Hainan island is famous as a semi-tropical beach resort.
2. Which muscial instrument is this man playing?
guqin
erhu
sheng
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'.
3. These ruins are part of which Imperial building?
Chengde Resort
Old Summer Palace
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.
4. Why is this creature so important in Chinese history?
carries the Black Death
eats rice pests
producing silk
It is the caterpillar of the silkworm moth that spins a silk cocoon. It is usually fed on white mulberry leaves.
5. These objects are associated with which religion?
Buddhism
Judaism
Communism
This form of stupa which often contains sacred Buddhist relics is common in Tibet, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia.
6. In which month might you expect to see this watery spectacle?
June
August
October
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.
7. This demonstration of Kung Fu is primarily associated with which place?
Shaolin monastery
Wudan monastery
Lushan
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.
9. Where might you find this famous landmark?
Beihai Park in Beijing
West Lake in Hangzhou
Dongting Lake
The famous White Dagoba stands in Beihai Park and was built in the Mongol dynasty.
10. This striking church can be seen in which Chinese city?
Harbin
Urumqi
Changchun
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.
11. Why are there nine mythical beasts behind the 'man on a hen' on this roof?
the orginal nine provinces
nine was the Imperial number
nine is a lucky number
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
12. Where is this famous pagoda?
Qufu
Luoyang
Xi'an
It is the Great Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an that was built to house the Buddhist scriptures brought back to China by Xuanzang.
13. Which game are these men playing?
chequers
xiangqi
kerplunk
Chinese chess象棋 xiàng qí is played with discs on which characters are inscribed so can look like chequers from a distance.
Every province has its own internal hall within the ‘Great Hall of the People’. It lies on the west side of Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
15. Where might you find this famous building?
Xining
Chengdu
Lhasa
The Potala palace in Lhasa is the winter palace of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
16. This is a memorial hall to which important figure in Chinese history?
Yuan Shikai
Zhu De
Sun Yatsen
The Sun Yatsen memorial hall is in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province; the province where he was born.
17. Where can you find this famous building?
Forbidden City, Shenyang
Large Goose Pagoda, Xi'an
Temple of Heaven, Beijing
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests within the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) complex, Beijing.
18. Where might you find this European style building?
Macau
Hangzhou
Hong Kong
The old part of Macau has a number of buildings of colonial Portuguese design including the church of Sao Lourenco.
19. In the pastures of Xinjiang sheep are grazing. What is the name of the type of building used by the herdsmen?
tupiq
igloo
yurt
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.
20. Which ancient figure is represented by this massive stone statue?
Laozi
Emperor Qin Shihuangdi
Qu Yuan
Laozi the founder of Daoism is typically depicted as an old man with a long flowing beard.
Do you recongize these places in China?
