15 Facts About China That Will Blow Your Mind

15 Facts About China That Will Blow Your Mind

www.businessinsider.com

Despite all the wild stories you have already heard about China, expect the nation to keep blowing your mind.

That's because not only is China enormous and highly diverse, but most importantly, it's rapidly changing.

Thus China's future already looks far different today than even five years ago. It's surely not your father's 'Red China', or even your older brother's 'Made in China'...

(visit the link for the full news article)

The facts are as follows:

(1) By 2025, China will build TEN New York-sized cities.
(2) By 2030, China will add more new city-dwellers than the entire U.S. population.
(3) China already consumes twice as much steel as the US, Europe and Japan combined.
(4) If the Chinese, one day, use as much oil per person as Americans, then the world will need seven more Saudi Arabias to meet their demand.
(5) There are already more Christians in China than Italy, and China is on track to become the largest center of Christianity in the world.
(6) Chinese are far more likely to believe in evolution than Americans.
(7) Chinese internet users are five times as likely to have blogs as Americans.
(8) China has 150% more soldiers than America does, plus a high tech 'Kill Weapon' the U.S. can't deal with.
(9) China still hasn't rid itself of Europe's medieval plague.
(10) 40% of Chinese small businesses went bust or almost went bust during the world financial crisis.
(11) China executes three times as many people as the rest of the world COMBINED... and uses mobile execution vans for efficiency.
(12) China averages 274 protests PER DAY.
(13) When you buy Chinese stocks, you are basically financing the Chinese government. Eight of Shanghai's top ten stocks are state-controlled arms of the government.
(14) 50% of counterfeit goods come from China.
(15) The majority of Chinese drink polluted water.
(16) Bonus: Chinese GDP could overtake the U.S. as soon as the early 2020s.

www.businessinsider.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

To these you can also add a tightly party controlled totalitarian state with few if an social or political rights...
...Massive poverty still...
...deplorable work conditions and wages...
...political corruption and shoddy and poorly enforced standards...
Terrible pollution...
Oppression of minorities...

The list goes on and for every one you could find something positive.

The country, culture and economy are exploding and we are in its path.

The American century died on 9/11 (if not sooner)...and in that sense we are in the post apocalyptic world. The United States is in decline; though still powerful, militarily strong but losing its status as the super power in the world with stagnate wages and diminishing job market...

When it is looked at this way the whole of US/China relations makes far more sense than the left and right political spins on the issue.

[edit on 3/2/2010 by iMacFanatic]

MOST of those facts are just due to them being "larger" in population.

300 protests aday? Yeah.. No doubt. They are basically oppressed. If you changed American laws to match Chinese overnight, you'd see 300,000,000 protests in American per day.

They drink dirty water? That's nothing to brag about it.


Kill Weapon??? LOL... Funny. I'd like to see China "deal" with the American based MIRV's.



Funny, yet very interesting, video....
& YES... It WAS made by an American.






[edit on 2-3-2010 by CanadianDream420]

[edit on 2-3-2010 by CanadianDream420]

(8) China has 150% more soldiers than America does, plus a high tech 'Kill Weapon' the U.S. can't deal with.

id like to know what that is^^^^
the weapon that is

reply to post by iMacFanatic


(1) By 2025, China will build TEN New York-sized cities.

I understand the need for all the buildings to house their 1.3 or 1.6 Billion people. [Depends on where you get the figures] Why build more when they already have a huge VACANCY rate in their present shiny new skyscrapers. Cough Cough [Real estate] bubble looming Cough wheeze Gag.

reply to post by babylonstew


I second that motion. Makes me think the piece was written by someone inside the "Peoples" propaganda department.

reply to post by iMacFanatic


Bet you didn't know China was given the authority to create a Corporation "within" the U.S. (federal territory) back in the 1920's. I had it listed once from the federal code but can't seem to find it again? I will look and see if I can post I there. It is my understanding also that they actually "own" all our national parks, as collateral on the debt they have bought up?

fact –noun
1.something that actually exists; reality; truth: Your fears have no basis in fact.
2.something known to exist or to have happened: Space travel is now a fact.
3.a truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true: Scientists gather facts about plant growth.
4.something said to be true or supposed to have happened: The facts given by the witness are highly questionable.
5.Law. Often, facts. an actual or alleged event or circumstance, as distinguished from its legal effect or consequence.

Who is the editor for these articles? To quote Princess Bridge, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

(1) By 2025, China will build TEN New York-sized cities.
(2) By 2030, China will add more new city-dwellers than the entire U.S. population.
(4) If the Chinese, one day, use as much oil per person as Americans, then the world will need seven more Saudi Arabias to meet their demand.(16) Bonus: Chinese GDP could overtake the U.S. as soon as the early 2020s.

These are not facts. Theories, backed with statistical data, but not facts.

(3) China already consumes twice as much steel as the US, Europe and Japan combined.
(5) There are already more Christians in China than Italy, and China is on track to become the largest center of Christianity in the world.
(9) China still hasn't rid itself of Europe's medieval plague.
(14) 50% of counterfeit goods come from China.
(15) The majority of Chinese drink polluted water.
(11) China executes three times as many people as the rest of the world COMBINED... and uses mobile execution vans for efficiency.
(12) China averages 274 protests PER DAY.

I am not surpised by these at all. It is a question of numbers. A whole lot of people, and not all of them in the best of living conditions. However, people consume - giving the results stated above.

(6) Chinese are far more likely to believe in evolution than Americans.

I will admit that I am a bit surprised on this one. At first glance, you would think this contradicts the religious aspect given above, but if you look at the total numbers involved - their small percentage is close to the total population of other countries. Once again, a game for numbers.

(7) Chinese internet users are five times as likely to have blogs as Americans.

They also have the highest level of internet addiction, so not really surprised by this. (SOURCE)

(8) China has 150% more soldiers than America does, plus a high tech 'Kill Weapon' the U.S. can't deal with.

The first part is a fact, due to shear numbers again. However, the second part is not. "If operational as is believed" - this is going off the marketing brosure, not any factual usage of the weapon.

(10) 40% of Chinese small businesses went bust or almost went bust during the world financial crisis.

"20 per cent went "to the brink of bankruptcy"" - this is a subjective term and not a fact, despite what people would want to claim. That is one in five that did shut down - my guess is the mom & pop type of places. I am curious what the actual numbers are compared to US small businesses.

"Those figures are skewed by the fact that state-owned enterprises are government-backed and essentially risk-free." and "China's big four state-owned banks account for more than 50 per cent of the market and have traditionally lent to larger state-owned enterprises, regarding lending to small businesses an inconvenience." adds some rather interesting data to the mix. (SOURCE)

(13) When you buy Chinese stocks, you are basically financing the Chinese government. Eight of Shanghai's top ten stocks are state-controlled arms of the government.

Once again, an opinion piece. Now, if it said "you had a 80% chance of financing the government", it would be a fact.

It really does amaze me what journalists are allowed to publish these days. I guess the day of fact-checking facts is long gone. Nothing really mind blowing eiher on the facts they did present. Good article to post, though.

reply to post by Marrr

Not necessarily. Every fact they cite can be seen as either a positive or a negative.

A lot of these facts are always portryayes as if the numbers could continue unchecked.

For example, if the housing boom went on unchecked, then our houses woudl double value in the last three years. See how easy that is?

But it also doesn't make it so.


China may have more soliders, but they spend a fraction of what we do on the military. I highly doubt they have a weapon we can't contend with.

Thanks for your sharing ,"China has 150% more soldiers than America does, plus a high tech 'Kill Weapon' the U.S. can't deal with". I just doubt this,i think that it is China that can't deal with Kill Weapon from U.S. ,U.S. is strong in this part.