Something To Show For Trivia Quiz

Answer: Camel Back Bridge

The Jade Belt Bridge is, what is commonly known as a moon bridge. It has a distinctive high arch. Whilst this also makes it look like the hump of a camel, it serves two purposes; the opportunity for pedestrians to walk over the top while providing sufficient room for barges to pass underneath.

The Jade Belt Bridge is on the grounds of the Summer Palace in Beijing. Built in 1750, it is one of six bridges on the western shore of Kunming Lake though, it is without doubt, its most famous. White stone and marble dominate its construction though the arch, on this occasion, was created specifically to allow dragon boat races through it.

Answer: A statue

Situated near the Nanshan Temple of Sanya in the province of Hainan, this is a Buddhist statue that stands 108 metres tall. That's a staggering 354 feet high. The image is of the bodhisattva Guanyin, who has been adopted in China as the goddess of mercy.

There are three sides (aspects) to the statue. One faces inland while the other two confront the South China Sea. This represents the goddess providing her protection to the inhabitants of China on the one hand and the rest of the world on the other. On each aspect the Guanyin is holding a different object, a sutra, a set of prayer beads and a lotus. The aspect with the sutra (held in the left hand) makes the gesture of a Vitarka mudra with the right hand. This mudra has the tips of the index finger and thumb joined together while the other three fingers are pointed straight out. It represents the discussion and the spreading of the teachings of Buddhism.

Answer: No

The tunnel was created to connect the Shanghai Bund and Pudong. This is a double-laned tunnel that passes through the Metro Line 2 tunnel. It is a fully automated system, in other words, it is unmanned, and a cable is used to pull the carriages between stations. The ride will take between three to five minutes to complete.

The system was set up purely as a tourist attraction and the fares do come at a premium. So, if you're not seeing the sites of Shanghai... what do you get for your hard earned dollar? A spectacular light and sound show that has to be seen (and heard) to be believed.

Answer: A swimming competition

What started out as a small festival in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China in 1963 is now viewed by many as the largest ice and snow festival in the world. Each year's event is conducted under a specific theme and teams come from across the globe to compete. As an example of its size, in 2019 the show was spread out over 600,000 square metres.

The event caters for a range of winter activities, including the Yabuli alpine skiing contest, the ice-lantern exhibition in Zhaolin Garden and, of course, the winter swimming event that is conducted in the Songhua River. Temperatures here are chilled by the cold winds that blow in from Siberia and, in winter, annual lows of -25 °C (-13 °F) are not uncommon. You would definitely need a fair bit of iron in your blood if you wish to take a dip.

Answer: Double decker trams

Hong Kong Tramways (HKT) began life as the Hong Kong Tramway Electric Company Limited in 1902 and began service two years later. The tramway runs on Hong Kong Island between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan. There is a separate line that will take passengers on a circuitous route through Happy Valley.

HKT owns one of the largest (active) double decker fleets in the world and is cited as one of the rare tramway institutions that uses them exclusively. Single trams were used initially with the first double brought in 1912. The singles were phased out by 1935. The single trams did make a comeback in 1965 (with trailers attached) but the economics of employing two conductors for less passengers, coupled with the occasional derailment saw them phased out. By 1984 the operation ran with doubles exclusively.

Answer: The Great Wall

Huanghuacheng is not much more than a small village in the town of Jiuduhe in the northern areas of Beijing. It's only real claim to fame is that it shows off a small tourist section of the Great Wall. However, this is not any section of the Great Wall, it is the only section that has been built on a lakeside. This means that tourists can hire a boat and obtain a unique view of the fortification.

If the opportunity arises, one of the best times of the year to visit is during the summer months. At that time the hills in the area are awash in a sea of yellow wildflowers. It is from this spectacle that the village drew its name... Huanghua meaning "yellow flower".

Answer: True

Situated in Se, Macau, the Grand Lisboa stands at an impressive 261 metres (856 feet) in height. It boasts within its walls a casino with over 800 gaming tables and 1,000 slot machines and a hotel that caters for 430 rooms. The hotel, looking like a giant "Transformer" (robot) certainly stands out in the Macau skyline.

Other attractions at the hotel include a three Michelin Star restaurant that can brag about a wine list that has in excess of 14,600 international wines. It also has, on permanent display, the Star of Stanley Ho, a 218 carat, cushion shaped, diamond.

Answer: 5A

This question has no intention of debating the value of the dam or its impact on the environment it is merely here to marvel at the breath of its creation, which has, as a consequence, seen it gain the country's highest classification as a tourist attraction.

The Three Gorges Dam is an incredible piece of human construction and engineering. Supposedly visible from space, the dam is 181 metres (or 607 feet) tall, and it spans 2,335 metres across the Yangtze River... that's almost one and a half miles across. It plays a role in flood control in the area and provides the country with its hydro-electric power. When the electricity generation aspect was completed in 2012 it had the capacity to generate 22,500 megawatts of power. To put that into perspective, the largest generator of hydro-electricity in the United States is the Grand Coulee Dam... the Three Gorges churns out three times as much power as it can.

The 5A (or AAAAA) rating is the highest the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism will award. It is given to the most important and best-maintained tourist attractions in the People's Republic of China. The Three Gorges Dam was included on its list in 2007.

Answer: Tiger

The gorge sits where the Jinsha River, a primary tributary of the upper Yangtze River, passes between the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the Haba Snow Mountain. From the river to the mountain's peak, it has a depth of 3,790 meters (12,434 feet). This makes it one of the deepest river gorges in the world, if not one of its most spectacular.

At its narrowest point it is 25 metres across (82 feet) and it was here that the legend of the tiger's leap was (supposedly) born. Hunted and in desperate danger, the tiger leapt, landed on a large rock in the middle of the river and then leapt to safety on the other side. The Chinese see the tiger as their "king of beasts" and he, not only represents strength, but bravery as well. He is, generally, worn by their soldiers as an omen of good fortune because his territory is a place that even demons would be fearful of stepping into.

Answer: Ten thousand

The Battle of Nanjing was a conflict during the Second Sino-Japanese War. In November of 1937 the Japanese had captured Shanghai. From this point, the conquest and conquer of Nanjing was merely a matter of time. Chinese leader, Chiang Kai-shek, could see this and withdrew his elite troops from the city rather than see them sacrificed. He left a token defence of 100,000 soldiers, most of whom were untrained, to hold the gates. The Japanese arrived at these gates on the 9th of December, launched the attack the next day and held the city by the 13th of December.

What followed was six weeks of random acts of murder, rape, arson and looting, among other atrocities. This memorial was created to recognise the victims of this event and, as mentioned, was built on the site where thousands of bodies were buried. The memorial includes museums, statues, relief carvings, a wall that lists the names of the departed and an atonement tablet. Estimates of the number killed is difficult to pin down but they range from 40,000 dead to 300,000. Japanese scholars generally accept the findings of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, who place the number dead at 200,000.