1. Crescent Lake is a popular visitor attraction in which province?
Henan
Shandong
Jiangxi
Gansu
月牙泉 Yuè yá quán (Crescent Lake) is in an oasis just south of Dunhuang, Gansu.
2. This famous bridge is located in which city?
Nanning
Tai'an
Chengdu
Changsha
The Anshun bridge over the Jin River is at the heart of Chengdu, provincial capital of Sichuan.
3. This heated glass cup is being prepared for doing what?
ancestor worship
applying to skin
making tea
capture 'qi'
Cupping is a technique where a jar is filled with heated air and then sealed tight against the skin. The cooling air causes the skin to be forced up into the cup. It is supposed to work by drawing diseases out of the body.
4. This building is associated with which religion?
Buddhism
Daoism
Islam
Christianity
Some mosques in Eastern China were built in the traditional Chinese architectural style. This one in Beijing was first built about 1000CE.
5. This temple in Chengdu, Sichuan is in honor of which hero from the Three Kingdoms Period
Xi Wangmu
Cao Cao
Zhuge Liang
Lu Ban
Zhuge Liang was the strategist who masterminded the defeat of Cao Cao in 208CE.
6. Where can you find these curious round buildings?
Guangxi
Fujian
Liaoning
Shandong
They are ‘tulous’ the fortified dwellings of the Hakka people in the mainly tea-growing areas of Fujian province.
7. These impressive decorated arches are called what in China?
yamen
dougong
paifang
yuemen
A decorated archway was often built as a commemoration of someone important.
8. White make-up of a character in Chinese Opera usually symbolizes what?
Evil intent
Lustfulness
Innocence
Cowardice
Black, blue, green, red, yellow and white colored make-up help an audience distinguish the type of character in a Chinese Opera. White make-up usually identifies the bad guys.
A notable attraction of Anhui is scenic Huangshan (Yellow Mountains) in the south, a very popular mountain range to climb for Chinese as well as foreign visitors.
10. What were these ancient objects used for?
game pieces
money
carpentry
agriculture
Spade money was used before coins came into use in China.
11. This ancient bronze vessel is called a what?
鼎 dǐng
爵 jué
觥 gōng
斗 dǒu
The Ding was a sacrificial vessel, originally used as a cauldron for cooking and storing meat. Typically dates back to the Shang dynasty.
12. The distinctive style of this bronze head is associated with ancient people of which province?
Sichuan
Gansu
Shandong
Guangxi
The Sanxingdui culture of ancient Sichuan is little understood. It seems the people and their culture disappeared completely.
13. The great locks at the Yangzi Three Gorges Dam were completed when?
2006
1998
1990
1994
The dam is not the largest in the world, but it is the largest hydro-electric power station capable of generating 18,300MW of power.
14. The traditional trinity of Daoist good luck gods: Fu, Lu and who?
Yu
Shou
Lao
Mazu
Fu Shen; Lou (or Lu) and Shou (福禄寿 Fú Lù Shòu) form a trinity of deities giving good luck, respectively: Happiness; Prosperity and a Long life.
Daoist deities bringing happiness; prosperity and long life
15. These individually sculpted lions decorate which famous feature?
Lugouqiao Bridge
Luding Bridge
Xuguo Bridge
Anji Bridge
The 卢沟桥 Lú gōu qiáo Bridge is also called the Marco Polo Bridge because the European traveler wrote so rhapsodically about it.
16. In which province can you find this historic village?
Shandong
Hebei
Anhui
Liaoning
Many of the houses of Hongcun village, Anhui date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin, listens to any who will seek her help. The statues often have many (sometimes a thousand) eyes and arms apparently because the order describing the desired form was misheard.
18. Where might you expect to see a set of golden stupas like these?
Yunnan
Inner Mongolia
Qinghai
Guangdong
The Buddhist stupas of Yunnan are similar to those of neighboring Thailand and Burma. It is in an area of the Dai minority people.
19. This sacred way to Imperial tombs is unusual for having some Indian-looking figures. Which dynasty does it commemorate?
Ming
Northern Song
Sui
Yuan
The Northern Song dynasty had extensive contacts with other peoples along the Silk Route.
20. This emblematic bronze figure of a flying horse was found in which province?
Anhui
Henan
Gansu
Ningxia
The famous bronze sculpture found at the Leitai Tomb of Eastern Han Dynasty date has the horse stepping on a flying swallow to further emphasize its speed and grace.