Shanxi noodles: A matter worth being proud of

A commonly used greeting in China is the question, “Have you eaten?” It indicates the     1    (important) of food in China. The Chinese are     2    (extreme) proud of their cuisine(烹饪).For example, Shanxi takes full advantage. It is famous for its noodles     3    (make) of wheat. It has a recorded history of more than 2,000 years in making wheat-flour noodles.

Every kind of noodle imaginable can be found in Shanxi. Even Marco Polo     4    (inspire) by the making of the Shanxi noodles, which led him to take the recipes back to Italy and Europe.     5    most popular Shanxi noodle is the daoxiaomian. This noodle is shaved from a giant block of dough(面团) hoisted over the chef’s shoulder. The noodles are shaved off directly into boiling water. There is a phrase     6    describes the noodle-making process: “One noodle in the     7    (boil) water, one flying in the air, and one just being cut”.

The noodles are usually served in a small bowl, mixed     8    fresh vegetables. As a special refinement，you can put some Shanxi vinegar on top. The extra aged vinegar is a typical product of the region as well.

One can find handmade noodles all over China today,     9    Shanxi province is special. It’s     10    the art of noodle-making reached its top.

Chinese Medicine Food

Medicine food is     1     unique cooking style in Chinese cuisine. It is a perfect combination (合并) of Chinese cooking and traditional Chinese medicine to get the effects of health keeping. It is a skillful application of the yin and yang (阴阳) theory     2     (strength) the function of food and herbs.

The Chinese sort each type of vegetable and meat in terms of yin and yang, and combine vegetables with meat,     3     will make each cooked dish balanced.

During the 5th century BC, cooks created cuisines with medical values and developed Chinese art of cooking,     4     (use) the nature of food to balance the diet. There were rules on how to arrange daily diet and lists of certain herbs and vegetables beneficial     5     the body.

By the Song dynasty,     6     was recorded that many diseases could be cured through proper diet. Different foods were sorted according to their original mature. Cold foods     7     (believe) to remove fever whale warm foods reduce running noses.

Knowing the nature of individual foods     8     (enable) the Chinese to eat right food to protect     9     (vary) of inside organs and balance the yin and yang of the body. For example, sour food eases some disorders.     10     (slight) sweet food relieves illness related to the veins and bitter food helps to cure an overheated body.

I’ve lived in three Asian cities, and they all surprised me on the upside. In the case of China, here’s     1     I like it.

It’s modern and     2     (continue) to develop all the time. They have modern     3    (city), and excellent transport facilities, including their unmatched high-speed train network. They have excellent hotels, restaurants, and beautiful parks etc.

There’s a feeling of safety and     4     (free) in Chinese cities. You can feel it from the behavior of the diverse crowd. People just do what they want. In most places no policemen     5    (see). Do you know that police in China don’t have firearms? They usually do their job silently and behave reasonably,    6    (add) to the security and order.

The Chinese people are friendly. You will always get help even if you can’t speak a Chinese word besides “nihao”,     7     they can’t speak English. They’ll spend time and go out of their way     8     (explain) to you how to get somewhere, or how to buy     9     train ticket. They’ll     10     (patient) and enthusiastically explain how to get what you need. They’ll be positive and practical all the time while helping you.

Nowadays Chinese are using the solar calendar. But at the same time, Chinese are also using their own lunar calendar. Each lunar year     1     (give) the name of one of these animals: the rat, the ox, the tiger, the hare, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep, the monkey, the cock, the dog and the pig. This list repeats     2     (it) every twelve years,     3     is a main feature of the Chinese lunar calendar.

Each Chinese month starts on the day of the new moon, and the full moon always comes on the     4     (fifteen) day of the month. The New Year,     5     (actual) well known as the Spring Festival, always falls     6     January 21st and February 20th.

On the last day of each lunar year, the Chinese will hold     7     big family reunion dinner. All the members of a family, with the     8     (except) of married daughters, will try to be present on this festival occasion, even if they have to travel many miles     9     (return) to the home of their parents. After the dinner, even children will stay     10     (wake) until the midnight to welcome the New Year.

The drum     1     (accompany) Chinese civilization for thousands of years and has a deep spiritual meaning which takes its existence far beyond a musical instrument. Confucius regarded the “Drum Dance”     2     (high). It is also the origin of the Chinese phrase “guwu”     3     means “embolden” in English.

The earliest reference to the drum in China is in the Pottery Age. The Zhou dynasty     4     (establish) the drum music institution that was responsible for the management of officials known     5     “drum men” and developed a complete drum music system. From then on, drums came to be used in ancient Chinese     6     (practice) such as sacrifice, military, labor and other activities.

In ancient China, agriculture was the main form of production and drums     7     (consider) inseparable for a good harvest. Since the sound of drums echoes that of thunder, it was believed that     8     (play) drums could attract rain.

Dozens of types of Chinese drums exist today. For instance, “Taiping Drum” is used to express hope for peace and prosperity(繁荣)     9     “Ansai Waist Drum” is meant to show the spirit of the Loess Plateau (黄土高原) and the heroic character of farmers in Northwest China.

The prosperity of drum culture reflects the     10     (stable) and prosperity of Chinese society. For thousands of years, drums have been played in the backdrop as the society lives in peace and contentment.