General quiz about China 5

It was the new European methods in astronomy that really impressed the Chinese. Adam Schall and Ferdinand Verbiest in 1664 won a competition to make the most accurate prediction of a solar eclipse against the Chinese astronomers who used traditional Chinese methods.

Lop Nur has been used as a nuclear testing site from 1959 to1996.

Hong Xiuquan was born in Fuyuan Springs, Guangzhou and it was in the bustling city that he came across the Christian Bible and founded his rebellion there. It soon spread to neighboring Guangxi province.

The Huangguoshu Waterfall, Guizhou is the largest in China, there are nine 'falls' of level; eight cataracts and one large waterfall. It is best to visit between May and October when the river level is high.

The magpie is a harbinger of joy and as such is used in paintings to wish someone joy and happiness. If a magpie happens to be heard while ruminating on an action is considered a sign that the plan is the right one.

Gautama was born into a rich household in Nepal living a life of luxury but when at the age of 29 he saw the suffering of people in the outside world he determined to renounce all worldly pleasures and founded Buddhism.

The modern province of Shandong was the center of the state of Lu way back in Zhou dynasty (1042-289BCE). The state of Lu is famous because Confucius was born and lived at Qufu the capital of the Lu kingdom.

The fictional heaven on Earth of Shangrila was created by James Hilton in his book 'Lost Horizon'. There is no location that exactly matches his descriptions but Mount Kawarkapo in Yunnan is as good as any. The Chinese have renamed Zhongdian as Shangrila to cash in on the story.

Poyang Lake is in northern Jiangxi province just south of the Yangzi River.

K2 is on the border with Pakistan. It is in the Karakoram range and like Mount Everest is directly on the border so half is in Xinjiang, China the other half in Pakistan.

Guangdong is top with 106.8 million closely followed by Henan with 100.4 million. See our province table for the full stats.

After the Russian Communist revolution of 1917 the Russians supported revolution in Outer Mongolia and it became a separate Communist state in 1924, at this time China was a Republic.

The Wu language is spoken by over 70 million people. Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang provinces are its heartland.

Sun Yatsen chose Nanjing as his Republican Capital of China in 1912, Beijing was still in the control of the northern warlords when he died in 1925.

Tibet has such a high altitude and thin atmosphere that it does not heat up much in the summer. In winter the coldest province by far in Heilongjiang.

Tianjin is the port serving Beijing and much of north-eastern China.

The Emperor and Empress are depicted as Dragon and Phoenix.

The Yellow River carries a heavy load of 'loess' which is yellowish calcareous clay from northern China. The Yellow River is heavily used by people along its route and on occasions it dries up before reaching the sea.

Zhou Enlai was the premier of China for much of the time since 1949. He was seen as affable and flexible rather than doggedly doctrinal. There was a mass outpouring of grief in Tiananmen Square to mark his death. The Gang of Four violently suppressed the crowds that gathered. Four thousand people were arrested.

Zheng He (1371 - 1433) was a Muslim. His Muslim faith was a great aid in dealing with the mainly Arab traders he met on his travels; as this era was the zenith of Arab trade. His final journey took him as far as Mecca and Jeddah.