History Quiz 1

Starter level quiz about the long history of China.
1. The 'Treaty of Tianjin' was signed during which conflict?
Opium Wars
Boxer Rebellion
Second World War
Tianjin
Tianjin City. March 2008.
Image by ASDFGH available under a Creative Commons license

2. Marco Polo originated from which European city?
Venice
Monaco
Marseilles
Marco Polo
Marco Polo in Tartar costume. Source: Scann? de Coureurs des mers, Poivre d'Arvor. Photo by Grevembrock, available under a Creative Commons license .

3. The flag of Hong Kong shows which flower?
Lotus
Orchid tree
Rose
Hong Kong, Buddhism, gateway
The Po Lin Monastery Hong Kong with its famous Big Buddha statue

4. What was Zhou Enlai's position in the Chinese government 1949-76?
Field Marshal
Premier
Vice President
Zhou Enlai,  Deng Yingchao,  Sun Weishi
Deng Yingchao and Zhou Enlai with adopted daughter Sun Weishi. 1949. Image by Unknown available under a Creative Commons License

5. What was the highest grade in the old civil service examination system?
Jinshi
Shenyuan
Hong Mai
examinations, Beijing
Examination hall in Beijing. John Clark Ridpath (1899)
Image available under a Creative Commons license

6. The ancient Shu kingdom is centered on which modern province?
Hubei
Sichuan
Fujian
Shang dynasty, Sichuan, Sanxing, archaeology

7. Who ordered the construction of the famous marble boat at the Summer Palace, Beijing?
Dowager Empress Cixi
Sun Yatsen
Emperor Qianlong
Summer Palace, Beijing
A long corridor at the Summer Palace, Beijing

8. Bronze vessels reached their zenith of intricate design in which dynasty?
Xia
Qin
Shang
Shang dynasty, bronze, tiger
Early bronze tiger mask

9. The robot that trundled around the moon's surface in 2013 was called what?
Heavenly vehicle
Jade rabbit
Baby dragon
chang'e;moon goddess;Ren Shuai Ying
嫦娥奔 Chang'e Flying to the Moon Image by Ren Shuai Ying available under a Creative Commons License

10. Which Chinese city was known as the 'Paris of the East' in the 1920s?
Shanghai
Macau
Mukden
Shanghai

11. Japan took control of which province in 1914?
Heilongjiang
Shandong
Hebei

12. Who led the Mongol conquest of southern China which ended the Song dynasty?
Wang Anshi
Kublai Khan
Zhu Yuanzhang
lacquer, song dynasty
A Chinese red lacquer tray over wood with engraved golden foil, from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), dated 12th to early 13th century. As the Freer and Sackler Galleries museum description states, in China the gold-engraving technique is called qiangjin. The museum caption states that this method has existed since roughly the 3rd century AD, although it was not until the Song Dynasty era that gold engravings were found on luxury lacquerwares. After a wooden tray was covered with multiple layers of cinnabar-colored lacquer, fine lines were then incised into the new surface. These incisions were then filled with an adhesive of clear lacquer, followed by the pressing of gold foil into the grooves. The two long-tailed birds and a peony plant depicted in this tray are symbolic of longevity and prosperity in Chinese culture, since the Chinese word for "long life" (shou) sounds similar to the words for long-tailed birds (dai shou). Image by PericlesofAthens available under a Creative Commons License

13. Bao Zheng has a temple commemorated him near Kaifeng, what is he most remembered for?
Incorruptible judge
War hero
Astronomer
pagoda, Kaifeng, religion
The Iron Pagoda of Kaifeng, China, built in 1049 AD during the Song Dynasty.
Image by PericlesofAthens available under a Creative Commons license

14. The Art of War was written by which ancient author?
Kongfuzi (Confucius)
Sun Wu (Tzu)
Sima Qian
warrior, statue
Clay model of Mongol warrior

15. The Great Game was played out on China's western borders in the 19th century between Russia and which other country?
Persia
France
U.K. (Britain)
Heilongjiang, Harbin, church
Russian style Saint-Sophia Cathedral, Harbin, Heilongjiang

16. Which Emperor built the Forbidden City in Beijing?
Emperor Kangxi
Emperor Taizu
Emperor Yongle
Forbidden City, Beijing
Forbidden City, Beijing. Copyright Richard Wingfield, October 2017.

17. In 1762 the population of China had reached how many?
200 million
100 million
25 million
Tiananmen Square, crowd
2004 PRC National Day at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. What a crowd! Image by pfctdayelise available under a Creative Commons License

18. The Diaoyu islands were a cause of international tensions in 2012 between China and which other country?
Japan
Malaysia
Taiwan
Paracel islands, South China Sea, U.S. navy
SOUTH CHINA SEA (Oct. 15, 2012) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is underway in the South China Sea. George Washington and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. Navy is constantly deployed to preserve peace, protect commerce, and deter aggression through forward presence. Image by U.S. Navy available under a Creative Commons License

19. Which historical figure made Chinese silk the must have fabric in ancient times?
Empress Calpurnia
Queen of Sheba
Queen Cleopatra of Egypt
silk, children
Children wearing traditional silk clothes

20. The Yellow Emperor is believed to have lived how long ago?
4,500 years ago
1,500 years ago
3,000 years ago
huangdi, deity
Modern sculpture of two legendary Chinese Emperors
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