Ancient Facts About China
- Chinese Civilization is one of the few ancient civilizations to have its individual writing script. The Chinese language has over 20,000 characters. The average Chinese only learns about 5,000 of these in his lifetime.
- The Chinese calendar is based on the Lunar Cycle . It is the oldest known calendar , originating in 2600 BC. It has twelveZodiac signs. A complete cycle would take 60 years to complete.
- Dashanpu in the Sichuan province of China has yielded over 1000 Dinosaur Fossils . Four Winged Feathered Dinosaurs called Theropods have been found; these are considered to be the missing link between dinosaurs and birds.
- Child Emperor Pu-Yi was the last imperial ruler of China in the period 1908 -1912. Empress Wu of the Tang dynasty was the onlyfemale Emperor of China .
- The Great Wall of China is also known as the “Ten Thousand Li Wall”, one Li is equal to 500 meters. The wall is over 1500 miles in length.
- Khubililai or Kublai Khan issued Silk Notes as currency . There was also a Jade currency .
- Acupuncture treats illnesses with inserting sharp thin needles in various pressure spots, it originated over 5000 years ago from China.
We bought Bibles in China
Now from the last post I know most of you may be thinking that this isn’t true or it is unheard of so I thought I would post a couple picture from the place where we bought Bibles in China. In these pictures are Bibles, Hymn books, other Christian books and literature. The missionary we were visitng with had recently bought 100 Bibles and passed them out in a near by village. Enjoy
Bibles in China?
The question came to me about “where can you buy bibles to take them into China?” The simple answer to this question is China! China prints thousands of Bibles every year and you can actually buy Bibles in China. Many Christians have also opened up Christian bookstores in China. Many people believe that Bibles are illegal in China, but the truth is that it is illegal to smuggle Bibles into China. Like the group that recent got 300 Bibles confiscated when they tried to smuggle them in for the olympics. Click here to read the story.
A person commenting on this story had to say:
“Millions of Bibles are printed in Nanjing by the Amity Printing Co. Any Chinese person who wants to buy a Bible CAN.”
“The president of one of those semanaries did say “Americans do harm when they smuggle Bibles into China like spies, we do not need James Bond for Jesus here, anybody can buy a Bible”.
Now I am for getting as many Bibles as we can to any part of the world, but we need to stop and ask ourselves what is the best way to do that. If you can buy Bibles in China, then why doesn’t everyone have one? First, because they don’t print enough for everyone to have one. Second, because some can’t afford one. Thirdly, because they don’t know to buy one. You can buy bibles very cheap in China and if someone wanted one it wouldn’t be to hard to get one.
Also, we need to look at this law on smuggling and customs in China. It isn’t just the Bible but it is any book that you try to smuggle in at large is going to be confiscated. China wants their books approved buy them and printed in their country for their economy.
Another commentator on this article states:
“Imagine for a moment that the items confiscated weren’t 300 copies of the Bible rather that they were 300 copies of, let’s say, The Joy of Cooking. Not only would this not be a news story, nearly all would understand the concept that countries have different customs laws.”
So on your next short-term trip to China, check the custom laws and with your missionary to find out what is the best way for you to give Bibles out in China. In the end you may even be a better steward of God’s money by buying them at a cheaper price!
09.4.08
Interesting Facts About China
Total Land Area of China is 9,596,960 Sq. Kms. It is the fourth largest Country in the World. Shanghai and Beijing are two of the largest and most populous cities in the world. At least 14 countries and 4 seas border China . Since the country is so large, climate is extremely varied – it is sub arctic in the North and Tropical in the South. The population of China according to a July 2006 estimate is 1,313,973,713. It is officially the most populated country in the world. The Chinese Government has adopted a “one child” policy in an effort to curb the high numbers. Unfortunately this also makes China one of the fastest aging countries . China has an obligatory Military service of 2 years for all men between 18 and 22. Women of the same age group are also recruited for specific military jobs. The Han Chinese is the largest majority group in China. Mandarin Chinese is the o fficial language . However in total, 55 official minorities and 206 listed languages are mentioned. The Jen Min Jih Pao or People’s Daily is the largest official publication. The Tienanmen Square is the world’s largest public gathering place and the Three Gorges Dam is the biggest dam.