Chinese Greats Trivia Quiz

Answer: Yu

King Yu was one of the three sage-kings - Yao, Shun and, Yu. These three kings laid the cornerstone for Chinese society. Yu was the person who, the legends say, worked tirelessly for thirteen years to tame the Yellow River (Huang He).

Answer: Confucius

Junzi is the ideal of becoming an exemplary and perfect individual. "Ren", "li", and "xiao" are required to become a junzi. "Ren" means an attitude of benevolence, or possessing humanity. "Li" means to have correct etiquette and have knowledge of the norms of society. Finally, "xiao" means filial piety, or respect to elders.

Confucius lived between 557-571 B.C.E. - and his ideas have continued to be important in China.

Answer: Qin Shihuangdi

The Warring States was the time after when the Zhou dynasty fell, and several dynasties were trying to gain control of China. Qin Shihuangdi gained control of China for two main reasons. In his territory he focused on agriculture and the military. He unified the nation and called himself Qin Shihuangdi, which means First Emperor. He implemented the system of legalism and standardized coins, and a system of writing. He also was the proponent of the Burning of the Books. His tomb included the humongous Terracotta army.

Qin Shihuangdi reigned from 221 to 210 B.C.E. Although the dynasty was short-lived, the dynasty established a tradition of imperial administration.

Answer: Laozi

Laozi was a philosopher during the sixth century B.C.E. Taoism developed in the Warring States period. The Taoists were the leading critics of Confucianism. The Daoists believed in internal reflection and not to waste time on questions that can't be answered. In Taoism, the tao is the natural order or the "supremely passive force". A key idea in Taoism is "wuwei", which is the disengagement from worldly affairs. Requiring a simple life, "wuwei" called for living in harmony with nature.

Laozi lived during the sixth century B.C.E. His exact birth and death dates are unknown.

Answer: Han Wudi

Under the long reign of Han Wudi, the Han dynasty flourished in imperial expansion and centralization of the government. Building a large bureaucracy, Han Wudi relied on Legalism as his principle of government. He sent officers to make sure his policies were put in place and to maintain order throughout his empire. He continued Qin Shihuangdi's building of roads and waterways to alleviate trade in China. He established a Confucian style of education system to provide educated officials for the government. Expanding into Central Asia, he defeated the Xiongnu, expert archers, and almost extended his rule to Afghanistan.

Han Wudi reigned from 141 to 87 B.C.E, an amazing fifty four years.

Answer: Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu was a high ranking military general thought to have lived in the Warring States period. "The Art of War" is a book he wrote on how to win war as fast as possible, as Sun Tzu considered war an unnecessary evil. It is composed of thirteen chapters detailing strategies on how to use spies, the energy of an army, and how fight on different types of terrain. Along with these strategies, it shows a whole lot more such as how to maneuver the army, and different types of attack.

Sun Tzu lived between approximately 550 to 495 B.C.E.

Answer: Kublai Khan

Kublai Khan was one of the grandsons of Genghis Khan. The greatest achievement for Kublai Khan was unifying the Mongols once again with the conquest of China, uprooting the Song dynasty, and imposing his own dynasty, the Yuan dynasty. The Chinese and the Mongols lived in a divided society. But the Chinese spoke of Kublai Khan with respect, just as the Mongols gave Kublai respect. Kublai Khan promoted several religions and treated them with respect. He took good care of his subjects, and was well liked. Avoiding the mistakes of his predecessors, Kublai Khan became a long lasting ruler in the Yuan dynasty.

Kublai Khan reigned from 1260 to 1294 C.E.

Answer: Sun Yat-sen

Known as the "Father of Modern China" in Chinese history, Sun Yat-sen was a revolutionary and one of the founders of the Kuomintang party and the Tongmenghui, or the Chinese United League that help overthrew the Qing dynasty. Sun helped to orchestrate the Wuchang Uprsing, a catalyst of the Xinhai Revolution that finally ended the Qing dynasty.

The Qing dynasty ended on February 12, 1912, thus ending the dynastic cycle.

Answer: Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong was a Marxist and Communist. He defeated the Kuomintang and Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of Kuomintang, and forced them and other nationalists to retreat to Taiwan. He later ordered the Great Leap Forward, a plan intended to improve the economy of the country by increasing agricultural production, but this plan was a disaster, causing a famine known as the Great Chinese Famine.

Answer: Bruce Lee

Yip Man taught Bruce Lee the style of Wing Chun, which Bruce later adapted it to Jeet Kune Do. Hope you got that right! Bruce Lee's most famous films include, "Enter the Dragon", "Way of the Dragon", "Game of Death", and "Big Boss". All are great!