21 Shocking Facts about China That Will Blow Your Mind

China is a very interesting country, full of culture, good food and knockoff products.

But don’t think you know this country just because you’ve had some Chinese food in the past. Instead, pick up some ammo for the pub tonight and read up on these 21 facts you may not have known about the country of China, as compiled by Pulptastic.

1. Soldier training

When new soldiers are trained, a small pin is placed through their collars with the pointy bit upwards to remind them to keep their chins up.

2. Uniform arm height

To ensure that all the soldier’s arms are at equal height when they’re marching, they’re wired and attached to poles in training.

3. Poor population

The amount of people in China that barely survive on what would be equivalent to just one U.S dollar per day is an incredible and worrying 100 million and more.

4. Tomato ketchup

As with many things, the Chinese actually invented tomato ketchup! It originated as a pickled fish sauce and its name would be pronounced as “ke-tsiap”.

5. Drive-thrus

Unlike basically everywhere else in the world, where after picking up the food from the drive-thru, the customer drives away, the Chinese park their cars and go back inside the restaurant to eat it. And let’s not forget that this particular McDonald’s pictured has a giant Ronald McDonald statue on its roof. I know a lot of people may find that unnerving.

6. There are more than 54 million Christians in China

As hard as that is to believe.

7. Death rates by execution

In China, these are four times higher than anywhere else in the world.

8. Virgin boy eggs

Believe it or not, this is actually a delicacy in certain areas of China. For those that don’t know, these are eggs that are boiled in the urine of young virgin boys. And people eat them. I am serious.

9. In China, some of the largest record labels are freely downloadable via Google

Fair use!

10. Police animals

You’d be hard pressed to find a K-9 unit at a Chinese police station, as the cops in China use geese instead of dogs, due to their keen vision and aggressive nature.

Imagine getting arrested and then another cop pulls up and a goose starts charging at you.

11. China’s one-child policy

Following this policy, thousands of girl babies are abandoned and more than a million are aborted each year, just in favor of raising a boy.

12. Yaodongs

Yaodongs are cave dwellings, and more people live in them than Australians do in Australia.

13. Pollution

As I’m sure you know Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world right now, it actually contributes to more than a third of San Francisco’s air pollution, as the air travels across the Pacific directly into San Fran.

14. Be careful with the food

Food companies in China were charged for marinating meats in goat urine as well as making tofu out of raw sewage. I would love to see the look on the faces of those reading this right now who have eaten one of these two things in China before…

15. Virginity

This is highly prized among women, which is why they sometimes spend up to $700 to have their hymens restored.

16. The air in Beijing

If you were to breathe freely in Beijing for 24 hours, your lungs would deteriorate in the same way if they would if you smoked an entire pack of cigarettes, plus an extra one from a second pack.