Imperial Chinese History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Xi'an

Xi'an, in modern-day Shaanxi province, served as the imperial capital for the Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties. Its former names include Chang'an and Xianyang. Many ancient relics and sites could be found in and around this city, including the Tomb of Emperor Shi Huangdi and the Summer Residence of Tang dynasty rulers.

Answer: 1421; under the reign of Yongle

Yongle was undoutedly the most powerful and influential of all Ming emperors. He authorized the construction of many famous structures, including the Forbidden City, as well as extensions to the Great Wall. He also greatly expanded the territory of the empire, and launched numerous aggressive military campaigns into Southeast Asia, mostly against Annam (Vietnam).

Answer: Guangxu

In the late nineteenth century, China was suffering from a major crisis. Problems included economic difficulties and famine in the countryside, peasant rebellions, widespread corruption within the government, and military defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895.
Despite the agony the empire was facing, the powerful Empress Dowager Cixi refused to eradicate the problem. The powerless emperor, Guangxu, however, attempted a reformation of the government and economy. The reformation was repulsed by a coup launched by Cixi, thus leading to Guangxu's house arrest.

Answer: Lin Zexu

Emperor Daoguang sent Lin to Guangdong in response to the illegal importation of opium crates from India by the British. The British were hoping to obtain Chinese goods such as tea and porcelain through sales of opium. Lin was able to flush out over 1 million kilograms of opium into the sea in June of 1839 before the enraged British declared war on China.

The war, known as the First Opium War, lasted until 1842, with the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing. This treaty resulted in Hong Kong being ceded to the British and five other Chinese ports being opened to foreign trade.

Answer: Qianlong

Emperor Qianlong ruled China for 61 years from 1735 to 1796. His reign marked the final period of prosperity and stability in Ancient Chinese history. He was also the emperor who lived the longest amount of time. Qianlong, however, did not pass away until 1799, three years after his abdication.

The reason for his abdication was because in 1796, he had already reigned for 61 years, equalling the length of his grandfather, Kangxi's, reign. He refused to surpass his highly-respected grandfather, and thus served as regent until his death for his son, Jiaqing, who succeeded him as emperor.

Answer: Red

The rebels who participated in the Taiping Rebellions were mostly peasants demanding higher standards of living from the corrupt Qing government. The rebellions occurred from 1850 to 1875 and erupted across China. To distinguish themselves, these rebels cut off their braided queues and wore red headbands.

However, after 15 years of chaos, the better-equipped Qing army finally defeated the rebels. Yellow was worn by rebels fighting for similar reasons in the late 2nd century AD against the Han dynasty.

Answer: Wudi

This event occurred around 136 BC. Considering the suffering Confucian scholars endured during the Qin dynasty, it was a milestone for Confucianism to be recognized by the monarchy. China's first Confucian university also opened under this emperor's reign, in the year 124 BC.

Answer: Zhuge Liang

Zhuge Liang is still very well known today for his ingenious tactics. On one occasion, the army he was serving needed arrows badly. In order to acquire arrows from the enemy, Zhuge Liang, in dense fog, ordered some brave soldiers to row towards the enemy's archers in small boats. Bundles of hay were tied to the side of the boats.

When the enemy archers began firing upon sighting Zhuge Liang's boats, they harmlessly attached themselves to the hay. When 100 000 arrows were stuck onto the hay, the boats retreated back towards their own lines. Thus, 100 000 enemy arrows were successfully captured.

Answer: Zheng He

His expeditions led him across the Indian Ocean as far as the eastern coast of Africa. He also established trade relations with civilizations in India and the Middle East. According to some sources, he even succeeded in reaching the west coast of the American continent! Each of his expeditions consisted of sixty 146 meter by 6 meter ships and over 20,000 sailors.

Answer: Yuanmingyuan

Yuanmingyuan was built around 1750 under orders from Emperor Qianlong to celebrate his mother's birthday. It contained lush gardens and ornate European-style buildings, as well as valuable ancient treasures. However, in 1860, during the Second Opium War, the British Lord Elgin ordered an Anglo-French military force to loot it of its treasures in retaliation for the mistreatment of European prisoners by the Chinese army.

It was later rebuilt, and used to train the navy. But in 1900, when the Eight Allied Powers arrived in China to repulse the Boxer Rebellion, they burned the entire garden. Today, the ruins of Yuanmingyuan are a tourist attraction.