The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests within the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) complex, Beijing.
2. This lovely pristine beach is located where?
Qingdao, Shandong
Beihai, Guangxi
Sanya, Hainan
Hainan island is famous as a semi-tropical beach resort.
3. Where is this famous pagoda?
Beijing
Xi'an
Qufu
It is the Great Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an that was built to house the Buddhist scriptures brought back to China by Xuanzang.
4. This striking church can be seen in which Chinese city?
Harbin
Hohhot
Urumqi
The Russian influence in the province of Heilongjiang is quite pronounced reflecting years of Russian domination in the early 20th century. The "onion" domes of the Cathedral of Saint-Sophia, Harbin is a striking example.
5. Which ancient figure is represented by this massive stone statue?
Confucius
Mao Zedong
Laozi
Laozi the founder of Daoism is typically depicted as an old man with a long flowing beard.
6. Which famous harbor is this?
Shenzhen
Tianjin
Hong Kong
The view is from “The Peak” on Hong Kong island looking over Victoria to Kowloon.
7. In which month might you expect to see this watery spectacle?
August
June
March
The Dragon boat festival falls on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese calendar. This varies in date on the Gregorian calendar but normally falls in June but in some years it can be in late May.
Every province has its own internal hall within the ‘Great Hall of the People’. It lies on the west side of Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
9. These objects are associated with which religion?
Communism
Buddhism
Daoism
This form of stupa which often contains sacred Buddhist relics is common in Tibet, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia.
10. This demonstration of Kung Fu is primarily associated with which place?
Lhasa
Shaolin monastery
Lushan
The world famous Shaolin monastery (literally ‘Small Forest Temple’) is close to Songshan in Henan; it was immortalized by the ‘Kung Fu’ series of the 1970s. It is a Zen Buddhist temple and dates back to the Wei dynasty.
11. Why is this creature so important in Chinese history?
producing lacquer
producing silk
carries the Black Death
It is the caterpillar of the silkworm moth that spins a silk cocoon. It is usually fed on white mulberry leaves.
12. This is a memorial hall to which important figure in Chinese history?
Zhou Enlai
Zhu De
Sun Yatsen
The Sun Yatsen memorial hall is in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province; the province where he was born.
13. Why are there nine mythical beasts behind the 'man on a hen' on this roof?
represent the Double Ninth Festival
nine was the Imperial number
the orginal nine provinces
Yellow roof tiles can only be used for Imperial buildings as yellow was the dynastic color of the Qing dynasty. As three is a potent yang number the square of 3, nine, is an even more potent yang number. It was associated with the Emperor and many things in the Forbidden City are in nines.
Glazed animal sculptures on the palace roof of the Forbidden City, Beijing
14. These ruins are part of which Imperial building?
Old Summer Palace
Summer Palace
Temple of Heaven
The style of the stone ornamentation of the Old Summer Palace shows that it was designed by European architects (mainly Jesuits) working for the Qing Emperors.
15. Where might you find this famous landmark?
Beihai Park in Beijing
West Lake in Hangzhou
Dongting Lake
The famous White Dagoba stands in Beihai Park and was built in the Mongol dynasty.
16. Which muscial instrument is this man playing?
suona
erhu
dizi
Erhu is a two stringed violin with the bow string between the two strings. 二胡 èr hú means literally 'two' 'fiddle'. There is a less common instrument with four strings 'sihu'.
The Potala palace in Lhasa is the winter palace of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
20. In the pastures of Xinjiang sheep are grazing. What is the name of the type of building used by the herdsmen?
kohte
yurt
igloo
The yurt is made from layers of felt draped over a wooden framework. It can be very quickly moved to another location as the herdsmen follow their flocks.