China is a nation that is well-known for its ancient culture, breathtaking beauty, and many of the world’s most cherished artifacts. A vacation in China is an experience that one will remember for the rest of their lives. As the most significant celebration in China, the Chinese New Year is also one of the most widely celebrated holidays around the globe and one of the many facts about china you will love.
The legend goes that the Jade Emperor, a deity in ancient Chinese mythology, staged a race to determine the chronological order of the years on the calendar in order to choose twelve animals to symbolize the Chinese zodiac. Starting with the rat, the order of winners was as follows: ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and lastly, pig.
For Chinese New Year, we welcome the Year of the Tiger, a sign of courage and power. Since 8 is the most auspicious number in China, we thought it would be a good idea to share 8 fascinating facts about China in the hopes that they may spark your curiosity enough to make you want to visit this incredible country.
Top 8 facts about China right now
1. There is just one time zone in China.
Did you know that China only has one time zone, despite the fact that it spans over 5,000 kilometers from east to west and north to south across its entirety? Generally speaking, time zones are defined as regions that are 15 degrees of longitude apart and vary every hour. Therefore, in principle, China should include a total of five different time zones. As a matter of fact, this was the situation from 1912 to 1949. On the other hand, China has been operating under a single time zone (Beijing Time) since 1949.
In some parts of China, it is normal for individuals to talk about the time in both “local time” and Beijing time. This is an interesting facts about china. Because of this, both tourists and residents may find themselves in a state of confusion!
2. One of the first 5G networks in the world is almost ready to go live in China.
All the buzz about the future of the internet is centered on 5G, which is being discussed eight years or so after the mobile industry introduced 4G, or LTE networks. The spotlight is squarely on China’s leadership when discussing 5G.
With 5G, the available bandwidth will be significantly increased, allowing for the operation of high-speed, linked devices, which is much anticipated. Considering the massive influx of new gadgets that are anticipated to enter the internet in the next few years, this becomes even more crucial. Although 5G has not been launched just yet, with the United States and Europe having spearheaded earlier waves of mobile internet, China is supposedly well ahead of the curve when it comes to constructing the required infrastructure. The majority of industry analysts believe that China’s internet companies stand to benefit significantly if the country wins the 5G race.
3. China is home to more than 300 distinct languages and dialects.
Given the diversity of China’s population, it’s not surprising that the country is home to a wide variety of languages and dialects this is an amazing facts about china. There are more than 300 sub-dialects among the eight major groupings that make up the Chinese languages. With more than a billion native speakers throughout the world, Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken Chinese language family. Huizhou Chinese, spoken by just around four million people, is the most rare variety of Chinese.
In China, what major linguistic groupings are you referring to?
- Modern Mandarin Chinese. Nearly one billion people worldwide speak Mandarin, which is the official language of China.
- Yue means “the water dragon” in Cantonese. The second most common Chinese language, Cantonese, has more than 85 million native speakers worldwide.
- Shanghai, Zhejiang, and the provinces of southern Jiangsu make up the Wu-speaking area. Leaving for Shanghai soon?
- Hokkien. Many members of the worldwide Chinese diaspora speak Hokkien, a language group that originated in Fujian province in southeastern China. It is believed that over 40 million people throughout the world speak Hokkien Chinese as a result of its connections to international commerce.
- Among the languages that Hakka shares commonalities with are Mandarin and Yue (Cantonese). Its primary speakers are Chinese people living in western Yunnan, eastern Guangdong, and southern Fujian.
- Southeastern Fujian and Hainan Island are home to more over 80 million Min Chinese speakers.
- The Gan people of Jiangxi province are home to over 25 million people who speak Gan Chinese.
- In addition to being recognized for its fiery food, Hunan is well-known as the homeland of the Xiang language family. One estimate puts the number of individuals who speak Xiang and its variants at 35 million.
4. There is no royal palace on Earth larger than the Forbidden City.
During the Ming Dynasty, the Forbidden City housed the Chinese imperial family for about 500 years. Because of its exceptionally well-preserved assortment of ancient Chinese structures, it has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The design of the Forbidden City was precisely constructed to reflect the intellectual and theological beliefs of the Ming Dynasty, as well as to symbolically represent the grandeur of Imperial authority.
5. The Chinese also consider colors to be lucky.
Discovering auspiciousness in Chinese culture goes beyond numbers. Colors can be seen as auspicious or unfortunate. Red, the color of prosperity and good fortune, is considered the most joyful color in Chinese culture. White, the color of death and grief, is considered the unluckiest color in China. At funerals in China, it is customary to wear white.
6. In China, tea has great significance.
Another fascinating facts about china is the tea. Tea is more than just a beverage; it embodies a wealth of cultural heritage that spans generations. More than just a beverage, tea serves as a medium for cross-cultural understanding in China. Do not miss the opportunity to see the craftsmanship and reverence for China’s tea drinking tradition by participating in a Gong Fu Cha (工夫茶) ceremony during your vacation to the country.
7. The Chinese lunar calendar is often followed during celebrations.
The Chinese lunar calendar is a lunisolar calendar, which means it uses both the sun and the moon to count down the days until important religious and social events in China. In contemporary times, the Gregorian calendar is used for civic reasons in China, including business and appointment scheduling. But the Chinese lunar calendar is most important for celebrations and customs. Among the most important events in the Chinese lunar calendar are the Lantern Festival, Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), and Mid-Autumn Festival.
8. One of China’s goals is to get to the moon’s “dark side” before any other country.
Prior to the United States’ historic landing of humans on the moon, China had not even sent a satellite into orbit. After half a century, a mission is planned for later this year with the goal of becoming the first country to explore the far side of the moon. All of this is geared toward the overarching strategic objective of overtaking other prominent space powers by the year 2030. As part of this strategy, a probe will be sent to Mars in 2020, and plans to put humans on the moon are also in the works.
Tip facts about China
Surprisingly, several smaller walls make up what is formally known as the Great Wall of China.
Some people think the Great Wall is really simply a single long section. This famous piece of architecture is actually a network of walls that stretch over 20,000 km. More than two millennia ago, Emperor Qin linked the walls to protect the first united Chinese state. As an additional intriguing detail, the sticky glutinous rice flour was used by the workers in the mortar. If you want to know more about the most popular Chinese tourist destination, we recommend taking a guided tour of this World Heritage Site and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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