White Nights Festival

St. Petersburg, Russia (May 26 July 23)

Picture a sunny walk down the streets of one of Europe’s most beautiful and cultured cities. Stop to observe grand canals, parks architecture, and many other historical landmarks, all in the middle of the night! The White Nights Festival aims to improve cultural exchanges between Russia and the rest of the world. It was also created to improve the image of Russia and promote it as a world center for the arts.

Songkran Festival

Thailand (April 13-15)

Songkran Festival, marking the traditional Thai New Year, takes place across the country. In addition to sightseeing at local temples, people flood the streets to take part in large water fights. The throwing of water is a sign of respect and well-wishing, as believers hope to remove bad luck.

Exit Festival

Novi Sad, Serbia (July 6-9)

Exit Festival is a multi-type music festival in Novi Sad, Serbia. Hugely respected throughout Europe and across the globe, the festival has becomé a regular (常客) on “best in the world” lists. Known for its huge variety, Exit Festival welcomes global stars of rock, pop, dance, hip-hop and more to the Petrovaradin Fortress on the banks of the Danube.

Snow Star Festival

Sinakara Valley, Peru (Dates vary between May June)

Tens of thousands of pilgrims (朝圣者) crowd the Sinakara andean valley in the Cusco region with dancers in beautiful skirts performing non-stop over three days. Known as the Snow Star Festival, the gathering falls in line with the reappearance of the star cluster (星团)(Pleiades in the Southern Hemisphere, marking the abundance of the harvest season).

When Wuilly Arteaga was younger, he often visited a local Internet café to learn how to play music. The café owner made a deal with him; he’d give Arteaga some cash if he helped around the business. Arteaga then used that money to buy a cheap violin. His parents, however, prevented him from playing the violin. At age 15, Arteaga decided to leave home and practice his music on the streets. “From then on, my music school has always been outside, ” he said.

In 2017, he moved to New York City. Arteaga was afraid of being unimportant in a city of so much talent (人才) and so many cultures when he first arrived, but later he became comfortable thanks to the subway, other musicians and with his violin by his side. One of his favorite places to perform in the city is Times Square. “There, it’s as if I’m playing at Madison Square Garden, where concerts are usually held. People scream and applaud (鼓掌) and dance like they’re at a concert. They make me feel like a star,” he explained.

The energy and joy from his performances were posted online in 2018 by a social media influencer who goes by the name Junebug. As Arteaga performed a hip-hop song in Times Square, Junebug and others partook in the fun with practically every dance possible to show their excitement at hearing Arteaga’s violin. The video was titled, “When New Yorkers hear a violin,” and it received over 320 thousand likes and was forwarded 120 thousand times.

Many people have recognised Arteaga’s gift for violin. “I don’t regard myself as a gifted player. I just keep my love for the violin and enjoy the pleasure it brings,” he said. “Here, day by day, I am learning its true meaning. ”

Jingdezhen is famous as China’s porcelain (瓷器) capital. It was one of thestops of a group of international youths as they visited Jiangxi Province.

The group’s visit to Jingdezhen was organised by the 2022 Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD) China Tours program. The program offers young people around the world a chance to experience Chinese culture, learn about the life of the nation’s people, and appreciate China’s beautiful scenery through interesting visits and exchanges that take them all over the country.

In Jingdezhen, they visited Imperial Kiln (御窑) Museum. “Before I came to the Imperial Kiln Museum, I had no idea it would take such a complicated (复杂的) process to restore (修复) a piece of porcelain left over from ancient times,” American TV host Steven Weathers said. “Even with the help of high technology, it is hard to imagine how many modern means have played a part in the process of cultural relic protection,” he added.

Daria Lisaia, a researcher from Vanke Urban Research in Shenzhen, shared Weathers’ opinion. Some porcelain musical instruments have been produced with these imperial kilns from ancient days and traditional tools for making porcelain, so we can “hear the music” from hundreds of years ago, she said. “It’s like ancient culture is reborn,” she explained.

In addition to exploring the porcelain art, the group also came to Huangling Village in Wuyuan County, an ancient village around 80 km east of Jingdezhen. Huangling was once packed with run-down houses and buildings. Changes began to take place in 2009, with over 80 percent of the old houses restored. Today, many people come here to enjoy its historic scenes and natural beauty. In early autumn, large bamboo baskets filled with crops, such as chilies, pumpkins and chrysanthemum flowers, are placed in front of the local houses. Locals dry and preserve their crops for winter. Today, the longstanding practice has become a symbol of local culture and an important part of tourism.

Winter is over, so chances are you’re ready for some major spring cleaning or cleansing. Whether you plan to clean your bedroom or wipe the windows, don’t forget to tidy up the kitchen! According to a study, a messy(凌乱的)cooking space can lead to overeating.

As part of the study, 101 female students were put in standard kitchen and messy kitchen environments and were asked to write about a time when they felt in control or out of control. Next, they were given cookies, crackers and carrots. Students in the “messy kitchen” who wrote about feeling out of control ate about twice as many cookies as the people in the in-control situation.

The researchers found that a messy environment can actually make people more likely to eat unhealthy foods, but the person’s mindset(思维模式)within that environment can either trigger or protect against overeating. In the messy kitchen, women who wrote about a time when they felt in control consumed fewer cookie calories than the women who wrote about being out of control.

As the researchers pointed out, our mindset affects whether we win overeat unhealthy foods while in a messy kitchen. If we go into the kitchen with an “in-control?” attitude, we might not eat as many cookies. But then again, why not try out cleaning up the kitchen and see what it does?

Everything that feeds you doesn’t come on a plate such as your relationships, physical activity, and spirituality. Your home environment is also a big part of that nourishment (营养). So whether you tidy up your kitchen or your living room- being mindful of your living space (just like your diet!) can have a positive effect on health.