1. What do the Chinese call their own country of China
Hanguo
Zhongguo
Sinica
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.
2. 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%.
3. The Star Ferry runs between which two places?
Beijing and Tianjin
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.
4. What is the average height of the Tibetan plateau?
14,500 feet [4,420 meters]
18,000 feet [5,486 meters]
16,500 feet [5,029 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
5. Which country ran the island of Macau until 1999?
U.S.
Portugal
Britain
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 .
6. The Yu (or Yuyuan) gardens are a famous spot in which city?
Guangzhou
Hangzhou
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.
7. Wanfujing is a famous shopping street in which city?
Macau
Beijing
Tianjin
Wangfujing is one of the most famous shopping streets of Beijing; it is located in Dongcheng District.
8. Which province is the most northerly in China?
Heilongjiang
Inner Mongolia
Jilin
Heilongjiang stretches marginally further north than Inner Mongolia. It shares its harsh, cold winters with its Russian neighbor.
9. The city of Guangzhou stands on which major river?
Yellow river
Pearl river
Han 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.
The province of Sichuan was split into two parts in 1997, which had by far the largest provincial population. The eastern section of Chongqing is governed by Chongqing and part of 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.
15. Which of these provinces is NOT considered part of the region of Manchuria?
Shanxi
Liaoning
Heilongjiang
The homeland of the Manchu people is spread along the Liao river, surrounded by mountains on three sides and the North China Sea to the south-west.
16. What is the range of mountains called that separates the Yellow and Yangzi river basins?
Kunlun
Khingan
Qingling
The Qingling mountains form an important historic and climatic boundary between northern and southern China.
Luya Mountain in Shanxi
17. Sanjiangyuan Three Rivers National Park is the source of which major rivers
Indus; Ganges and Yangzi
Mekong; Yellow and Yangzi
Pearl; 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.
18. How long is the reservoir created by the Sanxia Daba (Three Gorges Dam) along the Yangzi River?
400 miles [644 kms]
40 miles [64 kms]
60 miles [97 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.
19. Which is China's third largest province by area?
Inner Mongolia
Heilongjiang
Sichuan
Inner Mongolia is surprisingly large, it marks an important buffer zone beyond the Great Wall and is partly covered by the Gobi desert.
View from kings peak 大王峰 in Wuyishan mountains 武夷山, north west Fujian, China.
Image by Ariel Steiner available under a Creative Commons license ➚
20. The Hunza Valley is a historic land route into China, which country does it lead to?
Kazakhstan
Pakistan
India
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.