Fun Facts!
Tigers
in Ancient China
In ancient times, China had large stretches of wild forest. China was rich in wildlife: deer, monkeys, pandas, wolves and – most feared of all – tigers.
The Siberian tiger (panthera tigris altaica) as Chinese tigers are called, is the world’s largest type of tiger. Males can be up to 3.3 metres long from head to tail and can weigh 300 kilograms.
Most of China’s forests have now been cut down. The land is used for farms, houses and factories, and there’s not much room left for wildlife.
Today there are probably less than 35 tigers left in the wild in China, with possibly another 400 over the border in Russia. This is because of illegal hunting of tigers, the destruction of forests, and hunting by humans of animals which tigers eat for food.
To find out about tigers all over the world and what’s being done to protect them, go to www.panthera.org.
More about life in Ancient China…
Weapons
A strong army kept the Emperors of Ancient China safe, from foreign attackers and inside threats. But only if they had the right gear. What weapons were in a Han soldier’s kit?
Walls
You’ve heard of the Great Wall of China, right? But did you know that every city in Ancient China was protected with a wall? Even people’s homes had walls and towers.
The Dance of Death
Wicked Warriors and Evil Emperors tells how two rebels – Liu Bang and Xiang Yu – destroyed the Qin Dynasty. What happened next?
The moment the last Qin ruler was dead, the rebels faced a new enemy – each other.