Fun Facts About China

Ice cream was invented in China around  2000BC

when the Chinese packed a soft milk and rice mixture

in the snow.

China is the fourth largest country in the world.   China is sometimes a day ahead of the United States.

The Chinese year is based on the cycles of the moon.   This is called a lunar schedule.  A complete cycle of  the Chinese calendar takes 60 years.  The Chinese calendar dates back to  2600 B.C.  It is the oldest known calendar.

Each year is represented by an animal.  There are twelve animals which represent the twelve months. 

According to readings Buddha named the years after the twelve animals that came to visit him before he left the earth.  The Chinese believe that you have some of the characteristics of the animal representing the year in which you were born.      


 

Tiger	Rabbit	Dragon	Snake	Horse	Sheep
1974 1986 1998	1975 1987 1999	1976 1988 2000	1977 1989 2001	1978 1990 2002	1979 1991 2003
Monkey	Rooster	Dog	Pig	Rat	Ox
1980 1992 2004	1981 1993 2005	1982 1994 2006	1983 1995 2007	1984 1996 2008	1985 1997 2009

When a Chinese child loses a baby tooth, it doesn't get tucked under the pillow for the tooth fairy.  If the child loses an upper tooth, the child's parents plant the tooth in the ground, so the new tooth will grow in straight and healthy.  Parents toss a lost bottom tooth up to the rooftops, so that the new tooth will grow upwards , too.

It is considered good luck for the gate to a house to face south.

We know that the Chinese grew rice as long as 5000 BC Archaeologists have found rice grains in farming tools and pots from that period.

Long ago, silk making was a closely guarded secret.   Anyone who gave the secret away could be killed.

At one time, Chinese patriots hoped to rid themselves of hated foreign conquerors.  To announce the time of an uprising, the patriots hid messages in moon cakes.

Red is considered a lucky color in China.  At one time wedding dresses were red.  New Year's banners, clothing, and lucky money envelopes are still red.

Fourth graders are expected to know 2,000 of the over 40,000 written Chinese characters.  By the time they leave college, they will know 4,000 or 5,000 characters.  Each character is learned by looking at it and memorizing it.

Unlike the 26 letters of our alphabet, words cannot be sounded out letter by letter.

Thanks to the animation factory for the ice creams.