Traditions Quiz 1

Starter level quiz all about Chinese traditions
1. How many types of dragon are there in mahjong?
2
1
3
teahouse, people, mahjong
Drinking tea and playing Mahjong in a park Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

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

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

4. Firecrackers are usually which color in China?
yellow
blue
red
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

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

6. What is an 'eye' in mahjong?
50 points
run of four
a pair of tiles
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

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

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

9. What is Dimsum?
mixed vegetables
thick noodles
stuffed boiled dough
Guangdong, Shenzhen, food, shop
A store at Shenzhen Baoan Xixiang market, Guangdong. 2014 Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

10. The Yi Jing (I Ching) system of fortune telling has a system of how many hexagrams?
32
50
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

11. Confucius and Lao Zi are both said to have lived how long ago?
2,500 years
4,000 years
1,000 years
Confucius, Beijing
Statue of Confucius at the Imperial Academy (Guozijian) Beijing

12. The Erhu is the most common traditional stringed instrument, how many strings does it have?
8
4
2
Dunhuang, Gansu, music
Musicians in paradise, Yulin cave 25, Dunhuang, Tang Dynasty
Image available under a Creative Commons license

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

14. Which plant is mentioned in the Buddhist mantra 'Om mani padme hum'?
lotus
chrysanthemum
plum
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.

15. Where might you find a man riding a hen?
in a Lion dance
on a roof
in a Mahjong set

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

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

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

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

20. Which color was reserved for the roof tiles of Imperial buildings?
yellow
blue
green
Qing dynasty, Beihai Park, Beijing, roof
Beijing park pavilion roof
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