China Facts: Interesting Facts About China

China is one of the world's oldest civilizations. It is a state located in East Asia. The Republic of China was established on January 1, 1912. China is rich in history, culture and has contributed widely to the global arts. Here are some other interesting facts about China.

Many commodities of everyday use have found their origins in China. Papryus was found in China. It was from Papryus that paper was created. Even the art of printing was first invented and then fine-tuned by the Chinese. The early lodestone was also invented in China. It is common knowledge that gunpowder was first made in China, though it is a misconception that the Chinese used it only for festivals and crackers. The Chinese had various weapons working on gunpowder.

Other notable inventions were the wheelbarrow, cast iron, the iron plough, the suspension bridge, the parachute, compass, matches, raised relief maps, the propeller, the cross bow and the cannon. The Chinese were also the first to use natural gas as fuel. The Chinese astronomers were the first to make notes about the Supernova.

Calligraphy is one of the major arts of China, and has recently entered the western world. Chinese literature exists since around 1000 BC. They also invented various musical instruments, such as the pinyin, zheng, qin, sheng, xiao and the pipa.

The establishment meant an end of the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty in China. The total population of China is more than one billion. It is the most populated country in the world. Around a fifth of the world's population resides in China.

China has mostly mountains and plateaus in the west and lower lands in the East. The main rivers in China are the Huang He and the Yangtze. Other important rivers are the Amur, which flows in the north east.

The first dynasty in China was named Xia and it was considered mythical until recent excavations was considered mythical. The second Chinese Dynasty was Shang, which was settled from the eighteenth to the twelfth century BC. It was settled along the Yellow river. THe Shang Dynasty was then invaded by the Zhou, which ruled China from the twelfth to the fifth century.

The first rebellion in China took place during the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC. It was also the dynasty to unify the entire China and set up the post of the Emperor, along with standardizing the Chinese language. It was followed by the Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms and the short lived Sui Dynasty.The Tang and Song Dynasties also ruled over China, until the Mongol leader Kublai Khan formed the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty was overthrown in 1368, giving way to the Ming Dynasty in 1644.

The first emperor of China was Shi Huang-Ti. He is remembered in China for his ruthlessness and harsh laws, and most notably his burning of books circa 213 BC. He also built a network of around two hundred and seventy palaces, which were linked by tunnels.

At the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1947, constitutional rule was established, with the Communist Party of China controlling Mainland China. Mao Zedong led the Communist Party of China.

China has about fifty six recognised ethnic groups in itself, with the biggest ethnic group being the Han. Totally, there are around a hundred ethnic groups. China is a secular and atheist country. Although it does offer religion on a personal basis as well as supervised religious

organizations, like Buddhism, Taoism and and the immortal Confucian mentality. Around three percent of the Chinese population is Christian, while about two percent follow the ways of Islam.

China has also etched its name in the world of sports. Historians are of the opinion that football has originated in China. Apart from China, the Chinese are well known for their martial arts.