General quiz about China 5
Intermediate quiz (quite tough) about the geography, history, traditions and language of China (5)
1. What was the religion of the great explorer Zheng He?
Muslim
Christian
Daoist
Buddhist
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.
2. In which province is the fictional Shangrila said to be located?
Guangxi
Xinjiang
Tibet
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.
3. Which was China's most populous province in 2014?
Sichuan
Hunan
Zhejiang
Guangdong
Guangdong is top with 106.8 million closely followed by Henan with 100.4 million. See our province table for the full stats.
4. The Chinese nuclear test facility of Lop Nur is located in which province?
Qinghai
Xinjiang
Inner Mongolia
Yunnan
Lop Nur has been used as a nuclear testing site from 1959 to1996.
5. Why is the Yellow River so called?
named after the Yellow Emperor
named after color of Imperial robes
pollution with yellow dye
carries yellow mud
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 ➚
6. In which province did the Taiping rebellion begin?
Sichuan
Jiangsu
Guangdong
Zhejiang
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 ➚.
7. Tanggu or Binhai is the port area for which major city?
Guangzhou
Tianjin
Shanghai
Xiamen
Tianjin is the port serving Beijing and much of north-eastern China.
8. A magpie in a painting symbolizes a wish for what?
romance
joy
peace
children
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. Why is Mongolia split into Outer and Inner Mongolia?
Outer Mongolia home of Genghiz Khan
Revolution of 1924
Russian invasion of 1918
Historical division between Khanates
After the Russian Communist revolution of 1917 the Russians supported revolution in Outer Mongolia and it became a separate Communist state in 1924 at the time China was a Republic.
Bows and furs of Mongolia. Image by Rob Stallard
10. Which province is known by the shortened name 'Lu'?
Shandong
Liaoning
Shanxi
Jiangsu
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.
11. Mount Lushan is close to which major famous lake?
Dongting Lake
Poyang Lake
Lake Nanyang
Lake Tai
Poyang Lake is in northern Jiangxi province just south of the Yangzi River.
12. Which is the main Chinese language spoken in Zhejiang province after mandarin?
min
gan
jin
wu
The Wu language is spoken by over 70 million people. Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang provinces are its heartland.
13. The Tiananmen Incident of 1976 occurred following the death of which leader?
Mao Zedong
Zhu De
Zhou Enlai
Lin Biao
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.
2004 PRC National Day at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. What a crowd! Image by pfctdayelise ➚ available under a Creative Commons License ➚
14. The Jesuit missionaries most impressed the Imperial court with their knowledge of what?
medicine
astronomy
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 ➚
15. Sun Yatsen's mausoleum is close to which major city?
Beijing
Wuhan
Chongqing
Nanjing
Sun Yatsen chose Nanjing as his Republican Capital of China in 1912, Beijing was still in the control of the northern warlords when he died in 1925.
16. Which province is the coldest in summer?
Inner Mongolia
Tibet
Jilin
Heilongjiang
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. The Supreme Buddha (Siddhārtha Gautama) was born in which country that neighbors China?
India
Vietnam
Nepal
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.
18. Imperial designs represent the Emperor as a dragon, but which creature represents the Empress?
pheasant
phoenix
qilin
peacock
19. The magnificent Huangguoshu Waterfalls can be found in which province?
Yunnan
Guizhou
Shandong
Jiangxi
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.
20. K2 the second highest mountain in the world is on the border of China with which country?
Pakistan
Bhutan
Kyrgyzstan
Russia
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.
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