The Forbidden City's Secret Passageways

Hidden behind intricately carved walls and ornate screens, the Forbidden City holds many secrets within its sprawling complex. One of the most fascinating is a network of secret passageways that crisscross beneath the palace grounds. These hidden tunnels were used by royalty to move undetected between buildings, or to escape during times of turmoil.

Ancient China's First Internet: The Tang Dynasty Postal System

The Tang Dynasty postal system was an early form of communication and information exchange that spanned across vast distances in ancient China. Established in 618 AD, it allowed for the rapid transmission of messages and goods throughout the empire. This remarkable feat predates modern internet technology by over a thousand years.

The Terracotta Army's Hidden Pit No. 5

In 1974, archaeologists unearthed four large pits containing thousands of life-sized terracotta soldiers near Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. However, they missed a fifth pit filled with nearly as many statues due to a misread map marker from French explorer Marc Aurel Stein in 1913-14.

Kubla Khan's Xanadu: A Lost Walled City

Xanadu was once one of the largest cities in Asia during its peak under Mongol rule in the 13th century but vanished into history after being abandoned just over two decades later due to climate change and shifting trade routes.

Chinese Paper Money Was Invented Before European Coins

Paper money has been around since at least 7 BC when it was first introduced by Chinese Emperor Wu Di as part payment for his troops' wages during military campaigns against nomadic tribes on China's northern borders; this predates Europe’s use of coins like silver pennies which didn't emerge until much later around AD 790-800 with Charlemagne’s Carolingian Empire establishing standardised coinage across Europe