Chinese History for Kids Trivia Quiz

Answer: Qin

The state of Qin was created in 897 BC during the Zhou dynasty. The state was situated in the western part of China. It became the most powerful state during the Warring States period from 476 to 221 BC.

Qin took 9 years to unite all the other 6 states (Wei, Han, Chu, Qi, Zhao, Yan) in 221 BC. Qin Shihuang became the first Emperor to rule China. The capital was established at Xianyang in present-day Shaanxi Province.

The Great Wall of China was extended to prevent attacks from the barbarians in the north. The greatest achievement by the Qin dynasty was the creation of a common language and writing for China. However the harsh rule by Qin Shihuang lasted only 15 years before it fell in 206 BC.

Answer: Han

The Han Dynasty was founded by Liu Bang who was a lowly officer during the Qin dynasty. The Han Dynasty lasted from 206 BC to 200 AD. They learnt from the mistakes of Qin by adopting a moderate rule.

The Han dynasty can be divided into two periods: Western Han from 202 BC to 9 AD when Chang-an (present-day Xian) in Shaanxi Province was made the capital, and Eastern Han from 9 to 220 AD when Luoyang at Henan Province took over as the capital. The Silk Route was created during the Han dynasty to trade with the west.

The fall of Han dynasty was followed by the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280 AD), Jin dynasty (265-420 AD), the Northern and Southern dynasties (420-589 AD).

Answer: Tang

Tang dynasty succeeded Sui dynasty, which united China in 518 AD. However, the dynasty lasted only for 38 years due to the extravagance of the second emperor. He carried out mega projects and launched a series of disastrous military campaigns against Korea, taxing the people to their limit.

In 618 AD, Tang dynasty was established by Li Yuan aka Emperor Gaozu. He was succeeded by his second son Li Shiming, who became Emperor Taizong. Taizong was considered one of the greatest Chinese rulers, his reign has often been used as an exemplary model for future rulers.

Answer: Song

Song dynasty was founded by Zhao Kuangying who became Emperor Taizu. He ruled for 17 years and was succeeded by his younger brother Zhao Kuangyi (Emperor Taizong).

The Song dynasty lasted from 960 to 1279 AD can be divided into two periods: Northern Song from 960 to 1127 AD and Southern Song from 1127 to 1279 AD. In 1127 AD, the capital Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng) of Northern Song fell to the Jin invaders. The Southern Song dynasty then moved to establish the capital at Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou). In 1279 AD, the Southern Song fell to the Mongols, who founded the Yuan dynasty.

Answer: Mongol

Genghis Khan united the Mongolian tribes and created the world's largest ever empire from 1206 to 1227 AD. The Yuan dynasty was established after his grandson Kublai Khan captured the last Southern Song stronghold in 1279 AD. The Yuan dynasty lasted 79 years and fell to the Ming dynasty in 1368 AD.

Answer: Ming

Zhu Yuanzhang, aka Emperor Hongwu, was the founder of the Ming dynasty who ruled from 1368 to 1398 AD. He was the leader of the peasant revolts which overthrew the Yuan dynasty.

Zhu Di, known as Emperor Yongle, the fourth son of Emperor Hongwy, usurped the throne from his nephew Zhu Yunwen, aka Emperor Jianwen, in 1402 AD. After completion of the Forbidden City in 1420 AD, Emperor Yongle moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing. During his reign from 1405 to 1433 AD, Admiral Zheng He and his fleets made expeditions to South-East Asia, India, Western Asia and East Africa.

Answer: Qing

In 1636 AD, the Manchus established the Qing dynasty in north east China. In 1644 AD, they overthrew the Ming dynasty, the last dynasty ruled by Han Chinese. In 1912, the Qing dynasty ended after the Xinhai Revolution and China became a republic.

At its peak, it was the fourth largest empire by size, covering almost 11% of the world's land mass, 14.7 million sq. km (5.7 million sq. mi). It occupied mainland China, Hainan, Taiwan, Mongolia, Outer Manchuria and Outer Northwest China.

Answer: Dr. Sun Yat-sen

Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), aka Sun Wen, was a physician who became the first leader of the Nationalist Party of China (Kuomintang). He is often referred as the "Father of the Nation". After many unsuccessful attempts to overthrow the Qing dynasty, he finally succeeded during the Xinhai Revolution in 1912.

After his appointment as the president in 1912, he quickly relinquished the post to former Qing general, Yuan Shikai. He then left to live in exile in Japan, but returned to form a revolutionary government in the South to fight against the warlords who controlled much of China. In 1923, he formed an alliance with the Chinese Communist Party to consolidate their strength against the warlords. However he did not live long enough to see his successor, Chiang Kai-shek, unify China in the Northern Expedition.

Answer: 1937

China fought eight years of war resistance from 1937 to 1945 against the Japanese Empire, which was known as the Second Sino-Japanese War. The all-out invasion by Japan started on 7 July 1937 at Marco Polo bridge, located near to Beijing. On 18 September 1931, the Japanese Kwantung Army attacked Shenyang in Liaoning. They occupied the three north-east Chinese provinces known as Manchuria after 5 months of attack.

After the unconditional surrender of Japan in August 1945, they returned all occupied territories, including Taiwan, to China. In 1895, the Qing dynasty had ceded Taiwan to Japan after they were defeated by Japan in the first Sino-Japanese War.

Answer: Mao Zedong

After the end of the Second World War, a civil war broke out from 1945 to 1949 between the communist army led by Mao Zedong and the nationalist army led by Chiang Kai-shek. The nationalist army, although better equipped, with a numerical advantage and supported by America, lost the war to the communists. On 1 October 1949, Mao Zedong declared the founding of PRC at Tiananmen Square.

The nationalist army retreated to Taiwan after their defeat.