I have been always fond of traveling, and China seemed to be an intriguing country, and a perfect place to go and experience a totally different culture that has a 4,000 year history.
China is a land of great diversity and fascinating in a variety of ways: language, culture, history, people, calendar etc.
Discover an incredible amount of historical and enigmatic places to see in China: from the Great Wall of China to the Forbidden City, from the Temple of Heaven to the Qing Dynasty…
In this article you will get acquainted with ancient, interesting and fun facts about China, and also will find out about the top four travel destinations in China, the “Golden Route”, Chinese cuisine and much more…
Ancient Facts about China
1. Chinese civilization is one of the few ancient civilizations that has its’ individual writing script.
The Chinese language has over 20,000 characters.
The average Chinese only learns about 5,000 of these in his lifetime.
Dashanpu in the Sichuan province of China has yielded over 1,000 Dinosaur Fossils.
Four Winged Feathered Dinosaurs called Theropods have been found; these are considered to be the missing link between dinosaurs and birds.
2. Child Emperor Pu-Yi was the last imperial ruler of China in the period 1908 -1912.
Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty was the only female Emperor of China.
3. The Incredible Great Wall of China is also known as the “Ten Thousand Li Wall”, one Li is equal to 500 meters.
The wall is over 1,500 miles in length.
4. Khubililai or Kublai Khan issued Silk Notes as currency.
5. Acupuncture treats illnesses with inserting sharp thin needles in various pressure spots, it was originated over 5,000 years ago in China.
6. The Chinese year is based on the cycles of the moon.
This is called a lunar schedule.
A complete cycle of the Chinese calendar takes 60 years.
The Chinese calendar dates back to 2,600 B.C.
It is the oldest known Calendar.
Fun Facts about China
Did you know that…
1. China is the forth largest country in the world.
2. China is sometimes a day ahead of the United States.
3. Ice cream was invented in China around 2,000 B.C when the Chinese packed soft milk and rice mixture in the snow.
4. Each year is represented by an animal.
There are twelve animals which represent the twelve months.
5. According to readings, Buddha named the years after the twelve animals that came to visit him before he left the Earth.
The Chinese believe that you have some of the characteristics of the animal representing the year in which you were born.
6. It’s a well-known fact that the Chinese have been growing rice since 5,000 B.C.
Archaeologists have found rice grains in farming tools and pots from that period.
7. Red is considered a lucky color in China.
At one time wedding dresses were red.
New Year’s banners, clothing, and lucky money envelopes are still red.
8. Fourth graders are expected to know 2,000 of the over 20,000 written Chinese characters.
By the time they leave college, they will know from 4,000 to 5,000 characters.
Each character is learned by looking at it and memorizing it.
9. Unlike the 26 letters of our alphabet, their words cannot be sounded out letter by letter.
Interesting Facts about China
1. Total Land Area of China is 9,596,960 Sq. Km.
It is the forth largest Country in the world.
2. Shanghai (18,884,000) and Beijing (17,430,000) are two of the largest and most populated cities in the world.
3. At least 14 countries and 4 seas border China.
Since the country is so large, climate is extremely varied – it is sub Arctic in the North and Tropical in the South.
4. The population of China according to a July 2006 estimate is 1,313,973,713.
It is officially the most populated country in the world.
The Chinese Government has adopted a “one child” policy in an effort to curb the high numbers.
Unfortunately, this also makes China one of the fastest aging countries.
5. China has a mandatory military service of 2 years for all men between 18 and 22.
Women of the same age group are also recruited for specific military jobs.
6. The Han Chinese is the largest majority group in China.
Mandarin Chinese is the official language.
However, in total, 55 official minorities and 206 listed languages are mentioned.
7. The Jen Min Jih Pao or People’s Daily is the largest official publication.
8. The Tienanmen Square is the world’s largest public gathering place and the Three Gorges Dam is the biggest dam.
Top Four Travel Destinations in China
Do you know that Beijing, Xian, Guilin and Hong Kong are the most visited cities in China?
A lot of people know it as the “Golden Route” or “Presidential Route” after Bill Clinton visited these cities in 1998.
Certainly the “Golden Route” has a good combination of everything: great historical heritages, beautiful landscape, delicious Chinese food, great shopping and so on.
Best time to visit China is spring and autumn when China has beautiful weather and fewer tourists.
If you are a first-time visitor to China, the golden route is your top pick.
You would need at least two weeks to complete the tours.
Beijing – you would need at least four nights to complete what you need to see and do.
Great Wall China is the longest man-made architecture on earth.
This should be your number one destination in Beijing.
Forbidden City – the former palaces and offices of Ming and Qing Dynasties.
It is currently a museum with countless treasures.
Summer Palace is the most well preserved Royal resort of Qing Dynasty.
Temple of Heaven is the symbol of Beijing.
Ming and Qing emperors worshipped Heaven here.
It’s really worth while doing a Hutong tour in order to have an old Beijing feel.
After all, don’t forget a Beijing duck feast.
Useful tip: Beijing travel requires a lot of walking.
Please be prepared for it.
Xian – everyone should visit Xian at least once in life, Chinese and foreigners alike.
Spend three nights here is necessary to cover the most important sightseeing.
Xian has been a capital city for 13 dynasties, totaling 1,100 years.
It was the world’s most prosperous city in Tang Dynasty, 1300 years ago.
The Terra Cotta Warriors is a full-scale replication of the Qin Dynasty army.
There is no other place in the world you can see a life-size army of over 2,000 years old.
Banpo Neolithic village is a famous site of 6,000 years old which has typical features of a matriarchal society.
You’ll also see clues of ancient burial, marriages, creative tools and artifacts.
In Xian, don’t forget to go for a dumpling feast which usually goes with a first class entertainment show of Tang Dynasty music and dance.
Guilin is ranked second on China’s list of top 10 tourists’ destinations.
It has beautiful landscape integrated with fabulous countryside.
Make sure you won’t miss the Reed Flute Cave, the Crown Cave and some of the beautiful peaks.
Don’t forget to make a day trip to Yangshuo where the best hills and waters are.
Go there on a Li River cruise and return by bus.
If you choose to stay overnight, you would be able to watch the spectacular ‘Liu Sanjie’ performance, which takes place on the Li River.
Yangshuo is truly a fantastic place for you to relax and enjoy.
In Guilin, make sure to go for a rice noodle feast.
Or you can just eat it as a street food at ¥2 per bowl.
They are extremely yummy.
Hong Kong is very different from any other mainland Chinese cities.
In Hong Kong, you can experience one-country-two-systems.
I would suggest a minimum stay of three nights here.
Being Asia’s World City nowadays, Hong Kong is an important leg on the China travel “Golden Route”.
There are several “bests” of Hong Kong.
The world’s best night view, best skyline, best shopping paradise, best gourmet’s paradise and so on.
You would be able to buy the trendiest everything here at the lowest prices in the world, including authentic luxury goods.
Cantonese cuisine is one of the yummiest among Chinese foods.
Don’t forget to go for a dim sum lunch and a typical Cantonese seafood dinner.
Have you ever traveled to China?
World Travel Guide:
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