Places of Interest in China Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sichuan

Jiuzhaigou, which literally means Nine Village Valley, is located in the north of Sichuan Province, in the southwest of China. It is a long valley that runs from the north to the south. Since the park was opened to the public in 1984, the park is one of the most visited tourist sites in China. In 1992, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, and in 1997, was designated as World Biosphere Reserve. The park is a part of the Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture.

There are waterfalls, multi-hued pools, crystal-clear lakes in multiple colors, and snow capped mountains sitting on an elevation between 2000 and 3000 m (8500 ft), with peaks reaching up to 4700 m (15500 ft).

On 8 August 2017, the park was unfortunately hit by an earthquake of about 7 magnitudes which killed at least 25 people in the region. The park was re-opened in March 2018, but the Chinese authority limited the number of visitors to 2000 per day.

Answer: Red Hill

Potala is the highest ancient palace in the world, at a height of 3,767 m (12,359 ft) at the topmost point of the palace. The palace was constructed by the fifth Dalai Lama in 1645. It took 45 years for the palace to be fully completed in 1694, 12 years after the death of the fifth Dalai Lama.

The Palace is made of the Red Palace in the center flanked by the two White Palaces, covering an area of 13 sq. km (5 sq. mi), thirteen storeys high with over 1000 rooms. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1994.

Answer: Elephant Trunk Hill

Elephant Trunk Hill is located at a height of 200 m (656 ft), at the confluence of Taohua River and Li River. This site was already a popular tourist spot since the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The hill looks like a giant elephant drinking water from the river.

Water Moon Cave is a semicircular cave between the elephant's legs and trunk. During the night, the cave and its reflection together form a bright moon on the river.

Answer: Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)

Yellow Mountian, originally known as Mt. Yishan, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. In 747 AD, it was renamed Mt. Huangshan in recognition of the legendary Huang Di (Yellow Emperor), who was the foremost ancestor of the Chinese people, credited with founding of the Chinese nation about 4000 BC.

The highest point is 1864 m (6115 ft). The mountain range is famed for its natural scenery, sunsets and uniquely shaped granite peaks and floating cloud views from above. In the past, about 60,000 stone steps were carved along the side for people to climb up the mountain. Cable cars are now available to bring tourists to the summits.

Answer: Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is located at about 32 km (19 mi) from Zhangjiajie city in Hunan Province. This park was established in 1982 and covers 48 sq. km (18.6 sq. mi).

The park features many picturesque peaks, clear looking brooks and many species of fauna and flora. There are more than 149 types of animals in this park, of which 28 types are under national protection, such as Golden Pheasant, Rhesus Monkey, Giant Salamander and Musk Deer.

Answer: Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

The pagoda is located in the southern part of Xian City, about 4 km (2.5 mi) from the city's downtown. It was added to the World Heritage List on 2014. The 60 m (198 ft) high pagoda known as Da Yan in Chinese can still offer a bird's eye view of ancient palaces, busy streets and heavy traffic in Xian city.

Originally built in 652 during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it was constructed for the purpose of housing Buddhist scriptures brought from India by the famous monk traveler, Xuanzang. Xuanzang, aka Tripitaka/Tang Sanzang, was the monk who was featured in the Chinese classic, "Journey to the West".

Answer: Longmen Grottoes

Longmen Grottoes or Caves are located 12 km (7.6 mi) south of Luoyang City; they were constructed during Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 AD). The grottoes are densely located between Mount Xiang and Mount Longmen facing the Yi River in the eastern central part of China.

Construction of the caves started in 493 AD, and they were continuously built during the 400 years until the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD). Within the 2345 caves, there are more than 100,000 Buddhist statues. In the area, there are over 2100 niches, 40 pagodas and 3600 tablets and steles. The 17 meter (56 foot) high statue of Vairocana in Fengxian Temple is the most spectacular statue.

The site also contains many historical materials related to art, music, religion, calligraphy, medicine, costume and architecture.

Answer: Hangzhou

West Lake was added to the World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2011. The lake is about 6.5 sq. km (2.5 sq. mi) with an average depth of 2.27 m (7.5 ft). The lake is surrounded by mountains on three sides, which form into five lakes: North Inner Lake, the Yuehe Lake, the West Inner Lake, the South Lake and the West Outer.

The two famous pagodas by the lake are Leifeng Pagoda in the south and Baochu Pagoda in the north.

The legend of the West Lake is a famous Chinese story about a common mortal falling in love with a white snake spirit.

Answer: Henan

Shaolin Temple is located in the region of Song Mountain, Denfeng County, Henan Province, about 80 km (50 mi) south west of Zhengzhou (capital of Henan). The history of the temple dates back to Northern Wei Dynasty (386 - 534 AD). Besides being a famous martial art training center, the temple played an important role on the development of Zen Buddhism in China.

It was included in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 2010. The main attractions are: the Hall of Heavenly Kings (Tianwangdian), the Mahavira Hall (Daxiongbaodian), the Pagoda Forest, the Dharma Cave and the Martial Art Training Center.

Answer: Yunnan

This site is known as Kunming Shilin in Chinese, meaning Stone Forest. The forest was made of karst features which were formed about 270 million years ago. Since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it was already a well known tourist spot and was known as the 'First Wonder of the World'.

It is located in Shilin Yi Nationality Autonomous County, 120 km (75 mi) from Kunming. The site is about 400 sq km (150 sq mi). The major attractions in this site are: Greater & Lesser Stone Forests, Naigu Stone Forest, Zhiyun Cave, Long Lake, Moon Lake, Dadie Waterfall, Qifeng Cave, Guishan Mountain