大象传媒

‘Find a friend' ( Zhǎo péng yǒu) is a traditional song in China.

Children of different generations are taught it and you can sing along to it too:

It is important to remember that singing in Mandarin changes the tones.

Download the lyrics sheet here.

Sing along: A traditional Chinese song

Famous Chinese landmarks

Did you notice the four famous Chinese landmarks featured in the video?

Find out more about them below.

The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven in China (Zoonar GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo)
Image caption,
The Temple of Heaven in China (Zoonar GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo)

The Temple of Heaven is a temple of the Taoist religion, situated south of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Built between 1406 and 1420, emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties prayed here to the God of Heaven for good harvests.

It has three main buildings, including ‘The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests’, which was struck by lightning in 1889 and burned to the ground. Many years later, it was rebuilt.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China (amine bvb / Alamy Stock Photo)
Image caption,
The Great Wall of China (amine bvb / Alamy Stock Photo)

The Great Wall Of China is the longest human-made structure in the world and was originally a number of shorter walls, which were joined together on the orders of the first Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. He wanted to protect China from invasion from the north. About 5,500 miles of it still exists.

The Terracotta Army

The Terracotta Army in China (Peter Treanor / Alamy Stock Photo)
Image caption,
The Terracotta Army in China (Peter Treanor / Alamy Stock Photo)

The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well in Xian, Central China. Qin Shi Huang, the same Emperor who commanded the building of the Great Wall, ordered the creation of an army made out of clay, to accompany him into the afterlife. It took around 40 years to complete.

Around 8,000 of these soldiers have been discovered so far in Emperor Qin’s Tomb in Xian. Today, they can be viewed standing in their regiments within an enormous structure built over the tomb.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City in China (Zoonar GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo)
Image caption,
The Forbidden City in China (Zoonar GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo)

The Forbidden City was the home of the Emperors of China for over 500 years from 1420 to 1924. Sometimes known as ‘The Imperial Palace’, it is located at the centre of Beijing and has over 980 buildings, arranged symmetrically and surrounded by a 10-metre high wall and a moat.

It became known as ‘The Forbidden City’ as entry to it was forbidden to ordinary citizens, but nowadays it is visited by over 14 million visitors every year.

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