A monthly quiz of general history, traditions, geography questions for November
1. What was the name given to the country of China in Roman times?
Assyria
Gaul
Serica
The Romans named the land from where silk came from was called ‘Serica’ derived from the Chinese word for silk丝 sī. It is from ‘Serica’ that the English word for silk is derived.
3. Which is NOT one of the names of a Yi Jing Trigram?
Stone
Mountain
Thunder
The Yi Jing consists of eight trigrams combined with all other eight trigrams to make the set of 64 hexagrams (gua). The trigrams are heaven, earth, lake, water, mountain, fire, wind and thunder.
This is a pair of Chinese lady’s shoes for bound feet. They are very small as the ideal length for a bound foot was seven and a half centimeters. Shoes for bound feet were called foot-binding shoes and lotus slippers in many non-Chinese communities. They are referred to by a variety of names in China and Chinese literature. These include gongxie (arched shoes), xiuxie (embroidered slippers), jin lian (gilded lilies) and san cun jin lian (three inch golden lily/lotus).
Object description: These are lotus shoes with a triangular sole. They are made of bright red and blue cotton and cream silk. Elaborate designs of dragons and flowers are embroidered on the silk. The blue panel at the top has white and green satin stitching along its length. The heel is covered in green fabric. History:
Foot binding was a custom practiced in China and occurred during the Song Dynasty ( 960-1279 AD), over a thousand years ago. Small feet were greatly admired in China. To ensure that a young girl’s feet did not grow, her feet were usually bound after she was four years old. It was done with a stout bandage, the bandage being tightened daily after removal. The bound foot never ceased to cause pain while the woman walked. In 1911 this practice was banned by the Chinese government.
Photo by Queensland Museum ➚, available under a Creative Commons license ➚.
4. Which province (excluding the metropolitan areas) has the highest population density?
Jiangsu
Hebei
Guangdong
The province of Jiangsu has a population density of 771.83 people per square kilometer (2014 figures). Cities like Hong Kong and Beijing have a higher density.
The character for good fortune 福 fú is pronounced the same way (in the Beijing dialect) is 蝠 fú for bat.
Five bats in the outer ring surrounding the character for longevity. Wishing good fortune and a long life.
6. A scholar used to be expected to be proficient at playing which musical instrument?
Erhu
Guqin
Pipa
Proficiency is a musical instrument was considered a sign of culture so together with calligraphy, poetry and painting a budding scholar would be expected to play a musical instrument. The guqin is a type of zither and it's distinctive sound is often heard on films about ancient China.
7. Together with Yunnan and Guangdong, which other province lies on the Tropic of Cancer?
Anhui
Guangxi
Hainan
To remind you the Tropic of Cancer marks the northernmost places where the sun can be seen directly overhead in the northern hemisphere. The line runs through many desert areas.
8. What are the ten wings of the Yi Jing (I Ching)?
Appendices
Magical powers
Herbs
To the ancient core text of the Yi Jing were added ten commentaries or appendices attributed to Confucius that are called the ‘ten wings’; but these were probably written long after Confucius during the Han 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 ➚
9. Who was the leader of the Taiping Rebellion?
Zeng Guofan
Li Hongzhang
Hong Xiuquan
Hong Xiuquan, a member of the Hakka minority people, had by 1847 taken control of the whole Guangxi province and went on to control most of southern China. The Taiping movement was inspired by Christian teaching.
10. The stone forest (Shilin) can be found in which province?
Guangdong
Gansu
Yunnan
The Stone Forest at Shilin Yunnan is a popular tourist destination full of gray limestone pillars the size of tree trunks. The Peak Viewing Pavilion provides a panoramic view of the extensive area. Sani ethnic people act as guides and celebrate festivals mainly for the benefit of tourists.
11. The second lowest place (depression) in the world is located whereabouts in China?
Turpan, Xinjiang
Hohhot, Inner Mongolia
Golmud, Qinghai
Turpan (or Turfan) is the lowest place in China at 505 feet [154 meters] below sea level and hottest place in China (121 ° F [49 ° C]) with ancient aquifers providing the water supply via long, subterranean channels to keep the oasis green.
12. What makes Pingyao in Shanxi a popular visitor attraction?
Qing and Ming houses
Imperial tombs
Sacred mountain
South-west of Taiyuan is the ancient town of Pingyao with many intact Ming and Qing dynasty buildings - including city walls and the Yamen. The town used to be an affluent banking center.
A monthly quiz of general history, traditions, geography questions for November
