How much do you know about China?
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1. China is twice the size of Western Europe and the third largest country in the world, after Russia and Canada. It is a highly diverse country and its terrain varies from plains, deltas and hills in the east to mountains, high plateaux and deserts in the west. To the south its climate is tropical, while to the north it is sub-arctic. Do you know how many square kilometers dose China cover?
A. 9.2 million square kilometers B. 9.4 million square kilometers
C. 9.6 million square kilometers D. 9.9 million square kilometers
Answer: C.
2. This is the city that has the largest population in China. It is also the biggest and most developed city in mainland China. The 2000 census put the population of this city to 16.738 million, including the floating population, which made up 3.871 million. Since the 1990 census the total population has increased by 3.396 million, or 25.5%. As of 2003, the official registered population is 13.42 million; however, more than 5 million more people work and live in this city undocumented. Which city is this?
A. Nanjing B. Shanghai C. Beijing D. Guangzhou
Answer: B. It is really crowded there.
3. The longest rive in China is also the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world. The river is about 6,380 km long and flows from its source in the western part of China eastwards into the East China Sea. It has traditionally been considered a dividing point between northern and southern China. Which one of the following is the longest river in China?
A. Changjiang River B. Yellow River C. Pearl River D. Songhua River
Answer: A. Chang Jiang River literally means ' Long River ' in Chinese, it is also known as Yangtze River.
4. The Great Wall of China is a defensive wall on the northern border that was built and maintained by several dynasties at different times in Chinese history. The first major wall was built during the reign of the First Emperor. The wall is complemented by defensive fighting stations, to which wall defenders may retreat if overwhelmed. Each tower has unique and restricted stairways and entries to confuse attackers. Barracks and administrative centers are located at larger intervals. The Wall is included in lists of the "Seven Medieval Wonders of the World". The Wall was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The famous Chinese saying about the wall is that "you're not a real man if you haven't climbed the Great Wall". Do you know exactly how long is the Great Wall (kilometer)?
A. 5,200 km B. 3,200 km C. 2,300km D. 1,200km
Answer: C. There is no offical resource for the "exact" length of the Great Wall. So I guess everybody gets credits for this question.
5. The Summer Palace is one of the most famous palaces in China. It mainly dominated by Longevity Hill (60 meters high) and the Kunming Lake. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometers -- three quarters of which is water. In its compact 70,000 square metres of building space, one finds a variety of palaces, gardens, and other ancient-style architectural structures. In December of 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List. It declared the Summer Palace an "outstanding expression of the creative art of Chinese landscape garden design, incorporating the works of humankind and nature in a harmonious whole". The Summer Palace is located in which of the following city?
A. Beijing B. Nanjing C. Hangzhou D. Shenyang
Answer: A. It is a place for the emperors to stay in summer.
6. The Huang Shan, literally Yellow Mountain is a mountain range in eastern China. The area is very famous for its scenic beauty, which lies in the peculiar shapes of the granite peaks, in the weather-shaped Huangshan Pine trees, and in views of the clouds from above. The area also has hot springs and natural pools. The Huang Shan is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese paintings and literature. Today, they are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of China's most popular tourist destinations. Which province is Huangshan Mountain located in?
A. Jiangsu B. Shandong C. Anhui D. Jiangxi
Answer: C. The views of the clouds from above is really hard to catch, have been there three times, never saw it.
7. Jiuzhaigou Valley; literally "Valley of Nine Villages" is a nature reserve in western China. It is known for its many multi-level waterfalls and colorful lakes, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. Which province is Jiuzhaigou Valley located in?
A. Beijing B. Sichuan Province C. Suzhou D. Hunan Province
Answer: B. It is really beautiful there, highly recommanded.
8. West Lake is a famous place of interest located in Zhejiang province of eastern China. The West Lake is said to be the incarnation of Xi Shi, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. Hence, since ancient times, the West Lake was associated with a large number of romantic poets, profound philosophers, national heroes and heroines. This famous scenery spot is located in the downtown of which city?
A. Suzhou B. Hangzhou C. Guangzhou D. Nanjing
Answer: B. Beautiful city with delicious food.
9. In Chinese culture, there are 12 animals (or affinities) representing 12 terrestrial branches to control hours, days, months and years. 2005 is the Rooster’s year, which animal represent 2006?
A. Dog B. Dragon C. Monkey D. Ox.
Answer: A. Unfortunately, there is no cat's year.
10. The PRC officially describes itself as a multi-ethnic unitary state. Within China, the Han being the majority (>92%), and the remaining nationalities being the national minorities. In general, the system is applied only within mainland China although Taiwanese aborigines are classified as one of the nationalities - Gaoshan. Hong Kong and Macau do not use this ethnic classification system, and figures by the PRC government do not include Hong Kong and Macau. How many officially recognized nationalities are there in China?
A. 52 B. 54 C. 56 D. 58
Answer: C.
11. This traditional Chinese holiday is also known as the Spring Festival. According to legend, in ancient China, Nian ("Nyan"), a man-eating predatory beast could infiltrate houses silently. The Chinese learned that Nian was sensitive to loud noises and the color red, and so they scared it away with explosions, fireworks and the liberal use of the color red. These customs led to the first celebrations. This holiday is also the time when the largest human migration takes place when Chinese all around the world return home to have reunion dinners with their families. What is this festival?
A. Chinese New Year B. the Lantern Festival
C. the Dragon Boat Festival D. the Mid-autumn Festival
Answer: A. As a tradition, childern will get money packeted in red envelops from relatives during this time of the year, used to be my favorite festival when I was a child.
12. Moon-cake is the traditional food of some Chinese traditional festival. The traditional moon-cake was sweet, round and big, now there are more new shapes, sizes and varieties. The cakes are filled with all kinds of tasty things but mostly are egg yolk and lotus seed paste. Do you know the moon-cake is the typical food for which festival?
A. the Spring Festival B. the Lantern Festival
C. the Dragon Boat Festival D. the Mid-autumn Festival
Answer: D. Also known as moon festival. The moon-cake is too sweet for me, but you may like it.
13. Confucius (Chinese Kong Fuzi, literally "Master Kong") was the most famous thinker and social philosopher of China, whose teachings have deeply influenced East Asia. Living in the Spring and Autumn period, he was convinced of his ability to restore the world's order, but failed. After much traveling around China to promote his ideas among rulers, he eventually became involved in teaching disciples. His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. Confucius' thoughts have been developed into a vast and complete philosophical system known in the West as Confucianism. As a great teacher, Confucius has more than 3000 students, but only few of them are qualified to be his “Ph.D” students (I mean disciples). Do you know how many disciples does Confucius have?
A. 24 B. 36 C. 48 D. 72
Answer: D. Confucius must be very busy, and how did he get so many fundings?
14. The ancient Chinese philosophy correlates every aspect of human life and of nature with an underlying cosmic cycle influencing life on earth. It is the cycle of five processes (wuxing), five phases, five powers, or "five elements" that determines the cosmic and life on earth. The “five elements" include fire, earth, water, and what other two elements?
A. Wood B. Air C. Metal D. Stone
Answer: A and C. The five elements are wood/ fire/earth/metal/water, and it is assumed that every following element will destroy or swallow the previous.
15. Each element is represented by a color, like red for Fire and yellow for Earth, what is the color for water?
A. silver B. white C. blue D black
Answer: D. This is a trick question, only few people got it right. Why? Sorry, no idea.
16. Chinese poetry develops its classical form in the late Han dynasty and reached its zenith in the Tang dynasty. The writer was under no formal constraints other than line length and rhyme (in every second line). The form was therefore favored for narrative works and by writers seeking a relaxed or imaginative style. In the most popular styles of ancient Chinese poem, the number of characters in each verse is defined to be __ and __?
A four B five C Six D Seven
Answer: B and D.
17. Summer is the season for students to graduate and also a season to harvest fruit. Thus, in old Chinese saying, some fruit are used as the metaphor for “students”, they are __ and ___?
A Apple B Peach C Plum D Cherry
Answer: B and C.
18. Cheongsam were the trditional dress for Chinese people before Western-style suits became common in China; they are not often worn today, except during traditional Chinese celebrations or as stylish party dresses. The cheongsam is usually a one-piece dress that fit loosely and hung straight down the body. The cheongsam went well with the western overcoat and scarf, and portrayed a unique East Asian modernity. The well known Chinese style dress – cheongsam (also known as qipao) is developed in which dynasty:
A Qing dynasty B Ming Dynasty C Tang Dynasty D Song Dynasty
Answer: A.
19. China is the first country to use paper-made money; do you know which dynasty did Chinese first use the paper as money?
A Qing dynasty B Ming Dynasty C Tang Dynasty D Song Dynasty
Answer: D. In Song dynasty (960-1279), the large amount of issued copper coins could not satisfy the need of the expanding economy. Merchant guilds in Sichuan were worldwide the first to develop officially accepted letters of exchange that were provided with the security of iron coins.
20. Which is the host city for the 2008 Olympic Games?
A. Shanghai B. Beijing C. Guangzhou D. Nanjing
Answer: B.