World Heritage Sites
Did you know - China's Great Wall is one of the New Seven Wonders of the world since 2007. Curiously, it, a national symbol, is the only UNESCO Wonder visible from space. Otherwise, the People's Republic boasts more Universal Wonders than any country in the world: 38 World Heritage Sites (compared to 20 in the United States), among them the Lushan National Park, Yungang Grottoes, Yin Xu and Fujian Tulou.

Chinese Cuisine
Did you know - China's cuisine is one of the most popular on Earth, from Buenos Aires and New York to Paris, as well as Tokyo and Moscow. It boasts eight regional cuisines : Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan and Zhejiang cuisines.

Land Area
Did you know - The PRC has an area of 3,706,566 sq. mi /9,326,411 sq. km., making it the Earth's third-largest country, after Russia and Canada.

Asian Games
Did you know - The city of Guangzhou -- also known as Canton-- has won the right to host the 2010 Asian Games; the continent's largest multi-sports event.

United Nations
Did you know- Since 1971, China is a permanent member of the Security Council of the UN, along with Russia, France, Great Britain and the States.

Ancient History
Did you know - In the 1340s, when traveler Ibn Battuta came to China was impressed with the country's progress, and said "China is the safest and pleasantest country in the world for the traveler".

The Last Emperor
Did you know - The People's Republic was popularized in 1987 by the film "The Last Emperor", a movie which won nine Academy Awards ( Best Picture, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Director, Best Music, among others prizes). This movie, about Puyi (China's last monarch), was shot in the Forbidden City in Beijing, the country's capital.

Tropical Paradise
Did you know- Hainan island, one of Asia's largest islands, is home to some of the continent's most stunning beaches, fishing sites, resorts, and seafood restaurants. It is the country's equivalent of Hawaii.

Neighbours
Did you know - The nation in the world with the most neighbours is the People's Republic (followed by Russia and Brazil), with a total of 14 neighbours, including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Mongolia, North Korea, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and the Republic Socialist of Vietnam.

Marco Polo & China
Did you know - Italy's Marco Polo was a teenager when he set out with his father for China.

Soccer
Did you know - By 2002 in South Korea/Japan, the Communist nation finished 31st in the FIFA World Championships. It had never qualified for a major soccer championship before.

Diplomatic Ties
Did you know - Beijing maintains diplomatic ties with more than 170 states, including former allies of Taiwan, like Chad (2006-), Costa Rica (2007-), Dominica (2004-), Grenada (2005-), Malawi (2008-), and Senegal (2005-).

China & USA
Did you know - In the 70s, America's author Roxane Witke published "Comrade Chiang Ching", a unique book about Mao Zedong's wife, one of the world's most secretive First Ladies in the past century.

Modern History
Did you know - By 1949, the People's Republic of China -- as large as Japan and the United States together -- was founded, after the defeat of Nationalist forces.

Table Tennis
Did you know - In 1959, the country's tennis table player Kuo-tuan Jung became the first Chinese in history to win an individual world title when he earned the gold medal at the World Championships in Dortmund, Germany.

Chinese Leaders
Did you know - Deng Xiaoping -- one of the nation's best-known political figures -- once said, "It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white so long as it catches mice". In the 1980s,Xiaoping built China into the cultural and commercial center of the Asian world.

Mineral Resources
Did you know - The Asian nation is the world's largest producer of zinc, followed by Canada and Australia.

Cinematography
Did you Know - China's movie "Hero" received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in the early 2000s. This was the second nomination for the People's Republic in this category.

Volleyball

Did you know - The Japanese women's volleyball squad suffered a setback when it was beaten by China -- the underdogs throughout this tournament -- in the FIVB World Cup in November 1981. Japan had never been beaten in international competition since 1978. After winning the match, the PRC earned the global tournament ;it has never been forgiven by Chinese people. In addition, Lang Ping, nicknamed the "Hammer Iron", was selected as one of the most valuable athletes. China's gold medal set off a frenzy of celebrations in Beijing, where Chinese youngsters dream of emulating such renowned volleyball players as Lang Ping and Yang Xilan.

World-Famous Events

Did you know - The Asian country has hosted several world-famous events:

-The XI Summer Asian Games (1990)

-Fourth United Nations Conference on Women, Beijing (1995)

-The XXIX Summer Olympic Games, Beijing (2008)

-Miss World Pageant, Hainan (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007)

-The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, Shangai (2001)

-The XXI World University Games, Beijing (2001)

-The 24th Winter Universiade, Harbin (2009)