Imagine yourself in China in the middle of July. The
weather is boiling, and the only thing you can think about is a big glass of
ice water. You ask for a drink at the nearest cafe and take a gulp. But the
water’s so hot that it's burned your tongue! Yep, in China, drinking water is
served piping hot. What's more, locals have it with all their dishes, be it
winter or stifling summer heat. The answer to this mystery lies in Chinese
culture and history. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the human body
consists of yin and yang elements. And you stay
healthy only if your yin and yang are in balance. So, let's say your yang gets
too strong. In this case, your internal temperature will rise, and you’re
likely to get ill. That's why it's crucial to get rid of the extra yang (or, in
other words, excess heat) in your body. And however counterintuitive it may
sound, the best way to do this is by drinking hot water, or other hot
beverages. These drinks are from the yin category and, therefore, can balance the
overpowering yang. As a result, you bring down your body's internal
temperature, restoring your health along the way. Chinese people have been
using this method since the 4th century BCE. But at that time, not everyone
could afford to buy fuel for a stove and boil water. That's why being able to
drink hot water was kind of a privilege and was reserved for the elderly, the
sick, and pregnant women. Another reason for drinking hot water during meals is
that it's supposed to improve digestion and soothe the digestive tract. In this
case, warm or reasonably hot water serves as a lubricant which hydrates your stomach
and intestines, and helps you get rid of waste. How much water do you drink a
day, and do you prefer it cold or hot? Tell me about your habits in the comment
section below! But of course, OF COURSE, China is so much more than people
drinking hot water in any weather! How about I tell you some more amazing facts
about this ancient country? - Soccer appeared nowhere else but in China about
2,200 years ago! Or at least it was the game that later transformed into the
soccer we know today. But in the very beginning, the ball was made of leather
and filled with hair and feathers. And the game itself had the name "Tsu'
Chu," which means "kicking a ball." - With an area of more than
3.7 million square miles, China is a huge country. But despite stretching for
thousands of miles from east to west, it has just one time zone - Standard
Chinese time. As a result, in the west of the country, people can see the
sunrise as late as at 10 AM! - China is the country with the largest population
on the planet. More than 1.4 billion people live there! - Chinese people don't
celebrate New Year on the same date as those who live in the US or Europe. The
first day of the year in China falls on the new moon, which usually happens
between January 21 and February 20. That means that every year, the New Year
comes on a different day. But that's not all! The New Year celebration itself
usually lasts for a whole 15 days! - And now, get ready for your world to be
turned upside down! Fortune cookies weren’t invented in China! They began in
San Francisco, and nowadays, more than 3 billion fortune cookies are produced every
year. But even though westerners think otherwise, getting predictions from
fortune cookies isn't a Chinese tradition. - China is the country of railroads.
Imagine this: if you combined all the Chinese railroad tracks, you’d be able to
wrap them around the Earth two times! On top of that, the fastest train in the
world is also from China! The Shanghai Maglev (which stands for magnetic
levitation) train can reach a maximum speed of 268 miles per hour! - China is
one of the fastest-growing countries in the world, and by saying
"growing," I mean the appearance of high-rise buildings! On average,
every five days, another skyscraper appears somewhere in the country. And
during one year, China usually builds at least 73 of them! - And another fact
that may blow your mind is that ice cream was invented in China! They started
eating an ice-cream-like food there about 200 years BCE when rice and sweet milk
were frozen together by being stored in the snow. - Table tennis, or Ping-pong,
is China's national sport, and the Chinese are really good at it! For example,
during the 2012 London Olympics, Chinese sportsmen won 4 gold and two silver medals
in this sport. - Number 8 is a lucky number in China. The reason for this may
lie in the fact that in Chinese, the word "prosperity" sounds like the
word "eight." - It probably won't surprise you that chopsticks
appeared in China about 3,000 to 5,000 years ago. But what if I told you that
the Chinese use up to 45 billion chopsticks every year! Oh, and by the way,
when you use a pair of chopsticks, you involve more than 30 joints, almost 50
muscles, and thousands of nerves in your wrist, arm, shoulder, and fingers. And
if you want to celebrate the existence of these eating utensils, you can do it
on February 6 - it's National Chopsticks Day. And no, we’re not playing the
piano. - And of course, when speaking about China, it's impossible not to
mention the Great Wall. With a total length of more than 13,170 miles, it's the
longest human-made structure in the world! The Wall is more than 2,300 years
old, and it took hundreds of years to build. But despite what most people
think, the Great Wall isn't a continuous line. Nope, it has numerous branches,
heading in different directions. Also, there’s no wall in places that have
natural protection, for example, lakes or mountains. But probably the most
curious thing about the Great Wall of China is that it was built with the help
of... rice! Builders used mortar, which partially consisted of sticky rice
flour. As a result, this mixture bound the bricks together so well that no
grass or weeds could grow through the construction. - In the 1800s, China
produced the best graphite in the world. American pencil producers wanted to
have a special way to inform people that their pencils contained this
high-quality graphite. And since in China, the yellow color is associated with
respect and royalty, the producers started to paint their pencils yellow. -
China is also the home of the world-famous Terracotta Army, which consists of
approximately 8,000 clay soldiers who were supposed to guard the Emperor's tomb
in Xi'an. Researchers state that it took more than 37 years to make the the Army.
- You have to thank the Chinese for inventing toilet paper! But at first, it
wasn't just for anybody - only the emperor could use it. - Chinese dishes are
often a mixture of seemingly incompatible tastes, and can combine sweet, sour,
bitter, spicy, and salty flavors. One of the main reasons for different
unexpected food combinations is that traditional Chinese medicine claims that
all the tastes must be balanced. - Unlike in western cuisines, where soup is
typically a starter, in China, it's a part of the last course. The Chinese
believe that it helps with digestion. - China has its own version of Bigfoot. Its
name is Yeren, which means "wild man," and it supposedly lives
somewhere in the mountains of the Hubei Province, which is covered in dense
forests. - The most popular hobby in China is collecting stamps. What's more,
it's seen as a status symbol! - Kites were invented in China about 3,000 years
ago. Researchers say that the Chinese first used kites made from silk and
bamboo to frighten their enemies. Nowadays, however, it's one of the most
popular kids' toys.
SUMMARY:
- So, let's say your yang gets too strong. In this case, your internal temperature will rise, and you’re likely to get ill. That's why it's crucial to get rid of the extra yang (or, in other words, excess heat) in your body.
- And however counterintuitive it may sound, the best way to do this is by drinking hot water, or other hot beverages.
- Another reason for drinking hot water during meals is that it's supposed to improve digestion and soothe the digestive tract.
- Being able to drink hot water was kind of a privilege and was reserved for the elderly, the sick, and pregnant women.
- China is the country with the largest population on the planet. More than 1.4 billion people live there!
- Soccer appeared nowhere else but in China about 2,200 years ago! Or at least it was the game that later transformed into the soccer we know today.
- With an area of more than 3.7 million square miles, China is a huge country.
- China is the country of railroads. Imagine this: if you combined all the Chinese railroad tracks, you’d be able to wrap them around the Earth two times!
- The first day of the year in China falls on the new moon, which usually happens between January 21 and February 20.
- Fortune cookies weren’t invented in China! They began in San Francisco, and nowadays, more than 3 billion fortune cookies are produced every year.
- China is also the home of the world-famous Terracotta Army, which consists of approximately 8,000 clay soldiers who were supposed to guard the Emperor's tomb in Xi'an.
- Table tennis, or Ping-pong, is China's national sport, and the Chinese are really good at it!
- Number 8 is a lucky number in China. The reason for this may lie in the fact that in Chinese, the word "prosperity" sounds like the word "eight."
- China has its own version of Bigfoot. Its name is Yeren, which means "wild man," and it supposedly lives somewhere in the mountains of the Hubei Province, which is covered in dense forests.
- You have to thank the Chinese for inventing toilet paper! But at first, it wasn't just for anybody - only the emperor could use it.
- One of the main reasons for different unexpected food combinations is that traditional Chinese medicine claims that all the tastes must be balanced.
- The most popular hobby in China is collecting stamps. What's more, it's seen as a status symbol!
0 Comments