74 Interesting Facts About . . .
China
1.
The modern word “China” most likely derives from the name of the Qin (pronounced “chin”)
dynasty. First Emperor Qin Shi Huang (260-210 B.C.) of the Qin dynasty first unified China in
221 B.C., beginning an Imperial period which would last until A.D. 1912.k
2.
China is often considered the longest continuous civilization, with some historians marking
6000 B.C. as the dawn of Chinese civilization. It also has the world’s longest continuously used
written language.c
3.
China is the fourth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada, and the U.S.). It has an
area of 3,719,275 square miles (slightly smaller than the U.S.) and its borders with other
countries total more than 117,445 miles. Approximately 5,000 islands lie off the Chinese coast.a
4.
One in every five people in the world is Chinese. China’s population is estimated to reach a
whopping 1,338,612,968 by July 2009. China’s population is four times that of the United
States.a
5.
Fortune cookies are not a traditional Chinese custom. They were invented in 1920 by a worker
in the Key Heong Noodle Factory in San Francisco.i
6.
China is also known as the “Flowery Kingdom” and many of the fruits and flowers (such as the
orange and orchid) are now grown all over the world.i
7.
Toilet paper was invented in China in the late 1300s.
It was for emperors only.m
8.
The Chinese invented paper, the compass,
gunpowder, and printing.c
9.
The Chinese invented kites (“paper birds” or “Aeolian
harps”) about 3,000 years ago. They were used to
frighten the enemies in battle, and Marco Polo (12541324) noted that kites were also used to predict the
success of a voyage. It was considered bad luck to
purposely let a kite go.i
Invented in China, toilet paper
was initially only for emperors
10. Cricket fighting is a popular amusement in China. Many Chinese children keep crickets as
pets.m
11. Despite its size, all of China is in one time zone.h
12. Many historians believe soccer originated in China around 1000 B.C.f
13. Ping-pong is one of the most popular games in China, but it was not invented in China. It
originated in Britain, where it is called table tennis.m
14. The number one hobby in China is stamp collecting.m
15. Giant Pandas (“bear cat”) date back two to three
million years. The early Chinese emperors kept
pandas to ward off evil spirits and natural disasters.
Pandas also were considered symbols of might and
bravery.i
16. White, rather than black, is the Chinese color for
mourning and funerals.i
17. Though Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is credited
with designing the first parachute, Chinese
alchemists successfully used man-carrying tethered
Viewed as a status symbol,
stamp collecting is China’s
number one hobby
kites by the fourth century A.D. Parachutes were not used safely and effectively in Europe until
the late 1700s.m
18. The custom of binding feet (euphemistically called “golden lilies”) began among female
entertainers and members of the Chinese court during the Song dynasty (A.D. 960-1279).
Tightly wrapped bandages gradually broke the arch of the foot and caused the woman's toes
and heel to grow inward toward one another. Her leg muscles would also atrophy and become
very thin. Bound feet were seen as highly sexual. m
19. Historians speculate that as the Chinese population grew, people had to conserve cooking fuel
by chopping food into small pieces so that it could cook faster. These bite-sized foods
eliminated the need for knives and, hence, chopsticks were invented. c
20. In A.D. 130, Zhang Heng, an astronomer and literary scholar, invented the first instrument for
monitoring earthquakes. The machine could detect and indicate the direction of an earthquake. c
21. China invented ice cream, and Marco Polo is
rumored to have taken the recipe (along with the
recipe for noodles) back with him to Europe.i
22. A civil servant named Su Song built the first
mechanical clock between A.D 1088 and 1092. It
could tell the time of day and also track the
constellations so that accurate horoscopes could be
determined.c
23. On September 27, 2008, Zhai Zhigang made the first
spacewalk by a Chinese astronaut.l
The Chinese invented ice
cream by packing a milk
mixture and rice into snow
24. The Chinese were the first to invent the waterwheel
to harness water in A.D. 31—1,200 years before the Europeans. China was also the first
country in the world to use an iron plow. Europe didn’t begin using the iron plow until the
seventeenth century.m
25. The name of China’s capital has changed over the centuries. At one time or another it has been
known as Yanjing, Dadu, and Beiping. Peking or “Beijing means “Northern Capital.” Beijing is
the officially sanctioned pinyin spelling based on the Mandarin dialect. Beijing is the second
largest city after Shanghai.h
26. It was customary for wealthy men and women in the late empire to grow the nails of their little
fingers extremely long as a sign of their rank. They often wore decorative gold and silver nail
guards to protect their nails.c
27. By the fourth century B.C., the Chinese were drilling for natural gas and using it as a heat
source, preceding Western natural gas drilling by about 2,300 years. m
28. By the second century B.C., the Chinese discovered that blood circulated throughout the body
and that the heart pumped the blood. In Europe, circulation wasn’t discovered until the early
seventeenth century by William Harvey (1578-1657).m
29. The Chinese were using the decimal system as early as the fourteenth century B.C., nearly
2,300 years before the first known use of the system in European mathematics. The Chinese
were also the first to use a place for zero.m
30. The crossbow was invented and first used by the Chinese. They were also the first in the world
to use chemical and gas weapons, 2,000 years before gas was used in Europe during WWI. m
31. The Three Gorges Hydroelectric Dam spans the Yangtze River and is the largest dam in the
world. It is also the most controversial dam in the world because it has been plagued by
corruption, human rights violations, technological difficulties, and has caused dramatic
environmental changes.e
32. According to popular legend, tea was discovered by
the Chinese emperor Shennong in 2737 B.C. when a
tea leaf fell into his boiling water. The Chinese
consider tea to be a necessity of life.i
33. Martial arts are practiced throughout China and were
largely developed from ancient farming and hunting
methods.i
34. The most important holiday in China is the Chinese
New Year or Lunar New Year. Chinese traditionally
believe that every person turns one year older on the
New Year and, thus, that day is considered to be
everyone’s birthday.i
Tea was supposedly
discovered when a tea leaf
fell into a Chinese emperor’s
boiling water
35. Chinese is spoken by 92% of China’s population. There are at least seven major families of the
Chinese language, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Wu, Hakka, Gan, Xiang, and Min.i
36. Red symbolizes happiness for the Chinese and is commonly used at Chinese festivals and
other happy occasions such as birthdays and weddings.i
37. In ancient China, the lotus was seen as a symbol of purity and was sacred to both the
Buddhists and Daoists. The peony (“King of Flowers”) symbolized spring, the chrysanthemum
symbolized long life, and the narcissus was thought to bring good luck.i
38. The Chinese have made silk since at least 3,000 B.C.
The Romans knew China as “Serica,” which means
“Land of Silk.” The Chinese fiercely guarded the
secrets of silk making, and anyone caught smuggling
silkworm eggs or cocoons outside of China was put to
death.i
39. According to a Chinese legend, silk was discovered in
3000 B.C. by Lady Xi Ling Sui, wife of the Emperor
Huang Di. When a silk worm cocoon accidentally
dropped into her hot tea, fine threads from the cocoon
unraveled in the hot water and silk was born.i
Anyone caught smuggling
the secrets of silk making
out of ancient China were
put to death
40. The oldest piece of paper in the world was found in
China and dates back to the second or first century
B.C. Paper was so durable, it was sometimes used for clothing and even light body armor. m
41. The Chinese were the first in the world to use stirrups in the third century A.D. m
42. China’s “one child” policy has contributed to female infanticide and has created a significant
gender imbalance. There are currently 32 million more boys than girls in China. In the future,
tens of millions of men will be unable to find wives, prompting some scholars to suggest that
this imbalance could lead to a threat to world security.m
43. The first known species of Homo erectus, the Peking Man, was found in China and lived
between 300,000-550,000 years ago. It is thought that he knew how to manipulate fire. c
44. During the first half the twentieth century, Shanghai was the only port in the world to accept
Jews fleeing the Holocaust without an entry visa.i
45. Chinese mathematics evolved independently of Greek mathematics and is consequently of
great interest to historians of mathematics.m
46. Originating as far back as 250 B.C., Chinese lanterns were an important symbol of long life.
Lanterns were once symbols of a family’s wealth, and the richest families had lanterns so large,
it required several people with poles to hoist them into place.i
47. In the Tang dynasty, anyone with an education was expected to greet as well as say goodbye
to another person in poetic verse composed on the spot.i
48. In 1974, a group of farmers digging for a well in the Shaanxi province uncovered some bits of
very old pottery. They discovered the tomb of Qin (259-210 B.C.) the first emperor who united
China. The tomb contained thousands of amazing life-sized soldiers, horses, and chariots.c
49. China’s Grand Canal is the world’s oldest and longest canal
at 1,114 miles (1,795 km) long with 24 locks and around 60
bridges.e
50. The bat is a traditional good luck symbol that is frequently
depicted in designs for porcelain, textiles, and other crafts.i
51. The bicycle was introduced into China around 1891 by two
American travelers named Allen and Sachtleben. The
bicycle is now the primary transportation for millions of
Chinese. The last Qing emperor (Puyi) rode a bicycle
around the Forbidden City in Beijing. China is currently the
leading bicycle manufacturer.i
The Grand Canal of
China is the world’s
52. The Boxer Rebellion between 1898 and 1901 in northern
China was against Christian missionaries, foreign
longest canal
diplomats, and technology by a secret group called the
“Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists” (Yihequan or I-ho-ch’uan) so named because its
members practiced weaponless martial arts as well as secret rituals. Westerns called it
“shadow boxing” and the members “Boxers.” m
53. Suspension bridges were invented in China in 25 B.C, 1,800 years before such bridges were
known in the West.m
54. The first American woman to win the Nobel Prize was Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) for her novels
about China, most notably The Good Earth (1931). Amy Tan (1952-) is a best-selling ChineseAmerican author of The Joy Luck Club.i
55. The Chinese word for civilization (wen) is pronounced the same as the word for script, pattern,
or calligraphy. In fact, calligraphy was thought to reveal the calligrapher’s moral and spiritual
self-cultivation as a type of “heart print.”i
56. The carp is a symbol of strength and perseverance. The scales and whiskers of the fish make it
resemble a dragon, the greatest symbol of power in China. Fish in general play a large role in
Chinese culture and the words for “fish” and “abundance” are pronounced the same in Chinese
(yu).i
57. In some parts of China, “pigtails” were associated
with a girl’s marital status. A young girl would wear
two pigtails, and when she married, she would wear
just one. This may have contributed to the Western
view that pigtails are associated with children and
young girls.i
58. In ancient China, mirrors were believed to protect
their owners from evil, making hidden spirits visible
and revealing the secrets of the future. A person who
had been scared by a ghost could be healed by
looking in the mirror. Mirrors were often hung on the
ceilings of burial chambers.i
In some regions of ancient
China, pigtails were indicative
of girl’s marital status
59. The longest river in China is the 3,494-mile Yangtze (Changjian) River and the 2,903-mile-long
Yellow (Huanghe) River.e
60. The Chinese developed a theory of three levels of heaven—Heaven, Earth, and man—which
has been influential in landscape painting and flower arrangements.e
61. The horse most likely originated in Central Asia and became very important in China. A horse is
considered to be associated with the masculine symbol, yang, and with the element of fire. A
person born in the Year of the Horse is considered cheerful, independent, clever, talkative,
quick to anger, and able to handle money.i
62. Because the cicada (katydid) has the longest life span of any insect (up to 17 years) and sheds
its skin, it has long been a symbol of regeneration and rebirth for the Chinese. In ancient China,
the Chinese would place jade cicadas in the mouths of the dead because they were thought to
slow down the decay process and speed up the rebirth in another world.i
63. Concubinage has been practiced throughout Chinese history, primarily by wealthy men who
could afford it. Chinese emperors had large harems with hundreds of concubines.j
64. The phoenix is the most important bird in Chinese legend and represents the feminine power of
the empress. The graceful crane, which is a symbol of long life, is the second most important
bird in Chinese legend. Ducks are also important symbols and represent happiness and marital
faithfulness.i
65. The Cultural Revolution (the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution) from1966-1976 resulted in
severe famine, thousands of deaths, and the erosion of thousands of acres of farmland. m
66. While the dragon is typically seen as an evil creature in Western culture, it holds first place
among the four greatest creatures in Chinese mythology, including the phoenix, tiger, and
tortoise. It is typically associated with the emperor.i
67. The highest mountain in the world (29,028 feet) is named in the honor the Englishman Sir
George Everest who was the first surveyor of India. The Chinese call Mount Everest
Qomolangma, which means “Mother Goddess of the Earth.”e
68. China’s national flag was adopted in September 1949
and first flown in Tiananmen Square (the world’s
largest public gathering place) on October 1, 1949, the
day the People’s Republic of China was formed. The
red in the flag symbolizes revolution. The large star
symbolizes communism and the little stars represent
the Chinese people. The position of the stars
represents the unity of the Chinese people under the
leadership of the Communist Party.i
69. China has the world’s oldest calendar. This lunar
calendar originated in 2600 B.C. and has 12 zodiac
signs. It takes 60 years to complete.i
The position of the stars on
the Chinese flag represents
the people’s unity under
Communism
70. The number of birth defects in China continues to rise. Environmentalist and officials blame
China’s severe pollution.d
71. The consumption of mushrooms was recorded in Chinese historical documents more than
3,000 years ago. In 1996, China produced 600,000 tons of mushrooms, making it the world’s
leading producer, and it has 60% of the world’s mushroom varieties.i
72. In 2007, dog food and toothpaste products made in China were recalled because they
contained poisonous ingredients. In July, China’s head of the State Food and Drug
Administration was found to have accepted bribes from pharmaceutical companies. He was
executed.g
73. Famous Chinese and Chinese-American actors include Jackie Chan (Hong Kong), Chow Yun
Fat (Hong Kong), Bruce Lee (San Francisco), Jet Li (Beijing), Zhang Ziyi (Beijing), and Lucy Lui
(New York).e
74. The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing were the most expensive games in history. b While the
2004 Athens Games were estimated to cost around $15 billion, the Beijing Games were
estimated to cost a whopping $40 billion.j
-- Posted May 4, 2009
References
a
CIA.gov. “The World Fact Book—China.” April 9, 2009. Accessed: April 20, 2009.
b
CNN.com. “Emotion Kicks off China’s Olympics.” August 9, 2008. Accessed: April 20, 2009.
c
Cotterell, Arthur. 2005. Ancient China. New York: NY: Dorling Kindersley Limited.
Demick, Barbara. “China Blames Pollution for Surge in Birth Defects.” LosAngelesTimes.com. February 2,
2009. Accessed: April 21, 2009.
d
e
Fenby, Jonathan, ed. 2007. The Seventy Wonders of China. New York, NY: Thames & Hudson Ltd.
f
Goldblatt, David. 2008. The Ball Is Round: A Global History of Soccer. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
MSNBC.com. “Zheng Convicted of Accepting Bribes, Dereliction of Duty: China’s Top Drug Regulator Gets
Death Sentence.” May 29, 2007. Accessed: April 21, 2009.
g
h
National Geographic Traveler. 2001 China. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.
i
Perkins, Dorothy. 2000. Encyclopedia of China: The Essential Reference to China, Its History and Culture.
New York, NY: Checkmark Books.
Rabinovitch, Simon. “Beijing Games to be Costliest, but No Debt Legacy.” Reuters.com. August 2008.
Accessed: May 2, 2009.
j
k
Tucker, Anne Wilkes. 2007. The Great Wall of China: Photographs by Chen Changfen. New Haven, CT:
Yale University in cooperation with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
USAToday.com. “China Space Program Advances with First Spacewalk.” September 27, 2008. Accessed:
April 20, 2009.
l
m
Wright, David C. 2001. The History of China. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/05/04_china.html