Editorials

Ten Things You Didn’t Know About China

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23 August 2021

By Josh P

With the largest population on earth, China is renowned by many for its industry as well as its rich history. This list will take a look at ten things you might not have known about the country.

10. One child policy

While most people are aware of the controversial one-child policy, many might not realise that this policy no longer exists. Nowadays, couples are able to have three children due to policy changes throughout the years.

Recommended Reading: Will the reversal of China’s two-child policy be enough?

9. Military strength

Perhaps unsurprising considering their population size, China has the largest military in the world consisting of 2.19m active soldiers. This is followed by India which has the second-largest population.

8. Fortune cookies

While synonymous with Chinese takeaway food, fortune cookies are not a Chinese tradition. Though it is not entirely clear, it is believed that fortune cookies actually originate from Japan and were popularised in American restaurants.

7. Heritage

Tied with Italy, China has the most recognised world heritage sites on earth. Both countries have 55 world heritage sites, followed by Spain with 48.

6. Red

In China, the colour red is considered to be the symbol of happiness. Many events such as the Chinese new year will heavily feature red colours to symbolise happiness.

5. Table tennis

While sports such as football and rugby are often considered to be a nation’s national sports, table tennis is the recognised national sport in China. Since being added to the Olympics, the country has claimed 32 of 37 available gold medals.

4. Timezone

Despite the large size of China, the country only has one standardised timezone. This means in some areas, the day starts while it’s still night outside. This is unusual for a country of its size.

3. Gold

China is responsible for producing the most gold in the world. The country produced 380 metric tons of gold throughout 2020 alone.

2. Paper money

Though extremely prevalent across the world now, paper money originated in China. The earliest known paper money was from the 7th century. Considering its popularity in the current day, they were certainly ahead of the curve.

1. Payments

While mobile phones have become widely used for payments across the world, China has gone one step further. Across the country, numerous payment machines now exist which use facial recognition for payment. These services don’t require anything but your mug.

Recommended Reading: Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Japan

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