Geography & Culture · country guide

China facts for kids: history, culture and famous landmarks

China is a huge country in East Asia with about 1.41 billion people, one of the two largest populations in the world.[1] Its history goes back thousands of years, and it gave the world famous landmarks, tea traditions and the art of calligraphy. This guide covers the five topics students ask about most, each with sources you can check.

Ancient history and the first emperor

China’s history includes many dynasties, or ruling families, over thousands of years. A key moment came in 221 BCE, when Qin Shi Huang unified China and founded its first unified empire.[2] He is known as the First Emperor.

When he died in 210 BCE, he was buried in an enormous tomb complex near the city of Xi’an.[2] Farmers found part of it in 1974, and archaeologists have since uncovered life-size terracotta warriors, horses, bronze chariots and weapons arranged in nearly 200 pits.[2] Excavation is still going on, and thousands of figures may still be underground.[2]

Later dynasties built many of the places that are famous today. The Ming dynasty ruled from 1368 to 1644 and built most of the Great Wall sections that survive.[3] The Qing dynasty was the last to rule from the Forbidden City in Beijing, until 1911.[4]

The Great Wall and the Forbidden City

The Great Wall is one of the most famous structures in the world. Around 220 BCE, under Qin Shi Huang, older walls were joined into a single defense system against invasions from the north.[3] Building continued for centuries, and during the Ming dynasty it became the largest military structure in the world.[3] It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.[3]

The Forbidden City in Beijing was the palace of the emperors. It was built from 1406 to 1420 under the Ming emperor Zhu Di.[4] It was the center of imperial power for more than five centuries, until 1911.[4] UNESCO says it has nearly 10,000 rooms filled with furniture and works of art, plus halls and gardens.[4]

Students who visit Beijing today can walk through its huge courtyards, which are now part of a museum. Both landmarks show how much work and planning went into protecting and governing such a large country.

Chinese New Year: the Spring Festival

The Spring Festival, also called Chinese New Year, is the most important holiday in China. It falls on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, so its date changes every year on the Western calendar.[5]

Before the festival, families clean their homes and prepare food and decorations.[5] On New Year’s Eve, they gather for a big family dinner and stay up late to welcome the new year.[5] People wear new clothes, make offerings to heaven, earth and their ancestors, and visit elders, relatives, friends and neighbors to wish them well.[5]

Communities, cultural groups and art troupes also hold public celebrations.[5] The Spring Festival was added to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage in 2024.[5] It is also celebrated by Chinese communities in many other countries, including the United States.

Tea, calligraphy and Peking opera

Tea has a special place in Chinese life. Tea makers have developed six main types: green, yellow, dark, white, oolong and black, and more than 2,000 tea products in total.[6] Tea is served at home, at work, in tea houses and at ceremonies such as weddings, and offering tea is a common way to welcome guests.[6]

Chinese calligraphy is the art of writing characters with a brush and ink.[7] It uses five script styles, and it is taught in schools as well as from master to student.[7]

Peking opera combines singing, reciting, acting and martial arts.[8] Performers wear bright costumes and makeup whose colors and patterns show each character’s personality.[8] It is performed throughout China, especially in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.[8] All three traditions are on UNESCO’s intangible heritage lists.[6][7][8]

Nature, rice terraces and giant pandas

China has mountains, deserts, rivers, forests and long coasts. In Sichuan province, the Giant Panda Sanctuaries protect more than 30 percent of the world’s wild giant pandas.[9] The sanctuaries are a UNESCO World Heritage site.[9]

In southern Yunnan, the Hani people have built rice terraces down the slopes of the Ailao Mountains for about 1,300 years.[10] Water flows from the forests on the mountaintops through the terraces, where farmers grow red rice and raise buffalo, cattle, ducks, fish and eels.[10] Eighty-two villages sit between the forests and the terraces.[10]

With so many people and such different landscapes, China has many regional languages, foods and customs. Students can compare China with its neighbors on our Asia page.

Free printable: map of Asia (PDF)

Questions people ask

What is China famous for?

China is famous for the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the terracotta warriors, Chinese New Year, tea and giant pandas.[2][3][4][5][6][9]

Who built the Great Wall of China?

Under Qin Shi Huang, around 220 BCE, older walls were joined into one defense system. Most of the sections that survive today were built during the Ming dynasty.[3]

When is Chinese New Year?

It falls on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, so the date changes each year.[5]

What are the terracotta warriors?

They are life-size clay figures buried with the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who died in 210 BCE. They were found in 1974.[2]

Where do giant pandas live?

In the wild, giant pandas live in the mountains of China. The Sichuan sanctuaries protect more than 30 percent of them.[9]

Sources

  1. World Bank Open Data: China · data.worldbank.org/country/china (accessed 2026-10-30)
  2. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor · whc.unesco.org/en/list/441 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  3. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: The Great Wall · whc.unesco.org/en/list/438 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  4. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang · whc.unesco.org/en/list/439 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  5. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Spring festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional new year · ich.unesco.org/en/RL/spring-festival-social-practices-of-the-chinese-people-in-celebration-of-traditional-new-year-02126 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  6. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China · ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-tea-processing-techniques-and-associated-social-practices-in-china-01884 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  7. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Chinese calligraphy · ich.unesco.org/en/RL/chinese-calligraphy-00216 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  8. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Peking opera · ich.unesco.org/en/RL/peking-opera-00418 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  9. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries · whc.unesco.org/en/list/1213 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  10. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces · whc.unesco.org/en/list/1111 (accessed 2026-10-30)

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