Things you didn’t know about China

Ice cream was invented in China around 2000BC. The first ice cream was a soft milk and rice mixture packed in the snow.

Despite its size, China fits into just one time zone.

Concern about pollution in Chinese cities has inspired the production of canned fresh air, sold for five yuan (R8) a can. Varieties include “Pristine Tibet” air, “Revolutionary Yah’an” and “Post-Industrial Taiwan”.

China is widely accredited (by, among others, Fifa President Sepp Blatter) with the invention of football in the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC. Linzi, the capital of the ancient Chinese state of Qi, is said to be the birthplace of “cuju” – “kick ball with foot”.

There are more Christians in China (about 54 million) than in Italy (47 million) and China is on track to becoming home to the world’s largest Christian population.

The rate of dog consumption in China is declining: most Chinese people now prefer to keep cats and dogs as pets.

The Hong Kong Chinese get a day off work to sweep their ancestors’ graves during the Ching Ming festival.

A 13th floor is often absent from hotels and commercial buildings and vehicle licence plates and phone numbers are often devoid of the number four. Superstition and numerology are prevalent in Chinese culture.

Chinese people are under pressure to down chopsticks in order to save the planet. Some 80 billion sets are produced annually.

One in five people in the world are Chinese.