Soaring mountains, plunging canyons, giant pandas and just a single time zone \u2013 we share the most interesting facts about China<\/p>\n
I visited China nearly 20 years ago and found a country on the march. China may be one of the world\u2019s most ancient civilisations with a continuous culture stretching back thousands of years, but today\u2019s relatively modern nation \u2013 the People\u2019s Republic of China \u2013 was founded in 1949 and is more like several different countries rolled into one. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n This is hardly surprising considering 21st-century China\u2019s sheer enormity. The country is off-the-scale massive in terms of area, population, economy, culture, military, history, cuisine, language, walls\u2026 I could go on. <\/p>\n No wonder then, as Kia discovered on her recent visit<\/a>, there are endless things to see and do in this immense land that\u2019s stocked with natural wonders and man-made marvels. Below, we share just some of the most interesting facts about China we\u2019ve learned during our visits.<\/p>\n China\u2019s English name comes from the Qin (Chin) 3rd century BC dynasty. The Chinese name Zhongguo translates as \u2018Middle Kingdom\u2019 or \u2018Central Nation\u2019. With over 1.4 billion people, China is the world\u2019s second most populous country after India<\/a>. It is also one of only two countries with more than one billion people. China was the most populous country from 1950 until it was surpassed by India in 2023. China is one of the world\u2019s five communist states. The others are Cuba, Laos, Vietnam and North Korea (although technically the North Korean government doesn\u2019t refer to itself as communist). Thousands of western apps and websites are blocked in China in what\u2019s known as the Great Firewall of China. The ruling communist party perceives an open internet as a threat to the state. More people live in caves in China than anywhere else in the world. Approximately 30 to 40 million people live in caves carved from porous soil in the Shaanxi Province. China\u2019s current president, Xi Jinping, reportedly lived in one of these caves as a teenager. In terms of area, China is the world\u2019s fourth-largest country after Russia, Canada and the USA. China (along with Russia) borders 14 countries \u2013 the most in the world. The 14 countries are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Vietnam. Despite its size, China maintains just a single time zone across the entire country. As such, schools, airports and train stations operate at irregular hours; restaurants remain open for dinner until the early hours; and national exams are sometimes completed in the middle of the night. China has the world\u2019s second-largest economy after the USA. China has 59 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Only Italy has more with 60. The Great Wall of China is the nation\u2019s most famous landmark. It was built to protect China\u2019s northern border and is the world\u2019s largest man-made structure at 21,196km (13,171mi) in length. Construction began in around 220 BC and continued up to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Mount Everest, the world\u2019s highest mountain at 8,848m (29,029ft), is part-located in China. Its summit sits on the border between China and Nepal. In Tibetan, the mountain is called Chomolungma, meaning \u2018goddess mother of the snows.\u2019 In fact, nine of the eight-thousanders<\/a> \u2013 the world\u2019s only mountains over 8,000m (26,247ft) high \u2013 are either part- or entirely located within China. Beijing\u2019s Forbidden City is China\u2019s largest and best-preserved collection of ancient buildings. It was built between 1406 and 1420, has over 900 buildings and receives around 16 million visitors a year. China\u2019s Terracotta Army has been described as \u201cone of the greatest archaeological discoveries of modern times\u201d. In 1974, peasants discovered the first fragments of a clay figure. Archaeologists would later excavate a tomb filled with an entire army of life-sized terracotta soldiers and horses that had been interred for more than 2,000 years. So far, an estimated\u00a08,000 warriors have been unearthed. The Chinese New Year occurs at a different time to western calendars. Instead, the annual 15-day festival begins with the new moon that occurs sometime between 21st January and 20th February. In China, every year is represented by one of 12 Lunar New Year animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. According to the calendar, the year you were born determines your personality. On 29th January 2025, the Year of the Snake begins. Wild Giant Pandas can only be found in southwest China. There are only 1,864 endangered panda bears in the wild and they are considered a national treasure in China. Fortunately, thanks to conservation efforts, numbers have been increasing recently. Historians believe that gunpowder was accidentally invented in China around 850 AD when alchemists discovered the explosive properties of a combination of charcoal, potassium nitrate and sulfur while seeking an elixir of life. Just 3% of adults in China say religion is very important in their lives, making it the least religious country in the world. With 2,535,000 armed forces personnel, China has the world\u2019s second-largest military after India. China has the world\u2019s highest (300m\/984ft) and longest (430m\/1,411ft) glass bridge. The Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge famously closed just two weeks after opening in 2016 when officials realised it was going to receive 10 times as many visitors as expected. From 1979 to 2016, China had a one-child policy in place in order to slow the country\u2019s population growth. A two-child policy was adopted in 2016 but this was replaced with a three-child policy in 2021 after census data showed a steep decline in birth rates. In 2015, a 57-storey skyscraper was built in just 19 working days in China, at a pace of three floors a day. The construction company claims to be the world\u2019s fastest builder. The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in China is the world\u2019s deepest. In some places, it measures more than 5,300m (17,490ft) from top to bottom. At around 500km (310mi), it is also one of the world\u2019s longest canyons. At 326m (1,070ft) high, the Bailong Elevator, in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan, is the world\u2019s tallest outdoor lift. In 2013, China introduced a law requiring adult children to visit and care for their ageing parents. The \u2018Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly People\u2019 bill states children must care for their parents\u2019 spiritual and physical needs. At 6,300km (3,915mi), China\u2019s Yangtze River is Asia\u2019s longest and the world\u2019s third-longest river after the Nile and Amazon.![\"Kia](\"https:\/\/www.atlasandboots.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/solo-trip-to-china-17.jpeg\")
<\/a>1. China\u2019s real name means \u2018Middle Kingdom\u2019<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: CIA World Factbook<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n2. China is the world\u2019s second most populous country<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: World Bank<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>3. China is a communist state<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: History Channel<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n4. Western internet is blocked in China<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: The Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n5. Millions of people in China live in caves<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: National Geographic<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>6. China is huge<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: World Bank<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n7. China borders 14 countries<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: The Telegraph<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>8. China has only one time zone<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: The New York Times<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n9. China has an enormous economy<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: World Bank<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n10. China\u2019s heritage is (almost) unmatched<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: UNESCO<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n11. China has the world\u2019s largest man-made structure<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: BBC News<\/a>, UNESCO<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>12. The world\u2019s highest mountain is in China<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: NASA Earth Observatory<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n1.3 China is mountainous<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: NASA Earth Observatory<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n14. The Forbidden City has over 900 buildings<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: Lonely Planet<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n15. There is an army of life-sized clay soldiers<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: Smithsonian Magazine<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>16. China\u2019s New Year is not the same as ours<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: Britannica<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n17. Every year is an animal in China<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: Royal Museums Greenwich<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n18. Pandas can only be found in China<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: WWF<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>19. Gunpowder was invented in China<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: History Channel<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n20. China is not very religious<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: Pew Research Center<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n21. China has a massive army<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: World Bank<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n22. China has the world\u2019s biggest glass bridge<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: BBC News<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>23. China had a one-child policy for decades<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: BBC News<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n24. China has the world\u2019s fastest builder<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: The Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n25. The Real Grand Canyon is in China<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: National Geographic<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>26. China has the world\u2019s tallest outdoor lift<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: CNN<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n27. In China, it is law to care for your parents<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: The Independent<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n28. China has Asia\u2019s largest river<\/h4>\n
\u2013 Source: Britannica<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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