• Ice cream was invented in China around 2000 B.C. when the Chinese packed a soft milk and rice mixture in the snow.
• China is the fourth largest country in the world.
• The Chinese year is based on the cycles of the moon. It is called a lunar schedule. A complete cycle of the Chinese calendar takes 60 years. The Chinese calendar dates back to 2600 B.C. It is the oldest known calendar.
• Each year is represented by an animal. There are 12 animals which represent the 12 months.
• Fourth graders are expected to know 2,000 of the over 40,000 written Chinese characters. By the time they leave college, they will know 4,000 or 5,000 characters.
• Unlike the 26 letters of our alphabet, Chinese words cannot be sounded out letter by letter.
• Buddha named the years after the twelve animals that came to visit him before he left the earth.
• The Chinese believe that you have some of the characteristics of the animal representing the year in which you were born.
• Red is considered a lucky color in China. At one time, wedding dresses were red. New Year’s banners, clothing and lucky money envelopes are still red.

— mapsofworld.com