THE CHINESE WILL CELEBRATE THE YEAR 4719 TODAY

While China is said to have the longest continuous civilization, beginning around 8000 years ago, their official calendar has 2021 as Year 4719.  This the year of the Ox.

I thought there would be more, but 18% of the world population is Chinese.  The two countries with the most are, surprisingly enough, China and the USA.

This you'd never guess:

• Most popular Chinese name for a male:  Zhang Wei (290,607)
• Most popular Chinese name for a female:  Wang Fang (268,268)

Here are other facts:

• China is only the fourth largest, geographically, to #1 Russia, #2 USA and #3 Canada.
• Both Russia and China have 14 bordering countries.
• Silk Road (which is more than one road) is the world's oldest and longest trade route
• 2845 miles long
• from Beijing to southern Europe
• still there, but it was started in 130 BC and closed in 1453 by the Ottoman Empire

• 
  The Great Wall is 5500 miles long and the Forbidden City has more than 9000 rooms.
• China has the most people, 1.5 billion, four times that of the U.S.
• They did invent gunpowder, paper, printing and the compass.  Also toilet paper in 851 AD and ice cream 4000 years ago.

• 
  China also used chemical and gas weapons...2000 years before use by Germany in World War One.
• Red symbolizes happiness.  Never used at funerals.
• The fortune cookie was invented by a Japanese immigrant, Makoto Hagiwara, in San Francisco.
• While China is dominant in ping pong, the game was invented in England, but first trademarked by Parker Brothers in the U.S.  Also sells Monopoly.

• 
  Tea was first used in China, initially as medicine in the 10th century BC.
• There is only one time zone for the whole country.  The sun sets at midnight in Xinjiang.
• A popular operation is called Hmenorrhaphy.  Check out what that is.  Also, foeticide is illegal, but popular.
• Spitting and burping are socially acceptable.  I remember being in a Beijing restaurant where a lady in the next table kept spitting out her chicken bones...at me.

• 
  35 million still live in caves.  That is 25 times the population of Hawaii.
• Yet, Chinese travelers spend more $260 billion annually on travel, double that of the U.S.
• There are more Christians in China than Italy.
• With 2 million, they have the biggest army.

• 
  Shanghai was the only port in the world that accepted Jews escaping the Holocaust without an entry visa.
• Parents can now have two children, but few do because of cost.
• China and Italy have the most number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites:  55.
• Facebook, Google and You Tube are blocked in the country.  However, many have been able to get around this hurdle.
• There are only 2264 pandas in the world, and China owns them all.

• 
  Half the pigs in the world live in China.
• Has more than 300 skyscrapers.
• In the mid 1300's, the Black Plague that ravaged Europe, killing up to one-third of the population,  started in China.  So did the Spanish Flu a century ago which killed 50 million.
• People living in China all have a social credit score:

Recently, a case of Xu Xiaodong became famous when his credit score was lowered to “D” just because he proved that MMA is a more effective martial art than kung fu. He is now not allowed to buy real estate, plane tickets, and his kids won’t be able to attend public schools. More about it here.

All this leading to the fact that China really knows how to celebrate the New Year.  It lasts for two weeks, actually 16 days this year, from February 11 to 26.  

How does Hawaii celebrate the Chinese New Year?  Well, 15 Craigside hosted a show with the traditional lion dance, outside the building.  However, following the so called abundance of caution, residents were told not to come, and to instead watch it on channel 900.  And here, 95% of residents took our second Moderna shot last week.

Chinatown Honolulu usually has all kinds of activities.  Not sure if anything is happening this year.  The Narcissus Queen Pageant was cancelled.  Read this Star-Advertiser article.

On the other hand, if you live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, they unveiled a Majestic 3D Golden Ox Show at Pavilion Elite.  Here is the view from the Crystal Fountain.

Next year, Chinese New Year will start on February 1.  It will be the year of the Tiger.

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