December Quiz

A monthly quiz of general history, traditions, geography questions for December
1. Yǔ is a common character what does it mean?
rain
expensive
clothes
Wuhan, Hubei, Yangzi River, river
Wuhan, from the Yellow Crane Tower. October 2005.
Image by CraigTheBrit available under a Creative Commons license

2. The game of 'go' was a Chinese invention, what is its name in China?
ma jiang
weiqi
xiang sheng
Chinese New year, dragon dance, London
Chinese new year celebration, London

3. “It doesn't matter whether a cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice” is a famous saying of which Chinese leader?
Hua Guofeng
Hu Yaobang
Deng Xiaoping
Hainan, Haikou, modern housing
Haikou city, Hainan island

4. Mandarin ducks represent what in Chinese artwork?
marital harmony
peace
wealth
duck, mandarin, whiteknights

5. Which number is traditionally associated with the Emperor?
six
five
nine
Ming dynasty, Forbidden City, view, Beijing
View of the Forbidden City, Beijing from the peak of Jingshan Hill

6. The number of the year in China is counted from the following event?
Foundation of the Han dynasty
Birth of the Yellow Emperor
Foundation of the Qin dynasty
ming tomb, silk, Dongling, Emperor Wanli
When Wanli's tomb was opened in 1956, his invaluable silk robes began immediately to decay. Fortunately, they were copied by skillful workers who reproduced the beauty of these garments. Image by G41rn8 available under a Creative Commons License

7. The 'Hundred Schools of Philosophy' period occurred when in Chinese history?
Eastern Zhou dynasty
Western Zhou dynasty
Qin dynasty
Confucius, Qufu

8. Which country briefly conquered the island of Taiwan in 1884?
Netherlands
Great Britain
France
Taiwan, Taipei
Taiwan's National Concert Hall located in Taipei December 2006. Image by Scchiang available under a Creative Commons license .

9. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is located in which city?
Beijing
Guangzhou
Shanghai
Shanghai, Pudong, skyscraper

10. The ‘Elephant Game’ is the Chinese name for which pastime?
mahjong
baseball
chess
calligraphy, painting, brush
Calligraphy brushes

11. The Long March of 1934-35 started from which province?
Hebei
Guangdong
Jiangxi
Mao Zedong,  Long March
Mao Zedong during Long March. 1934-1936. Image available under a Creative Commons License

12. Chengde (aka Jehol) was built as a summer resort for the emperors of which dynasty?
Qing dynasty
Song dynasty
Han dynasty
Hebei, Chengde, Buddhism, ding
Buddhist temple at Chengde, Hebei

13. The tomb of the First Qin Emperor is located in which province?
Sichuan
Shaanxi
Henan
Qin dynasty, Terracotta army
The famous terracotta warriors at the tomb of the first Qin Emperor Shihuangdi

14. In traditional medicine Goji berries were traditionally used to treat what?
bronchitis
high blood pressure
wounds
TCM, calligraphy
A range of traditional medicines with calligraphy extolling the virtues of TCM

15. China grows roughly what proportion of the world's rice?
28%
12%
40%
rice, Guangxi, terraces
Terraced rice fields being planted in Guangxi province
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