China Trivia

The writing of Chinese characters dates back almost 4,000 years and around 40,000 characters exist. Chinese children in the fourth grade are expected to know around 2,000, and the knowledge of 3,000 symbols is required for everyday living. In order to read a Chinese newspaper, you’ll need to know about 7,000 characters. China’s first books were made of bamboo slips sewn together, side by side, and characters were written in columns down each piece of bamboo.

Brooms are forbidden on lunar New Year’s Day in China: No one must sweep or they’ll brush the family’s fortune away. After New Year’s Day, the floors can be swept and any dirt is lifted and carried out of the house via the back door. An old superstition says dirt must not be swept over the front door threshold or a family member will also be swept away!

Asian red ginseng, regarded locally as the “miracle plant,” is said to have the ability to heal all diseases. Also known as panax ginseng – a name derived from “Panacea,” the Greek goddess of cures – the root is thought to have potent healing properties and to promote longevity, enhance the mind and reduce stress.

And you were worried about applying face paint or inserting vampire fangs for Halloween! Women in Chinese high society once thought it the height of fashion to dye their teeth with a dark stain made from eggplant skins.

Move over Baskin-Robbins – it turns out ice cream was invented in China around four thousand years ago when the Chinese packed a soft milk and rice mixture into snow. But the question remains … when and where did tutti-frutti flavor first make an appearance?