Famous Chinese Historical Figures Quiz

Answer: Spring and Autumn Period

Sun Tze aka Sun Wu (544-496 BCE) was born in the state of Qi (present-day Shandong Province). This period was the Spring and Autumn period about 770 to 481 BC, which was during the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. Sun Tze is well-known for writing the 13-chapter "Art of War" which is still a thesis widely used today.

He served the state of Wu under King Helu (reigned 514-496) toward the end of the Spring and Autumn period.

Answer: Yue

Goujian (reigned 496-465 BC) was the king in the Kingdom of Yue (present-day northern Zhejiang), toward the end of the Spring and Autumn period. After he succeeded his father, he defeated the superior Wu armies led by King Helu around 496 BC. King Helu died in the battle and was succeeded by his son Fuchai (reigned 495-473 BC).

In 494 BC, Goujian was utterly defeated by Fuchai when he launched an attack on Wu. Instead of taking Goujian's life, Fuchai humiliated Goujian by taking him and his wife to serve him as slaves in Wu. After serving for 3 years, Goujian was allowed to Yue. During the 3 years, Yue was run by Fan Li and Wen Zhong, two of Goujian's most trusted officials. They secretly built up the Yue armies to be ready for revenge when the opportunity arises. In 473 BC, Goujian took advantage of Fuchai's expedition to the north. He successfully led an attack on the Wu capital, killing the Wu crown prince. Fuchai was killed and his state was annexed by Yue.

Answer: Han

Wang Zhaojun was born around 50BC. Xiongnu was the nomadic tribes from the north who regularly attacked the borders of Han empire. In order to maintain a good relationship with the Xiongnu, Emperor Yuan (reigned 48-33 BC) had to pay tribute to the nomadic tribes. This practice started with the founder of the Han dynasty, Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang).

Answer: Zhuge Liang

Zhuge Liang (181-234) aka Kongmíng was a Chinese military engineer, strategist, statesman, and writer. He was the chief military strategist of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He was widely recognized as the most accomplished in his era, comparable to Sun Tze. He was mainly responsible for his service to his lord Liu Bei (161-223) to secure a stronghold in Sichuan. After Liu Bei death in 223, he continued to serve his son Liu Shan (207-271). After his death in 234, Shu Han was conquered by Wei in 263.

Answer: Sui

The Sui dynasty lasted from 518 to 618 AD. Emperor Yang aka Yang Guang (569-619) succeeded his father Emperor Wen (541-604) aka Yang Jian in 604. During his reign (604-618), he committed several large projects of which the most well known as the Grand Canal.

He also ordered several military operations against Champa and Korea. The military campaigns resulted in death of thousands of Sui soldiers from malaria. The disastrous campaigns left the empire bankrupt causing the people to revolt. In 618, he was strangled to death in a coup led by his general Yuwen Huaji.

Answer: Tang

Wu Zetian (624-705), known by personal name Wu Zhao, was the de facto ruler of the Tang dynasty from 665 to 705. She was first empress of consort of Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) from 665 to 690. The period she ruled was briefly known Wu-Zhou, but it was largely still a part of Tang dynasty as recorded by historian.

After the death of her husband, she took over the reign from her son and ruled from 15 years from 690 to 705. In fact, she was an effective rule and as her dynasty grew larger, its culture and economy were revitalized, making Tang dynasty one of the greatest in Chinese history.

Answer: Di Renjie

Di Renjie (630-700) was a statesman during the Tang and Wu Zhou dynasties. He was one of the most important officials of Wu Zetian's reign, twice serving as chancellor. In the Chinese TV series, he was depicted as the amazing detective who could solve the most difficult cases and mysteries using his experience and intelligence.

Answer: Xuanzang

Xuanzang (602-664) born Chen Hui/Chen Yi, was also known by his Sanskrit name Moksadeva, who became a monk by the age of 12. He was also known as Tang Sanzang or Tang Seng. He was the founder of the Idealistic School who traveled to India to collect and study Buddhist scriptures from 629 to 645. Upon his return to China, he translated many Buddhist canons.

He played an important role in the history of Buddhism in China.

Answer: Bao Zheng

Bao Zheng (999 -1062), commonly known as Bao Gong, was a statesman politician during the reign of Song dynasty Emperor Renzong (reigned 1022-1063). In his 25 years of civil service, he was well known for upholding honesty and uprightness in his actions. He even sentenced his own uncle, impeached an uncle of Emperor Renzong's favorite concubine and carried out heavy punishment to powerful families who broke the law.

From 1057 to 1068, he served as the prefect of Kaifeng, the capital of Song dynasty. During his term, he made changes to address the issues of the grievances of the commoner, making him a legendary figure. As a result, he gained the honorific title Justice Bao (Bao Qingtian), for his ability to defend the commoners against corruption or injustice.

Answer: Song Jiang

During early 12th century, Song Jiang was the leader of the armed rebellion against the ruling Song Dynasty under the reign of Emperor Huizong (1100-1126) He led the band in the present-day provinces of Shandong and Henan. He was offered amnesty by Emperor Huizong and later served the Imperial Court as an official.

In the classical novel "Water Margin", he is the central figure of 108 heroes who come together to form a stronghold in Shandong's Liangshan Marsh. Lu Junyi, Lin Chong and Wu Song are 3 of the 108 heroes.