1. In the pastures of Xinjiang sheep are grazing. What is the name of the type of building used by the herdsmen?
kohte
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.
2. Why are there nine mythical beasts behind the 'man on a hen' on this roof?
represent the Double Ninth Festival
nine ancient rites
nine was the Imperial 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
3. This demonstration of Kung Fu is primarily associated with which place?
Wudan monastery
Taishan
Shaolin monastery
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.
14. These ruins are part of which Imperial building?
Summer Palace
Old Summer Palace
Temple of Heaven
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.
15. Where is this famous pagoda?
Hangzhou
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.
16. Which muscial instrument is this man playing?
erhu
guqin
dizi
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'.
17. In which month might you expect to see this watery spectacle?
April
June
August
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.
18. This striking church can be seen in which Chinese city?
Shenyang
Harbin
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.
19. Where might you find this European style building?
Hong Kong
Xiamen
Macau
The old part of Macau has a number of buildings of colonial Portuguese design including the church of Sao Lourenco.
20. Where can you find this famous building?
Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Forbidden City, Beijing
Forbidden City, Shenyang
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests within the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) complex, Beijing.