A poor 19th century Chinese man failed the civil service exam, fell ill, reread a Christian pamphlet he had earlier ignored, and dreamed that he was Jesus’ brother. He led a cult/rebellion that conquered much of southern China, crowning himself as “Heavenly King.” – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Hong Xiuquan – Wikipedia
China has built the world’s largest single-dish radio observatory (FAST) at a cost of $171 million. The telescope, also known as the ‘Eye of Heaven’, took 5 years to build in a remote area in southwest China. Its 500m-wide dish is made up of ~4,400 individual, adjustable aluminum panels. – WTF Fun Facts
In 2002, scientists found a fossil believed to be the world’s oldest flower. Now dubbed “the mother of all flowers,” the Archaefructus sinensis is thought to have bloomed more than 125 million years ago in China. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/4768447/The-mother-of-all-flowers.html
The Earth is a greener place than it was 20 years ago thanks to ambitious tree planting programs in China and intense cultivation of food crops in India. – WTF Fun Facts
Ice cream originated in China, as early as 3000 BC. The original recipe consisted of milk, rice and snow. King Tang of Shang, had 94 ice men who helped to make the dish of buffalo milk, flour and camphor. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodicecream.html
Qian Xuesen, a Chinese rocket scientist and mathematician, worked on the Manhattan Project during WW2 to help America build the world’s first atomic bomb. During the Cold War, he was accused of being a communist and fled to China, where he helped China build its first atomic bomb. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qian_Xuesen
Villagers in central China have long been using dinosaur bones in medicine and soups, thinking they were from dragons. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6276948.stm
There are more than 7500 tomato varieties grown around the world. Over 175 million tonnes are produced globally each year with China producing the most of any country at ~32% of total worldwide tomatoes grown. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato
The beautiful Yunhe rice terraced fields in Zhejiang province are the largest terraced fields in Eastern China. They are situated at an altitude between 200 to 1,400 meters and have been feeding locals for over 1000 years. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: http://en.tourzj.com/things-to-do/yunhe-rice-terraces