China is the second most populous country in the world with around 1.3 billion people, second only to India.
There are so many amazing places to visit in China, this country is huge with a rich history and so many world famous tourism attractions.
Here are some fun and fascinating facts you probably didn’t know about China.
1. Toilet Paper’s Ancient Roots
Nobody is too sure when toilet paper was first used. Before the invention of toilet paper, people from different parts of the world had many different ideas for personal hygiene.
The first “official” toilet paper was introduced in China in 1391, but the first mention of toilet paper (paper for personal hygiene) dates back to the year 589 AD in Korea.
Between 875 and 1317 AD, paper was produced in large sheets (2-foot x 3-foot sheets and even perfumed) for Chinese emperor’s family hygiene.
2. Paper Armour Was a Thing
In ancient China, people found the way to optimize the resources and the technologies of the time as much as they could: paper!
Not very useful for documents and personal hygiene, but good for military purposes. In ancient times, Chinese soldiers sometimes wore armour made from paper which originated during the Teng Dynasty (600 AD).
It was made from a process so that in wet conditions the armour could become tougher. Paper armour offered greater mobility, lighter in weight than steel. And in hot climates easier to wear.
It was also cheaper to produce than steel. Its strength was such that it was effective against early firearms.
3. The Long History of Nail Art
China is one of the main producer of nail art products in the whole world. If nail art is a fashion trend today – accessible to everybody – in the past it was a tradition in elite groups.
It was customary for both wealthy men and women in the late empire to grow the nails of their little fingers extremely long as a sign of their rank.
They often wore decorative gold and silver nail guards to protect their nails.
4. The Origin of Ketchup
There are so many tasty foods to try in China, but this fact is something we doubt you knew.
Ke-tsiap or Kecap was a spicy pickled-fish condiment popular in 17th century in China and is said to be the origin of the name “ketchup.” British seamen brought the ke-tsiap home, then introducing it to other nations.
Catsup without tomatoes is almost unimaginable these days but it wasn’t until the late 1700s, when English people added tomatoes to the blend and it became the condiment we know today as ketchup. The word ‘ketchup’ may come from a Chinese word for pickled-fish sauce.
5. The Longest High Speed Rail in The World
Chinese public transports are highly developed and work pretty well. Put together, all of China’s railways lines could loop around earth twice. China has more than 121,000 km of railways, the second longest network in the world (the first one being the USA). The Chinese High Speed Rail (HSR) is the longest in the world and it covers 19,000 km.
6. Significance of Chinese Dragons
Chinese dragons are virtual creatures, a root of Chinese people who considered themselves as the descendants of dragons. Since their creation, Chinese dragons have won the deep love from Chinese people whether in ancient times or in modern times, because the strong symbolic meaning. They play an important role in the history of Chinese nation, politics, religion, culture and Chinese language, blend into people’s beliefs and lives and become a symbol of China and Chinese people. Dragons are everywhere in China — in legends, festivals, astrology, art, names, and idioms.
The Chinese dragon, also known as East Asian dragon or Long or Lung have many animal-like forms such as turtles and fish, but are most commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs. They traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, typhoons, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck for people who are worthy of it in East Asian culture – quite different to the evil, dangerous, fire-breathing dragons of most Western stories. During the days of Imperial China, the Emperor of China usually used the dragon as a symbol of his imperial strength and power.
The presence of dragons within Chinese culture dates back several thousands of years with the discovery of a dragon statue dating back to the fifth millennium BC from the Yangshao culture in Henan. Ancient Chinese referred to unearthed dinosaur bones as dragon bones and documented them as such. For example, Chang Qu in 300 BC documents the discovery of “dragon bones” in Sichuan.
The Chinese dragon is listed in the Four Symbols which are loved and respected by Chinese people: azure dragon, vermilion bird, white tiger, and black turtle. The four mythological, divine creatures represent four directions and four seasons.
Chinese dragons are among the ten mythical creatures, which are created in ancient myths and legends: Zhuzhao, Youying, Yinglong, Huanglong, Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, Xuanwu, Tengshe, and Gouchen. Dragons are also one member of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
7. Cinema was introduced in China in 1896
The history of Chinese cinematography first started in 1905. It was the year when the opera The Battle of Dingjunshan, staged successfully at the Beijing Opera, was recorded for the very first time. The centre of Chinese film, at the time, was Shanghai, where the first movie theatre was built in 1908. During the 1920s the first movie production companies, based exclusively on the native capital, were founded in Shanghai. The films produced at that time were mostly melodramas, family dramas and screen versions of Chinese legends.
The first sound film, Sing-Song Girl Red Peony, using the sound-on-disc technology, was made in 1931. The years 1933-1937 are called the first “golden era” of Chinese cinema. Shanghai, the capital city of the Chinese film industry, was also the leader in its film production.
Today, China is the home of the largest movie & drama production complex and film studios in the world and in 2010 it had the third largest film industry by number of feature films produced annually. In 2012 the country became the second-largest market in the world by box office receipts. Since 2016 China has the largest number of cinema screens in the world and is expected to become the largest theatrical market. China has also become a major hub of business for Hollywood studios.
Have you noticed that there are so many scenes and elements of Chinese features in European and Hollywood movies? You must wonder where those beautiful, amazing and impressive scenes were shot, like the hometown of giant pandas in Kung Fu Panda 3, town in the Mission: Impossible 3, the unbelievable sky hole in Transformers, beautiful sightseeing in Avatar, Terracotta Warriors and Horses in The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and so on.
They have the same answer – in China!
Keen to plan a trip to China? View our guide to the top things to do in Beijing. You might also like to view a list of the best foods to try in China.
