23 Untold Facts About China
9 The pin in the picture has been placed just below the chin of a soldier in the Chinese army during training so that his chin remains straight; the pin also prevents the soldier from falling asleep from exhaustion.
The Chinese army’s discipline is legendary, and this picture is testimony to that. The officers of the People Paramilitary Police have strict training, and, in order to ensure that their posture remains unwavering and perfect, they have pins attached to their collars, along with crosses on their backs. However, this is not the case with every Chinese soldier. It is used only by soldiers who do not have a straight neck as a means to correct their posture. (source)
10 The longest traffic jam in China lasted 12 days and stretched across 62 miles.
The longest traffic jam in Chinese history, this 62-mile-long jam wound all the way to Beijing’s outskirts. During the traffic jam, vehicles moved less than one mile within a single day. Drivers were spotted playing cards and sleeping on the asphalt. (source)
11 China has the world’s largest high-speed rail network.
China had its first high-speed railway developed in 2008. Since then, the country has developed over 40,000 km of a high-speed railway network, which is the largest in the world. It is almost equal to the entire circumference of the Earth! The network also has the world’s fastest-moving commercially operational bullet train that can achieve a maximum speed of 431 km/h. (source)
12 China has “Ghost Towns” with huge skyscrapers that no one lives in!
The “Ghost Town” in Kangbashi District in the city of Ordos in China is a massive city with huge plazas, massive shopping malls, expansive residential and commercial complexes, and government buildings, all of which are almost empty. The city spans across 352 square km and was supposed to provide housing to more than a million people.
Surprisingly, there are more than 50 uninhabited “Ghost Towns” in China, which is the result of the rush the Chinese government made to urbanize the rural areas of the country. (source)
13 Chinese government banned Justin Bieber from performing in China.
In 2017, the Chinese government officially banned Justin Bieber from performing in China, citing his bad behavior and immaturity. The Canadian singer was prohibited from performing in the country until he matures enough and becomes a singer truly loved by the Chinese people. However, Bieber is not the only celebrity banned by the Chinese government. Miley Cyrus, Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga, Bob Dylan, Katy Perry also are a few of the many artists that have been banned in the country. (source)
14 China has a peculiar ‘Social Credit System’ to assess the reliability of citizens.
If you were a Chinese citizen, your reliability could be measured through a score! The Chinese government has something called a “Social Credit Score” to determine the reliability or trustworthiness of its citizens. Apparently, this score can be boosted by indulging in good acts like community service, remaining debt-free, looking after the elderly, etc. Whereas acts like skipping debt payments, littering, jaywalking, etc., could lead to a decrease in this score. (source)
15 Chinese hire White people to pretend to be an employee at their office.
While foreign expatriates in tier-one Chinese cities enjoy job security and all the benefits of their work contracts, the picture is entirely different in the hinterland of the country, where people hire foreigners as a marketing prop. “Monkey jobs,” as called in China, are the promotional event gigs the Chinese commonly offer to White foreigners. These “monkeys” can earn up to 800-1,000 Yuan per gig. However, a girl wearing a bikini or a topless guy can earn a few extra bucks too. (source)
16 China has brown pandas!
Just like every giant panda in the world, China is also home to the brown pandas that are native to the Qinling Mountain region and named after the mountain itself. The brown pandas have light and dark brown fur rather than the usual black and white. Their skulls and overall size are also smaller as compared to a giant panda. The total population of brown pandas in the country is a little over 300. (source)
17 China won’t be the most populous country by the end of 2023.
After being the most populous country since 1750, China may lose the top spot to India. When China had an estimated population of 225 million in 1750, India, not politically unified yet, had around 200 million people living in it. Today, China has a population of more than 1.45 billion, whereas India is just a little behind, with a population of 1.41 billion. However, as per United Nations, China won’t be the most populous country by the end of 2023 as India may be ahead of China by then. (source)
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