The "Turtle City" in China is Yongtai Fortress (永泰古城), a 400-year-old, Ming-dynasty military garrison located in the Gobi Desert of Gansu Province. Built in 1608, it is nicknamed for its shape, which resembles a turtle from above, featuring a round, shell-like wall and four barbican gates acting as legs.
To Chinese of an earlier era, turtles seemed to possess an enviable and god-like resistance to aging, and so they came to symbolize longevity. People would pray and make offerings to them for long lives.
Despite its incredible architecture, the city was deliberately flooded in 1959 to make way for the Xin'an hydroelectric dam. Now, the city is hidden 40 meters (131 feet) below the lake's surface, which is located around 400 kilometers (249 miles) south of Shanghai.
Why is the forbidden city in China called forbidden?
Etymology. The palace gained its name from its enormous scale and severely restricted access to all but the Emperor, the Imperial family, and Eunuchs; hence the Chinese term "Forbidden City" emerged.
Some observers argue that China's so-called "ghost cities" are better understood as ambitious urbanization projects built ahead of demand. A 2021 Bloomberg article cited geography professor Max Woodworth who explained these developments often resemble fully constructed cities but lack immediate population inflow.
The leading causes of death in China are dominated by non-communicable diseases (NCDs), primarily cardiovascular diseases (like stroke and heart disease) and cancers (especially lung cancer), followed by chronic respiratory diseases, with high rates linked to factors like smoking, high blood pressure, and air pollution, according to data from recent years.
Roughly a third of the wall's 12,000 miles have crumbled to dust, and saving what's left may be the world's greatest challenge in cultural preservation.
🇨🇳 Chongqing is famously known as “the 5D City”. And yes, it is weird to have a same street level be floor 22 and 25 at the same time in parallel buildings… but at the end of the day it's not as strange as its hyped up to be!
The Four Holy Beasts differs from Four Symbols in that Qilin replaces the White Tiger. The Four Symbols are the Azure Dragon (青龍) in the East, White Tiger (白虎) in the West, Vermilion Bird (朱雀) in the South, and the Black Tortoise (玄武) in the North.
In Chinese, 也 (yě) primarily means "also," "too," or "as well," functioning as an adverb to link similar actions, qualities, or subjects, typically placed before a verb or adjective (e.g., "I also want to go," "He is also happy"). It's a very common HSK Level 1 word, often used for agreement or adding information to a statement, like "Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng" (I'm happy too).
In the world's most populous country, life expectancy has been continuously rising over the last decades, benefitting greatly from China's economic ascendance. In 2022, average life expectancy at birth in China reached about 78.6 years.
The number one killer in the world is Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs), primarily ischemic heart disease and stroke, responsible for millions of deaths annually and about one-third of all global deaths, with causes largely preventable through lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, and avoiding tobacco. While COVID-19 was a top killer recently, heart disease has consistently remained the leading cause, followed by cancer and respiratory illnesses.
The current retirement age in China is 60 for men, 50 for women who work in factories, and 55 for women who work white collar jobs. While retiring early may sound appealing, it isn't always a blessing.
China's "2049 Plan," tied to the centenary of the People's Republic of China, aims to transform the nation into a "great modern socialist country" that is prosperous, strong, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful, achieving national rejuvenation by becoming a leading global power in technology, economy, and military strength, with key goals including building a "world-class" military, achieving green development, and strengthening socialist modernization through advancements in high-tech manufacturing, AI, and strategic industries.
A society where problems are hidden rather than solved can appear “orderly,” but that order is often achieved through coercion and silence, not care and dignity. Homelessness exists, but it is made largely invisible through a mix of short-term containment, forced removal, and strict control over reporting.
What happens if you have more than three kids in China?
In this regard, during the 2020 National People's Congress (NPC) session, NPC deputy Huang Xihua suggested removing the penalty policy for having more than three children. Previously, the fine, called a "social upbringing fee" or "social maintenance fee", was the punishment for the families having more than one child.
