23 Fun Facts About China For Kids

Date: March 5, 2024

 

Estimated reading time: 3 min

 

 

Want to get your kids curious about China?

 

China (also referred to as the Middle Kingdom) has the longest continuous history of any country on the planet. And with over 3,500 years of written history, it’s certainly one of the world’s most fascinating civilizations to learn about.

 

So, to help you make this geography and culture session fun for your children, we’ve compiled 23 fun facts about China for kids below.

 

• China’s official name is the People’s Republic of China.

 

• Beijing is the capital of China and is also the 16th name given to the city. It translates as the northern capital.

 

• China is the most populous country on the planet, with over 1.4 billion inhabitants.

 

• China is home to 56 ethnic groups. The largest ethnic groups include the Zhuang, Hui, Manchu, and Miao. These minority groups have their own culture, and some even have their own language.

 

• Chinese Mandarin is the second most spoken language in the world after English.

 

• Thirty-five million Chinese people live in caves! These cave dwellings feature an architectural style from the Stone Age, still popular in the Shaanxi Province nowadays as they’re cheaper to build and warm in winter.

 

• China features 662 cities.160 cities have more than 1 million inhabitants, and 18 cities have more than 10 million inhabitants.

 

• The three largest cities in China are Shanghai (28.5 million), Beijing (22.33 million) and Guangzhou (13.9 million)

 

• Chinese New Year is the most important festival in the country. So much so that the celebrations last for 15 days.

 

• There are 12 Chinese New Year zodiac animals, and the dragon is considered the luckiest sign. Zodiac animals are such an important part of Chinese culture that during the dragon lunar years, the country experiences a baby boom as parents all want a “Dragon” baby!

 

• The most common gift during Chinese New Year is called “hongbao”, a red envelope filled with money.

 

• In Ancient China, soldiers used to wear armor made of silk paper.

 

• Chinese people used sticky rice as mortar to bind the Great Wall’s stones.

 

• During the 7th century, Emperor Tang of Shang, the founder of the Tang Dynasty, had 94 ice men who made him ice cream.

 

 

• The first chopsticks were invented in China 5,000 years ago and were used to retrieve food, not to eat.

 

• China is home to the famous Stone Forest in the Yunnan Province. This forest is really intriguing because it consists of a cluster of unusual karst rock formations.

 

• The Terracotta Army was commissioned by China’s first emperor Qin Shin Huang 2,200 years ago and was created as an afterlife army designed to protect him after his death.

 

• Red is an important color used during Chinese weddings as it represents success, fertility, and love. That’s why Chinese brides’ dresses are often red.

 

• The Yan and Yellow Emperors are considered the ancestors of the Chinese people. They’re believed to have been immortalized as dragons before ascending to heaven, explaining why emperors sometimes referred to themselves as the descendants of dragons.

 

• The forbidden city is the world’s largest imperial palace. It was home to 24 different Chinese emperors.

 

• Giant Pandas are native to Central China.

 

• China is a multi-religious country. However, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism are the most popular religions.

 

• Chinese people avoid mentioning the number “four” as it sounds like the word for “death” and is therefore considered an unlucky number.

 

 

 

And there you have it, a list of 23 fun facts about China that will be sure to pique your kids' curiosity about this enchanting country!

 

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