Traditions Quiz 1

Starter level quiz all about Chinese traditions
1. 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.

2. What is an 'eye' in mahjong?
50 points
a pair of tiles
set of three
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

3. When is the next dragon astrological year?
2024
2022
2028
silk, dragon
Silk embroidery of Chinese dragon

4. The Chinese pipa is a type of what?
lute
drum
bell
music, guzheng
Guzheng is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the zither family of string instruments

5. Which astrological animal heads the sequence of twelve?
rat
dragon
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

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

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

8. Which color was reserved for the roof tiles of Imperial buildings?
yellow
black
red
Qing dynasty, Beihai Park, Beijing, roof
Beijing park pavilion roof

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

10. 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

11. The chrysanthemum represents which season?
spring
autumn
summer
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum design motif (Plate 92) available under a Creative Commons License

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

13. Firecrackers are usually which color in China?
red
black
blue
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. 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

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

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

17. Where might you find a man riding a hen?
in a Chinese chess set
on a roof
in a Lion dance

18. 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

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

20. The Yi Jing (I Ching) system of fortune telling has a system of how many hexagrams?
66
32
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
Switch off sounds
Switch on sounds
Try another quiz