What don't we know about China? From mentality to cuisine. Interesting facts about China. History of China. The most interesting things about China Chinese mosquito factory
You can't help but like interesting facts about China. Both children and adults would be happy to learn something new and funny about this state. In addition, both ancient and modern China have many secrets and discoveries.
1.China is considered the most ancient civilization in the world.
2.Archaeological finds that have been found in this country reach 8000 years ago.
3.Rich people in China hire body doubles and send them to prison in their place if necessary.
4.China is to blame for 29% of San Francisco's air pollution.
5.There are more people speaking English in China than in the USA.
6. There is a website in China where you can rent a girl for $31 a week.
7.China is considered the most populous country in the world.
8.Toilet paper first appeared in China in the 1300s.
9. Gunpowder first appeared in this state.
10.China lives in only one time zone.
11.White is considered a mourning color in China.
12.A necessary part of life in China is drinking tea.
13.In China they don’t like to sunbathe. Tanning is considered unfashionable among them.
14.Marriages in China are often concluded late.
15.The color of the holiday in China is red.
16.China has the lowest divorce rate.
17.The symbol of good luck in China is the bat.
18.China is considered the world's producer of mushrooms.
19. Queues are not accepted in China.
20.70% of the Chinese population wear glasses.
21. In China they do not prefer to eat liver and kidneys.
22.Chinese people are not compassionate towards animals. That is why they use animals where they can make money from them.
23.Vegetables in China are never eaten raw. They are either boiled or steamed.
24. In China you can see children with holes in their pants, so they can relieve themselves at any time they need.
25.Everyone’s vacation in China begins at the same time, before the New Year.
26.Chopsticks were invented in China.
27.Rice is the basis of most Chinese dishes.
28. In China, women who have given birth are required to remain in bed for 30 days after birth.
29.Chinese residents drink alcohol only in large groups.
30.China has a large percentage of vegetarians.
1.Football arose in Ancient China because ancient people played this game back in the 1000s.
2. Mushrooms are a favorite dish of the ancient Chinese.
3. In ancient Chinese calendars, the year began with the first new moon after the winter solstice.
4. In Ancient China, the dragon was considered a symbol of honor. He has been depicted in mythology.
5.The main symbols of Ancient China were birds.
6.In Ancient China there were harems.
7. The mythology of Ancient China says that a mirror protects the house.
8. Suspension bridges were invented by the ancient Chinese.
9.Paper was created by the ancient Chinese.
10. Making silk is the skill of the ancient Chinese.
11.Approximately 6,000 years ago, the ancient Chinese civilization began.
12.The ancient Chinese invented varnish. They covered shoes and wooden products with it to protect them from getting wet.
13.Ancient Chinese thinkers made significant contributions to the development of philosophy.
14.In Ancient China, people could be brutally executed for smuggling silk.
15.The ancient Chinese began eating mushrooms about 3000 years ago.
16.Confucius was an ancient Chinese sage.
17.The compass was created in Ancient China.
18.In ancient China, beds were equipped with heating and central heating.
19.White tea is the favorite drink of the ancient Chinese.
20.The world's first seismograph was invented in Ancient China.
1. The total length of the Great Wall of China reaches 8851 km 800 m.
2.The Great Wall of China is the longest man-made structure in the world.
3.When laying stone blocks to build the wall, sticky rice porridge with the addition of slaked lime was used.
4. This building is the longest and largest cemetery in the world.
5.The Wall of China can be seen from space.
6.The Great Wall of China is included in the UNESCO list.
7.The Chinese Wall is a recognized symbol of China.
8. In 2004, the largest tourist visit to the Wall of China was recorded, with more than 41.8 million tourists visiting it.
9. About 2 thousand years were spent on the construction of the Chinese Wall.
10. The Great Wall of China is not one of the wonders of the Ancient World.
11.The wall changed its name several times.
12.The first Europeans could not set foot on the territory of the Chinese Wall.
13.In 1644, the construction of the Great Wall of China was completed.
14.The Wall in China was the site of many sports competitions.
15.Battles on the territory of the Chinese Wall were fought for many years.
16.The construction of the Chinese Wall began in 221 BC.
17. Night visits are organized on the Chinese Wall.
18.The military were the builders of the Great Wall of China.
19.It is impossible to see the Chinese Wall on local currency.
20.The wall has good acoustics.
1.Chinese is spoken by about 1.4 billion people.
2. Chinese language is one of the most ancient.
3. This language is distinguished by a huge number of dialects.
4. There are about 100 thousand Chinese characters.
5. A special feature of the Chinese language is its tonality.
6.The Chinese language has simple grammar.
7.Most of the characters in Chinese are similar to each other.
8. The hieroglyph, which speaks of difficulties, has an image of two women under one roof.
9.Chinese language lacks punctuation.
10. There are no Chinese language keyboards in the world.
11.This language is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
12.The Chinese language is rightfully considered one of the most difficult languages in the world.
13.In Chinese there are no words “Yes” and “No”.
14.Most surnames in China are written in one syllable.
15.Native speakers of Chinese have excellent hearing.
16. In terms of popularity, the Chinese language ranks second among all languages in the world.
17.The Chinese language is considered status and respected: it is considered the 6th language among all working languages of the UN.
18.The Chinese language does not have an alphabet.
19. There are 7 dialect groups in the Chinese language.
20.Depending on intonation, words in Chinese can sound different.
We believe that all Chinese are Buddhists, which is not true. Tourists love to look at the magnificent Chinese pagodas, and this is probably where this association came from. Buddhism is indeed widespread in China, but Chinese philosophical and religious thought does not live by Buddhism alone.
Traditional Chinese ideology rests on the “three pillars” of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.
Most Chinese are atheists. This is what official statistics say, and our observations fully confirm this idea.
The era of communism bore its fruits, and most of the population stopped believing in anything. But the way of thinking, ethics and norms of behavior of modern Chinese are formed by these three teachings. By the way, none of them can be recognized as a religion in the usual sense of the word.
Freedom in China
This country is considered one of the most unfree in the world. This happened in Chinese history, but now everything is changing. The modern Chinese does not feel any serious control, although in fact it exists.
On the other hand, there is much more freedom to realize oneself in China than in Russia. It’s much easier to open your own business there, it’s much easier to do your own thing on your own, rather than “working for someone else.” If you would like to work, the state will not interfere with you too much.
In China you cannot criticize the government on the internet. subject to strict censorship. But the authorities listen to what is happening and draw conclusions. Events took place, the Communist Party drew conclusions, and reforms began.
Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a former colony of the British Empire. Recently, it has officially become a province of the People's Republic of China. In essence, it is a separate state. The authorities in Beijing are responsible only for foreign policy, and all other administrative issues are decided by local authorities.
It has its own currency, its own laws, its own visa regime and tax law. Russian citizens can visit Hong Kong without a visa, and can only enter the main territory of the country with a passport.
The tax system in Hong Kong is completely different - there is no VAT, and many things are 15-20% cheaper. If you want to buy an iPhone or iPad cheaply, then go to Hong Kong. Many Chinese come here to buy smartphones, tablet computers and laptops.
The city of Macau is similarly part of the PRC, and also has almost complete independence. It is a former colony of Portugal. It has its own laws, money and taxation.
Macau is a casino city; it is the Las Vegas of Asia. If a Chinese wants to play poker, blackjack or roulette, then they come here.
The situation on the island of Taiwan is more complicated. China officially considers it its territory and a province of the People's Republic of China. The Taiwanese disagree, and much of the world accepts their point of view.
Taiwan is a separate country. Everything is here, including the army and navy. This state is called the Republic of China (ROC), which translates as “Republic of China”. There are no negotiations on Taiwan's accession to the PRC.
Important advice for tourists. At Chinese airports, flights to Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan are referred to as “domestic” flights, and flights to these regions board from domestic flight terminals. Don't get confused.
We wish you a successful visit to China, and read our pages about this country ( links below).
Travel to China
1. Look at China on the map. Write down the following information.
Countries with which China borders: Russia, Mongolia, North Korea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Manyama, Vietnam, Laos.
Seas washing the coast of China: Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, Sea of Japan.
Largest cities in China: Beijing (capital), Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu, Kunming, Guangzhou, Urumqi, Harbin, Hong Kong (Hong Kong).
2. Find information in the textbook about the great inventions of the Chinese. Make a list.
The Chinese invented: paper, porcelain, gunpowder, silk fabrics, compass, paper money.
3. Sign who is depicted in the portrait. Write down the saying of this sage that you especially liked.
This is Confucius. His statement:
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
“Three paths lead to knowledge: the path of reflection is the noblest path, the path of imitation is the easiest path, and the path of experience is the most bitter path.”
“In fact, life is simple, but we persistently complicate it.”
“Three things never come back - time, words, opportunity. Therefore: do not waste time, choose your words, do not miss the opportunity.”
“Learning without reflection is useless, and reflection without learning is dangerous.”
4. Using the textbook The world around us, grade 3, fill in the gaps in the text.
Main attraction of China
A curved stone ribbon stretches across the mountains, hills, and lowlands. This - the great Wall of China. She is included in the List World Cultural Heritage.
The length of the famous wall is several thousand kilometers. Its width at the base reaches 9 meters, and the height (not counting the towers) is up to 10 meters.
The Chinese needed the wall to protection from enemy attacks. So that you could see the enemy from afar, they were lined up along the wall watchtowers. Urgently heading to the place of danger columns of soldiers and wagons with ammunition.
5. Do you know the sights of China? Cut out the photographs from the Appendix and paste them into appropriate frames.
6. Using various sources of information, select some interesting facts about China and write them down.
Interesting facts about China
The modern name “China” most likely originated during the Qin Dynasty (translated as “chin”). Emperor Qin Shi Huang (260-210 BC) of the Qin dynasty was the first emperor of all of unified China in 221 BC.
China has the longest written language in the world. 5700 characters are located on a classic Chinese typewriter, the keyboard width is 1 meter. There are 56,000 characters in Chinese characters.
The level of air pollution in most Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Guangzhou, is so much higher that the harm caused to health from a day in these cities is about the same as smoking a pack of cigarettes in a day.
Every fifth person on the planet is Chinese. China's population is four times that of the United States.
4 is a symbol that means the word "death". It is prohibited for use in hospitals and elevators
About 3,000 years ago, the Chinese invented kites (“paper birds”). They used them to intimidate enemies in battle, and the traveler Marco Polo (1254-1324) noted that kites were also used to predict the success of a sea voyage.
Pandas live only in China and are a unique symbol of China. The Chinese only lend their pandas to foreign zoos for 10 years. Rent is $1 million per year. China has the death penalty for killing a panda. This is an endangered species of animal.
White is considered a symbol of mourning in China.
Every year in China, 20 million trees are cut down to make 80 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks. If you lay out all these sticks lengthwise, they could cover the world's largest square, Tiananmen Square, 360 times. Since China has very poor forest cover - only 20.36% - Russia also exports wood there for making sticks.
$40 billion was spent on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the most expensive in the competition's history.
According to a beautiful legend, tea was discovered by the Chinese Emperor Shennong in 2737 BC when a tea leaf accidentally fell into boiling water. Tea is the national drink in China.
In China, the number of people living in caves is greater than the population of Australia. At least 30 million Chinese still live in caves because they are warm in winter and cool in summer.
The most important holiday in China is Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year. According to a long-standing tradition, the Chinese believe that on this day every person becomes one year older, and thus this day is considered everyone's birthday.
7. If you have ever been to China, write a story about your impressions. Make a drawing or paste photos. If you have never been to China, express the attitude towards this country that you developed during the lesson.
China is a huge country, so different and unusual. China is located in East Asia. It is the largest country in the world by population. China is a very large country with an ancient history. Many famous sages and scientists lived in China. It was the Chinese who invented the compass, gunpowder, paper and printing. China continues to be a great power today thanks to the hard work of its people. It is impossible to get to know all of China in a lifetime. This is an amazing country, a country of contrasts and great opportunities. 
Interesting facts about China have always attracted the attention of inquisitive people. After all, China has one of the oldest cities in the world, which is full of unusual events, discoveries, etc.
Today China occupies one of the leading places among the world, both politically and economically.
Happy reading!
The air in China is very polluted
Many Chinese cities are very dirty. This problem especially concerns such megacities as Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Research by ecologists suggests that a person spending one day in such a city causes harm to his body equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes.
In 2013, a case was recorded that occurred with an eight-year-old girl. She was diagnosed with lung cancer caused by air pollution, making her the youngest patient with the disease.
That same year, in one of the Chinese cities, the smog was so strong that it was difficult for residents to see the people they were walking on the street.
In the capital of China, in the period 2002-2011, cases of oncology increased from 63 to 10,000. Over the last 30 years alone, in this country it has increased almost 5 times.
Flavor enhancers
Monosodium glutamate, which is one of the most popular flavoring additives in the world, is used in all dishes in China without exception.
When purchasing products, you can check for its presence in the composition. It is designated as food additive E621.
Two liter plates
Chinese soup is different from ours in many ways. Essentially, it is a broth that the Chinese consume after their main meal. In Chinese restaurants, visitors are served soup in two-liter bowls.
Such a large portion is explained by the fact that residents of this country usually dine with friends. Therefore, a two-liter plate serves as food for the whole company at once.
"Capitalist" sites
An interesting fact is that in communist China access to well-known Western Internet resources is blocked.
The authorities raise citizens to be true patriots, “showing” them the correct views on life from childhood. Today, the PRC remains one of the most closed government systems.
More expensive than meat
An interesting fact is that animal by-products in China are more expensive than meat. A real delicacy for the Chinese, unlike Europeans, are kidneys, liver, paws and even heads of animals or birds. Therefore, their prices are much higher.
Chinese spontaneity
In everyday life, the Chinese often behave like children. They can safely lie down on a bench or take some unusual pose in a public place.
When yawning, the Chinese do not even try to cover their mouth with their palm, not to mention the fact that it is quite normal for them to spit and belch in public.
An interesting fact is that for this reason, even on trains and subways you can see signs with the inscription “don’t spit.”
Living keychains in China
The Chinese are quite cynical about animals. For example, they sell keychains with live turtles or fish. They are simply placed in small plastic containers, which are then attached to keys or other things.
Naturally, neither animals nor fish can survive for long in such conditions, and within a couple of days (and sometimes months) they die. But this does not matter, since the Chinese will again go to the market to buy a non-standard keychain for themselves.
Live foods in Chinese stores
In Chinese supermarkets, live turtles and frogs may be sold in display cases. The buyer can choose the product he likes, which is immediately packed and wrapped in appropriate packaging.
Drinks in a cafe
In China, visitors coming to a cafe can take drinks with them. An interesting fact is that food in the country is quite cheap. For a relatively small amount of money, a person will be able to place a good order. Drinks can either be purchased on site or brought with you.
There are 56 nationalities living in China
China is a multinational state. However, more than 90% of the total population is Chinese (Han). The overwhelming majority of the indigenous people of China are atheists.
Among the religions, the most popular are Buddhism, Islam and Christianity.
Today, about 7% of Chinese are Christians. An interesting fact is that, despite the active struggle of the current government against Christianity, the number of Christians is steadily growing.
Sworn Enemies
Surely you know that China and China are sworn enemies. Moreover, their confrontation is rooted deep in history. By the way, .
For many centuries, these countries have hated each other. Much of the hostility between them is due to disputed territories. In the 20th century, the conflict flared up with renewed vigor, leading to dire consequences:
- More than 35 million people were killed or injured;
- Losses from military conflicts reached $600 billion;
- About 8 million prisoners taken from both sides were used as labor;
- The Japanese tortured Chinese prisoners and tested various types of biological weapons on them. There was an incident where Japan began bombing China with fleas infected with bubonic plague.
Trousers with slits
Chinese children do not wear underwear. Moreover, at the age of 5, parents put on trousers with a slit between the legs.
Obviously, such clothes help the child's body to breathe.
Little Buddhas
A Chinese child is a little Buddha, so he can literally do anything. Interestingly, until the age of 5, children are allowed to do whatever they want because they are considered holy creatures.
A child can make noise and play around without fear of being punished for it. Moreover, he is even allowed to relieve himself on the street or in a restaurant.
Chinese online stores
Chinese online stores are extremely popular. You can buy almost any item there, even a fragment of the Chelyabinsk meteorite. Also, if you wish, you can use different types of services or even rent a person.
Chinese food is very fatty
In China, the most popular dishes are pork, fish with side dishes, pasta and, of course, rice. All these foods are cooked with large amounts of oil, which makes the food excessively greasy.
In the morning, Chinese people do tai chi on the streets
Taiji is one of the types of Chinese martial arts that is also practiced as. Many people in China take to the streets in the morning to practice Tai Chi.
Dating in transitions
An interesting fact is that, despite the large size of the nation, it is quite difficult for the Chinese to find a life partner. Due to long studies and long hours of work, they do not have time to meet new people.
As a result, an original solution was invented. Underground passages began to designate special places where people can get to know each other.
You can also leave some letters or postcards there with your contacts or wishes.
Taste quirks of the Chinese
In Chinese stores you can see unusual products that, in our understanding, seem very strange. Here are a few of these “oddities”:
- sweet gingerbread with onions;
- chestnut cookies;
- meat candy;
- colored bread;
- sweet smoked sausage, etc.
The Chinese do not consume milk or cottage cheese.
This trend has been observed for a long time. If it’s still sold in the supermarket, then you definitely won’t find fermented baked milk there. is on sale, but only foreigners buy it.
Where to give birth
Before giving birth, many Chinese women who have this opportunity move to China to give birth to their child there.
The fact is that Hong Kong has a special status, even though it is part of the PRC. Its citizens have the right to visa-free entry into European countries and some other privileges.
Trees for Chinese chopsticks
Every year, about 20 million trees are cut down in China to make 80 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks.
To produce such a quantity of sticks, the Chinese have to cut down not only their own trees, but also purchase additional wood from other countries.
Well, a very interesting fact about the Chinese
Did you know that wealthy Chinese sentenced to prison hire doubles to serve their sentences in their place?
This practice is indeed common in China. The people even have a term - “ding zui”, which translates as “replace the criminal.”
Chinese weddings with a ghost
In such weddings, one or both spouses are deceased. It’s quite difficult to say how long ago this ritual appeared.
It is carried out with the following purpose: if a widow wants to prove her love to her deceased husband, she can marry him again so that her lover will be happy in the other world.
Cave people
Some Chinese still prefer to live in caves, like. Previously we wrote about unique.
An interesting fact is that the number of Chinese living inside the caves is greater than the population? More than 30 million Chinese today successfully live in stone dwellings, where it is cool in summer and, on the contrary, warm in winter.
Chinese fake eggs
Did you know that the Chinese have learned to make artificial eggs? One resident of this country can produce more than 1000 pieces per day.
It is worth noting that such eggs are similar to real eggs only in appearance. They differ significantly in taste and composition.
Material measures of success in China
According to surveys, more than 70% of Chinese residents evaluate a person’s success by the things that he was able to acquire.
There is a known case when one Chinese bought himself 99 iPhones simply to show his worth.
On vacation with your boss
Chinese billionaire Li Jinyuan took 6,400 of his employees with him on vacation. To do this, he had to book about 140 hotels.
He also organized various excursions for his employees, after which he invited them to relax on the Cote d'Azur. An interesting fact is that such “antics” on the part of bosses in China are not a rare occurrence.
Villages selling things on Taobao
Not so long ago, residents of Chinese villages in Jiangsu province worked in the fields and were engaged in cattle breeding. However, their lives soon changed dramatically.
Today, part of this population survives by selling goods on Taobao and Alibaba. They make furniture, clothing and various equipment. The number of such villages is gradually increasing.
Chinese mosquito factory
In the Guangzhou region, a huge factory producing . Every day, factory workers release more than 100,000 sterilized mosquitoes into the wild.
This is being done to combat dengue fever, for which no vaccine has yet been developed. About 22,000 Chinese die every year from this terrible disease.
Half of Chinese people don't take vacations
This unusual decision by Chinese civil servants is explained by the reluctance of workers to make a bad impression on management.
They try to do everything possible to gain the trust of their superiors and have good prospects for career growth.
90% robotic factories
In China, construction has begun on a factory where robots will perform all the main work. The factory plans to produce various parts for mobile devices.
This practice is becoming increasingly widespread, and there are 2 key reasons for this:
- Lack of a sufficient number of people willing to work in the factory;
- Low cost of remuneration for specialists.
An interesting fact is that the second reason explains the first.
Public shaming of smokers
In 2015, the Chinese authorities tightened the smoking ban. It concerns those people who, contrary to the law, smoke cigarettes in unauthorized places.
Now, if a smoker is caught three times, information about him will be entered on the official government website.
This will cause the offender to “lose face.” For the Chinese this could be a real disaster.
China is building a car-free city
The government of the People's Republic of China plans to build a city where more than half of its area will be occupied by gardens.
Chinese ghost town
In 2007, the Chinese built an exact mini-copy of the capital, Paris. Initially, the architects planned that about 10,000 people would live in this city.
However, currently no more than 2,000 citizens live there. The creators of the Chinese “Paris” also planned to build educational and medical institutions there, but the project was frozen.
Prisons without trial
An interesting fact is that it is in Beijing that many illegal prisons are located. As a rule, they imprison those Chinese who, upon arrival in the capital, decided to complain about the local authorities.
People can be kept in custody from a couple of days to several months. Prisoners often have to pay bribes in order to be released.
In the end, it is worth noting that such unusual and even strange facts occur in China not by chance. After all, the country's population exceeds 1 billion people. Considering the fact that the majority live extremely poorly, it is no wonder that unusual things are common there.
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We live in an age of technology, when everyone has the Internet at their fingertips, and it seems that nothing can pass us by. However, there are places on earth that will surprise even an avid traveler, and having gone there, you will definitely look at the world with different eyes.
1. In China, the level of air pollution exceeds the permissible level many times over.
The level of air pollution in most Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Guangzhou, is so much higher that the harm caused to health from a day in these cities is about the same as smoking a pack of cigarettes in a day.
In 2013, an 8-year-old Chinese girl living in Jiangsu province in eastern China became the youngest patient to be diagnosed with lung cancer caused by air pollution.
In Beijing and other northern Chinese cities, instrument readings often exceed the World Health Organization chart and classify high levels of harmful particles in the air (300 to 500 micrograms per cubic meter).
The northeastern city of Harbin was virtually shut down for two days in October 2013 as readings neared 1,000. The city's smog was so thick that residents claimed they couldn't see their dogs at the end of their leashes.
In Beijing, cancer cases increased from 63 to 10,000 from 2002 to 2011. Nationwide, lung cancer mortality increased by 465% over the past 3 decades, during the period of economic and industrial breakthrough.
2. In China, they add a flavor enhancer to all food products.
The flavor enhancer, or monosodium glutamate, is as popular a food additive as pepper in China. Not a single dish can be prepared without it, and it is available in all stores and sold in display cases next to sugar and salt.
3. In restaurants, soup is served in two-liter bowls.
Soup in China is not a full dish, but a broth. And consume it after the main meal. In general, the Chinese traditionally have a tradition of dining not one at a time, but with the whole group, and this 1 bowl of soup is always ordered for everyone. Therefore, when ordering a small portion of soup at a restaurant, expect about 2 liters of broth. By the way, the analogue of the Russian phrase “eat soup” is literally translated from Chinese as “drink soup.”
4. Access to popular Western Internet resources is blocked in China
Despite the recent trend in China to attract foreigners to joint cooperation, as well as to allocate various grants for free internships for foreign students, China today remains a rather closed country. Chinese children are raised to be true patriots, many of whom will never travel outside their homeland and learn about the world around them only from geography textbooks and the Internet, which is limited by Chinese censorship.
Facebook and Twitter have been blocked in China since 2009, but despite this, Chinese users manage to hack the system. There are currently 95 million Facebook users in China.
5. Burning ritual money on the roads of China
Chinese ritual money is ordinary paper issued for the purpose of performing a ritual of transferring it to the dead. To enable the spirits of deceased relatives to live a better life, they are given paper gifts and money, and then it is all burned. This mostly happens at funerals or on All Souls' Day.
6. Animal by-products are more expensive than meat in China.
It so happens among the Chinese that they love to eat liver and kidneys, stomachs and paws, even heads. For us this food is specific, but for them it is a delicacy. Therefore, when ordering any expensive soup in China, do not be surprised if you accidentally catch a chicken head or foot.
7. Chinese spontaneity
The Chinese resemble children in many ways. They do not burden themselves with anything and do not hold back. Going to bed in the waiting room, sprawled across a bench, is a common occurrence. When they yawn, they won’t even cover their mouth, and in a public place they can spit and burp. That’s why on Chinese trains everywhere, except for the “no smoking” sign, you can see the “don’t spit” sign everywhere.
8. Chinese living amulets and keychains
The Chinese people have never been particularly compassionate towards animals. In China there is even a saying: “We eat everything that has four legs, except the table; everything that flies except an airplane; everything that has two legs, except parents; and everything with hair, except the comb.” Therefore, their animals are used in all areas where they can make money. Namely, in widespread practice, they take small turtles and Cockerel fish, which are placed in plastic bags measuring approximately 5x5 centimeters. These bags are then attached to the keys using a carabiner. Such an accessory will not last long; in a day or two, when the animal dies, you will have to buy a new one.
Although tens of thousands of people around the world are signing petitions towards the Chinese government, this has not yet brought any results. Many caring Chinese buy up these keychains and release the animals into the wild. But this is also a controversial move, because demand creates supply.
9. Live amphibians in Chinese supermarkets
It is already difficult to surprise a modern person with anything, especially with live fish in an aquarium, when you buy it they kill and gut it especially for you. But often in China you can also see live turtles and frogs for sale.
10. In China, you are allowed to bring your own drinks to cafes.
In China, you can find economy-class eateries at every turn. The food there is cheap, filling and tasty, which is why few foreigners living in China cook their own food. Indeed, for just 10-20 yuan you can order a huge plate of pasta and meat there. Drinks are also sold there, but if you bring water with you, no one will object.
11. There are 56 nationalities living in China
China is a multinational and multireligious country. Those Chinese we are used to - the Hans - make up 92% of the total population, and the remaining 5% are small peoples: Zhuang, Hui, Uighurs, Miao, Manchus, Tibetans, Mongols, etc. The vast majority of Chinese are atheists - this has been the case since the days of Chinese socialism. But a small population of China professes Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and other religions.
Currently, it is believed that approximately 7% of the Chinese population are Christians, including Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Despite the fact that the Chinese Communist Party is constantly fighting against them, the number of Christians is constantly growing. In addition, dissatisfied believers often stage protests.
12. China and Japan are sworn enemies
Many Russians, who are not particularly interested in Eastern culture, often even confuse China and Japan with each other. In fact, China and Japan have been sworn enemies for centuries. The reason for this disagreement is that Japan claims some Chinese islands over which wars have been fought.
Japan occupied northeast China in 1931. Japanese aggression lasted 14 years, until September 1945.
What consequences did this lead to China:
- 35.879 million people were injured and killed.
- 300,000 civilians and captured soldiers were brutally killed in Nanjing in December 1937.
- Financial losses amounting to 600 billion dollars.
- More than 930 Chinese cities and half of China's territories fell victim to Japanese invaders during the war.
- 8 million of the captured population were taken into slavery.
- About 40,000 Chinese were taken to Japan, and 6,830 people died there from torture and physical violence.
- More than 20,000 samples of biological weapons were tested on the Chinese population in 18 Chinese provinces - for example, during the war, Japan bombed China with fleas infected with bubonic plague.
13. Chinese pants with slits
Chinese children under the age of 5 wear pants with a slit between their legs. Most likely, this was invented so that the child’s skin breathes and does not rot. Chinese babies are also not given underwear or diapers.
14. Chinese children are little Buddhas, they can do anything.
In China, children under 5 years old are allowed absolutely everything - they are never scolded, considering them holy creatures. Therefore, if a child is naughty, he is not scolded, and he can go to the toilet in the middle of the street or cafe. On the street they don’t pay attention to this, but in the cafe, in this case, a cleaning lady is provided, who will immediately come and clean up. Another reason for such loyalty is the legal limit of one child per family.
Due to the excessive love for children associated with the one-child law, more and more Chinese children have become overweight in recent years. This happens especially often in those families where grandparents still live with their parents. China has now become the second country in terms of the number of obese children.
15. You can buy everything in Chinese online stores
Chinese online stores are visited by millions of customers every day. There is absolutely everything there. The quality sometimes leaves much to be desired, but the most unusual things constantly appear on sale. For example, a fragment of the Chelyabinsk meteorite appeared on Taobao 2-3 days after its fall in Chelyabinsk. In addition to various products, you can also order services in the online store. For example, rent a person to introduce you to your parents under the guise of your significant other.
16. Chinese food is very fatty.
The main dishes of China are pork and fish with a side dish of rice or pasta. These products are already quite filling, so they are prepared with enough oil for deep frying.
17. 7 dialects of Chinese
Do you know that a resident of northern China in a conversation with a southerner will not understand each other? The Chinese language is one of the most complex languages in the world, it contains about 50,000 characters and more than 7 dialects that are completely different in sound. In the 90s of the 20th century, the Chinese nevertheless adopted a national language, Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect. It is used for media broadcasting and is used to teach children at school. But the remaining dialects have not remained just history - they continue to be actively used. In most cases, Chinese who speak the local dialect also speak Mandarin, and all TV programs and films additionally use subtitles. The written language in China is the same - simplified Chinese, with the exception of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau - the traditional version of writing is officially adopted there.
The higher the social status, the more hieroglyphs a person knows. Many rural residents are not literate. The average city dweller knows approximately 2,500 hieroglyphs.
18. They do tai chi on the streets in the morning.
Taiji is a Chinese martial art, one of the types of wushu, as well as breathing exercises. There are several types of tai chi, depending on what tools are used during training. For example, taijiquan (quan – fist), taijijian (jian – “sword”) and taijishan (shan – “fan”).
19. Dating in transitions
Despite the large size of the nation, the Chinese suffer from the fact that they cannot find their soul mate. The life of Chinese youth is such that first they study hard at school, then at university, and then get a job. And no other way in conditions of intense competition. Therefore, they simply do not have time for entertainment and personal life. And they came up with a way out - in the underground passages of several Chinese cities you can find places specially designated for dating advertisements. These advertisements are small notes and stickers on which young people leave their contacts and wishes and stick them on the wall, in the hope of finding their soul mate.
In the modern age of advanced technology, when each of us is constantly busy at work and spends our leisure time in front of a computer monitor, it has become increasingly difficult to meet people. And breaking up is even more difficult. And each of us experiences this differently.
For example, a 26-year-old Chinese girl, Tang Shen from Chengdu, spent a week at KFC eating chicken wings after breaking up with her boyfriend. She ate chicken wings for a week until the taste made her feel nauseous and she was brought to the attention of local media.
20. Taste oddities of the Chinese
In Chinese supermarkets, in addition to the usual range of products, you can find goods that would be a wonder for the average Russian buyer.
For example:
- sweet smoked sausage;
- round sweet gingerbread with yolk and onion;
- buns with beans or peas;
- chestnut cookies;
- roasted chestnuts;
- seeds with different flavors: butter, mint, and so on;
- meat candy;
- sweets made from flour;
- corn-flavored candies;
- colored bread;
- smoked chicken feet and much more.
Sweet tomatoes are also a distinctive feature of Chinese cuisine. They are sprinkled with sugar not only when raw, cut into slices, but also when preparing scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
21. The Chinese don’t eat cottage cheese or drink milk.
From time immemorial, it has happened that the Chinese almost never consume dairy products. There are many theories about this, for example:
- In ancient times, the cow was very expensive and was practically not found in China.
- The Chinese are milk intolerant (this theory has no scientific basis).
Now in China there is beef, but it is about 2 times more expensive than pork. Milk can be found in supermarkets, but only pasteurized. There is no cottage cheese or kefir in stores at all, and the cheese is only imported and intended exclusively for foreign consumers. The Chinese don't eat it.
Chicken eggs in China are not sold individually, as we are used to, but by weight.
22. Chinese women prefer to move to Hong Kong before having a baby.
Hong Kong has officially become part of China, but still has special status and privileges. Did you know that a citizen of Hong Kong has the right to visa-free entry into the European Union. Therefore, many Chinese women try to move to Hong Kong before the birth of a child and thereby provide him with more opportunities than ordinary Chinese have.
Hong Kong, unlike other cities in China, has retained its own currency - the Hong Kong dollar.
23. Every year in China, 20 million trees are cut down to make 80 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks.
If you lay out all these sticks lengthwise, they could cover the world's largest square, Tiananmen Square, 360 times. Because China has very poor forest cover - only 20.36% - for making chopsticks.
24. Chinese rich people sentenced to prison hire their doubles to serve their sentences in their place.
If you are rich, you can afford to buy anything. However, in China, this privilege extends beyond just paying a bribe and avoiding jail time. Rich and powerful Chinese hire doubles to serve their prison sentences in their stead. This is so common that the expression “ding zui” has been coined. Literally it means “replace the criminal.”
25. Chinese weddings with a ghost
A ghost wedding is a real event in China in which one or both participants are dead. It is unknown when this tradition appeared, but a possible reason is to meet the expectations of society. For example, when a widow wants to show her love for her deceased husband, she can marry him so that he will be happy in the afterlife.
26. Some Chinese still live in caves
In China, the number of people living in caves is greater than the population of Australia. At least 30 million Chinese still live in caves because they are warm in winter and cool in summer.
27. Chinese fake eggs
The production of fake eggs is widespread in China. One person can produce approximately 1,500 pieces per day. In fact, such eggs are only identical in appearance, but differ significantly in taste and composition. In fake ones, the yolk is a little viscous, unlike the natural crumbly yolk.
External similarity between natural and fake eggs. Left - artificial, right - real
28. Material measures of success in China
According to statistics, approximately 71% of Chinese evaluate a person's success by his things.
For example, in 2014, a resident of Guangzhou purchased 99 iPhones to show his wealth. He carefully folded them into a heart shape and then asked his girlfriend for her hand in marriage. But unfortunately, the girl rejected the proposal in front of his friends and colleagues. And to make matters worse, photos of his proposal instantly went viral on the Chinese social network Weibo. Soon these photos ended up on foreign social networks Twitter and Facebook, where some users even praised the girl for her selflessness.
29. Chinese billionaire Li Jinyuan took 6,400 employees of his company on vacation to the Cote d'Azur in Paris.
Li Jinyuan first booked 140 hotels in Paris, where he and his subordinates visited the Louvre and other attractions in one of the most famous and revered cities in the world. The huge group of tourists then headed to the Cote d'Azur, where 4,760 rooms were booked in 79 four and five-star hotels in Cannes and Monaco.
30. Villages that survive by selling things on Taobao
Until recently, villagers in the Chinese province of Jiangsu were engaged in pig farming and making sesame buns in clay ovens. But now these villages are known as “Taobao Villages”, where at least 10% of the population survive by selling things on Taobao and Alibaba. There is a well-established production of furniture, denim and various equipment for outdoor installation. And the number of such villages continues to grow. Currently, there are already 211 of them, and there are 70,000 traders living in these villages.
31. Chinese mosquito factory
China has set up the world's largest mosquito production plant in Guangzhou province. In total, they release about 1 million sterilized mosquitoes per week. Introducing sterilized mosquitoes into the wild is an innovative attempt to combat dengue fever. At the moment, no vaccine or treatment has yet been invented for this disease, which annually claims 22,000 lives, mostly among children.
32. About 50% of Chinese people prefer not to take vacations
According to a social survey, specialists working in government agencies, institutions and enterprises are not ready to take paid leave for fear of leaving a bad impression and appearing lazy, which could affect career growth.
33. At a Chinese factory, 90% of workers will be replaced by robots
The Chinese company has begun construction of its first plant in the southern city of Dongguan, which will be 80% staffed by robots. Initially, about 1,000 robots will be used at the Shenzhen Evenwin Precision Technology Co. plant, which produces parts for mobile phones. Once all the robots are operational, they will need to recruit about 200 specialists in the coming months.
More and more factories in southern China are starting to use robots in an attempt to replace human labor. Today this is due to two problems:
- Labor shortage caused by large number of people rejecting factory jobs.
- Chinese labor is becoming less and less cheap. China has long been the most attractive country for foreign companies due to its cheap labor, but now it is beginning to lose its advantage.
34. China decided to publicly shame smokers
Beijing introduced a new strict smoking ban on June 1, 2015. The law applies to public places, offices, restaurants and public transport, and offenders are subject to a fine of 200 yuan. Compared to the previous law passed in 2011, the fine was only 10 yuan. Moreover, information about a smoker who was caught three times will be published on the government website. For the offender, this will mean “loss of face,” and nothing could be worse.
35. China is building a city without cars
Outside the agricultural area of Chengdu, it is planned to build a city where 60% of the total area will be occupied by gardens. In their project, the developers want to show that a city, even with a large population, does not have to be polluted and distant from nature.
36. Chinese ghost towns
In 2007, an exact mini-copy of Paris was created in China. It was planned that this town would be populated by 10,000 residents. But today the population of this city is approximately 2000 people and all these people are employees of this theme park city. At one time it was planned to build a hospital and a school there, but all this remained in the plans. Currently, this mini-town is of interest only to newlyweds planning to take inexpensive photos with Paris in the background.
37. The Chinese government has created a blacklist of rude tourists.
The Chinese government has named 4 tourists who are prohibited from leaving China or traveling anywhere for many years. For example, the couple Wang Sheng and Zhang Yan, during a flight on a Bangkok-China plane, threw hot noodles at a flight attendant and threatened to blow up the plane because they could not immediately take the seats they wanted. The pilot had to turn the plane around and return to Bangkok, where the couple was detained by police. Another traveler was blacklisted for opening the plane's doors during takeoff. Another trespasser was photographed climbing statues of Civil War-era soldiers.
38. “Black prisons” in China, where they are imprisoned without a trace or investigation
Beijing has a number of illegal prisons where people who come to the capital to complain about the work of local authorities are thrown. Detention in “black prisons” can last from several days to several months. Often you have to pay a bribe to get free.
Amazing China
China is a huge country, so different and unusual not only for foreigners, but also for the Chinese themselves, because the north and south are very different. The north is more Europeanized, while the south preserves traditions. It is impossible to get to know all of China in a lifetime. This is an amazing country, a country of contrasts and great opportunities. We have selected only a few interesting facts, but what else unusual do you know about China? Share interesting observations in the comments.