Facts about China

Whenever someone says "China", the first thing that comes to our mind is the delicious Chinese food. Although, some people might think of a dragon or the colorful Chinese lanterns too. But, is that all that is there to this culturally and historically rich country? No one will agree, especially if they read the below given interesting facts about China.

History of China

China is believed to be among the oldest civilizations in the world. If you look at the history of China, it was ruled by numerous dynasties throughout, and was constantly shifting from a state of stability to turmoil and vice-versa. Dynasties ruled China till the year 1911. In the same year, Dr. Sun Yat-sen formed a republic. The period 1911-1949, was very turbulent for China as there was a war of supremacy among a number of factions. It was on 1 October,1949 that People's Republic of China was formed by the communist leader Mao Zedong.

The Chinese flag was hoisted for the first time over the Tiananmen Square by chairman Mao Zedong. The flag is red in color and has five yellow colored stars on it. The red color is in memory of the people who gave up their life for the revolution. The large yellow star is the communist party, while the small yellow stars represent the four ethnic groups, namely, Muslims, Manchurian, Tibetan and Mongolian. The small stars are pointed to the big star, symbolizing that all Chinese, including the ethnic groups, are now under the leadership of the communist party.

Chinese Culture

• In China, close to 93% of the population are Han Chinese. Almost 56 ethnic groups co-exist, making it a multiracial country. Mongols, Turik Uighurs, Manchus, etc. which were once separate nations, are now part of the multicultural society of China.
• It was perhaps the oldest countries to have a written language. It is estimated that more than three thousand years back, Chinese had a written language. Today, Mandarin is the chief Chinese language, spoken by seventy percent of the Chinese
• The Communist government in China today, promotes atheism. However, there are five officially recognized religions in China, namely, Islam, Buddhism, Catholicism Taoism,and Protestant Christianity.
• The Chinese culture revolution, which lasted from 1965-1968, was a period marked by great upheaval, with many students, artists and intellectuals being killed or send to the villages to undertake labor. Many pieces of art, temples and monuments were destroyed during this period. Chinese society still suffers from some of the effects of this cultural revolution.

The People of China

• Chinese live in different kind of houses, depending upon the area they are living in. In cities, Chinese live in buildings. In villages, they live in farmhouses. In mountainous regions, they live in bamboo houses and caves. Chinese living in harbors live on houseboats, known as "Sampans".
• Red is considered a lucky color by all Chinese people. That's why, red is the preferred choice for wedding dresses, decorations and festival celebrations.
• If a person is invited for lunch or dinner to a Chinese home, he has to remove his footwear before entering. Also, he has to get a small gift for the lady of the house.
• Today, China follows the "One Child" policy for population control. Those who have more than one child are severely penalized.

Other Important Facts

• The Chinese Calendar was developed in the year 2600 BC. It is based on the lunar cycle and it takes sixty years for a cycle to complete. Each year in the Chinese calendar is represented by an animal. According to Chinese astrology, people born in a particular year have the characteristics of the animal that represents the year.
• Acupuncture, an alternative treatment which makes use of thin needles to treat various illnesses and ailments, originated in China, more than five thousand years ago.
• Feng Shui, the art of placing and arranging various elements such as water, wind, etc in a house, room, grave, building or city, so that they are in harmony with nature, originated in China.
• Chinese new year is the biggest festival in the country, wherein all schools, shops and business establishments remain closed.
• The Chinese cuisine is world-famous today. Different regions in China have different cooking styles. Chinese cuisine can be divided into southern, northern, eastern, Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine.
• Another fun fact is that ice cream was invented in China by accident, when people kept milk and rice mixed, under snow to preserve them.
• China is the world's largest producer of silk and cotton.

Here's hoping that you enjoyed reading these facts, proving beyond doubt that it indeed is an awesome country. This fact on China, is sure to blow your mind off, before I sign off - The Sichuan province in China is more populated than the population of countries such as Canada, Malaysia, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Guatemala, Holland and Greece, put together!