1. This is a memorial hall to which important figure in Chinese history?
Sun Yatsen
Zhou Enlai
Chiang Kaishek
The Sun Yatsen memorial hall is in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province; the province where he was born.
2. Where is this famous pagoda?
Xi'an
Qufu
Hangzhou
It is the Great Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an that was built to house the Buddhist scriptures brought back to China by Xuanzang.
3. Which muscial instrument is this man playing?
guqin
dizi
erhu
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'.
4. This demonstration of Kung Fu is primarily associated with which place?
Taishan
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 view is from “The Peak” on Hong Kong island looking over Victoria to Kowloon.
6. Where might you find this famous landmark?
Summer Palace in Beijing
Dongting Lake
Beihai Park in Beijing
The famous White Dagoba stands in Beihai Park and was built in the Mongol dynasty.
7. These ruins are part of which Imperial building?
Old Summer Palace
Summer Palace
Temple of Heaven
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.
8. Where can you find this famous building?
Summer Palace, Beijing
Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Iron Pagoda, Kaifeng
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests within the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) complex, Beijing.
9. This building is known by which name?
Natural History Museum
Beijing Museum
Great Hall of the People
Every province has its own internal hall within the ‘Great Hall of the People’. It lies on the west side of Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
10. Why are there nine mythical beasts behind the 'man on a hen' on this roof?
nine ancient rites
nine was the Imperial number
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
11. This striking church can be seen in which Chinese city?
Hohhot
Harbin
Urumqi
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. Why is this creature so important in Chinese history?
carries the Black Death
producing lacquer
producing silk
It is the caterpillar of the silkworm moth that spins a silk cocoon. It is usually fed on white mulberry leaves.
13. In the pastures of Xinjiang sheep are grazing. What is the name of the type of building used by the herdsmen?
yurt
kohte
igloo
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.
14. In which month might you expect to see this watery spectacle?
June
September
April
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?
