Written byCaitriona Maria
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Fact-checked bySid Natividad
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Updated on
From the world’s most populous nation to a soup made from bird saliva, these are the most interesting facts about China.
Fast facts
Official name: People’s Republic of China
Population: 1.4 billion
Area: 9,596,960 sq km
Capital city: Beijing
Major languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Fuzhou, Hokkien-Taiwanese, Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, Tibetan, Zhuang, Mongolian
Major religions: Folk Religion 21.9%, Buddhist 18.2%, Christian 5.1%
Time zone: UTC+8 (China Standard Time/Beijing Time)
Interesting facts about China
1. China is an independent country located in East Asia, bordering 14 other countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Vietnam.
2. China is the world’s fourth-largest country by area after Russia, Canada and the USA.
3. China is the world’s most populous nation and is one of only two countries with more than 1 billion people (the other being India).
4. Discoveries of stone tools prove that China has been inhabited for at least 2.1 million years. At least 96 stone tools were excavated in the Southern Chinese Loess plateau.
5. There have been nearly 4,000 years of recorded history in China, with the first Chinese state for which clear written records remain, the Shang Dynasty, beginning around 1700 BC and lasting until 1046 BC.
6. China was ruled by a series of imperial dynasties from 221 BC to 1901 AD, only broken by a period of Mongol rule from 1271 to 1368 AD.
7. China only has one time zone across the entire country. Therefore, schools, airports and train stations operate at irregular hours; restaurants remain open for dinner until the early hours; and national exams are sometimes completed in the middle of the night.
8. Following decades of decline and conflict, including two wars with Japan, revolutions, and civil wars, the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed in 1949.
9. China’s flag has a red background with a large yellow star and four smaller stars at the top left corner of its flag. Red represents the communist revolution, while the stars represent the four social classes united under the main star of the Communist Party.
10. China has the world’s second-largest economy after the USA.
11. China has 57 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – only Italy has more (59).
12. The UNESCO-listed Great Wall of China is China’s most famous landmark. It is the world’s largest man-made structure at 21,196 km (13,171 mi) long. It was built to protect China’s northern border.
13. Parts of the wall are 2,000 years old, and it crosses 23 degrees of longitude and passes through 15 Chinese provinces, principalities, and autonomous regions.
14. The UNESCO-listed Forbidden City in Bejing is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of ancient buildings. It was built between 1406 and 1420, has over 900 buildings and receives around 16 million annual visitors.
15. The Chinese New Year is an annual 15-day festival that begins with the new moon and occurs sometime between January 21 and February 20, according to Western calendars.
16. In China, every year is represented by one of 12 animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. According to the calendar, the year you were born could determine your personality. The year 2024 is the Year of the Dragon.
17. Gunpowder was invented in China as early as 850 AD when alchemists stumbled upon the explosive properties of a combination of potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal while seeking an elixir of life.
18. The Bailong Elevator in China is the world’s tallest outdoor lift. Located in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan, it is 326 m (1,070 ft) high.
19. In 2010, Chinese archaeologists unearthed a 2,400-year-old pot of soup in Xi’an that had been sealed in a bronze cooking vessel.
20. The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in China is the deepest in the world. In some places, it extends more than 5,300m (17,490ft) from top to bottom. It is also one of the world’s longest canyons, at around 500km (310 mi).
21. In 1974, Chinese archaeologists excavated a tomb filled with an entire army of life-sized terracotta soldiers and horses that had been interred for more than 2,000 years. So far, over 600 pits of over 8,000 warriors have been unearthed.
22. China has a law which requires adult children to visit and care for their ageing parents. The “Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly People” bill states children must care for their parents’ spiritual and physical needs.
23. With 2,535,000 armed forces personnel, China has the world’s second-largest army after India.
24. The world’s highest (300m/984ft) and longest (430m/1,411ft) glass bridge is in China. The Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge famously closed just two weeks after opening in 2016 when officials realized it was going to be 10 times busier than expected.
25. From 1979 to 2016, China had a one-child policy in place, limiting parents to only having one child in order to slow the country’s population growth.
26. In 2015, a 57-story skyscraper was built in just 19 working days in China, believed to be the world’s fastest builder.
27. Pandas can only be found in China. There are only around 1,800 endangered bears in the wild, and they are considered a national treasure in China.
28. Around 30 million people live in caves in China. The caves are carved from porous soil in the Shaanxi Province. President Xi Jinping reportedly lived in one of these caves for seven years when he was younger.
29. A soup made from bird saliva is considered a delicacy in China. Prized for their alleged health benefits, nests made from swiftlets’ saliva are served in some of China’s more expensive restaurants.
30. At 6,300 km (3,915 mi), the Yangtze River in China is Asia’s longest and the world’s third-longest river.
31. Google, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as thousands of other foreign websites, are blocked in China.
32. China’s English name comes from the Qin (Chin) 3rd century BC dynasty. The Chinese name Zhongguo translates as “Central Nation” or “Middle Kingdom”.
33. Everest, the world’s highest mountain at 8,848m (29,029ft), is located in China. It sits on the Nepal-China border.
34. Nine of the eight-thousanders – the only mountains in the world over 8,000m (26,247ft) – are either part-located or entirely located in China.
35. China is the least religious country in the world. 2023 data suggests just 3% of its adult population say religion is important to them.
Every effort has been made to verify these facts about China using primary sources. However, if you find an error or have any questions, please contact us.
Caitriona Maria
Education writeratFacts Institute|Website
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.
