December Quiz

A monthly quiz of general history, traditions, geography questions for December
1. Which number is traditionally associated with the Emperor?
three
nine
five
Ming dynasty, Forbidden City, view, Beijing
View of the Forbidden City, Beijing from the peak of Jingshan Hill

2. “It doesn't matter whether a cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice” is a famous saying of which Chinese leader?
Jiang Zemin
Deng Xiaoping
Hua Guofeng
Hainan, Haikou, modern housing
Haikou city, Hainan island

3. The game of 'go' was a Chinese invention, what is its name in China?
ma jiang
weiqi
fengzhong
Summer palace, Beijing, roof animals, PKChina-68
Roof animals at Kunming Lake, Summer Palace, Beijing. September 2019. Image by Paul Kerswill

4. China grows roughly what proportion of the world's rice?
28%
12%
40%
rice, Guangxi, terraces
Terraced rice fields being planted in Guangxi province

5. In traditional medicine Goji berries were traditionally used to treat what?
high blood pressure
polio
arthritis
TCM, calligraphy
A range of traditional medicines with calligraphy extolling the virtues of TCM

6. The 'Hundred Schools of Philosophy' period occurred when in Chinese history?
Qin dynasty
Eastern Zhou dynasty
Min dynasty
Confucius, Qufu

7. The number of the year in China is counted from the following event?
Birth of the Yellow Emperor
Founding of the Republic of China
Foundation of the Qin dynasty
ming tomb, silk, Dongling, Emperor Wanli
When Wanli's tomb was opened in 1956, his invaluable silk robes began immediately to decay. Fortunately, they were copied by skillful workers who reproduced the beauty of these garments. Image by G41rn8 available under a Creative Commons License

8. The tomb of the First Qin Emperor is located in which province?
Henan
Shaanxi
Gansu
Qin dynasty, Terracotta army
The famous terracotta warriors at the tomb of the first Qin Emperor Shihuangdi

9. Yǔ is a common character what does it mean?
snow
rain
fish
Qilin, Sacred Way, Ming tombs
"Ways of souls" tombs of the Emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644CE). 50km north west of Beijing, in Changping. December 2005. Image by ofol available under a Creative Commons License .

10. The ‘Elephant Game’ is the Chinese name for which pastime?
chess
chequers
mahjong
Henan, temple, pavilion
Laojun, Henan

11. Chengde (aka Jehol) was built as a summer resort for the emperors of which dynasty?
Tang dynasty
Han dynasty
Qing dynasty
Hebei, Chengde, Buddhism, ding
Buddhist temple at Chengde, Hebei

12. The Long March of 1934-35 started from which province?
Jiangxi
Guizhou
Jilin
Mao Zedong,  Long March
Mao Zedong during Long March. 1934-1936. Image available under a Creative Commons License

13. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is located in which city?
Shanghai
Guangzhou
Lanzhou
Shanghai, Pudong, skyscraper

14. Which country briefly conquered the island of Taiwan in 1884?
France
Japan
Netherlands
Taiwan, Taipei
Taiwan's National Concert Hall located in Taipei December 2006. Image by Scchiang available under a Creative Commons license .

15. Mandarin ducks represent what in Chinese artwork?
career success
marital harmony
young love
duck, mandarin, whiteknights
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