All the following facts have been taken from reading WorldInfoZone, a completely superb site.
Other links on this site China, Map Outline and Chinese New Year.
I’m going to illustrate this page and add more to bits we are interested in – stand by….
*The Great Wall of China was started over two and a half thousand years ago and is more than 5,000 km long.
*One-fifth of the world’s population lives in China.
*Chinese cuisine can be divided into northern, eastern, southern (Cantonese) and central and southwestern (Sichuan).
*Chinese people live in modern buildings in the towns, farmhouses in rural areas; houses made of bamboo and even caves in the mountains and sampans (houseboats) on the rivers and in harbours.
*Chinese wildlife includes tigers, leopards, snow leopards, monkeys, yaks and giant pandas. The birdlife includes peacocks, parrots, cranes and storks.
*Cormorants are used by some fishermen on the rivers to catch fish for them.
*Bamboo is a very fast growing plant which can grow up to one metre a day. Its eaten by Pandas.
*Thousands of years ago the Chinese had developed a calendar, writing, the wheel and a thriving silk industry and was advanced in astronomy and mathematics. It was the first to invent gunpowder hich was used for fireworks.
*Crops include rice, wheat, maize, millet, sorghum, soya beans, rapeseed, sesame, sugar, tea (20% of the world’s supply) as well as potatoes, peanuts, pineapple, bananas and vegetables, honey and eggs, poultry and pork. Cattle, sheep and camels are farmed (camel hair is used for good quality paint brushes).
*China is among the world’s largest producers of cotton and Silk production has been an important part of the Chinese economy for thousands of years.
*The forestry industries produce pine, oak, teak and mahogany.
*China produces fish such as cod, tuna and dolphin, prawns and also freshwater fish.
*China has deposits of iron ore, tin and tungsten and also produces coal and oil.
*China is particularly famous for its ceramics – in fact, guess where our word for “china” plates comes from!!!
*Chess is also a favourite pastime. Other popular board games are Go and Mahjong. Try Mahjong at A Fun Zone. You may have to look about for the game a little but its beautiful.
*The most important celebration is the Chinese New Year. This is the biggest national holiday and shops and offices are closed for three days. As well as the traditional festivals, the Chinese commemorate the founding of the Chinese Communist Party and there a number of special celebration days such as a teachers’ day.
See WorldInfoZones Facts Page for more interesting things about China.