Intermediate level quiz about the geography, history, traditions and language of China (4)
1. You may hear that 'guanxi' is very important in China what is it?
formal banquet
social network
table manners
saving 'face'
Many Chinese spend considerable effort to cultivate a network of people that they may call upon at some time for a favor. A contact may get you a job, discounted prices or promotion.
2. About how many Chinese characters in common use are all pronounced 'shi'?
250
100
5
50
'Shi' is one of the most common sounds in mandarin Chinese. There are about 50 characters all pronounced 'shi' but spread over the five tones so there are only ten true homophones to take into account. This explains why many English words need two Chinese characters to make them unambiguous in meaning.
3. What is the name of the range of mountains separating Tibet and Xinjiang provinces?
Kunlun
Tian
Wudang
Qilian
The Kunlun mountains have had a strong presence in Chinese legends. The Queen Mother of the West is said to have her palace there, and for centuries precious jade was mined there.
4. The formation of the May 4th movement was a response to which event?
Arrest of Sun Yatsen
Death of Sun Yatsen
Treaty of Versailles 1919
Installation of Yuan Shikai as President
The signing of the Versailles Treaty in Paris May 4th 1919 caused uproar in China because the parts of Shandong that had been governed by Germany were given to Japan rather than returned to Chinese control. The treaty came at the end of WW1.
Students of Beijing Normal University (arrested at the May Fourth Movement) returned to the university on May 7th, 1919. Available under a Creative Commons License ➚
5. The world famous Shaolin monastery for martial arts is located in which province?
Shandong
Hubei
Hunan
Henan
Henan attracts many martial arts enthusiasts particularly to Shaolin near Mount Song.
6. Amber is considered a potent medicine because it was thought to contain the essence of a what?
turtoise
tiger
red dragon
monkey
Its orange color has led to an association with tigers. There is an ancient belief that the spirit of a tiger goes back into the earth on its death to form amber.
7. What was probably the earliest use for kites?
frightening enemies
carrying supplies
measuring wind speed
fishing
Kites were used in fishing, the kite would trail a line with hooks and bait allowing the kite-flier to fish in areas some way out over rivers or the sea.
13. Jingdezhen is famous for the production of what?
Porcelain
Ink
Moon cakes
Bamboo
It was near Jingdezhen, Jiangxi that the first deposits of kaolin (China Clay) were discovered and exploited. Huge amounts of porcelain have been produced there since the Song dynasty
14. The Meiji restoration was an important event in which neighboring country?
Japan
Mongolia
Thailand
Korea
The Meiji system of 1868 allowed Japan to rapidly modernize and so provided a blueprint as to how an Asian country could catch up and take on the European powers.
15. Gunpowder tea is a famous export from which province?
Zhejiang
Liaoning
Guangdong
Yunnan
Zhejiang is the province associated with production of gunpowder tea. It gets its name because it looks like pellets of gunpowder
16. How long did Marco Polo's visit to china last?
2 years
17 years
25 years
10 years
In 1275 Marco Polo and his father and uncle went to China and all three spent 17 years there. On return to Italy he was imprisoned by the Genoese and it was while in prison that he dictated his book, the ‘Description of the World’. It was printed in many editions and languages and promoted a lot of interest and speculation throughout Europe about this vast, rich country far away.
Marco Polo in Tartar costume. Source: Scann? de Coureurs des mers, Poivre d'Arvor.
Photo by Grevembrock, available under a Creative Commons license ➚.
17. Chiang Kaishek is associated with which event in 1936?
Kidnapping at Xi'an
Retreat to Chongqing
Trip to Moscow
Meeting with Mao Zedong
Chiang was kidnapped by his own generals at Xi'an, Shaanxi to force him to form to form a united front with the Communists against Japanese occupation of Manchuria
Sun Yatsen was born in furthermost southern China: Cuiheng, Guangdong in 1866. He had a brother living in Hawaii, and at the age of 12 joined him there to escape poverty and was educated at a Hawaiian school and converted to Christianity. He returned to China for an arranged marriage and studied medicine at Hong Kong, graduating as a doctor in Western medicine in 1892.
Statue of Dr. Sun Yatsen at memorial hall in Taipei, Taiwan
19. In Beijing a 'hutong' is what?
Type of monkey
A Zoo
Old building
Old lane
The narrow and winding lanes between traditional courtyard houses are called hutongs 胡同. A few districts remain in Beijing which are famous for their hutongs.