The display of totalitarian jazz hands at the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony in Beijing showcased Chinese art forms from ink painting and opera to acrobatics and tai chi.
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Pork —
China was the first place to domesticate pigs and today is the world's top producer and consumer of pork. If these pork dishes in Yunnan Province don't convince you, something from Chengdu might.
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Tea —
The culture of tea has become so integral to China and held in such esteem that prestigious varietals regularly fetch thousands of dollars per kilo. It's practically currency.
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Calligraphy —
Calligraphy in China is an art form, a meditative practice, a scholarly pursuit and, nowadays, an investment. At auction, high-end calligraphic artworks routinely fetch millions of dollars.
Courtesy Benoit Wittamer
Pragmatism —
China's deep sense of pragmatism is embraced on a daily basis, which explains many national customs and cultural norms, including the gifting of hongbao (red envelopes filled with cash).
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Getting to high places —
China claims the world's highest railway. The Tanggula Pass at more than 5,000 meters in the Tanggula Mountains can be traversed via the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
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Indoor sports —
China is no football star, so what? Chinese competitors are practically unbeatable at badminton and table tennis, winning more gold medals in these events than any other country at the Olympics.
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Dumplings —
Nowhere can you find a diversity and sophistication that matches China's exhaustive list of dumpling variations. The most famous in Shanghai is the xialongbao.
Sean Hanratty/CNN
Building fast —
An explosion of domestic travel means China needs hotels. Now. The country is meeting the demand with the fastest, quirkiest and most impressive construction boom the world has ever seen.
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Copying —
There are cheap Chinese versions of everything from luxury fashion and gadgets to landmarks and a whole European village. A copycat version of the Eiffel Tower in Hangzhou? Small fry.