August Quiz

A monthly quiz of general history, traditions, geography questions for August
1. Loess is often seen in northern China, what is it?
fine calcareous sand
type of tree
type of insect
pingyao, street, shanxi

2. Lacquer is a protective coating often applied to works of art, from where is it obtained?
bird's nests
tree sap
persimmon fruits
lacquer, song dynasty
A Chinese red lacquer tray over wood with engraved golden foil, from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), dated 12th to early 13th century. As the Freer and Sackler Galleries museum description states, in China the gold-engraving technique is called qiangjin. The museum caption states that this method has existed since roughly the 3rd century AD, although it was not until the Song Dynasty era that gold engravings were found on luxury lacquerwares. After a wooden tray was covered with multiple layers of cinnabar-colored lacquer, fine lines were then incised into the new surface. These incisions were then filled with an adhesive of clear lacquer, followed by the pressing of gold foil into the grooves. The two long-tailed birds and a peony plant depicted in this tray are symbolic of longevity and prosperity in Chinese culture, since the Chinese word for "long life" (shou) sounds similar to the words for long-tailed birds (dai shou). Image by PericlesofAthens available under a Creative Commons License

3. Acupuncture points control the flow of what?
pain
qi - life energy
oxygen
TCM, calligraphy
A range of traditional medicines with calligraphy extolling the virtues of TCM

4. How old was Puyi when he became the last Emperor?
9
3
11
Emperor Puyi
Portrait of Puyi (Xuantong Emperor) (1906-1967) Image available under a Creative Commons license .

5. In Singapore, ethnic Chinese make up what proportion of the population?
90%
20%
75%
dragon dance,  dance
© CEphoto, Uwe Aranas. Image by CEPhoto available under a Creative Commons License

6. Who married the Republican leader Sun Yatsen in 1915
Song Qingling
Deng Yingchao
Jiang Qing
Guangdong, Sun Yatsen
Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall with bronze statue

7. The world famous Shaolin monastery for martial arts is located in which province?
Hubei
Shaanxi
Henan
Henan, Shaolin , martial arts
Shaolin martial arts display Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

8. Journey to the West is a book describing the introduction of which religion to China?
Christianity
Islam
Buddhism
Buddhism , Dali, Yunnan, temple
Chongsheng Temple, Dali, Yunnan

9. Mencius or Mengzi is a famous philosopher of which tradition
Legalism
Mohism
Confucianism
Qufu, Shandong, sculpture
Monument at Qufu, Shandong

10. Which country is NOT considered an Asian Tiger
Hong Kong
Vietnam
South Korea
Hong Kong, harbor, skyscraper, modern housing
Night skyline of Victoria harbor, Hong Kong

11. Wang Mang led a successful revolt during which dynasty?
Qin
Song
Han
Wang Mang, Han dynasty
莽像 Emperor Wang Mang. Image available under a Creative Commons license .

12. How many jiao make up one yuan?
12
10
5
money
Chinese bronze coins. Image by Plismo available under a Creative Commons License

13. Zhuangzi described a thinker musing whether he was in fact what kind of creature dreaming itself a human?
dragon
bird
butterfly
painting, daoism, sage, landscape
Walking on Path in Spring by Ma Yuan c.1190 - 1279, a Chinese painter of the Song Dynasty. Image by National Palace Museum available under a Creative Commons License .

14. Which is NOT true of the Great Wall of China?
It can be seen from the moon
Shanhaiguan is at the eastern end
300,000 slaves were used to build it
Gansu, Great Wall

15. The eastern section of the Great Wall was extensively rebuilt in which dynasty?
Tang
Ming
Qing
Great Wall, Beijing
Great Wall near Simatai, Beijing
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