Traditions Quiz 1

Starter level quiz all about Chinese traditions
1. Confucius and Lao Zi are both said to have lived how long ago?
1,000 years
2,500 years
500 years
Confucius, Beijing
Statue of Confucius at the Imperial Academy (Guozijian) Beijing

2. What is an 'eye' in mahjong?
blue dragon
50 points
a pair of tiles
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

3. Dowager Empress Cixi was very fond of which dog breed?
Boxer
Pekingese
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

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

5. Which plant is mentioned in the Buddhist mantra 'Om mani padme hum'?
peony
lotus
chrysanthemum
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. The Yi Jing (I Ching) system of fortune telling has a system of how many hexagrams?
66
32
64
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

7. An ink stone is used for what?
create solid marks
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.

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

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

10. How many types of dragon are there in mahjong?
2
1
3
teahouse, people, mahjong
Drinking tea and playing Mahjong in a park Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

11. Which astrological animal heads the sequence of twelve?
ox
rat
snake
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 Erhu is the most common traditional stringed instrument, how many strings does it have?
2
5
8
Dunhuang, Gansu, music
Musicians in paradise, Yulin cave 25, Dunhuang, Tang Dynasty
Image available under a Creative Commons license

13. 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

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

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

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

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

18. When is the next dragon astrological year?
2031
2036
2050
silk, dragon
Silk embroidery of Chinese dragon

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

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