General quiz about China 3

The world's longest canal (1,100 miles [1,770 kms]) carried rice and other freight all the way from Hangzhou in Zhejiang to Beijing

The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) needs moist air to thrive and Fujian is a favored location to grow it. The related ornamental species are grown as garden plants in China and elsewhere; one example is Camellia japonica.

The five classics were the basis of scholastic study in the Confucian tradition. To pass the Imperial Examination students needed to learn them by heart.

Sima Qian provided a great deal of detail on the founding days of the Chinese nation, it was the template for historians writing about all the dynasties that followed. He lived in the early Han dynasty [135-86BCE]. Each dynasty afterwards produced a 'Standard History' based on his template. He set high standards in scholarship for example when he found conflicting reports of events he included all the alternatives rather than choosing just one of them.

Different from Tai chi and not really a martial art is the discipline of Qigong; in this school it is the control of breathing and the holding of posture that is important. The discipline controls the flow of qi to maintain health and a long life.

Qibnghai province is the source of both the Yangzi (known in China as Chang Jiang and Tongtian He in its upper reaches) and also the Huang He (Yellow River), the two great rivers of China. The mighty Mekong river also rises in the south-east of Qinghai. The area sourcing these three great rivers is designated the Sanjiangyuan: Three Rivers National Park.

The reformist Hu Yaobang was Chairman and General Secretary of the Communist 1982-1987. He openly questioned Marxist theory. The student protests were seen as supporting his views on reform and mirrored those that occurred on the death of Zhou Enlai in 1976.

Klemens Freiherr von Ketteler was killed on 20th June 1900 at the height of the Boxer Rebellion. This marked the start of the ‘Siege of the Legations’ in Beijing which lasted 55 days before a combined Allied force fought their way into Beijing to rescue the staff of the embassies.

The Four Treasures of the Scholar 文房四宝 wén fáng sì bǎo are: ink stick; ink stone; brushes; and paper (bǐ mò zhǐ yàn). Also usually needed are the seal (or chop); cinnabar paste and a pen-stand in the traditional form of a mountain.

The historic meeting took place between February 21st and 28th 1972. Henry Kissinger and Zhou Enlai worked behind the scenes to make the historic visit possible

Legalism was rule by the letter of the law. Any deviation by anybody was severely punished. The First Qin Emperor set the laws and so was beyond their power and so he ruled dictatorially. It is quite similar to fascism.

The Altay form the border of Xinjiang province with Mongolia and also the short border with Russia in the far north-west.

Cobalt in the form of Cobalt aluminate and carbonate produce the intense blue color glaze of Ming porcelain. It was taken up later in the production of Delftware which tried to copy the Chinese technique. The cobalt was mined in Persia (present day Iran).

The earliest known printed book is the Diamond Sutra printed in 868CE. It was discovered at Dunhuang in 1907. It is now held at the British Library, London.

The Kunlun mountains in southern Xinjiang was the main source of the precious stone jade. Modern jade now comes mainly from northern Burma (Myanmar).

The Long March of 1935 of the beleaguered Chinese communists was epic. It started in Jiangxi province and meandered its way through western China until eventually reaching Shaanxi losing about 60,000 marchers dwindled down to 7,000 along the way. It totalled about 6,000 miles. San Francisco to NY is about 3,000 miles (NY to Miami: 1,300; NY to New Orleans 1,300; NY to Austin 1,700; Paris to Moscow 1,800 miles).

Wang Xizhi [303-361] is considered the sage of calligraphy. His work started to be particularly appreciated after his death during the Tang dynasty.

The Battle of Yijiangshan Islands took place on January 18th to 20th 1955 off Zhejiang province. The Republican forces from Taiwan were defeated and the Communists have occupied the islands ever since.

Hong Kong Island was ceded in perpetuity by China at the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842. Kowloon was ceded in the second Opium War (1860). In 1898 the U.K. bought a 99 year lease for the New Territories, which was the main reason the whole of Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

The S.C.O. was set up in 2001 at Shanghai as a Eurasian political, economic and security alliance a bit like NATO, Its members include China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan - China's western and northern neighbors.