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Sunday, October 15, 2006

China Answers - what level are you?

Since I came back from China in late September, I have been thinking about some kind of China Answers service. There are so many How Do I questions out there that seem very difficult to find. I think people are out there answering questions already, so it may be a search problem rather than an answers' community (like Yahoo! Answers or Baidu Zhidao).

I found this post on The 88s interesting...a bit of quiz to assess how much you know about China. A bit different from How Do I questions, but "levels" and "test" appeal to the competitive nature of people who want to show they are an expert on things...so what level are you?

"Level 0
(The guy at 7-11)

1. Can you locate China on a map? (no)
2. Can you name three famous Chinese other than Bruce Lee? (maybe…after 10 minutes)
3. Is there any real difference between China and Japan? (no. or “Yes, Japan has ninjas.”)

Level 1
(Your best friend’s mom?)

1. Can you locate China on a map?
2. What is the capital of China?
3. Who is the president of China?....
...9. Who is Zhang Ziyi?
10. Does China have malls? (no, I don’t think so)

Level 2
(The graduate student with a “Free Tibet” sticker on his Subaru)

1. When did the CCP come to power in China?
2. What language do they speak in Hong Kong?
3. What is Far Lunn Gong?....
...6. Does China have malls? (yes)...
...9. What was your favorite part of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?”
10. Who was the Chinese leader who started China’s program of economic reform in the 1980’s?

Level 3
(The 23-year-old English teacher who’s been in Hangzhou for 2 months?)

1. Who is the President of Taiwan?
2. What is the capital of Sichuan province?
3. What is huo guo?...
...8. Who is the father of modern China?
9. What is the current renminbi/USD exchange rate?
10. What are some Chinese perceptions of the US?

Level 4
(The infamous China expat)

1. What are the prospects for democracy in China?
2. Which is better: Dalian or Dali?...
...7. What is the prevailing theory on the Hu/CYL and Shanghai factions within the CCP?
8. Who is worse: Zhang Yi Mou or Chen Kai Ge?
9. Describe the Chinese management style — if in fact you think such a thing exists.
10. Have you used the phrase 埋头苦干 as a double entendre in a pick-up line in a bar in Shanghai?

Level 5
(The “Sinologist”)

1. Is the yuan undervalued? Why or why not? Does China unfairly manipulate its currency?
2. What is the CCP strategy vis-a-vis the DPP?
3. How many of Jin Yong’s novels have you read in Chinese? Zhang Ailing’s?...
...8. In Beijing’s eyes, how does North Korea relate to the Taiwan question?
9. Is Chinese culture “anti-democratic?”
10. Compare and contrast May 4, 1919, to Jun-e 4, 1-9-8-9."

So there it is. This gets very current affairs / political economy oriented at the higher levels. At least that's my excuse for not being a Level 5. Some of the Level 3 and Level 4 questions are easy, and others I have no idea. Ahhh...to be pwned by a 23 year old English teacher in Hangzhou...

What level are you?

1 comment:

Grigo said...

haha. Level 5 is very difficult, even to a native Chinese. People can pass level 5 at least have degrees in Chinese/Asian study.