10 INCREDIBLE Facts about Ancient China!!

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10 INCREDIBLE Facts about Ancient China!! From monumental defensive structures to every day inventions that many of us still use today…stay tuned to number 1 to find out what made ancient China a sought after trading destination.

This top 10 brought to you by Zero2Hero!!

Number 10: Great Wall of China.
We’ll start the video with one of the most well known features from China’s vast history; the Great Wall China is one of the great wonders of the world. As far as defensive fortifications go, you don’t get much more impressive than this. Stone, brick, earth and other materials make up this incredibly long wall. Construction began on the wall over 2000 years ago and was added to by consecutive generations, and it is estimated that millions of people worked to build the Great wall over 1000 years. With so much wall stretched over such vast distances, it’s no surprise we are still find sections we didn’t even know about. In 2009, 180km of previously unknown sections were discovered. If you travel along the wall you would see it in various different conditions, from overgrown vegetation on forgotten sections, crumbling brick or complete sections destroyed, to the preserved and renovated areas nearest to tourist centers. Can it be seen from space? Well, I hate to disappoint you, but it can’t. Although NASA has said it can be seen with the naked eye from low Earth orbit, which is about 100 miles up, some continue to debate this.
Number 9: Rice.
The ancient Chinese agricultural way of life, which was centered heavily on rice, played an important role in the history and development of the country. For thousands of years, Chinese farmers diligently cultivated their land, and due to the production requirements of cultivating race, they developed irrigation techniques to help improve cultivation. By cultivating rice and increasing their agricultural way of life, they consequently developed social, economic, political and ideological developments that were closely linked and influenced by rice cultivation. In some parts of China, they have also combined rice cultivation with raising fish in a rice-fish aquaculture system, a practice that is still widely practiced today. This sustainable and innovative choice ensures that the rice protects the fish from the sun, and, in turn, fish eat the weeds that would cause harm to rice, as well as fertilizing the crop!
Number 8: Foot Binding.
Chinese foot binding was a practice that Chinese women took part in, and we don’t exactly know when and why it started. Some historians have dated its beginning to sometime during the 10th century, but no one knows for sure who started or why. However it was highly likely that it was the male perception of beauty that helped sustain the practice. The process worked by very slowly forcing the form of the foot into a strange crescent shape over the course of decades, and began when female children were young, and their bones were still soft. First the feet were submerged in hot water and then the four smaller toes were tightly wrapped in cotton bandages, nestling them under the rest the foot, angling it to create a sort of half-moon shape. After that, they had to rinse, wrap and repeat it for the rest of your life, every time making that little bit tighter. If the feet were not cared for, like cutting the toe nails, it could result in swollen, pus filled areas that created a horrible odor. In the worst cases whole toes might fall off, and that wasn’t the end of the effects on the body. Women would regularly suffer from severe headaches, poor circulation, and extreme hip discomfort. Thankfully this practice was stopped about three generations ago!
Number 7: Chop Sticks.
Today chopsticks are the norm of any Japanese or Chinese restaurant, and many of us still struggle to work out how to use them. As far as utensils go, these aren’t the easiest ones to use, but that is likely a view impacted by western traditions. Nevertheless, it is something you can learn easily enough with practice, and once you do, there will be no going back. They are commonly made of bamboo, plastic, wood or stainless steel, but they have also been made from porcelain, jade, ivory, silver and even gold and titanium. They were first used over 200 years ago in the ancient Han Chinese or the Zhou Dynasty, and later spread to other surrounding countries. Today you’ll find them used in Cambodia, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Vietnams, in various styles and materials.