15 Things China Doesn't Want You to Know
Copyright: Poverty Slide 1 of 16
Even though China is the world's most populous country, at over 1.35 billion people, it still has some secrets it doesn't want us to know. But we dug some of them up just for you!
For instance, despite the fact that the US borrows a lot of money from China, a lot of it's population is still living in utter poverty. In fact, about 100 million people in China are surviving on less than $1 a day, which works out to less than $365 a year! And nearly 400 million people live on less than $2 a day!
Copyright: Blogspot Death Penalty Slide 2 of 16
In 2005, China executed more than 4 times as many convicts as the rest of the world combined. That works out to over 1,770 executions, most of them done by firing squad.
Copyright: China Air Pollution Slide 3 of 16
China's air pollution is so bad from its rapid industrial growth that many people wear masks outside just to be able to breathe. But their problems aren't limited to their own country. Due to the jetstream carrying their air over to the United States, much of that pollution has traveled to northern California. In fact, about a third of the air pollution in San Francisco comes from China!
Copyright: Dig Dang Reincarnation Slide 4 of 16
The Chinese government has actually banned Buddhist monks from reincarnating. That is, unless they get permission from the government first. In reality, what seems ridiculous is actually a move to limit the influence of the Dalai Lama.
Copyright: Atlas Obscura Empty Mall Slide 5 of 16
China can proudly boast that it has the world's largest mall, the New South China Mall, with space for 2,350 stores and 7,000,000 square feet of leasable space! The only problem is that 7 years after it opened it is still 99% empty. The only things actually in the mall are a few fast food stores near the entrance.
Copyright: Polar Blocked Sites Slide 6 of 16
Facebook and Twitter have been blocked sites in China since 2009 and The New York Times has been blocked since a 2012 article didn't please the government. They are going to lift the ban in what is called the Shanghai Free Trade zone soon but it is more of a business decision than anything else.
Copyright: Blankinship Web Cave Dwellers Slide 7 of 16
About 35 million people in China still live in caves. Most of these live in the Shaanxi province where the porous soil makes the caves easy to dig. They are often decorated or reinforced with bricks
Copyright: Phys Org Water Contamination Slide 8 of 16
About 700 million Chinese people, or about half of their population, drink contaminated water every day. One of the biggest reasons is that only about 10 percent of the raw sewage produced by the big cities is treated and the rest is dumped straight into lakes and rivers where it leaks into ground water.
Copyright: Maps Of Time Zones Slide 9 of 16
Back in 1949, China's Communist regime decided that, even though the country is huge, in order to assert more control it all needed to be under the same time zone, Beijing Standard Time. This has led to ridiculous sunrise times such as 10am in certain parts of the country.
Copyright: China Daily Piracy Slide 10 of 16
78% of the software installed on computers in China in 2010 was pirated. That is a really high number no matter how you look at it. Globally, the average piracy rate is still quite high at 42%, but it is almost twice that in China.
15 Things China Doesn't Want You to Know
Copyright: Birth Defects Slide 11 of 16
Birth defects are actually increasing in China by a rate of 40% since 2001. About 1.2 million babies are born in China every year with a birth defect, or about one every 30 seconds.
15 Things China Doesn't Want You to Know
Copyright: Christianity Slide 12 of 16
When you think of religion in China, probably the last thing that comes to mind is Christianity. But what is really surprising is that China has a booming Christian population of about 54 million people and growing. Soon they will have the largest Christian population in the world! They already have more Christians than Italy!
A note over here . Due to large masses of people turning to Christianity, the government is resorting to a specific quota of Christian conversions per month.
15 Things China Doesn't Want You to Know
Copyright: Dwarf Theme Park Slide 13 of 16
There is a place called the Kingdom of the Little People in China where people with dwarfism put on comical shows for tourists. There are over 100 dwarfs employed by the park.
15 Things China Doesn't Want You to Know
Copyright: Ghost Towns Slide 14 of 16
About 65 million homes sit vacant in China. This includes some entire towns that are completely devoid of people and they sit empty. These aren't old houses and towns that died out. They are new cities and houses that were built in expectation of a population boom expanding into them that never happened.
15 Things China Doesn't Want You to Know
Copyright: Gobi Desert Slide 15 of 16
China is home to the enormous Gobi desert which is already about 500,000 square miles or about the size of Peru and it's only getting bigger. The Gobi is expanding at a rate of about 1,400 square miles a year due to over grazing, deforestation and water source depletion.
Which Foods Are Hard to Eat With Chopsticks?
Copyright: Jell-O Slide 1 of 9
Chopsticks are a very versatile eating utensil, but there are some foods that are nearly impossible to eat with two blunt sticks. Even the most experienced chopstick users will have problems eating these difficult foods!
The first chopstick-unfriendly dish is Jell-O. This gelatinous food is a favorite among kids and adults, and the only proper way to eat a "Jell-O Jiggler" is with your hands. Trying to pick up something so squishy and slippery with chopsticks is just asking for trouble. Squeeze too lightly, and it will slip right out, but squeeze too hard and it will break apart!
19 Things To Know Before You Visit China
Get the know-how before you say “ni hao.” posted on July 16, 2013 at 5:57pm EDT
1. Don’t stick your chopsticks upright in your rice.
It’s considered extremely rude because it’s associated with funerals. Usually, people leave rice with chopsticks in them at the tombstones of their loved ones in order to “feed them” in the afterlife.
2. If you’re offered a gift, refuse to take it a couple of times.
It’s polite in China to refuse gifts, as it shows humility and that you’re thankful that this person went out of their way. Sooner or later, they’ll give in.
3. Same thing with compliments.
Refuse them no matter what. Don’t say, “Thank you,” as it’s seen as vain. Hey, a compliment’s a compliment though.
4. The Chinese population is gradually declining.
According to a recent United Nations report, the Chinese population will be in full decline by 2028 and will be surpassed by India. Because even though the population has increased since 2000, the birth rate has declined by 40%.
5. Eating dog is becoming increasingly unpopular.
According to CNN, the rate of dog consumption is declining so much that there has been talk of considering legislation that would make eating cats and dogs illegal. And recently, Weibo (China’s Twitter) blew up with viral protesting against eating dogs. Most Chinese people prefer to keep cats and dogs as pets.
6. Breathing in Beijing air is not as bad as you might think.
Although pollution in Beijing is a major worsening issue, according to a recent study, breathing in the air is only equivalent to being exposed to secondhand smoke (one-sixth of a cigarette) as opposed to smoking a pack a day, which is the popular belief.
7. The one-child policy does not apply to everyone.
China’s cne-child policy was only enacted in 1978, so most people born before then are likely to have siblings. Also, the policy was meant more for the urban population, so rural families and Chinese ethnic minorities (there are 55) are allowed to have more than one child.
8. China is not technically a communist country.
Though China was communist from 1949–1976, after the death of Chairman Mao Zedong, the country embraced capitalism and became more socialist than anything. Because China’s political system is a one-party system, the Communist Party of China (the current ruling party) is mistaken by foreigners as the voice of the entire country. But that’s like saying that America is a Democratic or Republican country depending on which party wins each election.
9. Ask a Chinese person how to access blocked websites.
Many Chinese people use Virtual Private Networks (VPN) to circumvent censored content. According to Foreign Policy reporter Eveline Chao, “Internet users are cosmopolitan, educated, and informed.”
10. Chinese people don’t speak “Chinese.”
Actually, “Chinese” is not a single, unified language. It’s composed of many different dialects, the most common of which include Mandarin and Cantonese.
11. You won’t necessarily be the tallest person in the room.
In China’s northern region, the average height for men is 5’10”, and for women is 5’6”. In fact, the tallest woman in the world (8’1”!) was Chinese.
12. Each Chinese character not an individual word.
Although some words use just one character, most words are composed of two or more characters. Chinese characters are usually morphemes, meaning a unit of language or word that cannot be further divided.
13. No one in space will be able to see you on the Great Wall.
According to Universe Today, you actually cannot see the Great Wall from space with the naked eye, let alone the moon. The pictures that exist of the monument from space are usually taken with professional zoom lens cameras.
14. There is a good chance you will have to use a squat toilet at some point. Don’t be afraid.
It’s actually more sanitary than using a regular toilet. Just remember to BYTP (bring your own toilet paper).
15. Explore beyond Beijing and Shanghai.
Though everyone should visit both places at least once, China has so much more to offer than most people tend to talk about. The south of China is great for spicy food and cities like Suzhou (the “Venice” of China) and Hangzhou (known for the West Lake) in Eastern China are a little more off the beaten path. Make sure you hit some real natural beauties though, like Karakul Lake in Xinjiang in Huang Shan in An Hui.
16. The Chinese food you’re used to eating in the USA/Europe is probably not real Chinese food.
Sweet and sour pork, egg rolls, beef and broccoli… Yeah, Chinese people don’t eat that. Instead, you’ll find more cooked vegetables and simple meat dishes. Different, but delicious.
17. If you feel the need to burp or stare, it’s most likely OK.
Burping is usually a sign of contentment after eating. Staring is common, as it shows that you are genuinely interested in someone else and what they’re doing. Spitting is also common around China, but more efforts are being made to stop people from doing it (health hazard).
18. English is becoming more common.
English is taught in most schools and many others have picked it up, but many Chinese people are too shy to use it. Others, though, are very eager to practice English with you, so don’t be afraid if you’re rushed by people who want to speak with you and make friends. Plus, maybe you can learn a couple Chinese words in return.
19. This kind of thing does not happen.
Sorry to disappoint. But if this is what you expect and look forward to seeing, then save some money and just rent some Jackie Chan or Kung-Fu DVDs.
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