There are a million things most people don’t know about China. It is a complex, complicated, enigmatic yet beguiling place full of contradictions, unfathomable relationships and unanswerable questions. From the presenting of business cards (two hands with a slight bow) to serving others first with the best bits of a meal, the culture can serve to both captivate and confuse, sometimes both at the same time. From the author of Inside the Middle Kingdom, Jonathan Geldart, here are 8 fascinating insights into this vast country. 

There's only one time zone and one common language in China. Even though it spans over five time zones and is almost the size of the United States, Beijing Standard Time is used across the country, so when it’s 5pm in the capital, it’s also 5pm almost 3,000 miles away in Kashgar.

It’s not uncommon for people living in Urumqi, the capital of China’s most westerly province Xinjiang, to enjoy sunsets at midnight, and in winter the sun doesn’t rise until about 10am.

For all the wealth and middle-class consumption we see in the media about China, over 400 million people here still live in poverty. It remains an agricultural population, one with over 50% of the 1.4 billion people engaged in farming.

Agriculture employs more than 300 million farmers and is a vital industry both domestically and internationally. Food for 20 per cent of the world’s population is produced in China, including rice, wheat, tea, cotton and soybeans.

Most Chinese will save almost 50% of their salary each month and 70% of 19-36 year olds own a house; China has the highest home ownership in the world at 90%.

However, the average home size is half of that in France. Due to the dense population in urban areas, the average Chinese person only has a half of the floor space as most Europeans.

The government controls the heating in China. In Beijing it’s turned on 15th November and off on the 15th March each year. People in Beijing wear coats inside as well as out from early November until the heating goes on.

The average temperature in Beijing in November and March is around 5°C, however it can drop down as low as -1°C. Even back in 2016, when Beijing was hit by one of the coldest winters in decades, the heating was switched on only two days early, when the outside temperatures hit -2°C.

Public transport is very cheap. In major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai you can travel across the metropolis for less than 10.00 Chinese Yuan (£1.10) on the subway. You can rent a bike for as little as 11 pence for 30 minutes and taxis are subsidised, so less than £10 will take you across Beijing.

Holidays are set and announced by the government, sometimes with little or no notice. The 3rd September parade in Beijing in 2015, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the War against the Japanese Aggression (WWII in the west) closed the whole of Beijing’s centre.

Holidays were given to all businesses and all apartments were cleared of their occupants along the parade route, with less than 10 days’ notice. While any public holidays that fall mid-week, means staff have to work the previous weekend to make up the time.

The provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi are two different geographical areas of China, but often pronounced the same by Westerners. Even more confusing, they are next to each other and both bordered by the Yellow River. Shaanxi has its capital as the ancient start of the famous silk road at Xi’an (home of the world-famous Terracotta Warriors). Shanxi has its capital in Taiyuan and was famed for its coal mines, corrupt owners and desperately bad pollution. You don't want to mix them up when booking a trip!

Located west of the Taihang Mountains, Shanxi literally means “West of the Mountains”. The Ancient City of Pingyao is one of the province’s main tourist attractions. Once a financial centre in China, it has preserved the features of northern Han Chinese culture and the way of life during Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Shaanxi, however, is visited by more than five million tourists every year, who come to marvel at the wonders of the Terracotta Army. Amazingly, no two figures are exactly alike even among the 8,000 different statues.

It’s usually faster to get the high-speed train rather than fly from Beijing to Shanghai. Although the billed flight time is less than two hours, the trains generally run on time and take just five hours. When you count check in times and the inevitable delays and even cancellations (due to military manoeuvres, which you are never told about) it is just not worth the risk of flying.

Introduced back in 2015, the high-speed rail service accounts for two thirds of the world’s high-speed train tracks. More commonly known as bullet trains, their new double-decker sleepers travel at around 155mph and come with free wi-fi, charging sockets and a private bed space with a tea table.