Glasgow College, UESTC

As is common knowledge in the UK, quiz nights are interesting interactive events - fun, knowledge-based competitions usually held in pubs - and a popular leisure activity among British people. Pub quizzes, as they are also known, offer a chance to drink, socialise, and show off your intellect - or laugh at your own wrong answers!

Participants, divided into groups, decide on group names and interact with the host; who often goes to great lengths to entertain as well as inform his or her players. The questions are usually a mix of what is called "general knowledge" - mixing science, history, geography, culture and sport. By participating in a quiz night, you gain not just knowledge, but experience a peculiarly British sense of fun.

Pub quizzes are perhaps lesser known in China, where board games, tile games, and karaoke are generally more popular (though some do argue that more formal types of quiz did originate with the Han Dynasty). In any case,  the staff of Glasgow College Hainan, UESTC, decided to raise greater awarness of the joy of quizzing, and on the evening of 26 October, a Quiz Night was held on campus. With elements of 'Halloween' also incorporated (grinning pumpkins and crawling spiders snuck into the buffet, while some participants played dress-up), teams answered four rounds of questions, each with a different topic.

Student 'William', winner of the 'Best Dressed Award', is presented with his certificate by Regional Manager, Ruoli Zhong, who was visiting from our Chengdu office. Dr Duncan Bremner is on the left of the image. Yaya (Laura) Yan, Hainan Office Manager, stands far right.

Crucially, students were NOT allowed to use their phones! The first round of questions was international in flavour, asking about events and landmarks from all over the world.

1. Which is the oldest English-speaking university in the world?
2. Glasgow hosted the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference known as COP26, but which city hosted the first COP conference in 1995?
3. What is the name of the largest and most famous of the classical Chinese gardens in Suzhou?

The second round covered science and mathematics:

1. What exactly is dry ice?
2. Where in the body are red cells produced?
3. How many sides does a nonagon have?

The third round was to "identify the city" through a series of pictures.

The final round featured special 'spooky' Halloween-themed questions - something which greatly excited the students, testing their knowledge of ghosts, ghouls, and Halloween traditions. For those unaware, Halloween is a festival celebrated in Europe and North America, with complicated roots and meanings (but which nowadays is generally more about fun).

Special guests Dr. Duncan Bremner, a Senior Lecturer at Glasgow College, and Dr. Robert Partridge (Executive Dean, Glasgow College Hainan) played their parts as enthusiastic pub quiz hosts. Dr. Guanghui Liu, Dean of Glasgow College, Hainan, also participated. In total, the event attracted nearly 40 teachers and students - and even those from other universities located near the campus (within Lingshui Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone), showed an interest when walking by, clearly wondering what fun they were missing out on!

Dr Robert Partridge, Executive Dean of Glasgow College, Hainan, hosted the quiz with great enthusiasm.

In the end, two teams won the championship together and the 'Ultimate Prize' got an upgrade - a ￥500 cash prize for each team! A prize was also awarded for 'Best Costume', as shown above.

To bring proceedings to a close, Dr. Bremner led everyone in a rousing rendition of a traditional Scots-language song - "Auld Lang Syne" - by famous Scottish poet Robert Burns. The activity came to a successful end with even those who had missed out on prizes remaining joyful at having had such a good time - and no doubt, at having learned at least one or two new facts throughout the evening. BTW: if you were wondering - the first COP conference in 1995 took place in Berlin - and red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow!

Ms. Qingqing Bian, one of the event organisers (and part of our Hainan administration team), reported that the atmosphere was "very warm and active." Having spent several years in the UK as an undergraduate student at the University of Glasgow, she was pleased to get a chance to share some British culture with her students. She remarked, "we hope that everyone can improve their English ability and make new friends through this activity. In the future, we will continue to provide more exciting activities like the pub quiz."

Who knew a night spent answering questions could be so much fun?

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The Pub Quiz

A pub quiz is a quiz held in a pub or bar. These events are also called quiz nights, trivia nights, table quiz or bar trivia and may be held in other settings. The pub quiz is a modern example of a pub game, and often attempts to lure customers to the establishment on quieter days. Founded in the UK in the 1970s by Burns and Porter, the pub quiz has become part of British culture. It then became a staple in Irish pub culture, and its popularity has continued to spread internationally. Although different pub quizzes can cover a range of formats and topics, they have many features in common. Most quizzes have a limited number of team members, offer prizes for winning teams, and distinguish rounds by category or theme.

First published: 20 December 2023