Interesting facts about China have always attracted the attention of curious people. After all, China has one of the oldest in the world, which is full of unusual events, discoveries, etc.
Today, China occupies one of the leading places among, both politically and economically.
Happy reading!
The air in China is very polluted
Many Chinese cities are very dirty. This problem especially concerns such megacities as Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Environmental studies show that a person staying one day in such a city harms his body, which is tantamount to smoking a pack of cigarettes.
In 2013, a case was recorded that occurred with an eight-year-old girl. She was diagnosed with lung cancer caused by air pollution, making her the youngest patient with the disease.
In the same year, in one of the Chinese cities, there was such a strong smog that it was difficult for residents to see whom they were walking on the street.
In the capital of China, in the period 2002-2011, cases of oncology increased from 63 to 10,000. In the last 30 years alone, this country has increased almost 5 times.
Flavor enhancers
Monosodium glutamate, which is one of the most popular flavors in the world, is used in all dishes in China, without exception.
When purchasing products, you can check its availability in the composition. It is designated as food supplement E621.
2 liter plates
Chinese soup is very different from ours. In fact, it is a broth that the Chinese consume after the main meal. Chinese restaurants serve soup in two-liter bowls.
Such a large portion is explained by the fact that the inhabitants of this country usually dine with friends. Therefore, a two-liter plate serves as food for the whole company at once.
"Capitalist" sites
An interesting fact is that in communist China, access to well-known Western Internet resources is blocked.
The authorities bring up real patriots from citizens, from childhood "showing" them the correct views on life. Today, the PRC remains one of the most closed state systems.
More expensive than meat
An interesting fact is that animal by-products in China are more expensive than meat. A real delicacy for the Chinese, unlike Europeans, is the kidneys, liver, paws and even heads of animals or birds. Therefore, their prices are much higher.
Chinese immediacy
In everyday life, Chinese people often behave like children. They can safely lie on a bench or take some unusual pose in a public place.
While yawning, the Chinese do not even try to cover their mouths with their hands, let alone the fact that it is quite normal for them to spit and burp in public.
An interesting fact is that for this reason, even on trains and subways, you can see signs with the words “don’t spit”.
Live keychains in China
The Chinese are quite cynical about animals. For example, they sell key rings with live turtles or fish. They are simply placed in small plastic containers, which are then attached to keys or other things.
Naturally, neither animals nor fish can survive for a long time in such conditions, and after a couple of days (and sometimes months) they die. But this does not matter, since the Chinese will go to the market again to buy a custom keychain for themselves.
Live food in shops in China
In Chinese supermarkets, live turtles and frogs can be sold on display windows. The buyer can choose the product he likes, which will be immediately hammered and wrapped in the appropriate packaging.
Drinks in the cafe
In China, visitors can take drinks with them when they come to cafes. An interesting fact is that food in the country is quite cheap. For a relatively small amount of money, a person will be able to place a good order. Drinks can either be purchased locally or brought with you.
There are 56 nationalities in China
China is a multinational state. However, over 90% of the total population is Chinese (Han). The overwhelming majority of the indigenous people of the PRC are atheists.
Among the religions, the most popular are Buddhism, Islam and Christianity.
Today, about 7% of Chinese people are Christians. An interesting fact is that, despite the active struggle of the current government with Christianity, the number of Christians is steadily growing.
Sworn enemies
Surely you know that China and are sworn enemies. Moreover, their confrontation is deeply rooted in history. By the way, .
For many centuries, these countries have hated each other. In many ways, the enmity between them is conducted over the disputed territories. In the 20th century, the conflict flared up with renewed vigor, with dire consequences:
- More than 35 million people were killed or injured;
- Losses from military conflicts reached $ 600 billion;
- About 8 million prisoners taken from both sides were used as labor force;
- The Japanese tortured Chinese prisoners and tested various types of biological weapons on them. There was a case when Japan began bombing China with fleas infected with the bubonic plague.
Trousers with slits
Chinese children do not wear underwear. Moreover, at the age of 5, parents put on trousers with a slit between the legs.
Apparently, such clothing helps the baby's body to breathe.
Little Buddhas
A Chinese child is a little Buddha, so he can literally do anything. Interestingly, under the age of 5, children are allowed to do whatever comes into their heads, since they are considered holy creatures.
The child can make noise and indulge without fear that he will be punished for it. Moreover, he is even allowed to relieve himself on the street or in a restaurant.
Chinese online shopping
Online shopping in China is hugely popular. You can buy almost any item in them, up to a fragment of the Chelyabinsk meteorite. Also, if you wish, you can use different types of services or even rent a person.
Chinese food is very fatty
In China, the most popular dishes are pork, fish with a side dish, pasta and, of course, rice. All of these foods are cooked with a lot of oil, which makes the food extremely greasy.
In the morning, Chinese people do Tai Chi on the streets.
Tai Chi is a type of Chinese martial arts that is also practiced as a quality. Many people in China take to the streets in the morning to take Tai Chi time.
Dating in transitions
An interesting fact is that, despite the large number of the nation, it is quite difficult for the Chinese to find a life partner. Due to the long study and many hours of work, they do not have time to make acquaintances.
As a result, an original solution was invented. In underground passages, they began to designate special places in which people can get to know each other.
Also there you can leave any letters or postcards with your contacts or wishes.
Chinese taste oddities
In stores in China, you can see unusual products that, in our understanding, seem very strange. Here are some of these "oddities":
- sweet gingerbread with onions;
- chestnut cookies;
- meat sweets;
- colored bread;
- sweet smoked sausage, etc.
The Chinese do not consume milk and cottage cheese.
This trend has been traced for a long time. If it is still sold in a supermarket, then you will definitely not find fermented baked milk there. is on sale, but only foreigners buy it.
Where to give birth
Before giving birth, many Chinese women who have this opportunity move to in order to give birth to their child there.
The fact is that Hong Kong has a special status, although it is part of the PRC. Its citizens are entitled to visa-free travel to European countries and some other privileges.
Trees for chinese sticks
Every year in China, about 20 million trees are cut down to make 80 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks.
To make such a number of sticks, the Chinese have to cut down not only their own trees, but also purchase additional wood from other states.
Well, a very interesting fact about the Chinese
Did you know that wealthy Chinese sentenced to imprisonment hire doubles to serve in their place?
This practice is indeed widespread in China. The people even have a term - "ding zui", which translates as "to replace the criminal."
Chinese weddings with a ghost
In such weddings, one or both spouses are dead. How long ago this ritual appeared is difficult to say.
It is carried out with the following purpose: if a widow wants to prove her love to her deceased husband, she can marry him again so that her beloved is happy in the other world.
Cave people
Some Chinese people still prefer to live in caves like. Earlier we wrote about the unique one.
An interesting fact is that the number of Chinese people living inside the caves is greater than the population? More than 30 million Chinese today successfully live in stone dwellings, where it is cool in summer and, on the contrary, warm in winter.
Fake chinese eggs
Did you know the Chinese have learned how to make artificial eggs? One resident of this country can produce over 1000 pieces per day.
It is worth noting that such eggs are similar to real eggs only in appearance. They differ significantly in taste and composition.
Material measures of success in China
According to surveys, more than 70% of Chinese residents evaluate a person's success by the things that he was able to acquire.
There is a known case when a Chinese man bought himself 99 iPhones just to show his worth.
On vacation with your boss
Chinese billionaire Li Jinyuan took 6,400 of his employees on vacation. To do this, he had to book about 140 hotels.
He also organized various excursions for his employees, after which he invited them to relax on the azure coast. An interesting fact is that such "antics" on the part of bosses in China are not uncommon.
Villages selling things on Taobao
Not so long ago, residents of Chinese villages in Jiangsu province worked in the fields and were engaged in cattle breeding. However, their lives soon changed dramatically.
Today, part of this population lives off the sale of goods on Taobao and Alibaba. They make furniture, clothing and various equipment. The number of such villages is gradually increasing.
China mosquito factory
There is a huge manufacturing plant in Guangzhou area. More than 100,000 sterilized mosquitoes are released by the factory workers every day.
This is done to combat dengue fever, for which no vaccines have yet been invented. About 22,000 Chinese die from this terrible disease every year.
Half of the Chinese don't take vacations
This unusual decision by Chinese government officials is due to the reluctance of workers to make a bad impression on management.
They try to do everything they can to gain the trust of their superiors and have good career prospects.
90% robotic factories
In China, construction has begun on a plant where robots will perform all the main work. The factory plans to produce various parts for mobile devices.
This practice is becoming more widespread, and there are 2 key reasons for this:
- Lack of enough people willing to work in the factory;
- Low cost of wages for specialists.
An interesting fact is that the second reason explains the first.
Public shaming of smokers
In 2015, the PRC authorities tightened the smoking ban. It concerns those people who, contrary to the law, smoke cigarettes in the wrong places.
Now, if a smoker is caught three times, information about him will be entered on the official website of the government.
This will lead to the fact that the offender "will lose face." For the Chinese, this can be a real disaster.
China is building a city without cars
The government of the People's Republic of China plans to build a city where more than half of its area will be occupied by gardens.
Chinese ghost town
In 2007, the Chinese built an exact mini-replica of the capital, Paris. Initially, the architects planned that about 10,000 people would live in this city.
However, currently no more than 2,000 citizens live there. The creators of the Chinese "Paris" also planned to build educational and medical institutions there, but the project was frozen.
Prisons without trial
An interesting fact is that it is in Beijing that many illegal prisons are located. As a rule, those Chinese who, upon arrival in the capital, dared to complain about the local authorities, are imprisoned in them.
People can be held in custody from a couple of days to several months. Prisoners often have to pay bribes to be released.
In the end, it is worth noting that such unusual and even strange facts do not take place in China by chance. After all, the country's population exceeds 1 billion people. Considering the fact that the majority live in extremely poor conditions, it is no wonder that unusual things are common there.
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China is one of the most amazing countries in the world. Even a few years will not be enough for you to explore this country completely. But we still have some very interesting facts about China in store for you. Undoubtedly, China is the most unique, strangest and most exciting country that you should definitely visit.
Strange table etiquette
What you should avoid in most countries in the world is perfectly acceptable in China. This spitting, yawning, grunting and belching are normal behaviors when you eat in a public place or with your family in China.
At first it may seem very disgusting and unusual, but usually after a few months, visitors get used to this fact.
Toilet and children
This is a really strange fact. Pampers are not very popular in China. Most kids wear slit pants. When they feel like they want to go to the toilet, they just squat down and relieve themselves. At the same time, children do it wherever they please.
The most populated country in the world
China is the most populous country in the world (over a billion in 2016).
Here's what it actually means:
- The population of China is 4 times that of the United States.
- Every fifth inhabitant of our planet is Chinese.
- Chinese is the most popular language in the world (depending on the number of native speakers).
- 14% of people on earth speak Chinese.
One of the largest countries in the world
Most people mistakenly think that China is the largest country in the world, but this is far from the case. "Celestial Empire" takes only 4th place in this rating, behind Canada, the USA and Russia. Moreover, Russia is 2 times more than China.
The largest army in the world
The Chinese army occupies a leading position in terms of the number of military personnel. Just imagine that the army of the "Celestial Empire" includes as many soldiers as there are people in Paris.
Owners of all pandas
China is the owner of all pandas. Literally all of them. Every panda that lives on Earth belongs to China and is under the protection of this state.
If you saw a panda in some other country, it means that the animal was borrowed from the PRC. Interestingly, all baby pandas go to China without fail to help expand the gene pool of these beautiful animals.
"Virgin Boom"
One of the most popular surgical procedures in China is the restoration of virginity. These operations have even received a separate name - hymenoplasty.
Chinese women pay a lot of money to restore "chastity" before their wedding night. Women just don't want their husbands-to-be to know that they are no longer virgins.
Huge traffic jams
China is the most populous country in the world. Unsurprisingly, they have huge traffic congestion problems.
What if you're late for a meeting and you're stuck in traffic? You can call the "rescuers". Young guys will help you solve your problem. They will come by motorcycle: one will stay in your car and take it wherever you say, and the other will take you to your destination on a motorcycle.
Poverty and old customs
Incredibly, 35 million Chinese people still live in caves! Most of them do not have enough money to build houses, so they use the caves as a place of residence.
Late sunrises
Although China is a huge country, its entire territory is located in one time zone. This is why in some cities the sun rises even at 10 am.
In the past, China has 5 different time zones. But in 1949, the leaders of the Communist Party decided to set one time zone for the entire country. Since then, every resident has used the Beijing official time as a reference point.
New Year celebration
New Year is the biggest holiday in China. It is celebrated in January or February, and this is a real holiday for all residents of the "Celestial Empire". On this day, practically no one works. All people try to celebrate this holiday with their families.
Celebrating Chinese New Year for 15 days!
Interestingly, Chinese New Year is celebrated in many other countries around the world. Given the huge population of China, it is highly likely that Chinese New Year is even more popular than Christmas.
Pig empire
Half of the world's pigs belong to China! According to statistics, the Chinese eat about 1.7 million pigs a day.
Multi-confessional country
Due to its huge population, almost every religion in the world is represented in China. The most popular are Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.
An interesting fact is that there are more Christians in the PRC than in Italy.
Ice Cream Makers
Who doesn't love ice cream? We can eat this delicious dessert thanks to the resourcefulness of the Chinese people. It is believed that ice cream was first invented more than 4000 years ago. Chinese cooks mixed milk, rice mixture and snow.
Math geniuses
It is not a big secret that the people of China are some of the best mathematicians in the world.
The history of mathematics in China dates back to the 11th century BC! Thanks to China, we know the number 0, decimal and binary systems, geometry, trigonometry and algebra.
Architectural geniuses
It is a well-known fact that the largest architectural structure is located in the "Celestial Empire". Although the Great Wall of China is not visible from space, it still impresses millions of tourists. Its length is an incredible 8,850 km.
Geniuses of medicine
Nowadays, it is no secret to anyone that blood circulates through the veins. But in the past, this was not so obvious.
European scientist William Harvey was proud to announce this fact in 1628, but he did not know that the Chinese people made this discovery more than 2,000 years before William.
Comments 0: Now Chinese topics are being actively discussed, and the ignorance of people about one of the greatest countries in the world is simply amazing. These are my observations about life here. Hope you find it interesting.
Let's start with what scares people the most when they see all the Chinese - the language. He's really scary ... But not as it seems at first glance.
1. The official name of the Chinese language is 中国 话 （zhōngguóhuà). It is also called 汉语 (hànyǔ or speech of the Khans).
2. There are countless dialects here. Recently, however, the most widespread (thanks to radio and television) is Beijing 普通话 (pǔtōnghuà).
3. Literacy in China has always been the lot of the nobility. To study traditional hieroglyphs, it was necessary to spend ten years of life, which the peasant could not afford in any way.
4. Over time, the hieroglyphs were simplified more and more, and, accordingly, more and more people became literate.
5. And in the end, thanks to Deng Xiaoping, 拼音 (pīnyīn), a phonetic transcription of hieroglyphs, was introduced in 1959, making it possible to study Chinese as a regular foreign language.
6. Chinese is a tonal language, the same vowel can be pronounced in five different ways (no tone, even, ascending, descending-ascending, descending) - a, ā, á, ǎ, à
7. The same syllable in the same tone can have several different hieroglyphs - 行 (háng and xíng).
8. Many characters are insanely similar to each other - 很 and 银, 问 and 间, 足 and 是, 找 and 我.
9. All this happens due to the fact that absolutely all hieroglyphs consist of keys (radicals). As an example - 好 (hǎo - good) - consists of 女 (nǚ - woman) and 子 (zi - child). As the teachers explain, a woman and a child are always good. But I personally cannot understand this logic.
10. Without looking after the tone or without adding an extra point in the hieroglyph, you can run into great trouble. As an example - the phrases "I smelled her" and "I kissed her" - one syllable in a different tone. Also, without putting two sticks in the hieroglyph “sell”, you can write “buy”.
11. But, what is most surprising, the Chinese themselves perfectly understand each other without these throat-tearing jumps from tone to tone. Only for us, foreigners, to suffer so much ...
12. Pinyin is very similar to English, but it can get burned with it. The first thing we were told was to forget your English. And that is true, since in English in pinyin, only "a" and "o" are read.
13. Teaching Chinese begins with a herd of healthy foreheads sitting and singing syllables in different tones throughout the class. An eerie sight.
14. But, in contrast to all of the above, the grammar of the language is elementary. The absence of cases, declensions and genders, the same type and always the same structure of phrases, the minimum number of prepositions. If not for the hieroglyphs ...
15. In Chinese, there is no character that reads more than one syllable.
16. Foreign languages are absolutely not held in high esteem here. At the Beijing airport, where, logically, everyone must know at least a minimum, no one knew him (for comparison, in Charles de Gaulle, in Barajas, in Heathrow, information workers knew the required minimum in 6-7 languages).
17. For a foreigner, there is no logic in the language. You have to cram stupidly, prescribing each hieroglyph 50 times and repeating each word the same number of times. The only relief is that after some time, more and more acquaintances begin to meet in unfamiliar words.
18. There is practically not a single word here that you can catch on as something familiar (as examples, the words "problem", "interest", etc., as well as the names of countries, cities in European languages are very similar).
19. Although there are several words that sound similar even in Russian. These are tea (chá), coffee (kāfēi), and mom and dad (māma and bàba).
20. There is a separate word for each family member: for an older and younger brother, for an older and younger sister, for a grandfather and grandmother.
21. And the way they are perverted over the names of other countries and cities, over foreign names ... Ukraine - 乌克兰, Russia - 俄罗斯 [éluósī], etc. These are the countries for which no designations were found, and hieroglyphs were selected that were as similar as possible. sounding.
22. But there are also those countries for which the designations were found: USA - 美国 (měiguó), England - 英国, France - 法国. The strange thing is that, judging by the hieroglyphs, America is a beautiful country, England is a heroic country, France is a lawful country, China is a middle country (中国).
23. There are no Chinese keyboards. All of them are entered in pinyin - you type in the Latin alphabet (as in the examples above) and select the desired hieroglyph with the number. Everything is very simple.
Now let's move on to something more interesting - the Chinese people.
24. Everyone knows that China's population is the largest on Earth (over 1.3 billion people). But it is distributed extremely unevenly. From the territory of China, you can safely withdraw 50-60 percent of the territory, and the population will practically not change. These are Xinjiang Uygur District, Tibet and Inner Mongolia. 90% of the population is concentrated in the coastal zone.
25. China has the largest number of million-plus cities on the planet - more than twenty.
26. Due to the huge population, the scale in China is highly displaced. For example, Anshan (the city where I study now) in Liaoning province has 4 million inhabitants. But this is a creepy village by their standards. For me it’s crazy: you walk along the main street and do not see the sun because of the skyscrapers, but they tell you that you are in the village.
27. The Europeans for the Chinese are like the arrival of the Scorpions in the village of Gadyukino. This is more than a shock. Sometimes I am scared (and sometimes nice) to walk around the city and parks, when children shout “look, foreigner”, they invite you to take a picture, very beautiful girls do not take their eyes straight (although I’m not handsome, and I don’t have a BMW X6). Recently, in the regions frequently visited by foreigners, everything has changed, but in the village (albeit with skyscrapers) it remains the same.
28. The people here are extremely unclean. It is absolutely normal to smoke in canteens and in the corridors of the university, toss everything under your feet, spit and cough up wherever you go. But, surprisingly, everything is clean. For a gigantic army of janitors removes everything.
29. They wanted to spit on everything and everyone. In the sense of all the rules, including safety precautions. Having a license and two years of driving experience, I will never go on the Chinese road in my life, because they simply do not have such a thing as traffic rules. The only thing that is more or less observed is not to drive at a red light, but even then not always. I almost get heart attacks when crossing streets and driving. Nevertheless, I have not seen a single accident, as well as the traffic police. In general, a European cannot understand.
30. Disregard applies to everything except what is regulated by the state. No Chinese will do anything illegal. Somehow it happened that "figs with you, do what you want, but don't try to climb here, here and here." And what is most surprising, it turns out.
31. The government also disregards its own people (though not in everything). What is the forced resettlement of more than 10 million people to Xinjiang during Xiaoping ("the territory must be developed"). And there are plenty of other examples - for example, the almost complete lack of control over the quality of products. When the population is large, you probably start to disregard it.
32. The appearance of the Chinese people is very monotonous. Always black hair, always short, and (for girls) always small breasts. Here I, as a blond and with my 193 cm, stand out very much ...
33. People are legally prohibited from having more than one child. True, this applies only to large cities, there is no control in the villages. If you have one child - everything is fine, two - pay tax. Three - the tax is progressing. It even got to the point of forced sterilization.
34. I have never met more boorish people either. To let a pedestrian pass at the crossing, hold the door for someone walking behind, do not smoke in someone's face - what are you talking about ...
35. The same applies to women. This blatant exploitation of women by men and the lack of gentlemanliness is disgusting.
36. Due to the lack of food control, there are a lot of sick people. Those who cannot afford imported foods can always be recognized by the large group of pimples on their cheeks - spicy foods full of chemicals can cause skin problems.
37. Accordingly, it is easy to define the "elite" - the skin is not so yellow (tan is the lot of the plebeians), there are no problems with it.
38. There are the so-called "nine wolves" - the most respected professions. I don’t remember all of them, but among them: the military, doctors, teachers, officials, the police, etc. They all have very high salaries and great respect in society.
39. Probably, it is precisely because of the presence of the death penalty that these professions are so valued (mainly by the police and officials). For corruption, arms and drug trafficking - the death penalty without discussion in the city square - they put a bullet in the back of the head on the carpet.
40. The percentage of ugly people is simply huge. Somehow you can't imagine Chinese women from films and clips. And men do not shine with beauty. Maybe that's why the demand for foreigners is so great.
41. Everyone often complains that the Chinese have overrun their home country. Have you ever thought about the fact that China is also invaded by foreigners. A large number of Russians, Kazakhs, all Central Asians and residents of the Middle East study in universities. There are also a significant number of Europeans and Americans. About Koreans and Japanese, I generally keep quiet.
42. About half of China's population is illiterate. This is a huge success. In the middle of the twentieth century, 90% of the population were illiterate.
This is where we finish with people and move on to economics and politics.
43. China is in second place in the world (after the United States) in terms of the nominal value of GDP. Calling China an underdeveloped country (like some of my friends: "Do you need a visa to go to China? Ha-ha-ha") is very stupid.
44. In China, they produce everything, everything, everywhere and always. Almost every international corporation has manufacturing and assembly shops in China.
45. Only the above-mentioned nine professions have honor and big salaries. Technical professions are not held in high esteem here. That is why everyone wants to leave. The huge labor market is idle. Especially low-skilled. Therefore, people are happy with any work.
46. The Chinese can be called slobs, but by no means lazy. They plow so that you are healthy. Classes at the university never ended ahead of time, never the transport was late, etc., etc.
47. But they plow to the best of their ability, that is, carelessly. This is the reason why production facilities are located in China, and not R&D. It is enough to look at rotten sewers, horrible paving slabs, smoking and smoking buses, breaking electrical appliances.
48. The attitude to food is the same careless. I have never seen fruits with rotten or worms: not because they are carefully selected, but because they are stuffed with such a thing, from which any self-respecting worm will be huddled underground, screaming in horror. Apples really smell like acetone, bread does not get stale for 2-3 weeks. Thanks to this, the health of the Chinese is poor.
49. But! There is a group of industries in which everything is just the same perfect. This is what the government controls: the military area, communication routes, construction, education, medicine, etc. This gives rise to paradoxes - like broken-down paving slabs and gorgeous asphalt on the road that has been lying for 20 years and will last as long. These are disposable electronic devices for blood testing - a circle that releases a needle, hisses and sticks a plaster itself. This military equipment is equal in strength to American and Russian counterparts. And much more. But outside - no, no.
50. There are so-called "free economic zones" where production is almost tax-free. Everything is concentrated in them. Around the same Anshan - the production of Siemens, Bosch and a lot of other things. There is practically no production in other regions.
51. China is an extremely volatile country. In this regard, there is no central hot water supply, heating, etc. If you have money, put on a boiler and a heater. No - you will get by with what you have.
52. We are accustomed to three levels of administrative-territorial division - region-district-settlement. In China, everything is much more complicated - there are 5 of them (the translation is most adequately selected, there are simply no such words in Russian). Province - region-parish-county-settlement. In addition to this, there are also cities of special subordination, free economic zones, etc. That is, the devil will break his leg.
53. No democracy. No games of solidarity. No choices. There is the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), there is its General Secretary (currently Hu Jintao) and that's it. Whoever doesn't like it - to be shot. Crimes against the authorities are punished here as harshly. As with the tanks introduced into Urumqi recently in response to the separatists' actions.
54. Censorship. When I arrived here, I asked - what is not allowed to talk about. Discussing politics is one, two and twenty. It is quite possible to run into deportation.
55. But the Chinese are content with power. Fully.
56. The CCP's ideology is communism. But it is rather difficult to call it communism. Luxurious cars, iPhones and iPads, shopping centers with a huge selection. Some kind of strange communism.
57. Due to the size of the population, there is a huge ethnic differentiation. A native of Shenyang will not understand a Hong Konger, and a Pekingian will not agree with a Guangzhou citizen (after all, Russian endings do not go with local names).
58. Taiwan. Some people here think that China and Taiwan are one country. They are both de jure and de facto independent, there are not even diplomatic relations between them. But on the maps of China, Taiwan is designated as its province, on the Taiwan maps, the whole mainland China is part of the Republic of China. A bit weird.
59. Hong Kong. This is already part of China, but a special autonomous region. Its own currency, its own police, etc. Everything is its own, except for issues of politics and defense. A kind of place where everyone can turn things around, departing from the law. A spooky place, albeit a rich one. Highly.
60. China is the only country in the world besides Russia that provides humanitarian aid to North Korea.
61. Social security is top notch here. Government employees receive excellent salaries. Apartments are given to them at a very fast pace. About prices and wages - below.
62. The currency of China is the yuan renminbi (translated as people's money). The approximate rate is 6.2 yuan per dollar. 1 yuan - 10 jiao. The stability of the course is amazing.
63. About prices. Renting a three-room apartment costs RMB 1,500 per month. 3-kg package of rice - 30. A kilogram of potatoes - 2. A bottle of beer - 3. A pack of cigarettes - from 4 to 15.
64. About salaries. The average salary for a teacher in a school is 4,000-5,000 yuan. A police officer's salary is 6000-7000. Civil servant's pension - 100% of the salary.
65. Many teachers of our university drive their cars, honestly bought for salaries. Every third or fourth has an iPhone here. So the ratio of wages and prices is much more attractive than in the same Ukraine.
66. Tariffs for communal apartments, dormitories, etc. for the Chinese are scanty up to a certain level. Then they begin to grow very quickly. So to say "content with little - take, if you want more - pay."
67. The average area of a one-room apartment is 40-50 square meters. Treshki - 100-120. The price per square meter in Anshan is about 4000 RMB in a normal area.
68. In general, despite the negative, living here (IMHO) is much more pleasant than at home.
Everyday life and everyday life.
69. Everyone who wants to dress up. It often seems strange and even wild.
70. Sex and any hint of it is prohibited. I have not seen a single kissing couple, the maximum that they allow themselves is to hold hands. Pornography is immediately imprisonment.
71. They are accustomed to heating the apartments here with air conditioners, and heating the water with boilers (hung out). A bit weird.
72. The Internet is charged here not by traffic, but by time. One speed - 5 Mbit / s download, 1 Mbit / s - recoil. 15 yuan - 120 hours of internet.
73. Google is not prohibited here. True, it is often buggy. But Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, any porn sites are blocked by the so-called "Great Chinese FireWALL". But the pornolab works :). True, you can use a proxy, you can TOR.
74. The Chinese segment of the Internet is practically isolated from the outside world. For they have everything of their own. Instead of Google - baidu.com, instead of Contact - renren.com, instead of Ebey - taobao.com. In general, China has the largest number of Internet users on the planet. Not surprising.
75. Alcohol is practically not consumed here, although it is available on the free market. Taking a case of beer, they looked at me like I was crazy.
76. Local girls are shy until I can. And chaste too. That is, "sex for one night", "rent a girl", etc. are not rolled here. Long, only long-term relationship ... Which, of course, is sad.
77. But there is also a "golden youth" here. Recently it starts to appear. Bad influence of the West, whatever you say, sir. Europe is an example to follow. Although ideology does not allow debauchery to spread far and deep.
78. In local clubs we (foreigners) have a big discount, because we attract visitors to the club (how!).
79. The main food is, of course, rice. But not easy. The most common dish is rice with a huge amount of all kinds of additives. For 6 yuan, you can get yourself a serving of rice with meat, chicken and salad. This is basically everyone eaten.
80. The food is very spicy. Highly. After a couple of days, I always ask not to add spices, because it is unbearable to eat. This is due to the fact that sanitation is at a very low level.
81. About sanitation. The local canteen is something. A common pile of chopsticks, where everyone climbs with dirty hands, cooks with dirt under their nails. After a while you get used to it :)
82. Not all Chinese people use chopsticks. About half eat with spoons.
83. But there are no forks. Generally. All food is such that it requires either chopsticks (crumbly and in small pieces) or spoons (liquid).
84. There are no toilets in the apartments either. The standard is a hole in the floor. The one who is already richer, he puts himself a toilet bowl.
85. Even in the "dugouts" there are double-glazed windows. Local production. Such a "house" looks wild, I'll tell you.
86. All local household goods are utter rubbish. Toothbrushes with dropping bristles, soap that smells like turpentine, sugar that resembles plastic, food, which I mentioned earlier. All the best is foreign.
87. The rhythm of life here is very fast. Everyone runs and rushes. New houses are springing up like mushrooms after rain, new roads are being laid, everything is being reconstructed.
88. The division "city-village" is very common. Province, what to take from it. Indeed, the differences between town and country are enormous.
89. A large number of insects. Everything flies, buzzes and winds around you. Komarov, surprisingly, no.
90. Tea cult. It's more than a drink here. Some varieties cost up to 10,000 per kilogram. They drink it from small cups, sugar-free and warm.
91. Absolute ignorance of what is happening in the world. Concerns music, films and books, as well as politics, geography, history, etc. The names of Nietzsche and Caesar, Scorpions and Metallica, Moscow and Berlin will not say anything to the average Chinese person.
92. Complete disregard for copyright. What to say if e-mule links to Office, Windows, etc. are posted on zhidao.baidu.com (the largest Chinese search engine, comparable to Google). It's like if Google posted recommended links to pirated software.
93. The official seals are red here. It looks somehow ridiculous. We did the same at school with dinosaurs.
94. Lazy Chinese simply don't exist. Getting up at 6 am and plowing is the norm. You have a lot of respect for them.
95. The banking system is also almost completely isolated from the outside world. It took a lot of work to find an ATM that accepts Visa. It has its own system - Unionpay. And ATMs of this system are on every corner.
96. NFC is very common - from cards and phones that support it, you can pay for bus fares, meals in the canteen and much more. Very comfortably.
97. Not a single Soviet or Russian car on the roads. Half domestic and Germany / USA / Japan.
98. The habit of living in large groups. The norm in a one-room apartment is 3-5 people. In the dorm room - 8-10.
99. A Chinese man may look like a bum, but have a couple of hundred thousand yuan in his savings account. At the same time, live in a dugout (practically). Those who do not care. Basically, this is the older generation.
100. China is full of paradoxes. It is unrealistic to know him in a lifetime. This is an amazing country, a country of great opportunities and a great future.
A trip to China is a touch to one of the most ancient world civilizations, acquaintance with the amazing nature and unique traditions of a friendly people. What attracts ordinary tourists to the exotic and mysterious culture of China? And why from year to year there are more and more guests from other countries, including from Russia?
Many tourists study the language and local customs carefully before traveling to China. The Vipgeo portal offers you the most interesting facts about China, which would not hurt to know those who have never been to China.
Mentality and characteristics of the population
It is believed that the main disadvantage of any Chinese is unfriendliness. In fact, this character trait is due to the national credo - you cannot show your true feelings to strangers.
Only the closest person can smile broadly. In this they are very similar to the Russians.
Most Chinese people speak loudly. This has nothing to do with manners, just with a huge population, even in provincial cities, the noise level is high. Because of this, even to a quiet room, the Chinese talk "in a raised voice."
The Chinese are often late. The reason may be a banal traffic jam, but the very attitude to time in the country depends on the attitude towards a meeting or a person. If a Chinese person thinks that the meeting is important for him, he will come to it half an hour or even an hour earlier, and will wait patiently.
The innate cunning of the Chinese is not cunning at all, but the observance of the rule of Tao - if there is an opportunity not to get involved in problems and solve everything peacefully, a true Chinese will do so.
The Chinese are very hardworking - they have practically no vacations. In their language, there is not even such a word as vacation, there is only "weekend". More or less long weekends they have in October in honor of the appearance of the PRC and in February - during the celebration of the New Year according to the Chinese calendar.
The Chinese do not like sunbathing very much, especially women. They try to avoid the sun's rays to keep their skin fair.
According to recent studies, the biggest phobia of the average Chinese is to be lonely by the end of life. The institution of society and friendship for the Chinese are one of the fundamental principles of life.
The relationship between family members in China is still built according to Confucian laws. Children are obliged to unconditionally obey their parents all their lives, and in case of illness of the mother and father - to be near and fully pay for the treatment. In addition, providing for the elderly in China often falls on the shoulders of children and grandchildren.
Marriages in China are concluded quite late - the average age of newlyweds is 29 years. This is explained by the fact that before starting a family you need to get an education and a good job, which is not always easy due to the great competition.
This also influenced the strength of family unions. The divorce rate in China - 22% - is one of the lowest in the world.
By the way, in China it is considered absolutely normal if a girl chooses a pair of 2-3 young people at once. At the same time, some parents still follow the moral behavior of their daughter: you can go on dates - it is absolutely impossible to have an intimate relationship before marriage.
Even in Beijing or Shanghai, it is very difficult to meet a kissing couple in a public place. The manifestation of such feelings for each other for the Chinese is an intimate mystery that no one should see.
At funerals, most Chinese people try to dress in white. White in the Celestial Empire is the color of mourning and sorrow.
The main family member in China is not a husband at all, but a grandmother, both from the side of the husband and from the side of the wife. An elderly woman among the Chinese is considered the guardian of family traditions, and the death of grandmothers is the most bitter loss. After the funeral of the grandmother, any Chinese person has the right to wear mourning clothes for several months.
But the grandfather in China, on the contrary, is the most useless member of the family, which is associated with many not the most pleasant anecdotes and folk tales.
There are only about a hundred surnames in the Chinese language, and 20% of the population has the surnames "Li" and "Wang".
When meeting, you should not hug or kiss girls, even on the cheek.
In fact, there are no queues in China - whoever jumps first becomes the first in line.
Approximately 70% of the Chinese population wears glasses.
A Chinese man easily distinguishes the Chinese from other Asians, a Russian person can hardly do it.
This is surprising for Europeans, but it is in China that the unisex style of clothing is most common. Practical Chinese believe that one and the same shirt can and should fit equally well on both a woman's and a man's figure. This largely explains the love for bright colors in everyday clothes.
Modern Chinese people are very fond of being photographed. Seeing a tourist with an expensive camera, passers-by, especially in the provinces, may ask to take a picture of them and immediately ask how you can get a picture.
The attitude of the Chinese towards Russia is purely positive, especially towards the Soviet period of history. Many students in Chinese universities study the works of Lenin and Stalin and speak Russian well.
Street food
Food and cuisine
The Chinese know how and truly love to cook, they are very proud of their delicious and varied cuisine. There are almost no educational institutions where cooks are trained - everyone learns at home.
Vegetables in China are never eaten raw - at least they are steamed or boiled.
Legendary chopsticks were invented in China 3 thousand years ago. Now they are made from all the materials at hand, but the most expensive are ironwood sticks. Such cutlery can only be seen in the homes of wealthy Chinese.
Most Chinese dishes are based on rice. To date, 40,000 varieties of this cereal have been registered, which grows in almost every Chinese province.
Cooking a Chinese dish is half the battle. If a recipe is unique, it simply must have its own name, and the more poetic it is, the higher the chef's talent is evaluated. For example, in the menu you can easily see the soup: "The happiness of inseparable ducks."
Important: The old tradition of leaving food on the plate showing respect for the chef has long been considered bad manners. In some Chinese cafes and restaurants, there are even advertisements that say that the served dish must be eaten completely, without leaving anything on the plate.
The fact that the Chinese eat Colorado beetles, grasshoppers and even millipedes is now a popular horror story for naive tourists. Yes, there are insect dishes, but on the free sale, as they say, on the street, you can find them only in the southern provinces, where the attitude towards food has always been, to put it mildly, specific.
In China, a special attitude towards drinking - they drink only in large companies and for any serious reason. It is not customary to drink at home, they usually gather in restaurants and bars. In China, by the way, delicious local beer is sold - it is quite cheap and weak, only up to four degrees.
The large percentage of vegetarians among the Chinese have nothing to do with mentality or beliefs. The fact is that in a number of provinces the prices for meat and fish are such that an ordinary resident cannot afford a meat dish every day.
The famous Peking duck is also considered a rich dish due to its difficulty in preparation. Many Chinese have found an inexpensive alternative for it - grilled chicken, which is marinated in sweet and sour sauce for several hours before being placed in the oven.
Other facts
China is the fourth largest country in the world and the first most populous country in the world. Every fifth person on the planet is a Chinese citizen.
There is only one time zone in China - UTC +8.
China is home to a large number of things, without which we cannot imagine life in the modern world: seals, compass, porcelain, silk, paper, gunpowder, parachute, suspension bridge, matches, etc.
Contrary to popular stereotype, fortune cookies were not invented by the Chinese. They were invented by a chef from San Francisco in 1920.
The first windmills were built in China as early as 200 BC.
The first natural gas well appeared in China 2,300 years ago.
The first mention of Chinese green tea dates back to the III millennium BC.
Martial arts are an integral part of Chinese culture. In addition to the well-known martial arts, there are whole systems of self-defense for peasants, women and even the elderly.
The cricket is one of the popular pets in China. In some provinces, the fights of these insects are much more popular than cock fights.
Due to the huge population of China, more people speak English here than directly in America and England.
There are about 200 dialects in China, which sometimes differ from each other as different languages. But two dialects are considered the main ones in the country - Cantonese and Mandarin.
Red in China is a symbol of good luck.
If, after reading these interesting facts, you are interested in China, then why not take a trip there? This can be done very simply and quickly - just go to travel agencies in your city through a special form, or call us at 8-800-100-30-24 to clarify all your questions.
China is not only about the Great Wall, rice and cheap goods that have flooded store shelves around the world. It is also an ancient country with a rich history and culture, which gave the world many inventions that we all use to this day. China is very diverse, and having visited one part of it, you can be sure that a completely different life is boiling literally a thousand kilometers away.
- China is the most populous state in the world. Its territory is home to about 1.4 billion people. For comparison, in the largest state on the planet, Russia, only 146.8 million people live (see).
- China has the largest army in the world.
- It is this state that is the largest importer of coal and gold producer on the planet, as well as the world leader in the generation and consumption of electricity.
- More than 500 species of bamboo grow in China.
- China holds the leading position in the export of over 100 types of products, from clothing to refrigerators and cameras.
- In the overwhelming majority of cases, the Chinese marry partners whom the union selects for them.
- The Imperial Palace in Beijing, or the Forbidden City, consists of exactly 9999 rooms.
- In the Chinese province of Shaanxi, the mausoleum of the first emperor of the united China is located with an area of over 56.25 square kilometers. Its vaulted halls house the famous terracotta army, consisting of 7.5 thousand soldiers and 90 military chariots. All figures are unique and are 1.8 meters high.
- The Chinese invented mirrors, porcelain, silk, gunpowder, paper, umbrellas, compass and printed books, as well as many other things, without which it is difficult to imagine the modern world.
- There is evidence that even in antiquity in China, a sports game with a ball made of leather, reminiscent of football, was played.
- Traditional Peking duck takes about two days to cook.
- The Chinese city of Shanghai is the largest seaport in the world.
- In China, they eat meat from cats and dogs, as well as boil shark fin soup and use wolfberry as a seasoning for broths.
- One of the common Chinese desserts is sweet turtle soup.
- Contrary to popular myth, the Great Wall of China is not visible either from the Moon or even from Earth's orbit (see interesting facts about the Great Wall of China).
- The flavor enhancer (monosodium glutamate) is sold in Chinese grocery stores along with salt and pepper. It is added to almost all dishes prepared by local chefs. As in Japan, by the way (see).
- In China, it is customary to dine with a large company of friends or relatives - it is supposed to eat slowly and with pleasure. If the participants in the meal order soup, it will be served in one two-liter bowl for all.
- In China, access to all Western social networks is officially blocked.
- In Chinese supermarkets, you can buy live turtles or frogs, which will be killed and gutted in front of the buyer.
- The Chinese consider toddlers under 5 years of age to be holy creatures who can do absolutely anything - they don't scold children, no matter how much they get naughty.
- The inhabitants of China speak 7 dialects of the Chinese language, which differ so much that the inhabitants of the northern and southern regions will not understand each other. But they have one writing system for all.
- In the underground passages of large Chinese cities there are special places for placing announcements of acquaintance - the Chinese completely devote themselves first to study and then to work, so they simply do not have time for entertainment and acquaintance with the opposite sex in everyday life.
- Many products are sold in Chinese stores that can surprise foreigners from Western countries: sweet smoked sausage, mint-flavored seeds, meat sweets, bread of different colors, smoked chicken legs, and so on.
- The Chinese do not eat cheese and cottage cheese, do not drink kefir and do not snack on yoghurts. According to one of the versions, the inhabitants of China do not eat dairy products, since for many centuries only the richest of them could afford a cow.
- Although Hong Kong became part of China, its residents have a number of privileges - for example, they can travel to the EU countries without a visa (see).
- In China, tens of millions of trees are cut down each year to make about 80 billion disposable chopsticks.
