May Quiz

A monthly quiz of general history, traditions, geography questions for May
1. When did the first known Chinese person visit Britain?
1798
1685
1924
christian, Shen Fuzong

2. The Uyghur people number over 8 million in which province do they mainly live?
Xinjiang
Gansu
Inner Mongolia
Bejing, street, mcdonalds, people, PKChina-34
Beijing street. September 2019. Image by Paul Kerswill

3. Which country other than Britain took part in the Opium Wars with China?
US
Russia
France
opium war, sea battle, junk, boat, ship
The East India Company iron steam ship Nemesis, commanded by Lieutenant W. H. Hall, with boats from the Sulphur, Calliope, Larne and Starling, destroying the Chinese war junks in Anson's Bay, on 7 January 1841. Image by Edward Duncan available under a Creative Commons License

4. Which of these is NOT part of the Buddhist eightfold path to enlightenment
act sensitively
abstain from sex
meditation
luohan, Buddhism
A luóhàn (arhat), found at Yixian, Hebei province, Liao dynasty (907-1125). British Museum, London. Image by David Castor available under a Creative Commons License

5. A meeting at Lushan in 1959 brought an end to the career of which revolutionary leader
Zhu De
Peng Dehuai
Deng Xiaoping
Jiangxi, Lushan, waterfall
Waterfall on Lushan mountains, Jiangxi

6. Which European scientist considered the Yi Jing as proof of ancient knowledge of binary arithmetic?
Isaac Newton
Francis Bacon
Leibniz
yi jing
Three gold coins used for Yi Jing fortune telling

7. In which Chinese province was the 14th Dalai Lama (present leader) born?
Qinghai
Tibet
Beijing
Buddhism , prayer wheel
Buddhist prayer wheels at Wudang temple, Inner Mongolia

8. The 'Peony Pavilion' is a famous what?
Shanghai building
opera
novel
Moon festival, food, cake
Moon cake for the Mid Autumn (Moon) Festival

9. Under which British sovereign was the first official embassy sent off to China?
Queen Victoria
King George III
King Edward VI
Macartney, embassy, kowtow
William Alexander's drawing of the reception of the Macartney embassy to China. Young Thomas Staunton (kneeling not kowtowing) receives a gift from the Emperor. Image by William Alexander available under a Creative Commons License

10. An auspicious arrangement of hills is sometimes called?
hidden dragon
grasping monkey
sleeping phoenix
Zhejiang, mountains, view
Zhejiang scenery near Hangzhou including a tea plantation

11. The noon day gun is fired every day where?
Hong Kong
Lhasa
Tianjin
Guangxi, Liuhou, gateway
Liuhou Park, Guangxi was constructed in 1906 to commemorate the scholar Liu Zongyuan of the Tang Dynasty

12. Wade-Giles is a method for doing what?
Decorating porcelain
Writing Chinese with English letters
Sailing a Chinese junk
Dragon Boat, festival
Dragonboat Racing Festival Macau 2005. Image by lidxplus available under a Creative Commons license

13. Why is rice planted in water?
provide nutrients
suppress weeds
improve flavor
rice, Yunnan
Sheaves of rice set out to dry, Yuanyang, Yunnan

14. How would you say 'next month' in Chinese?
下个月 xià gè yuè
后天 hòu tiān
上个月 shàng gè yuè
Ming dynasty, Summer Palace, bridge, Beijing
Summer Palace bridge with 17 arches, Beijing

15. In which dynasty did Emperor Qianlong rule?
Song
Qing
Han
tea plantation, children
Girl wearing a traditional dress holds a glass of green tea
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