Erhu is a two stringed violin with the bow string between the two strings. 二胡 èr hú means literally 'two' 'fiddle'. There is a less common instrument with four strings 'sihu'.
2. Why are there nine mythical beasts behind the 'man on a hen' on this roof?
nine was the Imperial number
nine ancient rites
represent the Double Ninth Festival
Yellow roof tiles can only be used for Imperial buildings as yellow was the dynastic color of the Qing dynasty. As three is a potent yang number the square of 3, nine, is an even more potent yang number. It was associated with the Emperor and many things in the Forbidden City are in nines.
Glazed animal sculptures on the palace roof of the Forbidden City, Beijing
3. This is a memorial hall to which important figure in Chinese history?
Mao Zedong
Sun Yatsen
Chiang Kaishek
The Sun Yatsen memorial hall is in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province; the province where he was born.
4. This lovely pristine beach is located where?
Qinhuangdao, Hebei
Beihai, Guangxi
Sanya, Hainan
Hainan island is famous as a semi-tropical beach resort.
5. Which famous harbor is this?
Hong Kong
Wuhan
Tianjin
The view is from “The Peak” on Hong Kong island looking over Victoria to Kowloon.
6. Where is this famous pagoda?
Xi'an
Kaifeng
Beijing
It is the Great Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an that was built to house the Buddhist scriptures brought back to China by Xuanzang.
7. In the pastures of Xinjiang sheep are grazing. What is the name of the type of building used by the herdsmen?
yurt
teepee
kohte
The yurt is made from layers of felt draped over a wooden framework. It can be very quickly moved to another location as the herdsmen follow their flocks.
8. These objects are associated with which religion?
Confucianism
Buddhism
Daoism
This form of stupa which often contains sacred Buddhist relics is common in Tibet, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia.
9. Why is this creature so important in Chinese history?
producing silk
carries the Black Death
eaten by giant pandas
It is the caterpillar of the silkworm moth that spins a silk cocoon. It is usually fed on white mulberry leaves.
10. This building is known by which name?
Great Hall of the People
Beijing Museum
Presidential Palace
Every province has its own internal hall within the ?Great Hall of the People?. It lies on the west side of Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
11. This striking church can be seen in which Chinese city?
Harbin
Urumqi
Beijing
The Russian influence in the province of Heilongjiang is quite pronounced reflecting years of Russian domination in the early 20th century. The "onion" domes of the Cathedral of Saint-Sophia, Harbin is a striking example.
12. Which ancient figure is represented by this massive stone statue?
Confucius
Laozi
Mao Zedong
Laozi the founder of Daoism is typically depicted as an old man with a long flowing beard.
13. Where might you find this famous landmark?
Beihai Park in Beijing
West Lake in Hangzhou
Summer Palace in Beijing
The famous White Dagoba stands in Beihai Park and was built in the Mongol dynasty.
14. Which game are these men playing?
mahjong
xiangqi
chequers
Chinese chess象棋 xiàng qí is played with discs on which characters are inscribed so can look like chequers from a distance.
15. These ruins are part of which Imperial building?
Old Summer Palace
Forbidden City
Summer Palace
The style of the stone ornamentation of the Old Summer Palace shows that it was designed by European architects (mainly Jesuits) working for the Qing Emperors.
16. This demonstration of Kung Fu is at its original place in China where is that?
Lushan
Lhasa
Shaolin monastery
The world famous Shaolin monastery (literally ?Small Forest Temple?) is close to Songshan in Henan; it was immortalized by the 'Kung Fu' series of the 1970s. It is a Zen Buddhist temple and dates back to the Wei dynasty.
The Potala palace in Lhasa is the winter palace of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
18. Where might you find this building of European style architecture?
Xiamen
Hong Kong
Macau
The old part of Macau has a number of buildings of colonial Portuguese design including the church of Sao Lourenco.
19. In which month might you expect to see this watery spectacle?
October
June
March
The Dragon boat festival falls on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese calendar. This varies in date on the Gregorian calendar but normally falls in June but in some years it can be in late May.
Do you recongize these places in China?
