17 Facts about Asia That Will Blow Your Mind Part 3
Fact 13: If you thought parents naming their newborn kids “Khaleesi” after the heroine from HBO’s hit Game of Thrones TV show was weird, wait till you hear this: over the past 15 years, over 4,000 children in China have been named “Olympic Games” (or ‘Aoyun’ in Chinese).
Chinese naming customs tend to be quite peculiar. It isn’t uncommon for parents to name their kids after events, slogans and values they cherish. This is why you have lot of kids named “Defend China”, “Build the Nation” and even “Space Travel” in the country!
Fact 14: The landscape in Asia is wildly varied.
Asia houses both the highest (Mount Everest, 8,848m) and the lowest (Dead Sea, -395m) points on Earth.
Fact 15: India produces more mangoes than any country in the world – around 12 million tons each year.
Mangoes are more than a fruit in the country; it is nearly a collective national obsession. Since mangoes are available for just 3-4 months in the year, a huge market for mango flavored drinks has emerged in the country to fuel this obsession!
Fact 16: Japan has the second oldest population in the world.
The median age is 44.6 years. In fact, around 50,000 people above a hundred years call Japan home! Only Monaco has an older population.
Fact 17: The tonsured head and pigtail hairstyle you see in Chinese action movies wasn’t a fashion choice but a state enforced decree.
Called the ‘Manchu pigtail’ or the ‘Manchu Queue’, this hairstyle was forcibly introduced by the Qing Dynasty after its conquest of China in early 17th century. All conquered men were forced to wear this style or risk execution. It wasn’t until the last emperor of China, Puyi, cut off his own ponytail in 1922 that the style was officially abandoned.
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