1. How did Pan-gu create the earth and the heavens?
In the beginning，the heavens and earth were still one and all was chaos.The universe was like a big black egg,carrying Pan-gu inside itself.After 18 thousand years,Pan-gu woke from a long sleep.He felt suffocated and began to kick and knock around until he broke the shell and stuck out his head and upper body.He looked around and still saw nothing but darkness.So he took up a broad ax and wielded it with all his might to crack open the egg.The light,clear part of it floated up and formed the heavens,while the cold,turbid matter stayed below to form earth.Fearing that the sky and the earth would come together and form the chaotic darkness again,Pan-gu decided to stay between the sky and the earth until the world became permanently separate.
2.What are the differences between the Chinese Loong and the West Dragon?
Chinese Loong is a combination of several propitious animals and it can fly without wings.In contrast,a western dragon looking like a winged dinosaur can fly with its wings and spring fire from its mouth.Besides,people believe Chinese Loong is a positive imaginary creature bringing harvest.But in the west，a dragon is thought to be a negative imaginary image，a violent evil and the embodiment of Satan.In China，people also regard those who are wise and gentle as the sons of Chinese Loong，and government officials wear clothes embroidered with Chinese Loong.However，a western dragon can be referred to a person who is violent，combative or very strict.
3.What is the I Ching or the Book of Changes about?
According to the Book of Changes,the entire universe and everything in it flow with a mysterious,unknowable force called the Tao.Translated literally as “The Way”,the Tao has many different meanings.It is the name that describes ultimate reality.The Tao also explains the powers that drive the universe and the wonder of human
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nature.The book believes that everything is one despite all appearances,Opinions of good and evil or true and false only happen when people forget that they are all one in the Tao.
4. How do you understand the fable “Zhuang Zhou or a Butterfly”? 5. What is the function of this sentence---“It is a general truth of this world that anything long divided will surely unite, and anything long united will surely divide” in the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms?
6.What is the image of Monkey King in the novel Journey to the West?
The Monkey King is rebellious,mischievous and cute.He once fights against the Heaven Court of the Jade Emperor and almost wins the war.Unfortunately,he ends up being under a great mountain for 500 years.After becoming a disciple of Monk Tang,he goes through a whole lot of obstacles so that finally with his protection Monk Tang brings back the True Sutra.He symbolizes heroism and courage in the mind of Chinese people.
7.Confucius has tremendous influence on Chinese education. What’s his educational theory about?
Confucious encouraged “learning for all hierarchical levels and for all ages”,and open the door to the commoners by establishing his own school.He emphasized the “Six Arts” and learning method and principles,particularly regarding morality as the most important subject .Confucious’s goal is to create gentlemen who carry themselves with grace,speak correctly,and demonstrate integrity in all things.And His main educational thoughts were to teach students according to their aptitude ,to treat student equally and to inspire thinking.
8. Can you give a brief introduction of Chinese imperial examination?
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The Chinese Imperial Examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select talented people for future positions in civil service.It was established in 605 during the Sui Dynasty and lasted many years.The examination consisted of a battery of tests administered at the district,provincial,and imperial levels.Each exam taker spent three days and two nights writing “eight-legged essays” without any interruptions.In order to obtain objectivity in evaluation, candidates were identified by number rather than name, and examination answers were recopied by a third person .Any male adult in China could become a high-ranking government official by passing the imperial examination regardless of his wealth or social status after the system was introduced.The examination system was not only the major mechanism by which the central government captured and held the loyalty of local-level elites,but also served to maintain cultural unity and consensus on basic values.
9. Please simply describe the mechanism of the compass and how it was used in ancient China.
The compass is an instrument used to indicate directions with the
help of magnetism.It can be any magnetic device using a needle to
indicate the direction of the magnetic north of a planet’s magnetosphere.Compasses were initially used in feng shui in ancient China.The geomancer magnetized a needle by rubbing its tip with lodestone, and hanged the magnetic needle with one single strain of silk with a bit of wax attached to the center of the needle.
10. Please give a brief introduction of Xu Guangqi and his contribution to introducing Western culture and science to China.
Xu Guangqi was a Chinese agricultural scientist and mathematician born in Shanghai.He was also the first intellectual believer in Catholicism in the late Ming Dynasty as a top offitial.He was not only the first one who introduced European natural science to China and translated
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geometry into Chinses,but also the writer of Nongzheng Quanshu that is one of the greatest agricultural books in China.
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