With a population of more than 1.4 billion people, China is the world’s most heavliy populated country. In addition, it is also the third largest country in the world by area. It’s therefore no wonder as to how China is a country filled with intriguing artifacts, historical traditions, and plenty of tourist attractions.
While China has plenty to see and do in its bustling cities, it is also a country with a rich cultural history dating back to ancient times. From historic architectural feats such as the Great Wall of China to its’ sprawling skyscrapers in the modern age, there are plenty of jaw dropping facts about this country to sit back and marvel at. Let’s take a look at some of the interesting facts about China that make it such a special country.
The Chinese New Year
Because it is a common belief in China that the new year should be treated as if it is everyone’s birthday, the Chinese New Year is filled with wild celebrations, fireworks displays, dragon dances, and family gatherings. The celebrations are then wrapped up with a Lantern Festival, when children will go out onto the streets carrying lanterns and trying to guess the answers to the riddles contained inside.
In addition to being plentiful, the New Year’s celebrations are stretched out over 15 days. Of course, that’s not the end to the uniqueness of this holiday. It also happens to be one of the most ancient cultural holidays’ in the world, having existed since 14th century B.C. during the rule of the Shang Dynasty.
The Invention of the Crossbow
While crossbows may often be associated with the wars fought in medieval Europe, they were actually invented hundreds of years before that. A Chinese text, estimated be from 200 B.C., credited a man by the name of Ch’in of Ch’u with the invention of the crossbow in 700 B.C.
The crossbow was considered such an advanced weapon at this time, that a law was passed that prohibited people from taking crossbows out of China- this way, enemies couldn’t get their hands on this technology. Crossbows were developed so drastically over the years that by the eleventh century, they could shoot 20 arrows in 15 seconds! Crossbows continued to be frequently used by the Chinese military until 1895, when the usage of firearms rendered crossbows obsolete.
The Forbidden City
Founded in 1420, the Forbidden City is one of the largest and most well-preserved imperial palaces in the world. It was constructed to be the residence of the Imperial Emperor during the reign of the Ming Dynasty and went on to house 24 emperors- 14 from the Ming Dynasty and 10 from the Qing Dynasty.
In ancient China, the emperor was viewed to be a heavenly presence, with powers that were bestowed to him from heaven. For this reason, commoners were forbidden from entering the palace, with the death penalty awaiting anyone who disobeyed this rule. In fact, even members of the government and the imperial family had limited access to certain areas- only the emperor could roam wherever he willed.
The Terracotta Army
In 1974, a group of farmers in the province of Shaanxi were digging in a well when they uncovered thousands of life-size figures that were modelled after soldiers, horses, and chariots. This army was made of terracotta and seemed to be guarding what looked like a tomb. After further research was conducted, it was determined that this tomb belonged to Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the united China that exists today.
Born in 259 B.C., Qin was the emperor who united each of the warring provinces after 200 years of conflict to establish the Chinese nation. Qin is also the emperor after whom China was named (Qin is actually pronounced “Chin”). The reason why the terracotta army had been placed in the tomb was so that the soldiers could ensure Qin’s protection in the afterlife.
The Meaning of Mirrors
In ancient China, mirrors possessed a number of symbolic meanings. First and foremost, mirrors are believed to affect feng shui- in fact, Chinese people still take great care in where they place mirrors in their homes to this day. Secondly, mirrors are believed to be able to direct the flow of qi (energy). The third purpose of mirrors stretches back to thousands of years.
In Ancient China, mirrors were believed to protect their owners from evil by uncovering evil spirits and revealing facts about the future. If a person believed that they had seen a ghost, they could simply look in a mirror in order to be healed. This led to the tradition of hanging mirrors on the ceilings of burial chambers- so that the dead could enjoy a peaceful slumber.
The Origins of Soccer
While the English are credited with establishing the version of soccer that we know today, this sport’s origins can be traced back thousands of years to Ancient China. The Chinese used to play a sport similar to soccer called Cuju, which translates to “kick the ball with foot”.
This game was particularly popular during the rule of the Han Dynasty, when the ball was made of a leather skin exterior and a feather-stuffed interior. While it originated as a form of exercise for soldiers in the army, its popularity soon spread to the upper class even eventually to members of the royal household. Eventually, Cuju was even played at the Imperial Palace, where a court was built that featured six crescent shaped goal posts on either side.
A Force To Be Reckoned With
While the Chinese were always known to be proven soldiers on the battlefield, their military might far outnumbers even their closest competitors. As of today, Chinese People’s Liberation Army has more than two million active soldiers across their five professional military branches.
Should this colossal force prove to be insufficient during times of war, the Chines military has an additional 500,000 soldiers in their reserves. While it may seem like the military has more servicemen than they currently need, the Chinese government is still incredibly strict with soldiers who no longer want to serve in the military. Some of the penalties that can be faced by people wishing to leave the army include bans on foreign travel, buying real estate, opening a business and even attending college.
Endless Railway Lines
As such a colossal sized country, its no surprise that China has one of the largest networks of railways in the world. In fact, this network is so enormous that it could actually loop around the world twice! In more recent times, China has been developing a largescale high-speed rail (HSR) network.
This has quickly become the largest HSR network in the world, stretching 15,534 miles! The next largest HSR network, belonging to Spain, is a mere 2010 miles in comparison. In total, China possesses 66.3 percent of the total number of HSR rails in the world. The trains that China uses on these tracks are just as impressive. They travel at a jaw dropping speed of more than 320 kilometers per hour, and transport around two million passengers daily.
Hygiene Is Paramount
Whether they were part of the ruling class or peasants, people in Ancient China has incredibly high hygiene standards- particularly for the time period in which they lived. In fact, bad odor was associated with barbarism and therefore looked down upon.
In order to keep smelling fresh, upper class women would wear scented bags around their waists. Any noble who had the opportunity to talk to the Emperor would chew cloves before their encounter in order to avoid having bad breath. Unfortunately for the poorer working class, they had to resort to other methods such as washing themselves with urine. Throughout the rules of the Xia and Shang dynasties, it was common etiquette for men to wash their hands five times a day, take a bath every fifth day, and wash their hair every three days.
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