China is striking in its scale. The population today is 1.357 billion. Geographically, this is also a giant. Only Russia and Canada occupy a large territory.
It is simply impossible to fit all the greatness "Celestial”In a simple 10-point rating. But we will try. Also check out the article 10 ridiculous Chinese myths.
10. Huge dam, slowing down the rotation of the earth
Forget the Eiffel Tower, Force Bridge and Hoover Dam. The grandest engineering creation on the planet is the Three Gorges Dam. It is equal to the area of the Kingdom of Bahrain and holds 39.3 cubic kilometers of water. But what is really impressive is that the structure is so large that it slows down the Earth's rotation.
And now a few scientific terms. There is such a thing as a moment of inertia, which generally shows how fast an object rotates around its axis. The larger the object, the slower the rotation. This is why Olympic divers try to take the shape of a small ball during their incredible flips. The rise in the river is 175 meters high. What inertia! As a result, the planet slows down its rotation.
Now we will look at this phenomenon under a microscope. The dam increases daylight hours by 0.06 microseconds. Incredible! It is so large that it increases our every day. You might be interested in the article 10 of China's greatest inventions.
9.30 million Chinese still live in caves (and are happy about it)
Imagine such poverty that you are forced to live in a cave. Terrible, isn't it? As in antediluvian times. But it is not so. Almost 30 million Chinese people still live in caves. In terms of number, this is equivalent to the population of Australia and New Zealand combined. Most of the caves are located in the province of Shanghai. There are porous earthen rocks and limestone rocks, which are easily amenable to the cutting of caves. Most of the residents have plumbing and electricity.
Some people use household appliances. More importantly, in a low-wage country, you pay about 180 rubles a month for a large cave.... There are simply no free caves. Some families donate caves “luxury" by inheritance. They are larger, prettier and quieter than the apartments in Beijing.
Los Angeles newspaper "The Times”Conducted a survey among urban workers. Most of them would happily move to the Shanghai Caves. We're just confident that 90% of overcrowded New Yorkers would be happy to do the same.
8. Millions of kids have names that sound like hashtags
Remember the last tragic event. You've probably expressed your sympathy using hashtags. Chinese parents have a great sense of humor. They show their support by calling the kids hashtags.
In 2008, an earthquake struck Sichuan province. About 70,000 people died. A week later, the BBC of China reported that the babies were being given a name “Sichuan Hope”.
Also in 2008, in honor of the Beijing Olympics, 4,104 children were named “Olympic”. The BBC named the most popular names, including: “Defending China ”,“ Build a Nation ”,“ Space Travel" and "Civilization”. The last to be named were 300,000 children. Our names are not very cool by these standards.
7. The Chinese Army has a division of 10,000 birds
In 2011, the Chinese media reported on the recruiting of the People's Liberal Army. 10,000 conscripts have formed the Schengen Division, which is to carry out a special military mission along the national border. The recruits were birds!
The fact is that Beijing is terrified of nuclear and cyber attacks, which could paralyze communication systems. In this case, birds can deliver messages to the military at high speed, especially to remote sections of the border. There were even precedents. When Japan invaded, birds were a living part of China's defenses.
6. Collection and sale of human organs "on the go"
While the demographics of many countries are failing with low crime rates, more people die in China every year than in Iran, Saudi Arabia and North Korea combined. This bloodlust manifests itself in the form of eccentric and shocking innovations. The worst of which is "Death buses”.
The first mention of them was in 2009. Buses move from village to village, looking for victims. A whole detachment of surgeons is in charge of taking organs from people for the purpose of selling. The key word for criminals is “speed”. They can commit 2-3 murders in one morning.
5. There is only one time zone in China. (It is hard to believe)
Let us remind you that China is a very large country. On the territory "Celestial”Is equal to the United States, more than 2 times the size of the European Union. Australia is generally a dwarf by comparison. All listed countries / Union are in 3-5 time zones. And China is all in one! The so-called Beijing time is valid throughout the country.
It is convenient only for residents of the capital. For example, in the remote western province of Xingjian, the sun does not rise before 10 o'clock in winter and sets after midnight in summer. It looks like Siberia or Norway, but China is much farther south! In fact, the inhabitants of the remote western territories have to put up with this problem.
One of the ethnic groups refuses to live according to Beijing time, seeing in this the cultural imperialism of the largest Han group. It happens that an appointment with a doctor for 3 hours in Xinjian or Tibet can mean 3 hours Beijing time or 3 hours illegal Tibetan or Uyghur time. And you won't be able to find out until you get to the doctor's office and see that it is closed.
4. You must have official permission to reincarnate
If you live in China and believe in reincarnation of souls, you simply must have an official permission for reincarnation. The 2007 state law for religious organizations states that everyone who wants to return to this world in a mortal body must go through a strict list of procedures, including informing the Communist Party of whom he wants to be embodied. At the same time, no one guarantees the result. The almighty Chinese government seems to have decided to control birthplaces during soul transmigration.
Obviously, the real reason for the funny law was the statement of the Dalai Lama about his intention to reincarnate and continue the campaign for autonomy of Tibet. In response to government measures, the Dalai Lama simply said that in his next life he would incarnate in a territory not controlled by China.
3. Books are sold by weight
In the West, the author and the title are important for the successful sale of a book. A classic novella or mega-blockbuster by a famous author is valued much more than much thicker books by unknown authors. It's not like that in China. Going to buy books on the streets of Shanghai, you will only be interested in the weight of the books.
In practice, this means that a 1000-page volume written by a mediocre author will cost more than a thin book, say, by Bulgakov. And students use it. For example, phrasebooks and dictionaries are not so cheap, but in China they can be bought for a penny. Note that books are sold by weight not throughout the country, but mainly in Shanghai and the southern provinces.
2. Strong censorship
Westerns, time travel, Big Bang theory, South Korea ... What do they have in common? The answer is simple. Chinese censors believe these topics are malicious. There are certain standards for an authoritarian regime.
Until April 2016, one of the most rated programs was “Dad, where are we going?”. Show about the travels of father and children to the historical places of China. Unexpectedly, the program was banned by party officials - “..for showing bohemian life”. Other bans included shows featuring homosexuals and images of smoking and drinking characters, programs about ghosts, South Korea, reincarnation, and feudalism. Animals that speak in movies and even films with Brad Pitt are officially banned. What are the censors guided by? Only they know this.
1. Every fifth inhabitant of the planet is Chinese
If you need proof that the future of the planet is in China, here are some amazing statistics. The population of China is 1.357 billion. This is 20% of the total population of the Earth. The only country that can come close to these indicators is India.
Its population is 1.252 billion. The third place, with a huge difference, is occupied by the United States with a relatively small population of 325.3 million. This is 4.5% of the total population of the planet. For comparison: in China, only the delta of the Purple River is home to 42 million. This is more than the population of Poland, Canada and Australia combined.
We recommend watching:
Incredible and shocking facts about China. How people live in the PRC, the peculiarities of the culture and laws of this country. China has one of the strongest armies in the world and is rapidly developing its economy.
