History Quiz 1

There were two Opium Wars with the U.K.: 1840-42 and 1856-60. In the 2nd War the Anglo-French force beat the Chinese and the Treaty of Tianjin was signed in 1858, which legalized the opium trade.

Marco's father Niccolò and uncle Maffeo Polo traveled with him to China in 1275 and stayed there for 17 years. The second-hand description of China as a land of marvels greatly influenced early European attitudes. He was born in Venice in 1254 and died there in 1324.

The semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong retains its own flag and currency. The flag has the flower of the orchid tree (Bauhinia ? blakeana) has large thick leaves and striking purplish red flowers. The hybrid originates from Hong Kong botanical gardens in 1880.

Zhou Enlai helped mitigate some of the worst effects of Mao Zedong's reformist policies. As premier he was responsible for implementing policy rather than devising it. He was greatly loved by the Chinese people and the huge outpouring of grief at Zhou's funeral demonstrated massive support for his political ethos (compassionate and pragmatic) and signaled the end of the control of the Gang of Four hard-liners.

The Jinshi qualification guaranteed a government position and a life of relative luxury. The Jinshi examination took place at Beijing every three years and the top essays were judged by the Emperor himself.

Chengdu has been a prosperous city for many centuries, protected by mountains on three sides and the Yangzi to the south; this made Sichuan easy to defend as an independent kingdom. The Shu Han Kingdom had similar boundaries to Sichuan (including Chongqing) in the later part of the Three Kingdoms period.

After the Anglo-French force destroyed the Old Summer Palace in 1860 the Dowager Empress Cixi built a new, smaller Summer Palace to take its place. By the side of Kunming Lake she had built a marble boat. Many say that Dowager Empress Cixi diverted funds earmarked for building a modern navy but there is no proof for this. Parts of the boat are made of wood but painted to look like marble.

The artistry of Shang dynasty bronze vessels is amazing. They are very large with intricate designs, and many are decorated with Chinese characters. Some were made by joining parts made from several separate molds.

In December 2013 Chang'e 3 landed on the moon and launched a rover called ?Jade Rabbit? 月兔 Yùtù that trundled around for a day or so before suffering an electrical failure. The rover is named after the legend that a rabbit lives on the moon.

Shanghai became a cosmopolitan city under the influence of foreign powers in the early days of the Republic of China.

Japan took the side of Britain and France in the First World War in 1914. The Japanese ejected Germans from Shandong province, and then occupied it. Their occupation was confirmed by the western powers at the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 much to the fury of the Chinese people.

Genghiz Khan died in the conquest of the Western Xia kingdom in 1227. It was his grandson Kublai Khan who conquered southern China in 1279.

Bao Zheng 包拯 (Bao Gong) lived [999 - 1062] in Song dynasty China. He stood up against anyone who was corrupt or evaded justice, even members of his own and the emperor's family.

The Art of War 孙子兵法 was written about 2,500 years ago by Sun Wu (Sun Tzu). It was the standard text on military strategy for over two thousand years.

The British Empire wanted to protect its prized possession: India. To stop Russia threatening northern India (now Pakistan), Britain invaded Afghanistan and controlled both Nepal and Tibet.

It was Ming Emperor Yongle who moved the whole Imperial administration from Nanjing to Beijing in 1421. The huge and lavish Forbidden City is spread over 178 acres.

The huge population of 200 million was the major factor in the decline of the Qing dynasty. There was insufficient food and land to support such large numbers of people.

The Diaoyu Islands lie to the north of Taiwan and their sovereignty has been disputed for a long time. The Japanese name for them is the Senkaku Islands. They are small and uninhabited.

It was the Queen of Egypt who set the fashion trends in Rome. Soon the demand for Chinese silk was damaging Rome's balance of payments. This led Emperor Tiberius to forbid the wearing of silk by men.

The legendary Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) is credited with many Chinese inventions and laws that have lasted centuries. The traditional Chinese year is numbered from the year of his birth in 2697BCE. His tomb is said to be at Huangling, Shaanxi