Everybody thinks China is just the big dragon whose main features are already widely known. However, although many people think they got it pretty much all figured out, there are some curiosities definitely worth knowing. From China’s share of American T-bonds, to the incredible trends of their economy there is much to look at. Here we present the top 5 things you should know about China. As always, sit back and enjoy…
China really owns the USA?
Despite the widespread belief that China hold the largest share of the US debt, that is not the case. Japan is actually the first foreign holder of US public debt. China figures as the second largets US debt owner with about 1.110 billion dollars. Japan had overtaken them as the first US foreign creditor in 2017, yet Beijing had taken that primacy of Japan until June 2019. Looks like we have dispelled a myth, for now.
Crazy for fresh air
You might think that China sells everything and buys everything, well you’d be right. Among China’s biggest production categories we find phones, computers and air conditioners. Back in 2013, for example, China was already producing 80 air conditioners per thousand people, more than the global average (4.8 units per thousand people). It’s unbeatable in mobiles too. China is the largest mobile phones producer in the world which made about a billion mobile phones last year. However, it is not only known for its massive numbers, but also for their crazy trends. Check this out, in 2015 the clean air selling commerce peaked in popularity. You heard it, clean air. A Canadian company, Vitality Air, was selling clean air bottles for 28 dollars! Who thought air could be a commodity?!
Fast developing China
Although many people fear that the chinese economy will face a massive decrease in growth, its infrastructures do not seem to face that direction any time soon. Experts say that by 2025 China will have built 40.000.000.000 square metres of new skyscrapers. Not bad considering that is the equivalent of 10 New York cities. China’s urbanization hasn’t stopped during 20 years, its urban population will be 350 million people more than that of the US in about 20 years from now. You definitely cannot say architects aren’t working hard enough, it is known that they wanna build 50.000 skyscrapers more by 2025.
Some history
Who says that China is only responsible for modern phones or new technology improvements? We should not forget thatmaybe China was predestinated to produce the things we use in the world, the same way as for centuries it invented the things that changes the world. China invented paper money, gun powder, the compass and silk before anyone else did. It is rumored that Marco Polo, for example, took the ice cream idea from China and brought it back to Italy, sorry Italians but you might have invented pizza but not ice cream. Another major discovery China is responsible for is the fact that the heart pumps blood to the rest of the body, something they figured out in second century B.C., and again something the west found out only in the 17th century.
Chinese weird stuff
The Chinese are not only industrious and ingenious, but also unusually clever. Would you expect the most advanced country in the world to train “soldier pigeons”? China is training 10.000 pigeons to deliver military communications in the event of the communication system collapse. They are trained by a special unit of the People’s Liberation Army in Chengdu. Expert Chen Hong said that the pigeons are indispensable in modern warfare, they cannot be hacked and are hard to intercept. Who would have thought that the first economic superpower in the world would rely on pigeons like that…
I bet you hardly ever heard of these little insights about China, the land which never fails to surprise us.
Thank you for your interest!
