1. What is the average height of the Tibetan plateau?
16,500 feet [5,029 meters]
14,500 feet [4,420 meters]
12,500 feet [3,810 meters]
The high altitude of Tibet makes breathing difficult. Winters are harsh and summers cool and short.
Qinghai-Tibet railway near mountains at Golmud, Qinghai
2. The Hunza Valley is a historic land route into China, which country does it lead to?
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Kazakhstan
Hunza is in the disputed area of Kashmir but is usually considered part of Pakistan. The Karakoram Highway passes through the valley at the Kunjerab Pass.
3. The city of Guangzhou stands on which major river?
Jiang river
Pearl river
Yellow river
Guangzhou, on the Pearl (Yu) river estuary, has been a major port for many centuries. Hong Kong and Macau stand on either side of the large outflow into the South China Sea.
The distinction between the name of the currency ( 人民币 rén mín bì) and the units (元 yuán) is like the difference between the British term sterling for the currency and pound as the unit.
5. Which province was the most recently created?
Xinjiang
Jilin
Chongqing
The province of Sichuan was split into two parts in 1997, which had by far the largest population. The eastern section of Chongqing is governed by the city of Chongqing and follows the Yangzi river valley.
The Star Ferry is a passenger ferry in Hong Kong that is mainly now a tourist attraction. It was established in 1888 when there were no bridges to the island of Hong Kong.
7. Which country administered the island of Macau until 1999?
Britain
Portugal
Germany
Macau was governed by Portugal for nearly 450 years. Macau stands on a rocky peninsular on the mouth of the Zhu (Pearl) River estuary connected by bridges to Taipa and Coloane Islands .
10. The Changbai mountains are on the border of China with which other country?
Mongolia
Laos
North Korea
Changbai means ‘forever white’ as the mountains have permanent snow cover. The border with North Korea runs directly through the middle of volcanic Lake Tian.
11. Xinjiang is home to many ethnic groups; which one is acknowledged in its official name?
Kyrgyz
Kazakh
Uyghur
The Uyghur (Uigur) people represent about 43% on the population of Xinjiang, closely followed by Han Chinese at 41%.
12. Wanfujing is a famous shopping street in which city?
Macau
Beijing
Tianjin
Wangfujing is one of the most famous shopping streets of Beijing; it is located in Dongcheng District.
13. Which of these countries does NOT have a land border with China?
Thailand
Vietnam
Laos
Laos has a very short land border with the Peoples Republic, Northern Thailand comes within 100 miles [161 kms] of the Chinese border in Yunnan.
14. How long is the reservoir created by the Sanxia Daba (Three Gorges Dam) along the Yangzi River?
60 miles [97 kms]
400 miles [644 kms]
200 miles [322 kms]
The flooding of the Yangzi valley displaced at least one million people. The dam has the largest lock and is the largest hydro-electric system in the world.
15. The Yu (or Yuyuan) gardens are a famous spot in which city?
Hangzhou
Shanghai
Suzhou
Shanghai's Old Chinese City has the narrow alleys, temples and markets typical of an old Chinese town. It has the famous traditional ‘Yu Gardens’ which were originally built in 1537.
16. Which province is the most northerly in China?
Jilin
Heilongjiang
Xinjiang
Heilongjiang stretches marginally further north than Inner Mongolia. It shares its harsh, cold winters with its Russian neighbor.
17. By what name do the people call their own country of China?
Sinica
Chuka
Zhongguo
The Chinese people themselves have several names for their own country. 中国 zhōng guó is the official name. It means literally 'middle or central' 'country; kingdom or region' and was based on the traditional view that China is the center of the civilized world.
18. Sanjiangyuan Three Rivers National Park is the source of which major rivers?
Pearl; Yellow and Yangzi
Mekong; Yellow and Pearl
Mekong; Yellow and Yangzi
Sanjiangyuan is a large area in south-eastern Qinghai province with the Mekong eventually heading south, the Yangzi east and the Huang he (Yellow) river north.