Traditions Quiz 1

Starter level quiz all about Chinese traditions
1. The Erhu is the most common traditional stringed instrument, how many strings does it have?
5
2
4
Dunhuang, Gansu, music
Musicians in paradise, Yulin cave 25, Dunhuang, Tang Dynasty
Image available under a Creative Commons license

2. Which plant is mentioned in the Buddhist mantra 'Om mani padme hum'?
chrysanthemum
plum
lotus
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.

3. When is the next dragon astrological year?
2036
2050
2028
silk, dragon
Silk embroidery of Chinese dragon

4. What is an 'eye' in mahjong?
a pair of tiles
50 points
run of four
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

5. The Yi Jing (I Ching) system of fortune telling has a system of how many hexagrams?
64
66
100
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

6. Which color was reserved for the roof tiles of Imperial buildings?
brown
yellow
blue
Qing dynasty, Beihai Park, Beijing, roof
Beijing park pavilion roof

7. Which was traditionally NOT added to tea as a flavoring?
jasmine
chrysanthemum
sugar
Fujian, tea plantation
Tea in flower at a plantation in Fujian Province

8. The musical intrument called a 'pipa' is a type of what?
drum
bell
lute
music, guzheng
Guzheng is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the zither family of string instruments

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

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

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

13. Confucius and Lao Zi are both said to have lived how long ago?
2,500 years
1,000 years
500 years
Confucius, Beijing
Statue of Confucius at the Imperial Academy (Guozijian) Beijing

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

15. Where might you find a man riding a hen?
on a roof
in a Mahjong set
at Qing Ming festival

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

17. Firecrackers are usually which color in China?
green
red
black
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

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

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

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