Traditions Quiz 1

Starter level quiz all about Chinese traditions
1. Confucius and Lao Zi are both said to have lived how long ago?
2,500 years
500 years
1,000 years
Confucius, Beijing
Statue of Confucius at the Imperial Academy (Guozijian) Beijing

2. The chrysanthemum represents which season?
winter
autumn
none
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum design motif (Plate 92) available under a Creative Commons License

3. Which plant is mentioned in the Buddhist mantra 'Om mani padme hum'?
rose
lotus
orchid
Buddhism , Mount Emei, Sichuan, elephant
Golden palace at the top of Mount Emei, Sichaun with the world's highest status of Pǔxián Púsà 賢菩薩.

4. An ink stone is used for what?
create solid marks
absorbing ink
grinding ink
imperial inscription, vermillion,  calligraphy, Emperor Qianlong
Part of a memorandum from a high official with a vermillion ink note added by Emperor Qianlong.

5. What is Dimsum?
tofu blocks
stuffed boiled dough
steamed rice
Guangdong, Shenzhen, food, shop
A store at Shenzhen Baoan Xixiang market, Guangdong. 2014 Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

6. Which was traditionally NOT added to tea as a flavoring?
orange peel
jasmine
sugar
Fujian, tea plantation
Tea in flower at a plantation in Fujian Province

7. When is the next dragon astrological year?
2042
2036
2050
silk, dragon
Silk embroidery of Chinese dragon

8. The musical intrument called a 'pipa' is a type of what?
bell
horn
lute
music, guzheng
Guzheng is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the zither family of string instruments

9. Losing what is considered a disaster in China?
face
memory
virginity
Gansu, desert, people
Walking on the Taklimakan desert sand dunes near Dunhuang, Gansu

10. Which color was reserved for the roof tiles of Imperial buildings?
red
brown
yellow
Qing dynasty, Beihai Park, Beijing, roof
Beijing park pavilion roof

11. Firecrackers are usually which color in China?
black
red
blue
lantern festival, festival, fujian
Lantern Festival, Daoist parade of gods (Ngi?ng-s?ng) in Luoyuan, Fuzhou. Image by LuHungnguong available under a Creative Commons License

12. Where might you find a man riding a hen?
on a roof
in a Lion dance
at Qing Ming festival

13. Which astrological animal heads the sequence of twelve?
snake
dragon
rat
Hong Kong, zodiac, sculpture
The Garden of the Chinese Zodiac features twelve carved animals in the gardens of Kowloon Walled City Park, Hong Kong

14. What is an 'eye' in mahjong?
50 points
a pair of tiles
blue dragon
mahjong, game
Playing mahjong at Seattle's Chinatown-International District Night Market, Hing Hay Park, International District, Seattle, Washington. Image by Joe Mabel available under a Creative Commons License

15. Dowager Empress Cixi was very fond of which dog breed?
Pekingese
Chow
Boxer
dog, han dynasty, pottery
A pottery dog from the Chinese Han Dynasty. Image by Gary Lee Todd available under a Creative Commons License

16. The Erhu is the most common traditional stringed instrument, how many strings does it have?
2
7
5
Dunhuang, Gansu, music
Musicians in paradise, Yulin cave 25, Dunhuang, Tang Dynasty
Image available under a Creative Commons license

17. How many types of dragon are there in mahjong?
3
2
none
teahouse, people, mahjong
Drinking tea and playing Mahjong in a park Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

18. The Yi Jing (I Ching) system of fortune telling has a system of how many hexagrams?
66
100
64
Yi Jing, I Ching, Song dynasty
A page from a Song Dynasty (960-1279) printed book of the I Ching (Yi Jing, Classic of Changes or Book of Changes) , 17.7x11.9cm, printed book, in the National Central Library in Taipei. Image by Song era print artist available under a Creative Commons License

19. Which would you NOT expect to find in a Chinese garden?
lawn
pavilion
bridge
chinoiserie, chinese bridge, garden
Chinese bridge. Apremont Gardens, France. Image by Parc floral available under a Creative Commons License

20. In the Dragon dance, the dragon(s) typically chase what?
sun
pearl
tiger
dance, dragon, Foshan, people
Copyright © Dreamstime see image license
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