and incantations hoping that would cure their pain. The Chinese actually believed a “tooth worm” was chewing away the tooth until it was gone!

We all know that chopsticks come from China. However, you probably didn’t know they were losing millions of acres of forest each year due to chopstick production. What a tremendous waste!  So now they are encouraging everyone to recycle their chopsticks instead of throwing them out.
 
Meanwhile, it is estimated that 200 million people in China live on less than $1.00 a day!