Traditions Quiz 1

Starter level quiz all about Chinese traditions
1. Losing what is considered a disaster in China?
money
face
balance
Gansu, desert, people
Walking on the Taklimakan desert sand dunes near Dunhuang, Gansu

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

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

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

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

7. Which astrological animal heads the sequence of twelve?
snake
horse
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

8. An ink stone is used for what?
create solid marks
paperweight
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.

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

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

11. 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

12. How many types of dragon are there in mahjong?
3
2
1
teahouse, people, mahjong
Drinking tea and playing Mahjong in a park Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

13. Firecrackers are usually which color in China?
blue
green
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

14. The Erhu is the most common traditional stringed instrument, how many strings does it have?
2
4
5
Dunhuang, Gansu, music
Musicians in paradise, Yulin cave 25, Dunhuang, Tang Dynasty
Image available under a Creative Commons license

15. What is an 'eye' in mahjong?
blue dragon
a pair of tiles
50 points
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

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

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

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

19. The Yi Jing (I Ching) system of fortune telling has a system of how many hexagrams?
32
64
50
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

20. Which plant is mentioned in the Buddhist mantra 'Om mani padme hum'?
lotus
rose
chrysanthemum
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.
Switch off sounds
Switch on sounds
Try another quiz