1. Xinjiang is home to many ethnic groups; which one is acknowledged in its official name?
Hui
Uyghur
Kyrgyz
The Uyghur (Uigur) people represent about 43% on the population of Xinjiang, closely followed by Han Chinese at 41%.
2. The Yu (or Yuyuan) gardens are a famous spot in which city?
Suzhou
Guangzhou
Shanghai
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.
3. Excluding Macau which province has the lowest population in China?
Anhui
Tibet (Xizang)
Qinghai
Although the second largest in area Tibet has a low population - and so has the lowest population density of any province.
4. The Star Ferry runs between which two places?
Kowloon and Hong Kong Island
Wuhan and Chongqing
West Lake and Grand Canal Hangzhou
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.
5. Which is China's third largest province by area?
Heilongjiang
Guangxi
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is surprisingly large, it marks an important buffer zone beyond the Great Wall and is partly covered by the Gobi desert.
6. How long is the reservoir created by the Sanxia Daba (Three Gorges Dam) along the Yangzi River?
600 miles [966 kms]
100 miles [161 kms]
400 miles [644 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.
7. The city of Guangzhou stands on which major river?
Pearl river
Li 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.
8. The Hunza Valley is a historic land route into China, which country does it lead to?
Afghanistan
Pakistan
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.
9. Which country administered the island of Macau until 1999?
Japan
Germany
Portugal
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 .
12. Wanfujing is a famous shopping street in which city?
Tianjin
Beijing
Shanghai
Wangfujing is one of the most famous shopping streets of Beijing; it is located in Dongcheng District.
13. By what name do the people call their own country of China?
Zhongguo
Chuka
Mingong
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.
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 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.
16. What is the average height of the Tibetan plateau?
18,000 feet [5,486 meters]
10,000 feet [3,048 meters]
14,500 feet [4,420 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
17. The Changbai mountains are on the border of China with which other country?
North Korea
Laos
Russia
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.
18. Which province is the most northerly in China?
Heilongjiang
Inner Mongolia
Xinjiang
Heilongjiang stretches marginally further north than Inner Mongolia. It shares its harsh, cold winters with its Russian neighbor.
19. Which of these countries does NOT have a land border with China?
Thailand
Laos
Nepal
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.
20. Sanjiangyuan Three Rivers National Park is the source of which major rivers?
Pearl; Yellow and Yangzi
Mekong; Yellow and Yangzi
Li; 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.