The city of Dunhuang,     1    (situate) in an oasis (绿洲) in Northwest China’s Gobi Desert, was a shining star on the ancient Silk Road. It is the site of the remarkable Mogao Caves, which are well-known for     2    (they) statues and wall paintings.     3     China’s oldest treasure house of Buddhist art, Dunhuang also witnessed cultural exchanges along the Silk Road.

But over the centuries wall paintings as well as the statues,     4     were made from clay on wood, have faced challenges due to natural damage and human activities.     5    (protect) the cultural relics, China has been working on digitizing Dunhuang, transforming the buildings into a digital version.

On May 1, 2016, the Digital Dunhuang resource database was launched,     6    (provide) clear images, virtual tours of the caves and so on. By August 2022, the “Digital Dunhuang” project     7    (complete) the digital collection of 278 grottoes, the image processing of 164 grottoes, and the 3D reconstruction of many cultural relics.

Digital technology has enabled us to visit Dunhuang online in     8     innovative way. It has also made the cultural relics of Dunhuang     9    (access) to the whole world. Nowadays “Digital Dunhuang” is visited by people who show great     10    (curious) in Chinese cultural heritage in different countries and regions.

China National Silk Museum is located at the southern bank     1     West Lake in Hangzhou City. There are three buildings. The museum covers three floors of the first building. The second building covers silk worm biology, while the     2     (three) covers the earliest silk technology. It     3     (house) many historical silk relics.

Why should you visit it? China was the first to make clothes with silk. The museum is a great visit for those wanting     4     (know) the history and culture of silk and silk     5     (develop) in China during the various dynasties since the New Stone Age. There are textiles (纺织品) of the Han and Tang dynasties,     6     have been dug along the route of the Silk Road. There are also costumes from areas south of the Yangtze River in the Song Dynasty, modern Qipao and traditional cloth-making     7     (machine).

You can learn about the influence of silk on China and global cultures, about silkworm (蚕) care and biology, silk goods     8     silk production technologies in China. You can see how silk clothes     9     (make) from natural silk.

The museum also shows evidence about the famous Silk Road, the world’s oldest and most     10     (historical) important overland trade route.

Visiting foreign Mandarin learners get a taste of China

A group of foreign teenagers recently toured China and said they found the country interesting and friendly, adding that they     1    (impress) by its culture and natural     2    (scene).

A total of 110 students, age from 14 to 18 from about 100 countries, visited Beijing and Southwest China's Yunnan province during a 15-day tour in October while     3    (take) part in the 16th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students.

In Beijing, the teens visited Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City and the National Stadium. In Yunnan, they took trips to Erhai Lake, Yunnan Wild Animal Park and other places. They learned the art of paper-cutting and     4     to make clay figurines, dough models and sachets. They also played Chinese     5    (music) instruments, engaged in tie-dyeing and tea-making,    6    tried on traditional Chinese costumes.

The teens learned about China's history by traveling to sites with traditional Chinese architecture and experiencing intangible cultural heritage, while their visits     7    communities, schools and families helped them understand modern China.

Many said the tour helped them gain a new perspective and deeper understanding of the country and its people. Eric Phelipe Dos Reis Dias, from Brazil, said he liked the sachets     8    （make）in Yunnan and was happy to celebrate his 17th birthday in Kunming, the provincial capital. He said he began teaching     9    (he)Mandarin four years ago by watching     10    (video) online before attending classes at a Confucius Institute.

Yangge is the general name of a widespread and representative group-based folk dance in China, mainly in North China. It is known by different names and has different styles in     1    (vary) places. There are two main types of Yangge: “Gaoqiao Yangge (stilt yangge)”,     2     is performed on stilts (高跷) , while “Ground Yangge”, performed     3     stilts. Yangge has a long history. It was recorded as “Cuntianle” in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Today, Yangge is mainly performed by Yangge troupes, each     4     (contain) dozens or even over 100 members, in the form of group dances, duo dances or trio dances, etc. And if they     5       (require) because of the roles, performers may dance with the     6     (assist) of instruments like gongs, drums and suona, holding handkerchiefs, umbrellas, bars, drums or copper cash whips. Yangge in different places differs in terms of its steps, movements and styles. No matter mighty or gentle,     7     styles or movements are all fantastic and entertaining.

As one of     8       (popular) folk dances in North China, Yangge is either practiced as part of a performance or individually and is highly popular among the people. Today, as the cultural environment     9       (change) with the rapid development of the rural economy, few folk artists who can master the traditional techniques and authentic styles of Yangge exist. Therefore, conservation and inheritance efforts are     10     (extreme) needed for Yangge.

Every year in China, a day is set aside to honour, and show respect for, the elders and senior citizens in the entire nation. As China has more than 297 million people     1    (age) 60 and over, according to the latest statistics, this day     2    (grow) in popularity over the years.

In the early 1980s, the Chinese government declared that the Chongyang Festival would be the day on which     3    (celebrate) the lives of China’s elder citizens. Of course, showing respect and admiration to     4     old is a Chinese tradition dating back to ancient times,     5     therefore the people easily and readily support this day. On this day, the government and local communities hold various activities for the elders,     6     free hair-cuts, cultural performances and health-care consultations.

However, respect for the elders should be kept in mind firmly and showing     7    (we) for them is not restricted to one special day only. According to historical records, elders over 70 years old enjoyed special treatment and anyone not showing respect to them     8    (punish), which proves that respecting the elders was set in law back then.

Apparently, respect for the elders is the     9    (found) of the Chinese moral system. Today, throughout China, we find many examples of young people     10    (carry) on this tradition of respect.