Treasure Hunt See how you did on the China Treasure Hunt! Check your answers below:

1. Which of the Chinese festivals is both a time of sorrow and joy? And why do the Chinese refrain from cooking on that day? Answer can be found in the “Qing Ming” article, at: http://www.credoreference.com/entry/berkchina/qingming_festival

“The origin of the Qingming Festival is dubious. Most people, however, attribute it to a king named Chong’er and his subject Jie Zitui. Before he was king of the Jin state in the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 bce), Chong’er (697–628 bce) fled from the persecution of his murderous stepmother queen. The hardships he endured during his exile alienated all his followers, except Jie Zitui, who even fed the starved king with flesh cut from his leg. After ascending to the throne, Chong’er forgot Jie Zitui. By the time he remembered and sent for him, Jie Zitui had already gone in hiding to Mount Mian with his mother. Chong’er set fire to the mountain in the hope of driving out Jie Zitui; but Jie Zitui preferred to be burned to death. The regretful king then set aside the day in Jie Zitui’s memory and decreed that no fire be allowed on that day, resulting in a festival called hanshi (cold food). Later, hanshi and qingming were combined to create the Qingming Festival.”

2. Mao’s youthful Red Guards spread violence and terror during the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution. What did Mao Zedong do to them in the end, and why? Answer can be found in the “Red Guard Organizations” article, at: http://www.credoreference.com/entry/berkchina/red_guard_organizations ChinaAnswer can also be found in This Is China, pages 98-99.

“The Red Guards by 1967 had splintered into factions whose members violently contested one another’s loyalty and commitment while continuing to arrest, torture, and harass those Chinese whom they regarded as threats to the revolution, including scholars, translators, and military officials. Red Guards confiscated gold, jewelry, and valuable real estate and destroyed art collections and priceless records. Alarmed by the horde of Red Guards, in March 1967 the government took the first step in curbing their activities by ordering them to cease national networking and travel. In 1968 the army was dispatched into schools and colleges to restore order and to control the Red Guards.” 3. China’s maritime exploration between 1405 and 1433 brought more than thirty kingdoms into China’s economic sphere. But did China’s fleet ever reach North America, as Gavin Menzies claims in his book 1421? The answer and related information can be found in the “Zheng He” article: http://www.credoreference.com/entry/berkchina/zheng_he and the article “Exploration—Maritime” http://www.credoreference.com/entry/berkchina/exploration_maritime). 4. Which Chinese action star met Henry Kissinger at the White House, as part of the Wushu Delegation that came to the United States in 1974? Answer can be found in the caption of a photograph in the “United States–China Relations” article: http://www.credoreference.com/entry/berkchina/united_states_china_relations 5. What material was the burial suit of Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of the Zhongshan State made of? Answer can be found in the caption of a photograph in the “Han Dynasty” article: http://www.credoreference.com/entry/berkchina/han_dynasty

23 June, 2011