Traditions Quiz 1

Starter level quiz all about Chinese traditions
1. Where might you find a man riding a hen?
on a roof
in a Lion dance
in a Mahjong set

2. Dowager Empress Cixi was very fond of which dog breed?
Shih tzu
Pekingese
Boxer
dog, han dynasty, pottery
A pottery dog from the Chinese Han Dynasty. Image by Gary Lee Todd available under a Creative Commons License

3. The Chinese pipa is a type of what?
horn
lute
flute
music, guzheng
Guzheng is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the zither family of string instruments

4. The Yi Jing (I Ching) system of fortune telling has a system of how many hexagrams?
66
64
50
Yi Jing, I Ching, Song dynasty
A page from a Song Dynasty (960-1279) printed book of the I Ching (Yi Jing, Classic of Changes or Book of Changes) , 17.7x11.9cm, printed book, in the National Central Library in Taipei. Image by Song era print artist available under a Creative Commons License

5. Which plant is mentioned in the Buddhist mantra 'Om mani padme hum'?
chrysanthemum
lotus
rose
Buddhism , Mount Emei, Sichuan, elephant
Golden palace at the top of Mount Emei, Sichaun with the world's highest status of Pǔxián Púsà 賢菩薩.

6. What is Dimsum?
stuffed boiled dough
snake meat
tofu blocks
Guangdong, Shenzhen, food, shop
A store at Shenzhen Baoan Xixiang market, Guangdong. 2014 Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

7. How many types of dragon are there in mahjong?
1
none
3
teahouse, people, mahjong
Drinking tea and playing Mahjong in a park Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

8. An ink stone is used for what?
paperweight
absorbing ink
grinding ink
imperial inscription, vermillion,  calligraphy, Emperor Qianlong
Part of a memorandum from a high official with a vermillion ink note added by Emperor Qianlong.

9. What is an 'eye' in mahjong?
a pair of tiles
blue dragon
set of three
mahjong, game
Playing mahjong at Seattle's Chinatown-International District Night Market, Hing Hay Park, International District, Seattle, Washington. Image by Joe Mabel available under a Creative Commons License

10. Firecrackers are usually which color in China?
red
green
yellow
lantern festival, festival, fujian
Lantern Festival, Daoist parade of gods (Ngi?ng-s?ng) in Luoyuan, Fuzhou. Image by LuHungnguong available under a Creative Commons License

11. Which astrological animal heads the sequence of twelve?
rat
horse
ox
Hong Kong, zodiac, sculpture
The Garden of the Chinese Zodiac features twelve carved animals in the gardens of Kowloon Walled City Park, Hong Kong

12. The chrysanthemum represents which season?
autumn
summer
none
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum design motif (Plate 92) available under a Creative Commons License

13. Which color was reserved for the roof tiles of Imperial buildings?
yellow
red
black
Qing dynasty, Beihai Park, Beijing, roof
Beijing park pavilion roof

14. Losing what is considered a disaster in China?
face
memory
money
Gansu, desert, people
Walking on the Taklimakan desert sand dunes near Dunhuang, Gansu

15. The Erhu is the most common traditional stringed instrument, how many strings does it have?
5
2
7
Dunhuang, Gansu, music
Musicians in paradise, Yulin cave 25, Dunhuang, Tang Dynasty
Image available under a Creative Commons license

16. Confucius and Lao Zi are both said to have lived how long ago?
2,500 years
500 years
1,500 years
Confucius, Beijing
Statue of Confucius at the Imperial Academy (Guozijian) Beijing

17. When is the next dragon astrological year?
2022
2024
2050
silk, dragon
Silk embroidery of Chinese dragon

18. Which was traditionally NOT added to tea as a flavoring?
onion
orange peel
sugar
Fujian, tea plantation
Tea in flower at a plantation in Fujian Province

19. Which would you NOT expect to find in a Chinese garden?
lawn
pavilion
pool
chinoiserie, chinese bridge, garden
Chinese bridge. Apremont Gardens, France. Image by Parc floral available under a Creative Commons License

20. In the Dragon dance, the dragon(s) typically chase what?
sun
bat
pearl
dance, dragon, Foshan, people
Copyright © Dreamstime see image license
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