If you’re traveling in the Far East and really want to fit in, you have to learn how to use chopsticks while you eat. Some people can pick it up easily, but some have a much more difficult time. While China uses chopsticks as utensils for eating now, that wasn’t the case back in the day (for whatever that means).
Centuries ago, chopsticks were still used, but more as utensils for cooking than for actually eating. It would kind of be like if you used a spatula to eat your meal. Not impossible, but it would be a strange thing for us to see at this point. It helps that chopsticks are easy to make, carry, and clean, so we figured it was just a matter of time before they started to get more use.
We Don’t Think There Are Any Real Ghosts
China is a big, big place that has been around in one form or another for thousands of years – it should come as no surprise that some of the ancient cities are abandoned. These are, however, a little different. These “ghost cities” are places that have been built over the last few decades, despite them being pretty much deserted.
There are something like fifty to sixty-five million uninhabited homes in the country. The explanation is that there is a big time frame between the construction and when people are actually moving in, but the Chinese government isn’t the most trustworthy source about some things, so take it with a grain of salt. A lot of these places look like they could be the location for a zombie movie.
They Must Really Like Watermelon
Yes, it turns out that there really is a museum just for watermelon in the capital city of Beijing. If you love watermelons this is the place to be, but if you don’t like that specific type of melon...you can probably skip it. Somebody apparently thought that this fruit would be the best choice for a museum and shop, and we guess it makes just as much sense as anything else that isn’t “science” or “history” or something like that.
It was built in order to promote the watermelon culture (whatever that is) and the development of the watermelon industry. The building is even shaped like a huge watermelon with two green leaves and has been named “flying watermelon” because of the soaring watermelon production in the city of Daxing.
Even More Dangerous Than Dogs
All around the world, geese are considered vigilant animals that are always on the lookout for danger, even if that danger is only a person on a relaxing jog through the park. This is also true in China, specifically Xinjiang’s Shawan County, where they’ve decided to employ the geese the same way they do with police dogs.
It turns out that this has been a good change for the country because they seem to be even more useful. If any nation can make those little feathered fiends useful in any way, shape, or form, we say more power to them. Hopefully, they aren’t going to try that with Canadian geese, because all they’re going to get for their trouble is a bunch of really angry geese.
The Water Parks are Very Crowded
Water parks are always busy places, but unless you’ve been to one in China, you’ve never been to one that is TRULY busy. It seems like water parks are the place in China to be if you have a free day during the summer, and when you go to a water park, EVERYONE goes to a water park. The crowds of people are simply immense, and people don’t just go on their own or with a friend – everybody in the entire family wants to go.
We’ve heard stories of it being so crowded that people are unable to move – packed in like sardines and probably not smelling all that much better. There are over a billion people in China, so yeah, those water parks are going to be full a lot of the time.
Getting the Best of Your Fear
If you have a fear of heights, you’re going to want to skip this next attraction. You might want to skip this entire paragraph, honestly. The Tianmen Skywalk is a big mountain that has an enormous gaping hole through the center of it. That’s a great part, but it’s not the Skywalk – that, in particular, is a glass walkway that climbs around the outside of the mountain.
You can see straight through it, and the drop is quite a bit up off the ground. Almost a mile, apparently. It’s an amazing view, but for those who aren’t fans of being up very high, this is going to be a heart-pounding experience. It’s so high up that sometimes clouds can get in the way. That might actually be better.
Taking Your Duck for a Walk
If you spend enough time in China, you’re eventually going to see a duck on a leash. It sounds unnatural, and it looks a little strange, but these pet ducks don’t seem to mind it all that much. A lot of people in China have pet ducks, whether from picking up a stray or buying from a reputable pet shop and ducks, just like any other animal, need a little bit of exercise.
If you have a pet duck, a leash makes perfect sense. Even better, if you take them out for a little walk, they can gobble up seeds and bugs, which saves you money on duck food. We don’t know how expensive something like that is, but spending less on it has got to be a good thing, right?
Hanging Out at a Temple
There are plenty of Buddhist temples in China, but few of them are like the one in Shanxi called the Hanging Temple. It’s a temple built into a cliff that is hanging seventy-five meters or two hundred and forty-six feet above the ground. The closest city is forty miles away, making it one of the main tourist attractions in the area. It was built more than fifteen hundred years ago with an astounding dedication to the craft and the religion of the monks who inhabited it.
It’s not only famous for its location on the sheer precipice, but also because it’s the only existing temple with a combination of three traditional Chinese philosophies: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. That last isn’t really a religion, but it’s at least a similar school of thought.
A True Green Village
The village of Houtouwan was once a thriving spot that was known for its fishing and had more than two thousand people living in it. However, it was abandoned at some point in the past, and now it has become famous for a different reason: the plants. The plants have truly taken over, to the point where it can be hard to see where you’re going in a lot of places.
It will seem like you’re traveling underground, or nowhere near something that used to be a town, but you’ll still be inside the town limits. Tragic? Perhaps. Everybody who once lived there is long gone. Beautiful? We think so. Usually, humanity takes over nature, so it’s fun to see things go in the other direction.
The Longest Escalator in the World
You’ve probably ridden your fair share of escalators, but have you ever wanted to take it to the next level? Then you should try out the biggest example of escalator tech in the entire world, found about an hour outside of Beijing. It’s not in a shopping mall, though – no, this escalator is built to take you to the top of the largest dam in all of China.
The people working on it knew they had to spruce it up a little, so they made it look like a classic Chinese dragon, giving it its name: The Dragon Escalator. Just make sure you don’t trip and fall while you’re riding this – it climbs over two hundred and fifty meters. Sadly, the escalator was put out of use in 2019.
A Little Park Tai Chi
All this running around to different attractions might have you a little tired out – what about some relaxing tai chi? It’s a combination of an art form and an exercise, able to create a peaceful, flowing atmosphere that will drain away your stress and get you ready for your next big adventure. There are lots of places where you can find people doing it together in the parks all over the world, and no doubt there are lots of opportunities to do it in China.
It’s also far more popular, so you won’t get any strange looks while people are walking past. There are huge groups that like to perform it in the park, made up of both beginners and old masters who are frighteningly flexible.
Time for a Little Cuddly Fun
China is, rightfully, well-known for its panda bears. Did you know that all pandas, even those that are in zoos around the country, are the property of the Chinese government? They’re simply being loaned. The species is just barely hanging on, meaning there are lots of breeding centers around China.
There are only something like two thousand giant pandas in the world, and that’s up quite a bit from a few decades ago. If met correctly, pandas can be quite friendly, and if you go to the right facilities at the right time, you might even be able to play with some of them. You’ll have to be careful, of course – they’re still bears – but it sounds like a whole lot of fun.
The Very Big Wall
Yes, it’s a world-famous piece of architecture that has been standing for thousands of years and stretches for about thirteen thousand miles long, but if you’re taking a tour around China and you don’t see the Great Wall, you’re really missing out. It’s a World Heritage Site, but that barely even does it justice. This man-made structure, the biggest there ever was, is intimidating, to say the least.
It winds through the hills in the north of China, still keeping watch to make sure the hordes don’t try to attack. There aren’t a lot of hordes anymore, but this wall still stands tall and strong. Has a single person even seen the entire thing from ground level? Thirteen thousand miles is an immense undertaking both building and walking it.
A Word We All Need Sometimes
If you’ve ever looked at a picture of a place and thought to yourself “I need to go there,” you might get that feeling when you look at Lexiaguo, the capital city of the Yunnan Province in Kunming. This place has been described as one of the most naturally beautiful places on the entire planet, and the natural colors of the area are sure to take your breath away.
November in particular is incredibly beautiful, as the crops are turning and the different patterns and colors that they show off are stunning. You’ll feel like you’re looking at a beautiful landscape painting, but it’s just the hills and valleys of the area around the capital city. In fact, “Lexiaguo” sounds like a good term for seeing a place and really wanting to go there.
The Crimson Beach
If you’re wondering how beaches could possibly be red, the answer is the very red and incredibly vibrant color of the Suaeda salsa plant. This colorful place is found in Dawa County of Panjin, and the salsa plant is cultivated here. It has a daunting look to it, especially if you look at it from the right angle, but it isn’t all that dangerous. It’s where people grow plants on purpose – it’s not like it’s going to be something that could harm you.
The water is quite shallow, there are no dangerous beasts, and unless you’re deathly allergic to salsa plants, nothing is going to hurt you. It still looks amazing and even a little frightening even after all those explanations, though. If you happen to be in the area, you should take a look.
A Wonderful Winter Festival
If you like making snow sculptures then the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival is going to leave you stunned. The kinds of things that these artisans can come up with will leave you astounded – not only that they came up with them, but also that they were actually able to create them!
This festival is the largest of its kind in the world, with something like eighteen million visitors coming to check it out. We don’t think that’s each year, but that’s still a lot if you’re looking at the totals. Winter winds from Siberia whip down across Harbin to keep the sculptures frozen solid. If you’re feeling the chill, you can visit another part of the festival, called Sun Island. It’s a little warmer.
Enter: The Art Zone
If you happen to be in Beijing and want to see all the street art you can manage, head on over to the Dashanzi Art District, also known as the 798 Art Zone. It’s held in an old military factory that has been revitalized and transformed into a place where art and culture – both traditional and modern – shine. The city’s annual Design Week is held in the location, making it one of the most sought-after spots for those who want to experience some art.
It’s a premium place for those who need a creative outlet. Much is said about how much control the government has over the country of China, but it seems not everyone or everything is in perfect lockstep. There’s still plenty of space for some artistic expression.
A Very Similar Fake
Grabbing a drink while you’re walking around one of China’s huge cities sounds like a good idea, you might be a little confused by some of the names on the signs. There are plenty of Starbucks locations, but you’ll also see plenty of “Teabucks,” which is more or less a rip-off of the first store. The whole idea is that the store serves tea as opposed to coffee.
It seems like the kind of thing that would actually be quite popular, especially in places like England which has a big tea culture. We’re not sure if the tea flavors or serving style are going to be similar to what we’re familiar with in the Western hemisphere, but if you happen to be in China and want a spot of tea, it seems like a good choice.
Tough Trees to Cut Down
This next fun feature is known as Shilin, or The Stone Forest. Found in the Shilin Yi Autonomous County in Yunnan Province, it’s made out of tall limestone rocks that rise out of the ground quite a lot like stalagmites, and many of them look more like petrified trees than stones. Thus an illusion is created that looks a great deal like a forest made of stone. That’s where the name comes from, you see.
There are multiple different sections of the stone forest, as well as a cave and a couple of lakes in the area. You can also see the Dadie Shui Waterfall, a very nice sight in its own right and something you might have seen before if you’re a big fan of Jackie Chan movies.
Not Exactly Jurassic Park
Like dinosaurs? Are you in China? Then you can take a look at the location known as “Dinosaurs Fairytale,” which is located on the border of Mongolia and China. As in, on the actual border itself. Even better, on either side of the border, there are a pair of stone Branchiosauri that are locking lips. Yes, this is a very strange place. The location is Erenhot, which is also known as Erlian, in the Gobi desert, in the part known as Inner Mongolia in China.
The highway that is there was the only route between Inner and Outer Mongolia, and it was also where a great deal of dinosaur fossils were found in the 1920s. Thus, Erenhot got the name Dinosaur City, and then it got a theme park that has dinosaurs showing love.
They Really Love Foreigners
If you’re from somewhere in the western hemisphere and you make your first trip to China – or anywhere in the Far East – get ready to be popular. People in China are fascinated by those from the West, and it’s not just because you stand out like a sore thumb. There might be a little assumption that you’re some kind of celebrity, and there will be a lot of people who want to take your picture, just because you look a certain way.
Sometimes this means people taking pictures of you without your permission, which is a little rude, but there will be plenty who are willing to actually ask. You might not be Brad Pitt or Taylor Swift, but plenty of people will still want a pic.
Squatters’ Rights
If you’re in the West and you need to take a little break while on a walk, for example, you’d probably take a seat on a bench lean against a wall, or even sit in the grass for a little while. If you grew up in China and lots of other parts of Asia, however, you could just take a deep squat. You see when we’re born, our legs are nice and limber – keep an eye out, and you’ll catch young kids doing this deep squat all over the place.
In the West, there isn’t a culture around squatting in such a way as an adult, so our muscles tighten up and make it hard to squat like they do in China. It can still be done, but you’ll have to work your muscles to that point with stretching.
Pajamas are a Normal Outfit
Go for a walk in China and you’re likely to see a bunch of people wearing their pajamas while they’re out and about. No, they haven’t run out of clean clothes to wear while doing their laundry – this is a recent fashion trend that has swept the nation. You have to admit, it sounds nice. Usually, when you’re in pajamas you’re at your most comfortable. You’re about to get in bed or all the work is done for the day.
They might not wear them to work, but they like to throw them (or similar items) on while taking walks, running errands, or hanging out with friends. If you want to fit in while visiting, consider bringing along an extra pair of pajama pants.
Fake Apples Everywhere
No, not the fruit itself. That would be a lot weirder, honestly. No, we’re talking about fake Apple stores, where one might buy the newest iPhone or Mac laptop. These fake Apple stores pop up all over China whether or not Apple likes it. They don’t just try to be a knock-off – they try to be the real thing. The employees attempt to be just like the Apple geniuses that are in every Apple store to help you make the right choices.
We’re told that there are actually some stores that haven’t let their employees in on the joke, and the people working there seem to think that they actually work at a real Apple store instead of a knock-off. The products are also fake, but that’s par for the course. If they sold real stuff, they’d just be a real store, right?
Picked From Almost Three Thousand Choices
The Chinese flag, as simple as it is, was the winner from among almost three thousand different ideas – 2992, to be exact. And it includes plenty of symbolism. The red color represents the Chinese Communist Revolution, and the stars represent the unity of the Chinese people. In a country that big and with so many people, we’re surprised there’s a great deal of unity, but we guess that’s what a country like that can accomplish.
The small stars are clustered around the bigger one to show that the unity of a people should revolve around one center – we assume that means the ruling government of the country. The yellow color of the stars symbolizes the power of historic dynasties, but we are not sure exactly why.
The First to Use Paper
For most of history, money has been a small piece of metal. The shape, size, and value of these little pieces (known as “coins”) have varied wildly, but eventually, China got sick of them. When was this? All the way back in the seventh century, during the Tang Dynasty. They used to use only coins with a rectangular hole in the center, but they also introduced paper money – the first in the world to do so.
This was mainly due to high inflation. Yes, it was around back then, too. If there’s money that people can exchange, there’s going to be a change in the value of that money. Because of this inflation, lots of paper money was made, which we all know can only make the problem better, right?
The Invention of the Sport
Football or soccer is played all over the world. The enduring success of the sport is due to the fact that you only really need a ball and a bunch of people. Goals might help, but you can make them out of pretty much anything. One possible origin for this sport is that it comes from China – a bit of a surprise, since it isn’t known for its sports team on a national level. Records show that this game was part of leisure in China more than two thousand years ago.
It apparently began as a military exercise, using a leather ball filled with feathers. Competitions were a big event and there were plenty of matches in military camps and in palaces. It’s a far cry from what the sport is today, and this is but one of the many possible origins of the sport.
The Most Popular Sport
So, what Is the most popular sport in the country of China? It’s none other than ping pong, which is enjoyed in major leagues and amateur play all around the nation. It’s so popular there that a lot of people seem to think that they came up with it, but that isn’t the case. Ping pong, or table tennis, was invented in Britain in the late 1800s.
From there it quickly spread to Europe, America, and around the globe. It was introduced in China in 1901, and since then it’s been one of the most popular pastimes. China has been dominating the international championships for decades, since 1953. It might be a genetic thing since plenty of members of other nation’s teams are Chinese immigrants.
Not Used for Eating
If you’re traveling in the Far East and really want to fit in, you have to learn how to use chopsticks while you eat. Some people can pick it up easily, but some have a much more difficult time. While China uses chopsticks as utensils for eating now, that wasn’t the case back in the day (for whatever that means).
Centuries ago, chopsticks were still used, but more as utensils for cooking than for actually eating. It would kind of be like if you used a spatula to eat your meal. Not impossible, but it would be a strange thing for us to see at this point. It helps that chopsticks are easy to make, carry, and clean, so we figured it was just a matter of time before they started to get more use.
You Must Respect the Artwork
If you spend much time dealing with Chinese art, you probably know that calligraphy plays a big part in the artistic history of the nation and the area as a whole. It’s more than just the next level of penmanship – it’s the combination of a purely visual art form and the literary meaning behind the characters. It’s also a highly respectable job to be a calligrapher.
This respect has led to several other forms that have evolved through the years, including seal carving, ink stones, and a lot of other things. Learning how to become an accomplished calligrapher in its basic form can take years to pick up the basics and even longer to master. Those who apply themselves and master this art will find themselves set for life.
Minorities Registered to the Government
The government of China keeps a pretty tight grip on a whole lot of aspects of life in the country, and apparently, that also means the definition of what is and isn’t a minority in the country. There are fifty-six official minorities that have been recognized. What about the majority, though? That would be the Han ethnicity, which forms a whopping ninety-two percent of people in the country.
The Hans have a bunch of sub-groups, and ethnic minorities include Chinese Koreans, Hani, Li, Manchus, Uyghurs, Zhuang, and lots of others. There are also Mongolian sub-groups like the Buryats, Chinese Mongols, Daurs, and more. “Undistinguished” ethnic groups are those that have not been officially recognized or classified by the central government. This group as a whole makes up about seven hundred thousand people.
The Most Important Part of Life
Every culture and nation has family as one of the central parts of life, and for good reason. Support structure, personal contact, and love all come with it, and Chinese culture puts an even greater emphasis on family than a lot of other countries do. It is, apparently, the most valued aspect of life in the country. Western culture has the kids move out, but in China, parents would much rather have the kids stay close to home.
Oftentimes a person’s success is attributed to their ability to bring their entire family under one roof – if you can keep the family together, it means you’re a strong leader and you also bring home the bacon. People have regular family gatherings in order to socialize and spend time together.
Dragons are the Good Guys
In a lot of cultures, dragons are considered to be big, scary beasts that capture princesses or store big hordes of loot, or roast knights with one puff of their fiery breath. But that isn’t the case in China! In fact, Chinese culture and people consider dragons to be creatures of a much better nature than the rest of the world gives them. China believes that the dragon is a sacred creature and that they bring good fortune.
This, of course, leads to things like the dragon costumes that show up in Chinese festivals, escalators that are decorated like dragons, and lots of other things. It’s one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, and even if all you know about Chinese culture is from Chinese restaurants, you’ve probably seen them around.
Nothing Is Off Limits for Dinner
One of the more controversial facts about China – at least when viewed from the perspective of most other countries – is that they will eat almost anything that is put in front of them, as long as it won’t make them sick. This includes things like rats, snakes, dogs, and a lot of other animals that people in the West wouldn’t consider standard fare. It’s a big place, and such a big place (and so many people) means that they sometimes have to get their food where they can find it.
There is, of course, plenty of standard options like beef, pork, and chicken. Also, don’t expect any fortune cookies with your meal – those little treats are a purely American creation, getting their start in San Francisco.
Say No to the Number Four
There are plenty of superstitions about numbers all over the world. Thirteen is unlucky, 666 is the number of the beast, and seven is lucky – they’re all over the world and they differ wildly. In China, the number to avoid is four. The number is associated with death, primarily because the pronunciation of the number is quite close to the pronunciation of the word “to die.”
People will avoid buying four items on a shopping trip, they will avoid the fourth floor of a building much like how builders “skipped” the thirteenth floor in the west, and red packets – an envelope of monetary gifts – will not have anything with a value of four in it. There are some other things they will or won’t do to avoid the number four as well.
Let the Kites Fly
If you’ve ever stepped outside on a windy day to keep a kite in the air, you have the Chinese to thank. They were the first to come up with the idea of attaching bits of paper to really long strings. It’s believed that they began to use them approximately twenty-eight hundred years ago! And they weren’t just used as idle activities, either – no, kites were used in order to scare opposing armies. If you had no idea what they were, you might be a little terrified of them, too.
We’re familiar with really small ones, but these kites can get BIG. Like...BIG BIG. The largest kite ever, which was in the design of the flag of Kuwait, was over a thousand square meters! When it collapsed, it weighed over two hundred kilograms!
They Have to Build a Fast
China has a lot of people, and though it’s a very big space, they need more of it in the cities. It’s because of these things that skyscrapers are being put up at an incredible speed. Apparently, a new skyscraper is finished every five days – that’s seventy-three new ones that are being made every year. The growing economy and population of China means that these are helping people find homes, spaces for business, and more.
There are also plenty of unique buildings being put up to encourage tourism. They allow you to see the cities from different angles and heights, and they’re something that gives you an appreciation for the cities and all the work that has been put into them. But still, a new skyscraper every five days. That’s fast.
The Number One Peak in the Country
China is a huge place with a great deal of environments, and that includes a whole lot of mountains to explore. If you’re after the cream of the crop, however, you need to check out Fanjingshan Mountain. It’s the highest peak of the Wuling Mountains in Southeastern China, reaching an elevation of over twenty-five hundred meters.
The mountain is considered a sacred one in Chinese Buddhism, considered the “Bodhimanda” or “Place of awakening” for the Maitreya Buddha. It’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2018. Different features such as the stone steps, the Mushroom Rock, and the Jinding (“Red Cloud Golden Peak”) mean there are plenty of fun things to see if you happen to find yourself in the area.
Yo, it’s the Yangtze
Huge rivers are fun, aren’t they? We have the Nile, the Amazon, the Mississippi, and the Yangtze. Not in that order – the Yangtze is the third-longest river system in the world after the Nile and the Amazon. It spans sixty-three hundred kilometers in length – equal to about thirty-nine hundred miles – and is a famous attraction due to its beauty and incredible size.
It’s an incredibly important part of the culture of the area since it provides tons of fish for food and trading, a good way to travel in either direction and more. But that’s not the only famous river in China! The SIXTH longest river in the world, the Yellow River, is also found in its entirety in this country. It’s a mere fifty-four hundred and sixty-four kilometers in length.
A Three-Child Policy
For a very long time, China had a policy that each couple could only have one child. This led to a great deal of strife due to a number of reasons both too dire and too complicated for this article. One of the most obvious outcomes was that China’s population began to decline precipitously, and it was only going to get lower as birth rates declined due to a gender imbalance – there were far more boys than girls.
The policy was adjusted in 2016 in order to allow for a whole two children per family, and in 2021 they again changed it to allow for three children per family. As far as our sources tell us, this is the only country in the world that has restrictions on how many children a family can have.
The Biggest Mountain Is the Biggest Barrier
No doubt you’re familiar with Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the entire world (it is not, technically, the TALLEST mountain, just the one that goes the highest up). China is right next to the landlocked country of Nepal, and one of the things that marks the border between the two countries is this great mountain. The two countries maintain a strong partnership, despite the wild differences in their cultures.
Everest rises to an elevation of eight thousand, eight hundred, and forty-eight meters at its highest point. That’s more than FIVE MILES above sea level! Climbing this incredible work of nature is no small feat – even experienced climbers will find themselves in danger if they aren’t sufficiently prepared and don’t follow the proper steps.
The Chinese Love to Travel
The people of China are one of the major contributors when it comes to the worldwide tourism industry in pure amounts of money. Chinese people spend something like two hundred and sixty billion dollars every year on travel around the globe – more than double what people from America spend. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, since there are way more people in that bigger nation.
They like to travel so much that surrounding countries such as Japan and South Korea will specifically employ people who speak Chinese languages in souvenir stores – to better capture such a lucrative market, you see. The Chinese have a big, strong economy, which gives them plenty of extra spending money to head to other countries and get a taste of the great, wide world.
One Single Time Zone
One of the most obvious facts about China is just how big the landmass is – it’s two point two percent larger than the entire landmass of the United States, and that’s even including Alaska. America has a whole lot of time zones, but China only has a single one. It’s known as Beijing time – no matter where the sun is in the sky, all the clocks in the country line up with what Beijing is experiencing.
That means that at certain times of the year in the western part of the country, the sun won’t rise until something like ten in the morning, and it might not go down until much later at night! It seems like something that would be hard to deal with, but eventually, you would get used to it.
Some of the Best Universities
With so many people and so much space, you can be sure that China has plenty of universities to boast about. They have some of the best universities in the world according to some standards (which may or may not be reliable) and they attract a whole lot of foreign students. The country focuses a lot of money and attention on the educational sector, and the society as a whole is quite competitive when it comes to education.
In addition, most of these universities meet American standards when it comes to getting jobs, so students who got their degrees in China are able to travel and join the workforce in the States without too much hassle. Other than, you know, traveling to a country that is on the other side of the world.
Tea Is Much More Than Just a Drink
There are a whole lot of places on this big wide planet that love tea, and China is one of the places that has the most love for this ancient drink. Tea is said to bring health benefits, soothe anxieties, and contribute a pleasing aroma. But it’s a lot more than just that – the very way that you drink this beverage is a way to indicate your social status.
Tea has been something for the connoisseur in China for a very long time, and everything from the room you’re into the cups you use to the brand of tea that you drink is a way to represent your social status to others, or to yourself. One of the most important things to do in China is to offer tea to visitors.
A Complicated System
Ever sat down at a Chinese restaurant and taken a look at the zodiac system they have on the placemats? It has dogs, rats, dragons, snakes, tigers, pigs, and others, totaling twelve. There’s a great deal of thought that has gone into this system. For instance, the animals are split into two groups: the ox, horse, goat, rooster, pig, and dog are all domestic animals raised by the Chinese.
The rat, tiger, dragon, snake, and monkey all have folklore importance to the Chinese. The animals are arranged in their recurring order based on the principle of Yin and Yang AND on the odd or even number of each animal's claws, toes, or hoofs. They go odd, even, odd, so the rabbit has four toes, the dragon has five claws, etc.
A Big Event
The most important holiday in China is the Chinese New Year, which is quite the celebration: it lasts approximately two weeks, starting on the first new moon in February and going until the next full moon. In the country, it marks the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season. There are feasts, festivals, gift giving, special visits (such as married women visiting their parents, getting fortunes told, traditional and ceremonial foods, getting rid of garbage, and the final event of the period, the Lantern Festival.
Traditional foods include chicken (due to every family being able to afford it), apples, fish, garlic, jau gok (a type of dumpling), jiaozi (another kind of dumpling), mandarin oranges, sweets, cakes, and more. People also give each other red envelopes that contain money and gifts.
A Problem With the Air
The air quality in Beijing has been a big problem in the past. While it seems to be steadily improving, it still comes out to this kind of equation: six days of breathing the Beijing air is equal in deleterious effect to smoking a cigarette. Pollution from the huge number of factories, transport vehicles, and even the cigarettes themselves have caused this.
It’s even worse during the winter, since people need to turn on their heating, which causes the demand for electricity to soar and kicks all of the power plants into high gear. However, it’s mostly the emissions from motorized vehicles that are the cause – one study estimated that seventy percent of the smog is from cars. As the Beijing economy has increased, people have been able to afford more vehicles.
A Great Marathon Run
If you’re the kind of person who likes to stretch his or her legs, then you might want to add the Huangyaguan Great Wall Marathon to your list of dream races to run. It’s traditionally held on the third Saturday of May, along and on the Huangyaguan or Huangya Pass section of the Great Wall of China. The course is entirely on the top of the Great Wall and is available in full marathon, a half-marathon, and an 8.5-kilometer fun run.
All of the races are much tougher than traditional races since there are stone steps and steep ascents and descents to conquer. Even worse, those stone steps can vary in height, meaning you can’t just go on auto-pilot – you have to be in control the entire time.
The Biggest Buddha
You’ve probably seen a statue of the Buddha once or twice, but if you’re after the biggest one in the entire world, you’ll need to travel to the confluence of the Min River and Dadu River in the southern part of the Sichuan Province in China. At seventy-one meters tall (about 233 feet) not only is it the tallest statue of Buddha in the world, it’s also the tallest pre-modern statue in the world.
Work began in 713 A.D. but didn’t finish until 803, a full ninety years of work. Its hair is made out of over a thousand giant buns embedded in the head. There’s also a drainage system of hidden gutters and channels that wind through the head and arms, going behind the ears to divert rainwater off the statue.
Hong Kong is Pretty Darn Big, You Guys
Let’s put down a bunch of quick facts about one of the wildest areas of China, Hong Kong. Its full name is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Quite the mouthful. It’s comprised of a grand total of two hundred islands of various sizes and is about four hundred and twenty square miles – about six times the size of Washington D.C.
It was formerly a British Colony, and now there are seven million people who call the area home. It’s the city with the most skyscrapers in the WORLD, which helps to fit all those people inside such a small area. It has the most Rolls Royces per person in the entire world, and there are hills big enough to require outdoor elevators
A Bonus Bridge Fact from Hong Kong
Here’s another fun fact that is from Hong Kong – it has the world’s longest road and rail suspension bridge in the entire world. The bridge is called the Tsing Ma Bridge, and it was the second-longest-span suspension bridge of ANY kind when construction was completed. It’s now fallen to the teens in that regard, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an impressive piece of construction.
The bridge is forty-one meters (135 feet) wide and spans 1,377 meters (4,518 feet). It’s able to withstand typhoons and even has two sheltered carriageways used to protect people during such storms. The bridge also serves as a scenic spot and a landmark. There’s a visitor center and a viewing platform that allows people to see the surrounding area.
Imagine a Dark Tea
Even if you’re a fan of drinking tea, there are probably some kinds that you haven’t sampled. Take, for example, dark tea. This is a class of tea that is popular in China and has undergone microbial fermentation for anywhere from a few months to several years. The endo- and exo-oxidation that occurs in the tea leaves turns them a dark color, hence the name. Be careful not to get this confused with black tea since they are quite different.
The fermentation affects the smell and tends to mellow out the flavor of the tea, reducing bitterness and improving both the mouthfeel and the aftertaste of the tea. It’s unknown when dark tea was first produced, with some thinking it was produced accidentally as people traveled on the Silk Road.
A Different Tea Set for a Different Tea
If you have a tea set at home, you probably use it for all your tea, right? You wouldn’t have a different tea set for every different kind of tea, would you? Well, it seems that’s the best way to do things, at least in China. If you travel there, you won’t just find porcelain tea sets. There are sets made out of pottery, lacquer, glass, metal, enamel, and even wood or bamboo.
It’s said that each different kind of material will affect the flavor and experience of drinking the tea a little bit, so people keep different sets around for different times and reasons. They might just use a classic porcelain pot or a metal one for everyday use, but when the guests come over, they’ll break out the bamboo pots.
A Land of Many Inventions
People have been living in China for a long time, and all that time has resulted in some amazing inventions and advancements. Among the many things that they’ve developed have been the use of porcelain to make tea sets, a fabulous fabric we all know as silk, the magnetic compass – something that no outdoorsman should be without.
They were the first to use gunpowder, something that changed the nature of warfare more than almost anything else ever has or might ever will. They also came up with one of the most important things that our world has – paper. Plenty of other places, like Egypt, weren’t far behind them, but the ancient Chinese were said to be the first to make something so simple that changed so much.
The Experts in Silk
There’s a reason that the Silk Road is named that – silk was such a hot commodity during the Middle Ages that it created an entirely new trade and industry, and it was much sought-after in Europe. China is and always has been the world’s largest silk producer thanks to the mulberry silkworms that are found in the country.
The secret to producing (worms, remember) and spinning silk was such a closely guarded secret at some points in history that a person could be KILLED if he or she shared the secret with someone who was not allowed to know. Famously, Marco Polo traveled as far as he could, and the best thing that he found when he got to China was this ultra-smooth material.
What Cool Treat Is Millennia Old?
How old would you say ice cream is? If you didn’t know any better, you might estimate a hundred years. There are certainly no stories of George Washington having a refreshing bowl of ice cream while leading the Revolutionary Army to victory. But it’s actually much, MUCH older than that.
While the version of ice cream that we know and love today likely only started being consumed as far back as 550 B.C. in Persia, there are some records that tell us that China may have been eating something similar as far back as three thousand B.C.! This treat was made out of milk (likely buffalo or yak milk) as well as rice and snow. They had few ways to cool it down, so they went straight to the cold source.
A Different Staple by Location
Visit or live in China (or just frequent your local Chinese restaurant) and you’ll quickly discover that Chinese people love noodles and rice. Well, okay, pretty much everybody loves them. But the Chinese people have been using both as a staple in a lot of their dishes for a very long time. They’re eaten during pretty much every meal, whether it’s a fancy dinner or a quick bit of food before running off to work.
However, where you are in China will tell you which of these you’re likely to get when you sit down at the dinner table. In the south, rice is the more common option, while the north sees wheat noodles. Both of them are eaten in the entire country (especially now) but the most common staples differ based on location.
He Did More than Speak Wise Words
Confucius is a towering figure in the history of China. He lived during the Spring and Autumn period (770 B.C. to 481 B.C.) and was a Chinese philosopher who is considered the paragon of that group. His teachings underpin pretty much all of East Asian culture and society. His teachings emphasized personal and governmental morality, the correctness of social relationships, justice, kindness, and sincerity. He also popularized chopsticks!
Confucius, being a vegetarian, wanted to do something to keep his mind off the violence of the slaughterhouse while he ate, so instead of a piece of metal that would spear his food, he used this common kitchen utensil to pick the food up and eat it gently and carefully. It’s said he thought chopsticks helped keep a calm spirit at the dinner table.
No Tips in China
In many Western countries, it’s customary to tip waiters, attendants, and many others who give you exemplary service. This isn’t the case in China, at least not while dining in restaurants. Restaurants in the West consider the tip to be part of the pay that the waiter (for example) receives, so they don’t have to pay as much in wages. In many other parts of the world, including China, tips are unnecessary because the waiters have a higher base pay.
In fact, tipping in most places in China will be met with confusion, embarrassment, and even offense. There are some places where it is encouraged, however, such as private tour guides, hotel bellhops, or upscale urban restaurants. There are also more westernized places like Hong Kong where tipping is more accepted and expected.
A Wide Variety in Every Meal
If you sit down to a meal in China, you’re in for a treat. Not just because the food is good – that’s been obvious for a long time – but because you’re going to be getting so many different flavors all at once. Traditional Chinese medicine says that to maintain the good humor of the body, a meal must have many different flavors – sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and spicy.
This is said to keep the body’s humors, its internal fluids, in balance. While that’s been debunked by now, most Chinese people keep the same food traditions, since it at least tastes pretty darn good and keeps you from getting bored during your meals. In addition, the last course usually involves soup – it’s said to have made for easier digestion.
Proper Chopstick Etiquette
If you’re able to learn how to use chopsticks correctly (no small feat), there are still a couple of things that you should know about how to use them that won’t embarrass you while you’re with your Chinese hosts. You might be aware that you shouldn’t “spear” your food with your chopstick, even if you can’t get any of the food to your mouth – it goes against everything that Confucius would have wanted. It’s a pretty big social faux pas.
In addition, you shouldn’t leave your chopsticks stuck inside the bowl vertically for any reason. The reason for this is it’s very similar to the traditional Chinese funeral tribute, which is a bowl of rice with a chopstick inserted vertically into it. Not how you want to treat your dinner guests.
Let’s Take a Trip to Shanghai
This huge city in China is one of the world’s centers for finance, business, science, manufacturing – anything and everything you can think of. It had a humble beginning as a simple fishing village long ago (think six thousand years ago). Kingdoms conquered and re-conquered it as the eons rolled by until 1292 A.D. when the Yuan dynasty established it as a major city in the country.
It’s currently the world’s largest city, with the metropolitan area as a whole containing a whopping thirty-five million people. It also has the longest metro system in the world, which roams for a total of 365 miles beneath the city and almost as many stations (364). The dialect that many in Shanghai use, called Shanghainese, is even difficult for other speakers of Mandarin to understand.
A Way to Escape
Shanghai actually played an important part before and just after the start of World War II. At a time when being a member of the Jewish race was a dangerous prospect in Europe, many Jews living there fled to other countries. One of the common landing ports for Jews moving to other countries was none other than Shanghai. It was a good halfway point if they wanted to then travel on to places like America, Australia, or other nations.
Some twenty thousand Jews passed through the area during the time, and while some of them moved on to other places, about ninety percent of them stayed in Shanghai for good. They didn’t get away from the war, unfortunately, but it was a safer place in general.
How Do You Define a Dynasty?
Chinese history is a long, complicated, and intricate one, and one of the most important things that have shaped the country is the different dynasties that have ruled in the area. A dynasty is when a single family has control of the kingdom (or kingdoms at some point in the last several thousand years). The first dynasty was that of the Xia dynasty, which began way, way back in something like 2070 B.C., and it lasted for four hundred years.
The longest-reigning dynasty was the Zhou dynasty, which ran for a total of seven hundred and ninety years, though the country was separated during that time, and the dynasty’s power was reduced compared to others. The final dynasty, the Qing dynasty, came to a close in 1912 A.D., at which point the country became a Republic.
A Far Cry From Pokemon
For more than a thousand years, back into the time of the Tang dynasty, the Chinese people have participated in a strange sport. It’s called cricket fighting, and yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Begun by emperors and picked up by commoners, cricket fighting was so popular that it is thought to have helped to contribute to the fall of an empire.
Thirteenth-century Prime Minister Jia Sidao wrote a how-to guide for the bloodsport, and he enjoyed it so much that he forgot about his other duties. Like running the nation. This may seem like a cruel sport, but unlike many other bloodsports, cricket fighting rarely causes injuries to the animals and even rarer results in death. The loser is the first cricket to avoid conflict, runs away, stops chirping, or is thrown out of the fighting container.
The Chinese Version of Bigfoot
Every nation has its little legends about strange creatures that live in the woods. The United States has Bigfoot, the Tibetan mountains have the Yeti, and on and on. The Chinese version of this brand of myth is called the Yeren, or “Wild Man.” They supposedly live in the mountainous forested regions of the Hubei province. Sightings of these “hairy men” have been constant since the Warring States Period, which was about 340 B.C. to the Tang dynasty, which ended in 907 A.D.
They eventually solidified into the modern legend of the Yeren. They are described as fast, strong, and savage. They live in mountain caves and leave only to raid villages for food and women. As for Bigfoot, studies have been done to find the creature, but have come up similarly empty.
Cave Dwellers
There are a ton of huge cities in China, but there are also more than a billion people living there – not everybody can have a skyscraper to himself. There are about thirty-five million people living in caves in the entire country, with most of them found in the Shaanxi Province in the center of the country.
And despite what you might think, this isn’t just because they can’t afford a man-made house. Actually, these cave dwellings come with some fun advantages: they’re a lot cheaper to build, they stay warmer during the winter, and they stay cooler during the summer. This underground architectural style has been used since the Stone Age, and it’s still providing for people even to this day.
They Have the Only Surviving Pictographic Writing System
A theory has been bandied about that Chinese – Mandarin, in particular – was one of the first languages ever developed by humans. This is incredibly difficult to prove, but the language, at least the ancient forms of it used millennia ago, have been found in a lot of ancient places. It’s one of the world’s most common languages and is also thought to be the toughest language to learn in the entire world.
But it’s not even the only popular language in the country: A lot of regions speak a varied number of dialects of Mandarin. Some regions even have their own distinct languages, such as Cantonese. People around Shanghai speak Wu. They all differ greatly from Mandarin.
The Biggest Cities
With so many people, you can bet that China has a huge number of cities. Indeed, it tops the list in the world at a whopping six hundred and sixty. While defining a city is a little vague, it’s generally known as a settlement of notable size. Ninety of the cities in China have a population of over one million (for reference, the United States has nine), and there are even eighteen cities that have a population of over TEN million.
There are only thirty-three of those in the entire world, and China holds more than half of them. The most populous city in China is Shanghai, which is number three on the worldwide list under only Tokyo, Japan, and Delhi in India. It has a ways to go to catch up to either.
Enough to Circle the Earth
China depends on a lot of transportation infrastructure, but you might not have any idea just how much railway the nation has. It has the longest high-speed network in the world, and it was longer than thirty-eight thousand kilometers long by the end of 2020. That’s a huge length, but that’s just the high-speed network. The total length is more than a hundred and forty-six thousand kilometers or about ninety thousand miles.
That means there is enough rail in the country of China to circle the globe – THREE TIMES! But get this...it’s not even the longest network in the world! The longest is, to a little bit of surprise, the United States. It has about two hundred and twenty thousand kilometers of rail, all told.
The Meaning of Colors in China
Every culture thinks about colors a little differently. Yellow is bright and cheerful, blue is calming, green is vibrant, and red is dangerous. China is no exception, but you might be surprised about how different the meanings can be. Red is the favorite color of Chinese culture, something you can see for yourself if you’re ever in a Chinese person’s home or business – red will be everywhere.
Red is said to bring good luck and happiness, but there isn’t going to be a whole lot of white, which is related to death and funerals. In fact, white is the color of mourning in many Asian countries instead of black. Yellow is seen to be the royal color of ancient Chinese dynasties and emperors – hence the yellow stars on the flag.
More Number Meanings
Each of the first nine numbers (not counting zero) has a couple of specific meanings in China. Some of the big ones are four, which means death, but eight means wealth and success. There are a couple of classics, such as one meaning unity or wholeness, or two meaning harmony.
Three means many or stability, five stands out by meaning “me” or “I.” Six is often used to mean good luck, and it also means “smooth.” Seven means holiness and mystery, and nine means longevity and eternality. Everyone knows that nine is the most eternal number. These tie into a great many things in Chinese culture – people will specifically avoid certain birthdays (turning forty-four, to pick out an easy one) to cultivate success in the coming year.
Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting
One of the most popular things to come out of China in the last hundred years was the advent of Kung Fu movies. It helped to spread the idea of martial arts all over the world and gave people an incredible art form to enjoy. Did you know that there are more than four hundred substyles of Chinese Kung Fu?
It’s an important part of Chinese culture, combining theories of self-defense, keeping healthy, and controlling one’s self. The practice is also known in China as “Wushu,” and the styles range from beautiful, flowing tai chi to Shaolin Kung Fu to Wing Chun, popularized by the “Ip Man” movies. There are lots of different styles to choose from if you’re interested in becoming more active and learning how to defend yourself.
The First Emperor’s Stone Army
One of the most famous landmarks in China is the tomb of the first emperor of the unified China, Qin Shihuang. He ruled from 221 to 210 B.C., and he made up the title of Emperor. We don’t think he’s the first person in history to be called an emperor, but the title stuck and many Chinese leaders have used it since.
The man wanted to be protected even while he was in the afterlife, so he had a special tomb created – at huge expense, he built a necropolis, a city of the dead, and filled it with thousands of terracotta soldiers. Just a little bit of it has been uncovered so far, but people have found warriors, weapons, and even stone animals.
A Whole Lot of Emperors
China’s been rolling along for some time now, and even if they ruled for a long time, there would be a whole lot of emperors throughout the different dynasties that have held power. But not all of them HAVE held power for a long time – some of them had only a few years or even only a few months on the throne. In grand total, China has seen more than six hundred emperors during its time since the first, Qin Shihuang in 221 B.C.
If you count all of the emperors that reigned at times or in parts of Chinese history, you get more than half a thousand of them. There were some that had a good long while, like Emperor Qianlong in the eighteenth century, who reigned from 1735 until his death in 1799.
The One with the Most Neighbors
China is a huge country, and it has a whole lot of borders circling it. In fact, it’s the country that has the most neighboring countries of them all. It’s connected to Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and North Korea. And that’s just by land!
If we count close countries that are right across the water, you get probably dozens more, with additions like South Korea and Japan being the most obvious. There’s Taiwan, and the Philippines...a great deal of Asia can be reached from China, but you might have to travel across China to get there. China is huge, and if you don’t have a plane to use, travel time just across the country is going to take some time.
A Big Change in Climate
As China is such a huge place, you can expect the different regions to differ quite a bit when it comes to the weather that they see. The north tends to be much colder and drier, while the southern part of the country displays the opposite. Northeast China can see temperatures drop all the way to negative forty (that’s in both Celsius and Fahrenheit), since that’s where the ranges meet).
Conversely, summers in the south of China can get up to forty degrees Celsius – a hundred and four Fahrenheit. A dangerous amount of heat. Rainfall also varies depending on where you are. The Taklamakan Desert gets a few millimeters a year, while the rainy southeast gets closer to three meters of rainfall in a year.
The Best Time to Visit
If you’re looking for the best period to take a trip to this Asian country, it should be during the fall. It’s the best time with the most comfortable weather – the rainy season is coming to an end, the south won’t be egregiously hot, and the north won’t be egregiously warm.
If you’re only planning to visit the south you could visit during the winter, for instance, but if you want to get a look at everything that China has to offer, then autumn (or spring as a secondary option) is the right pick. Plus, you’ll get the added bonus of getting to see all the trees turning colors. If you were to go to a forest, you can bet that it would be an amazing sight.
Too Many Sites to See
UNESCO World Heritage Sites are some of the most amazing things the world has to offer. Every country has at least a couple, but China has an incredible fifty-seven! The top spots are things like the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the Ming tombs (and a lot of other tombs), the Ancient City of Pingyao, the Mountain Lu National Park, the Site of Xanadu, and many, many more.
There are mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, temples, grottoes, buildings, archaeological sites, palaces, rock carvings, and others. You could stick to just man-made or just natural and still have more than enough to do during a trip you want to take.
The Oldest Tree Ever
Some medicines from the area of China contain Ginkgo extract. While there’s no evidence to prove that it does anything worthwhile, the tree is still incredibly unique because of how long it’s been around. The tree is called a living fossil since fossils that are from hundreds of millions of years ago are strikingly similar to the trees that are alive today. In fact, scientists believe the Ginkgo Biloba tree, its full name, has remained largely unchanged for more than two hundred million years.
It has a remarkably slow rate of change and high genetic uniformity, so a tree that is in one place will be related (at least as it comes to genes) to trees on the other side of the world. The tree has long been cultivated in China but is also found all over the world.