13 Lesser-Known Historical Facts about China:
1. The Great Wall of China stretches over 13,000 miles and took centuries to build.
2. The Terracotta Army, buried with China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang, consists of over 8,000 life-sized soldiers.
3. Paper, one of China's Four Great Inventions, was invented during the Han Dynasty around 105 CE.
4. The Forbidden City in Beijing, a massive palace complex, served as the imperial palace for
over 500 years.
5. The Silk Road was a major trade route connecting China with Europe, facilitating cultural and economic exchange.
6. Confucius, a philosopher from the Spring and Autumn period, significantly influenced Chinese culture and society.
7. The Song Dynasty saw the first use of gunpowder in warfare and the invention of the compass.
8. The Grand Canal, stretching over 1,100 miles, is the longest man-made waterway in the world.
9. The Tang Dynasty is often considered a golden age of Chinese culture, art, and literature.
10. The Ming Dynasty constructed the majority of the existing Great Wall and built the Forbidden City.
11. The Chinese invention of movable type printing during the Song Dynasty revolutionized the
dissemination of knowledge.
12. Zheng He, a Ming Dynasty explorer, led seven naval expeditions reaching as far as Africa and the Middle East.
13. The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) was a decade of political upheaval aimed at enforcing communism in China.
