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The fascinating history of the Forbidden City - Exam
Contributed by: Watson
  • 1. When was the construction of the Forbidden City completed?
A) 1420
B) 1750
C) 1600
D) 1500
  • 2. How many years did it take to build the Forbidden City?
A) 32 years
B) 25 years
C) 7 years
D) 14 years
  • 3. Which Chinese emperor moved the capital to Beijing and ordered the construction of the Forbidden City?
A) Emperor Yongle
B) Emperor Kangxi
C) Emperor Wu of Han
D) Emperor Qin Shi Huang
  • 4. How many gates are there in the outer walls of the Forbidden City?
A) Six
B) Four
C) Eight
D) Two
  • 5. What was the original name of the Forbidden City before it became known by its present name?
A) Imperial Citadel
B) Purple City
C) Heavenly Palace
D) Golden Palace
  • 6. In what year was the Forbidden City declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
A) 1987
B) 2000
C) 1975
D) 1995
  • 7. What building is located at the very center of the Forbidden City?
A) Palace of Heavenly Purity
B) Hall of Supreme Harmony
C) Imperial Garden
D) Forbidden Gate
  • 8. What color are the walls of the Forbidden City traditionally painted?
A) Green
B) Red
C) Yellow
D) Black
  • 9. What ancient Chinese belief influenced the layout of the Forbidden City?
A) Confucianism
B) Buddhism
C) Legalism
D) Feng Shui
  • 10. What is the Chinese name for the Forbidden City?
A) Gugong
B) Zǐjìnchéng
C) Danei
D) Jingcheng
  • 11. How many emperors resided in the Forbidden City?
A) 18
B) 16
C) 30
D) 24
  • 12. What is the estimated market value of the Forbidden City as of 2018?
A) $100 billion
B) $70 billion
C) $60 billion
D) $50 billion
  • 13. How many visitors did the Forbidden City receive in 2019?
A) 15 million
B) 10 million
C) More than 19 million
D) 25 million
  • 14. What was the original meaning of 'cheng' in Zijincheng?
A) Castle, fortress, or fortification
B) Temple
C) Palace
D) City
  • 15. Which dynasty's emperors first resided in the Forbidden City?
A) Qing dynasty
B) Ming dynasty
C) Shun dynasty
D) Han dynasty
  • 16. What was the name of the museum established in 1925 within the Forbidden City?
A) Beijing Historical Museum
B) Imperial Heritage Museum
C) Forbidden Palace Museum
D) Palace Museum
  • 17. Who led the forces that captured the Forbidden City in April 1644?
A) Chiang Kai-shek
B) Zhu Di
C) Li Zicheng
D) Wu Sangui
  • 18. What was the primary material used for flooring in major halls of the Forbidden City?
A) Stone slabs
B) Golden bricks
C) Wooden planks
D) Marble tiles
  • 19. What was the purpose of the sixteen-year restoration project carried out by the Palace Museum in the early 21st century?
A) To convert it into a residential area
B) To expand the museum's collection
C) To repair and restore all buildings to their pre-1911 state
D) To modernize the Forbidden City
  • 20. What was the significance of 'Zi' in Zijincheng?
A) Means 'imperial'
B) Refers to the North Star, or Ziwei Star
C) Signifies 'golden'
D) Represents 'prohibition'
  • 21. What was the original Chinese name for the Forbidden City that means 'Former Palace'?
A) Gugong
B) Jingcheng
C) Danei
D) Zijincheng
  • 22. Which dynasty's forces took control of the Forbidden City during the Second Opium War?
A) Anglo-French forces
B) Japanese forces
C) Ming dynasty forces
D) Qing dynasty forces
  • 23. What was the name given to the Forbidden City during the Ming and Qing dynasties that means 'Palace City'?
A) Zijincheng
B) Jingcheng
C) Danei
D) Gugong
  • 24. What are the dimensions of the Forbidden City from north to south?
A) 8,886 m
B) 961 m (3,153 ft)
C) 980 m
D) 753 m (2,470 ft)
  • 25. How many surviving buildings are there in the Forbidden City?
A) 500
B) 8,886
C) 980
D) 9,999
  • 26. What is a common myth about the number of rooms in the Forbidden City?
A) There are 8,886 bays of rooms.
B) The number of rooms is unknown.
C) There are exactly 980 rooms.
D) There are 9,999 rooms including antechambers.
  • 27. What is the height of the Forbidden City's surrounding wall?
A) 6 m (20 ft)
B) 52 m (171 ft)
C) 8.62 m (28.3 ft)
D) 7.9 m (26 ft)
  • 28. What is the width of the moat surrounding the Forbidden City?
A) 7.9 m (26 ft) high and 8.62 m (28.3 ft) wide.
B) 6 m (20 ft) high and 52 m (171 ft) deep.
C) 6 m (20 ft) deep by 52 m (171 ft) wide.
D) 8.62 m (28.3 ft) wide at the base.
  • 29. What material is used for the core of the Forbidden City's walls?
A) Gold bricks
B) Wood
C) Rammed earth
D) Marble
  • 30. How many ridges do the corner towers' roofs boast?
A) 50 ridges.
B) 9 ridges.
C) 100 ridges.
D) 72 ridges.
  • 31. Which gate is located at the southern end of the Forbidden City?
A) The Meridian Gate (A) (午門; Wǔmén).
B) The East Glorious Gate.
C) The West Glorious Gate.
D) The Gate of Divine Prowess.
  • 32. Which gate has only eight golden door nails?
A) The Gate of Divine Prowess.
B) The West Glorious Gate.
C) The Meridian Gate.
D) The East Glorious Gate (D) (東華門; Dōnghuámén).
  • 33. What is the central gateway part of in the Forbidden City?
A) The Imperial Way, a stone flagged path.
B) A wooden pathway for commoners.
C) A decorative garden walkway.
D) An underground tunnel system.
  • 34. What was the primary use of the Outer Court during the Qing dynasty?
A) Military training grounds
B) Marketplace activities
C) Residential purposes for nobles
D) Ceremonial purposes
  • 35. What feature is set into the roof of the Palace of Heavenly Purity?
A) A pair of tigers
B) A phoenix
C) A lotus flower
D) A coiled dragon
  • 36. What was the Palace of Earthly Tranquility converted for during the Qing dynasty?
A) Taoist rituals
B) Buddhist meditation
C) Shamanist worship
D) Confucian studies
  • 37. How many palaces are there in total between the Six Western Palaces and the Six Eastern Palaces?
A) Eight
B) Six
C) Twelve
D) Ten
  • 38. What was the primary function of the main halls in each palace's front courtyard?
A) Living quarters
B) Gardening
C) Storage
D) Receptions
  • 39. Where did lower ranking imperial consorts reside within the palaces?
A) Main section of a palace
B) Back courtyard
C) Front courtyard
D) Side halls
  • 40. Who was known as the 'western empress' during the late Qing era?
A) Empress Dowager Cixi
B) Qianlong Emperor's wife
C) Empress Dowager Ci'an
D) Kangxi Emperor's wife
  • 41. What was the primary use of the back courtyard and its main hall in each palace?
A) Receptions
B) Living quarters
C) Ceremonial events
D) Military training
  • 42. During which era did Empress Dowager Cixi reside in one of the Western Palaces?
A) Late Qing era
B) Ming dynasty
C) Early Qing era
D) Han dynasty
  • 43. What was the role of the main halls in the back courtyard?
A) Used for receptions
B) Served as living quarters
C) Gardening space
D) Storage area
  • 44. What is located to the south of Cining Palace?
A) Palace of Earthly Harmony
B) Shoukang Palace
C) Cining garden
D) Pavilion of Pleasure
  • 45. Which park is located to the north of the Forbidden City?
A) Beihai Park
B) Zhongnanhai
C) Jingshan Park
D) Zhongshan Park
  • 46. Which park is located to the west of the Forbidden City?
A) Jingshan Park
B) Beihai Park
C) Zhongnanhai
D) Tiananmen Square
  • 47. What park commemorates Sun Yat-sen?
A) Tiananmen Square
B) Beihai Park
C) Zhongshan Park
D) Jingshan Park
  • 48. Which park is located to the northwest of the Forbidden City?
A) Zhongshan Park
B) Beihai Park
C) Tiananmen Square
D) Jingshan Park
  • 49. What was the purpose of Beihai Park during imperial times?
A) An industrial area
B) A military training ground
C) A popular royal park
D) A residential district for nobles
  • 50. What color are almost all roofs in the Forbidden City?
A) Green
B) Red
C) Yellow
D) Black
  • 51. What do black roof tiles symbolize in the Forbidden City?
A) Growth, associated with wood.
B) Heaven, represented by the Qian trigram.
C) Earth, represented by the Kun trigram.
D) Fire-prevention, associated with water.
  • 52. How many pieces of art does the Palace Museum hold?
A) 1,862,690
B) 750,000
C) 3,000,000
D) 500,000
  • 53. Where were important parts of the Museum's collection evacuated to during the threat of Japanese invasion?
A) Beijing
B) Taipei
C) Shanghai
D) Nanjing
  • 54. How many boxes of artefacts are housed in the National Palace Museum in Taipei?
A) 3,000
B) 8,000
C) 13,491
D) 2,972
  • 55. How many pieces of ceramics and porcelain does the Palace Museum hold?
A) 340,000
B) 10,000
C) 1,862,690
D) 50,000
  • 56. How many pieces are in the Palace Museum's bronze collection?
A) 340,000
B) 50,000
C) 1,862,690
D) Almost 10,000
  • 57. How many pieces of jade does the Palace Museum's collection include?
A) 340,000
B) 50,000
C) 30,000
D) 10,000
  • 58. From which period do some of the earliest jade pieces date?
A) Ming dynasty
B) Neolithic period
C) Tang dynasty
D) Qing dynasty
  • 59. Which joint NBC and RAI miniseries was filmed inside the Forbidden City, despite being set during a time when it did not exist?
A) The Last Emperor
B) Marco Polo
C) Forbidden City Cop
D) Shanghai Noon
  • 60. In which series of video games is the Forbidden City a buildable Wonder?
A) Civilization series
B) Final Fantasy series
C) The Elder Scrolls series
D) Assassin's Creed series
  • 61. Which martial arts western action comedy starring Jackie Chan was filmed at Hengdian World Studios?
A) Forbidden City Cop
B) Rush Hour
C) The Forbidden City
D) Shanghai Noon
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