Twenty facts about China Did you know?

www.britishcouncil.org/schoolsonline

1. China’s official name is the People’s Republic of China or PRC.

2. It is located in Asia with an eastern coastline on the Pacific Ocean and has a large variety of climates and landscapes ranging from frozen tundra to tropical forests.

3. The capital city Beijing is in the north of the country and is one of the biggest cities in the world with over 19 million inhabitants.

4. China has the largest population in the world, with over 1.3 billion people – equivalent to 19% of the total world population. (Figures from World Population Statistics 2014)

5. More people speak Mandarin, as their first language than any other language in the world.

6. The Chinese flag has a red background with five golden stars – one large star and four smaller ones in the shape of a semicircle. (These are designed to show the unity of the people of China under the leadership of the Chinese Communist party.)

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12. The Chinese were also the first people in the world to use paper money.

13. The traditional Chinese calendar is calculated using the moon. This is called a lunar calendar – and means that festivals and holidays fall on different days each year. Each year is named after one of twelve animals. They are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. 2016 will be the start of the Year of the Monkey.

14. New Year’s Day is only one part of a much longer festival the Chinese call Chun Jié or Spring Festival. Celebrated from the first day of the first lunar month, it lasts 15 days and is regarded as the most important festival of the year in Chinese culture.

15. Red is thought to be a lucky colour in China and is used for Chinese festivals. New Year banners, clothing, and lucky money envelopes are usually red.

7. In China, words are written using symbols called characters rather than letters of an alphabet.

8. The Great Wall of China is the largest man made structure in the

world. The official length, registered after an architectural survey in 2012, is recorded as over 13,000 miles or 21,000 km. It was also recently discovered that a mortar made of sticky rice holds the stones together.

9. China has one of the oldest civilizations in the world with a recorded history dating back over 7,000 years. It is renowned for a number of unique traditional art forms including ceramics, silk painting and calligraphy. It is also one of the main birthplaces of Eastern martial arts known as kung fu.

10. The Chinese invented many things we still use today including the magnetic compass, mechanical clocks, moveable type printing, kites, gunpowder and papermaking. In Ancient China, soldiers sometimes wore armour made from paper.

11. Football was invented in China in the 2nd and 3rd century. It consisted of kicking a leather ball filled with feathers and hair through an opening, measuring only 30-40cm in width, into a small net fixed onto long bamboo canes.

Twenty facts about China Did you know?

www.britishcouncil.org/schoolsonline

Chun Jié (春节)

16. The number 8 is also considered to be lucky. The Beijing Olympics began on 8/8/08 at 8.08.08 pm.

17. Another important festival is the Dragon Boat festival. This takes place on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Boats shaped like traditional Chinese dragons are raced across the water by a team of rowers. One member sits at the front of the boat beating a drum in order to help the rowers keep in time. On this day children often decorate their clothes with small pouches made of colourful silk cloth stringed with five-colour silk thread.

18. The school day is much longer for children in China often beginning as early as 07.30 and lasting through to 16.00 or 17.00, with homework to complete as well. Children learn Chinese language and literature, mathematics, P.E, art, music and English and also have moral education and ethics lessons. All pupils take part in group exercises every morning in the sports ground and have a flag raising ceremony where they sing the National Anthem.

Twenty facts about China Did you know?

www.britishcouncil.org/schoolsonline

819. Chinese food is famous around the world and an important

feature of Chinese life and culture. Different parts of China have special dishes and cooking styles. Sichuan province for example is famous for spicy food, and Shanghai for seafood. Chopsticks have been a part of Chinese food culture for thousands of years and were first used for cooking.

20. Another symbol associated with China is the giant panda. It is one of the most endangered species in the world with less than 2000 left in the wild. They live high up in bamboo forests and spend up to 14 hours a day eating, as bamboo is low in nutrition. They are also good tree climbers and swimmers.

To find out more, visit the British Council Education Packs containing information and activities for the year of the horse and sheep at: http://bit.ly/1QYMFnE and http://bit.ly/1sGs1xS.