4. The Tiananmen Incident of 1976 occurred following the death of which leader?
Zhu De
Peng Dehuai
Zhou Enlai
Liu Shaoqi
Zhou Enlai was the premier of China for much of the time since 1949. He was seen as affable and flexible rather than doggedly doctrinal. There was a mass outpouring of grief in Tiananmen Square to mark his death. The Gang of Four violently suppressed the crowds that gathered. Four thousand people were arrested.
5. What was the religion of the great explorer Zheng He?
Daoist
Muslim
Christian
Jewish
Zheng He (1371 - 1433) was a Muslim. His Muslim faith was a great aid in dealing with the mainly Arab traders he met on his travels; as this era was the zenith of Arab trade. His final journey took him as far as Mecca and Jeddah.
6. The Supreme Buddha (Siddhārtha Gautama) was born in which country that neighbors China?
Nepal
Vietnam
Burma
Korea
Gautama was born into a rich household in Nepal living a life of luxury but when at the age of 29 he saw the suffering of people in the outside world he determined to renounce all worldly pleasures and founded Buddhism.
7. Why is Mongolia split into Outer and Inner Mongolia?
Outer Mongolia was Genghiz Khan's home
Chinese invasion of 1875
Russian invasion of 1918
Revolution of 1924
After the Russian Communist revolution of 1917 the Russians supported revolution in Outer Mongolia and it became a separate Communist state in 1924, at this time China was a Republic.
Bows and furs of Mongolia. Image by Rob Stallard
8. A magpie in a painting symbolizes a wish for what?
joy
job promotion
peace
long life
The magpie is a harbinger of joy and as such is used in paintings to wish someone joy and happiness. If a magpie happens to be heard while ruminating on an action is considered a sign that the plan is the right one.
Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus, Fujigaoka 2 Chome, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Image by Toshihiro Gamo ➚ available under a Creative Commons License ➚
9. Which province is known by the shortened name 'Lu'?
Jiangsu
Shanxi
Ningxia
Shandong
The modern province of Shandong was the center of the state of Lu way back in Zhou dynasty (1042-289BCE). The state of Lu is famous because Confucius was born and lived at Qufu the capital of the Lu kingdom.
Statue of Confucius at the Imperial Academy (Guozijian) Beijing
10. In which province did the Taiping rebellion begin?
Fujian
Sichuan
Jiangxi
Guangdong
Hong Xiuquan was born in Fuyuan Springs, Guangzhou and it was in the bustling city that he came across the Christian Bible and founded his rebellion there. It soon spread to neighboring Guangxi province.
Taiping rebels are chased out of Yuzhuang, March 8 1854. The Taiping arrived the previous day but had to retire the next day when the Manchus arrived in hot pursuit. From Ten scenes recording the retreat and defeat of the Taiping Northern Expeditionary Forces, February 1854-March 1855.
Source : web site ➚
Available under a Creative Commons license ➚.
11. The magnificent Huangguoshu Waterfalls can be found in which province?
Guizhou
Shandong
Yunnan
Gansu
The Huangguoshu Waterfall, Guizhou is the largest in China, there are nine 'falls' of level; eight cataracts and one large waterfall. It is best to visit between May and October when the river level is high.
12. The Jesuit missionaries most impressed the Imperial court with their knowledge of what?
astronomy
medicine
sword fighting
religion
It was the new European methods in astronomy that really impressed the Chinese. Adam Schall and Ferdinand Verbiest in 1664 won a competition to make the most accurate prediction of a solar eclipse against the Chinese astronomers who used traditional Chinese methods.
Michael Alphonsius Shen Fuzong (Fu-tsung) by Sir Godfrey Kneller. 1685. Available under a Creative Commons License ➚
13. The Chinese nuclear test facility of Lop Nur is located in which province?
Tibet
Heilongjiang
Xinjiang
Yunnan
Lop Nur has been used as a nuclear testing site from 1959 to1996.
14. K2 the second highest mountain in the world is on the border of China with which country?
Bhutan
Laos
Kyrgyzstan
Pakistan
K2 is on the border with Pakistan. It is in the Karakoram range and like Mount Everest is directly on the border so half is in Xinjiang, China the other half in Pakistan.
15. Tanggu or Binhai is the port area for which major city?
Tianjin
Xiamen
Shanghai
Hong Kong
Tianjin is the port serving Beijing and much of north-eastern China.
16. Which province is the coldest in summer?
Tibet
Jilin
Inner Mongolia
Xinjiang
Tibet has such a high altitude and thin atmosphere that it does not heat up much in the summer. In winter the coldest province by far in Heilongjiang.
17. In which province is the fictional Shangrila said to be located?
Xinjiang
Guangxi
Shandong
Yunnan
The fictional heaven on Earth of Shangrila was created by James Hilton in his book 'Lost Horizon'. There is no location that exactly matches his descriptions but Mount Kawarkapo in Yunnan is as good as any. The Chinese have renamed Zhongdian as Shangrila to cash in on the story.
18. Why is the Yellow River so called?
named after the Yellow Emperor
pollution with yellow dye
carries yellow mud
rivers were named after colors
The Yellow River carries a heavy load of 'loess' which is yellowish calcareous clay from northern China. The Yellow River is heavily used by people along its route and on occasions it dries up before reaching the sea.
The oldest and largest ironware cultural relics protection group in the world - Kai-Yuan Tang Large Iron Oxen, located 110 m-470 m outside the west gate of the Puzhou Ancient City 15 km in the west of Yonji City, Available under a Creative Commons License ➚
19. Which is the Chinese language most frequently spoken in Zhejiang province other than Mandarin?
hakka
wu
jin
min
The Wu language is spoken by over 70 million people. Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang provinces are its heartland.
Intermediate quiz (quite tough) about the geography, history, traditions and language of China (5)
