The Chinese consider number 8 as lucky. The reason for this is because it sounds similar to the Chinese word for “prosperity”
Kung fu is the fighting style developed by the Chinese and incorporates their use of intellect over brute strength. It was made popular by the kung fu movie star Bruce Lee.
The mortar used to bind the Great Wall’s stones was made with sticky rice!
The word “ketchup” may come from a Chinese word for pickled-fish sauce.
2,200 yeasr ago, A game by the name of Cuju was created in China during the Han Dynasty. It spread to other parts of the world, and eventually became known as what we now call soccer.
Many Chinese children have small crickets as pets. They will place them together in a box and have the cricket fights
Fast Facts
Capital: BEIJING
Population: ~1.4 billion
Size: 3,700,000 sq. miles
Form of Government: Republic, communist state
Language: Mandarin
Currency: Renminbi or Chinese Yuan (CNY)
100 USD = CNY
Climate: varies due to vast land area: tropical zone, subtropical zone, warm temperate zone, middle temperate zone, cold temperate zone and plateau zone
NOW in BEIJING:: ºF
Photos
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is the largest man-made structure in the world, and the primary section of the Great Wall is more than 5,500 miles long. If you add up all of the smaller branches and paths along the Great Wall, it totals more than 13,000 miles! The Great Wall used to be used as a border for China, and guards and soldiers used the wall to quickly travel from one section of China to another. Did you know that the name in ancient Chinese actually meant ‘The 10,000-Mile Long Wall’ or ‘Incredibly Long Wall’?
Terracotta Warriors
In Xian, you can see more than 5,000 life- size sculptures of soldiers made entirely from terracotta, or clay. Some of the sculptures are more than 2,000 years old. They stand on an archeological site, where more than 8,000 clay soldiers were originally constructed to guard an emperor’s tomb.
Potala Palace in Lhasa/Tibet
This Palace has been the residence of every Dalai Lama until the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950
Wolong Panda Nature Reserve
This nature reserve is near Chengdu. Here, you can see pandas in their natural habitat and learn about them in the research center. This is a very special place because giant pandas are an endangered species.
Guilin
Gulin mountains lie along the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo and are breathtaking. People enjoy rafting on river and admiring the views.
The Bund in Shanghai
The Bund is Shanghai’s main shopping and business district. Shanghai is the largest and most populated city in China.
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is the largest man-made structure in the world, and the primary section of the Great Wall is more than 5,500 miles long. If you add up all of the smaller branches and paths along the Great Wall, it totals more than 13,000 miles! The Great Wall used to be used as a border for China, and guards and soldiers used the wall to quickly travel from one section of China to another. Did you know that the name in ancient Chinese actually meant ‘The 10,000-Mile Long Wall’ or ‘Incredibly Long Wall’?
Terracotta Warriors
In Xian, you can see more than 5,000 life- size sculptures of soldiers made entirely from terracotta, or clay. Some of the sculptures are more than 2,000 years old. They stand on an archeological site, where more than 8,000 clay soldiers were originally constructed to guard an emperor’s tomb.
Potala Palace in Lhasa/Tibet
This Palace has been the residence of every Dalai Lama until the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950
Wolong Panda Nature Reserve
This nature reserve is near Chengdu. Here, you can see pandas in their natural habitat and learn about them in the research center. This is a very special place because giant pandas are an endangered species.
Chamonix Mont Blanc
Gulin mountains lie along the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo and are breathtaking. People enjoy rafting on river and admiring the views.
The Bund in Shanghai
The Bund is Shanghai’s main shopping and business district. Shanghai is the largest and most populated city in China.
Popular Dishes
Jiaozi (Dumplings)
Jiaozi are Chinese dumplings that consist of a thinly rolled piece of dough filled with a meat or vegetable mixture. They are one of the most popular and most commonly eaten dish in China and can be served as an appetizer, main dish or side dish. They could be boiled, steamed or pan fried. Jiaozi is always served at the Chinese New Years Celebration.
Spring Rolls
The commonly found appetizer in any Chinese restaurant, Spring Rolls are traditional snacks and are made of thin sheets of dough filled with various ingredients and deep fried in hot oil. Most common filings are pork, mushrooms and cabbage. They are usually served with dips and tea or coffee.
Peking Duck
Peking Duck is very popular and dates back to the 13th century during the Yuan Dynasty. The dish consists of ducked that has been cooked until the skin turns golden and crispy and the is tender and sweet. An interesting fact is that in Beijing there is a restaurant specializing in Peking Duck that has been open since the 16th Century named Bianyifang.
Egg Tart
Egg Tart is one of the most famous Chinese deserts. It is a delicious pastry made of a flaky outer shell with a creamy egg custard in the center.
Tong Sui
Tong Sui, also known as Tim Tong is a term for any sweet soup with an almost custard like texture served as a desert in the Cantonese Cuisine. It can be found in a lot of variations of colors and favors with the most common being the fruity varieties.
Nuomici
Nuomici is a ball-shaped pastry made with glutinous rice flour. It is filled with a sweet center made with sugar, peanuts, bean paste and/or sesame seed paste. Sometimes the balls get rolled in coconut flakes.
China Booklet: Learn all about China, its
culture, and fun facts about the country.
Recipe Cards: Work with an adult to
create delicious vegetable fried rice and
mango pudding with these step-by-step
recipe cards. Yum!
Table Talk Cards: Challenge your family to share new stories with the help of the table talk cards.
China Sticker: Be sure to
mark off your progress in your World
Explorers passport! Once you place the
sticker in your passport and complete
the passport activities for China, scratch
off China on your map.
3D Puzzle of the Great Wall of China: Build your way through one of the largest
wonders in the world with this amazing
three-dimensional puzzle.
Panda "Stitch, Hang and Frame" Cross Stitch Activity: Activity: Learn how to
cross stitch by following the panda pattern.
Chinese Flag: A souvenir flag to
celebrate your exploration of China.
Chinese Money: Do you know what
a yuan is? Check out what the Chinese
currency looks like above; we cannot create replicas of this currency
