Heilongjiang stretches marginally further north than Inner Mongolia. It shares its harsh, cold winters with its Russian neighbor.
4. The Changbai mountains are on the border of China with which other country?
Vietnam
Pakistan
North Korea
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.
5. The Yu (or Yuyuan) gardens are a famous spot in which city?
Guangzhou
Shanghai
Suzhou
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.
6. The Hunza Valley is a historic land route into China, which country does it lead to?
Myanmar
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.
7. The Star Ferry runs between which two places?
Wuhan and Chongqing
Kowloon and Hong Kong Island
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.
8. Which of these countries does NOT have a land border with China?
Thailand
Laos
Vietnam
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.
9. Xinjiang is home to many ethnic groups; which one is acknowledged in its official name?
Hui
Mongolian
Uyghur
The Uyghur (Uigur) people represent about 43% on the population of Xinjiang, closely followed by Han Chinese at 41%.
10. 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.
11. By what name do the people call their own country of China?
Zhongguo
Chuka
Cathay
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.
14. Sanjiangyuan Three Rivers National Park is the source of which major rivers?
Pearl; Yellow and Yangzi
Mekong; Yellow and Pearl
Mekong; 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.
15. What is the average height of the Tibetan plateau?
9,500 feet [2,896 meters]
14,500 feet [4,420 meters]
18,000 feet [5,486 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
16. How long is the reservoir created by the Sanxia Daba (Three Gorges Dam) along the Yangzi River?
40 miles [64 kms]
400 miles [644 kms]
100 miles [161 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.
17. What is the range of mountains called that separates the Yellow and Yangzi river basins?
Nanling
Qingling
Hengduan
The Qingling mountains form an important historic and climatic boundary between northern and southern China.
Luya Mountain in Shanxi
18. What is the name of the Chinese currency?
won
renminbi
dong
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.
19. Which country administered the island of Macau until 1999?
Portugal
Britain
Germany
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 .