Famous animals native to China

Students will participate in formal English and Chinese lessons on a daily basis.

There are over 40,000 kinds of plants and over 4,000 species of vertebrates in China, many of which feature predominantly in local art and literature. Like most areas of the world, some animals are at risk of extinction so don’t miss this chance to look at some of them.

Here’s a list of some famous animals native to China!

Panda

Let’s get the most well known animal out of the way, the Panda! As soon as anyone says China the Panda always comes to mind. There’s good reason for it, The Giant Panda is considered one of China’s natural treasures. Although endangered many natural reserves have been set up to protect them and their environment. Pandas and other animals are followed in the film ‘Born in China’ a Disney documentary about the amazing wildlife in China, it’s a great way to introduce different Chinese ecosystems to children. Otherwise, good old Kung-Fu panda has a star studded Chinese cast and shouldn’t be too hard for children to keep up.

Yak

The Yak is both a domesticated and a wild animal, although there are fewer than 100 left in the wild and they will soon become extinct. China has many interesting minorities each with their own specific culture. Yaks are found in the Himalayan regions but in China they are also used in the north east of the country by grassland minorities, the Yak is therefore an iconic animal linked to their livelihood. Its milk is used to make yogurt, butter, and the famous milk tea of grassland communities, the Yak can also be used as a form of transportation, almost every natural product in these communities is derived from the Yak. It might be fun to research and create a poster with all the amazing products that can be generated from the Yak and their names in Chinese!

Chinese pheasant

You might find yourself thinking why is such a typical animal on our list, since pheasants can be found all over the world, that is until you look at a picture of a male Chinese Pheasant. They have beautiful bright colorful feathers, that makes it clear why in China they may also be called ‘Golden Pheasant’. In China these pheasants are seen as a symbol of good fortune and beauty. In China lots of animals are linked with good or bad qualities, it’s a fun way to learn new vocabulary by linking animals to characteristics in Chinese.