Traditions Quiz 1

Starter level quiz all about Chinese traditions
1. Firecrackers are usually which color in China?
red
black
green
lantern festival, festival, fujian
Lantern Festival, Daoist parade of gods (Ngi?ng-s?ng) in Luoyuan, Fuzhou. Image by LuHungnguong available under a Creative Commons License

2. The chrysanthemum represents which season?
summer
autumn
none
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum design motif (Plate 92) available under a Creative Commons License

3. Confucius and Lao Zi are both said to have lived how long ago?
1,000 years
1,500 years
2,500 years
Confucius, Beijing
Statue of Confucius at the Imperial Academy (Guozijian) Beijing

4. How many types of dragon are there in mahjong?
2
1
3
teahouse, people, mahjong
Drinking tea and playing Mahjong in a park Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

5. Dowager Empress Cixi was very fond of which dog breed?
Pug
Pekingese
Chow
dog, han dynasty, pottery
A pottery dog from the Chinese Han Dynasty. Image by Gary Lee Todd available under a Creative Commons License

6. What is an 'eye' in mahjong?
set of three
a pair of tiles
high skill level
mahjong, game
Playing mahjong at Seattle's Chinatown-International District Night Market, Hing Hay Park, International District, Seattle, Washington. Image by Joe Mabel available under a Creative Commons License

7. Which was traditionally NOT added to tea as a flavoring?
onion
jasmine
sugar
Fujian, tea plantation
Tea in flower at a plantation in Fujian Province

8. What is Dimsum?
tofu blocks
stuffed boiled dough
steamed rice
Guangdong, Shenzhen, food, shop
A store at Shenzhen Baoan Xixiang market, Guangdong. 2014 Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

9. Which color was reserved for the roof tiles of Imperial buildings?
black
red
yellow
Qing dynasty, Beihai Park, Beijing, roof
Beijing park pavilion roof

10. Where might you find a man riding a hen?
in a Mahjong set
in a Chinese chess set
on a roof

11. Which would you NOT expect to find in a Chinese garden?
pavilion
lawn
bridge
chinoiserie, chinese bridge, garden
Chinese bridge. Apremont Gardens, France. Image by Parc floral available under a Creative Commons License

12. The Chinese pipa is a type of what?
horn
drum
lute
music, guzheng
Guzheng is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the zither family of string instruments

13. Which plant is mentioned in the Buddhist mantra 'Om mani padme hum'?
lotus
plum
peony
Buddhism , Mount Emei, Sichuan, elephant
Golden palace at the top of Mount Emei, Sichaun with the world's highest status of Pǔxián Púsà 賢菩薩.

14. Losing what is considered a disaster in China?
weight
money
face
Gansu, desert, people
Walking on the Taklimakan desert sand dunes near Dunhuang, Gansu

15. The Yi Jing (I Ching) system of fortune telling has a system of how many hexagrams?
50
64
66
Yi Jing, I Ching, Song dynasty
A page from a Song Dynasty (960-1279) printed book of the I Ching (Yi Jing, Classic of Changes or Book of Changes) , 17.7x11.9cm, printed book, in the National Central Library in Taipei. Image by Song era print artist available under a Creative Commons License

16. In the Dragon dance, the dragon(s) typically chase what?
tiger
pearl
sun
dance, dragon, Foshan, people
Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

17. An ink stone is used for what?
create solid marks
resting brushes
grinding ink
imperial inscription, vermillion,  calligraphy, Emperor Qianlong
Part of a memorandum from a high official with a vermillion ink note added by Emperor Qianlong.

18. When is the next dragon astrological year?
2024
2028
2031
silk, dragon
Silk embroidery of Chinese dragon

19. The Erhu is the most common traditional stringed instrument, how many strings does it have?
2
5
8
Dunhuang, Gansu, music
Musicians in paradise, Yulin cave 25, Dunhuang, Tang Dynasty
Image available under a Creative Commons license

20. Which astrological animal heads the sequence of twelve?
rat
dragon
ox
Hong Kong, zodiac, sculpture
The Garden of the Chinese Zodiac features twelve carved animals in the gardens of Kowloon Walled City Park, Hong Kong
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