The People's Republic of China is an amazing country with an ancient history full of wonders and many modern wonders worth exploring. This charming and unique country is the most populous in the world and one of the largest by land area.
Many people living here still adhere to traditional Chinese culture, but the country has also been at the forefront of innovation, producing more science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates than any other country in recent years.
As you probably already know, China is the world's longest-lasting civilization, its Great Wall is the largest man-made structure on Earth (but contrary to popular belief, cannot be seen from space), and the Silk Road is the oldest and longest Trade routes were; however, did you know that China also created our modern decimal and binary systems, algebra, geometry, and the discovery of the human circulatory system?
Did you also know that China consumes 1.7 million pigs every day and that a strange delicacy is “pee eggs,” eggs cooked in little boys' urine for 24 hours? Neither did we! Here are ten surprising facts about China you might not know:
China has only one time zone
Although China is the third largest country in the world (China is almost as wide as the United States) and technically spans five time zones, since 1949 (when “Beijing Standard Time” was Since then, the entire country has been operating under one time zone. Officially promulgated by the Communist Party. This means that when it's 6am in Beijing, it's 6am on the other side of China – even though the sun won't rise for about three hours.
Most schools, transportation services and other government services in Xinjiang's westernmost region adhere to Beijing time, while many local businesses stick to their own time. This means kids walking to school under the stars while some locals get stuck in rush hour traffic later…at 7pm!
New Chinese mothers have to “sit” for four weeks
You may have heard that in China, couples need to apply for a “Family Planning Certificate” to have a child, but did you know that new mothers usually have to confine themselves for one month after the birth of their child?
This tradition is called confinement, where new mothers rest in bed for a month without exposing themselves to people or any situations that may cause stress, such as exertion, cold weather, emotional stress, and traditionally even water!
Body moisture is thought to pose a health risk to the mother, as she may catch a cold if she is exposed to the elements through bathing and washing her hair. Thankfully, drinking water is rarely avoided these days, but mothers (and sometimes fathers) are still often involved.
The purpose of confinement is to allow the mother to rest and recover from childbirth, ensure that she and her baby are not exposed to unnecessary threats, increase breast milk production and strengthen the maternal bond.
Football was invented in China
The ancient Chinese not only invented paper, gunpowder, printing, and the compass, but they also invented the concept of football (or soccer, if you will). The game “Cuju” – which means “playing the ball with your feet” – was common during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 220 A.D.). The popularity of Cuju then spread to surrounding countries, and the rest is history!
Can't access Western websites in China
While China is undoubtedly a fascinating country with unparalleled beauty, fascinating history, and amazing people, the current government does not want to dilute it all with Western influence, so they have instituted strict censorship and banned Many Western Internet sites.
If you're considering visiting China, don't expect to be able to browse Google, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, or Reddit sites (to name just a few), which are blocked by a system that many refer to as the “Great Firewall of China.” China'.
The government has even tried to block methods of bypassing the firewall, including blocking the use of many VPNs. Thankfully, it’s still easy to bypass this firewall using a VPN, but only if you know which VPNs still work!
China strictly censors their film industry
China doesn't have a film rating system, but that doesn't mean China is a paradise for 12-year-olds who want to watch adult movies. Movies are censored for the same reasons that the country's internet is censored.
In addition to the ratings, there is a 36-person committee responsible for ensuring that Chinese viewers do not see any unpleasant or inappropriate content. When they found that the content in the film was too obscene, violent, exaggerated or insulting to China, they simply deleted the entire scene from the film before releasing it to the public!
These cuts include the famous nude painting scene from “Titanic” being deleted, a minute of “Bohemian Rhapsody” being edited due to a kissing scene and drug use, and 13 minutes of “Men in Black 3” being deleted. It was deleted because it contained an alien disguised as a Chinese.
Chinese etiquette is a little different
Many countries consider burping after a meal a sign that the meal was delicious and a sign of good manners, while others don't bat an eyelid at spitting in the streets. There are also many people who don’t think it’s rude to yawn or grunt – in China these are perfectly acceptable while eating!
Even more interesting is the lack of diaper usage in the country. Older babies and toddlers who are able to use a potty do not need to wear one. Instead, they wear special pants with slits in the back, and when they need to use the toilet, they squat wherever they want. And we don’t just mean outdoors, either. It is acceptable for the youngest Chinese citizens to defecate or pee wherever they feel the need to, whether indoors or outdoors!
China is full of cavemen
Not really, but close! An estimated 35 million Chinese live in caves due to inheritance, tradition and sometimes poverty and lack of affordable housing. Most people live on the yellow porous cliffs and slopes of the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi Province. The government tried to get them to move, but the long-term residents, who loved their cave homes, refused to budge.
The Chinese do eat dog meat and invented the first ice cream
Most people have heard the rumor that Chinese people eat dogs, but this is not a rumor. In Yulin City, one day a year, residents celebrate the summer solstice by eating dogs bred for the purpose. The tradition of eating dog meat began 4,000 years ago.
Another ancient tradition that started around the same time was the Chinese invention of milk-based food, made from yak milk and rice, cooled with saltpeter (potassium nitrate) and snow poured over the outside of the container. Yes, it was the first milk-based ice product, most similar to what we now think of as ice cream.
The Chinese are masters of war
You might think that large-scale poison gas and chemical weapons are fairly modern inventions, but China was actually the first to poison humans on a large scale, using incendiary weapons as early as 200 BC, according to Sun Tzu's “The Art of War.”
There are also reports that the Chinese were using arsenic bombs as early as 1000 BC, and their war history is littered with similar references and hundreds of recipes for weapons of mass destruction, such as the supernatural-sounding ” Soul Hunting Fog”. They were also probably the first nation to utilize covert espionage operations, as they invented the kite about 3,000 years ago to gather military intelligence.
“The Art of War” itself is a bible of war tactics, and many of the strategies in the book are still used today. While the Chinese have always been ruthless toward their enemies, they are not entirely war-oriented—Shanghai was the only port in the world to accept visa-free Jews during the Holocaust.
China has the largest military in the world
The Chinese are not only masters of war in history, but are also well prepared for future battles. The People's Liberation Army of China has the largest number of soldiers in the world, with over 2 million. It also has the second largest defense force budget and is almost considered a military superpower.
