Restoring the peaceful spaces of Keyuan, and others, in Suzhou honors the past and keeps ancient skills alive, Wang Kaihao reports.

Students studying here two centuries ago seemed to be really enviable (令人羡慕的). First     1    (construct) in the 10th century as a part of a villa, the garden of Keyuan in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, was rebuilt and renewed on numerous occasions     2     history until it became a Confucian academy in 1805.

It was not, perhaps, an ivory tower where hermits became entirely emerged in metaphysical thinking honoring the ancient sages. The waterscape, rockeries and flourishing willows may have ushered (引导) students to step into a "painting"     3     earthly beauty and dynamics of a real world can be felt.

Keyuan, covering about 7,800 square meters, thus became the only     4     (survive) example among the classical gardens of Suzhou that     5     (function) as a school, whereas most of the rest were former residences.

However, its ownership changed hands several times in recent history, and the luster of the past seems     6     (forget) by the passing of time after the garden was finally used as offices and storerooms. The contrast became even more regrettable     7     the Great Wave Pavilion, a garden on the UNESCO World Heritage List that is just a few meters away across a narrow lane, was bustling with tourists every day.

When Keyuan was handed to He Fengchun, a veteran garden renovation designer, in 2012, her work to make “the pearl” shine again was challenging. The pond was muddy. Rocks were unstable. Plants were withering. Termites also took a toll on the buildings, the structure of which     8     (damage) through decades of neglect.

“Fortunately, its basic layout remained, ”recalls He, the director of Suzhou Institute of Landscape Architecture Design. “Detailed research of historical files and a survey of this site can thus offer us reliable references in     9     (consolidate) its structure and resuming the original landscape.”

Every step in the refurbishing and decorating process has to follow historical recordings and precedent, says the designer. If relevant documentation is vague, restorers     10     leave certain parts untouched to retain marks left by time.

“It took just more than one year for us to actually renovate this garden, but much longer time was spent in evaluating every detail in the plan and making sure of its historical accuracy,” she says.

Renovation of Keyuan was recognized with an Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation by UNESCO in 2019. A bright and elegant garden is now accessible to visitors and jointly portrays a culturally rich neighborhood with the Great Wave Pavilion.

Nanjing City Wall is one of the most important historical and    1    （culture）relics of Ming Dynasty and it is also a symbol of China's ancient architecture. With a present length of about 21 kilometers, the City Wall has a    2    （high）of 14~21 meters and the footing has a width of 14 meters. Nanjing is one of the few cities in China    3    still have old city walls, and its City Wall, for the most part, is better preserved.

Nanjing City Wall is made up of four parts. From the outside there    4    （be）the Outer City, the Inner City, the Imperial City and the Palace City. In 1390, the Outer City was built with a length of 180 kilometers. Though it does not exist any more today, the names of the 18 gates    5    （use）now. Nanjing City Wall we can see today is mainly the relics of the Inner City. The Imperial City was built in order    6    （protect）the Palace City, which is named "Forbidden City" as it is    7    centre of the four walls.

Nanjing people attach great importance to the work of    8    （preserve）Nanjing City Wall because it symbolizes the history of Nanjing. Although the completeness of Nanjing City Wall can not compete    9    the City Wall of Xi'an, it is still one of the    10    （long）ones in the world.

Honoring teachers and their intelligence has always been a tradition in China. Since ancient times, teachers     1    (respect) as messengers of wisdom. The famous Chinese idiom, “Cheng Men Li Xue”, which     2    (literal) means “standing in the snow at the gate of Cheng’s home”, is a wonderful example.

“Cheng” refers to Cheng Yi, a leading     3     (educate) of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty. Attracted by Cheng’s theory, Yang Shi, a talented and hardworking young man, worshiped Cheng as his mentor.

One day, Yang and his friend had different opinions on one question and went to Cheng’s home for advice. It was in the middle of winter. Feeling     4     (freeze) by the wind and snow, the two men wrapped     5     (they) tightly in their clothes and hurried on. When they arrived at Cheng’s place, the gatekeeper said the master     6    (take) a nap.

The two students did not complain. Instead, they chose not     7     (disturb) the teacher and waited outside the door, standing in heavy snowfall.

After quite some time, Cheng, upon waking up, became aware     8     his students had been standing in the snow for a while     9     immediately invited them to come in. Deeply moved by their patience, Cheng gave detailed answers     10     the students’ questions. After years of study, Yang finally achieved his life goal as a great scholar.

Many years ago, there were many states    1     China. The State of Qi used to be very strong, but it became less powerful. Yan Zi was a wise adviser，so the king of Qi    2     (send) him to ask Chu to support each other.

The king of Chu knew Yan Zi was very short. He tried     3     (make)Yan Zi feel shy about his height.When Yan Zi arrived，the guard told him to enter through the small gate. Yan Zi didn’t get    4     (angrily). “Only a state of dogs will greet visitors with a gate for dogs. I’m visiting the State of Chu. This gate isn’t for     5     ( I ).“ Yan Zi said. So the guard had to take him through the main gate.

The king of Chu was unhappy at     6     Yan Zi did. “Why did Qi send YOU? Don’t they have anyone better?” the king tried another way. “If Qi meets a great king, it’ll send the    7    (good) ambassador(使臣). I’m    8     worst. That’s why I’m here.” Yan Zi replied calmly(镇定地). At this time， the guards brought a thief(小偷) to the king. The thief was from Qi. “Ha! Yan Zi, is Qi a state of    9     (thief)?“asked the king impolitely.

Yan Zi replied, “The orange trees south of Huai River produce big    10     delicious fruit， while the orange trees north of Huai River produce small and sour fruit. The environment makes the fruit grow differently. In Qi, people are good and honest, but here,they steal. What made that person a thief here?” Finally，the king looked at Yan Zi and laugh,“I was wrong about you and your state!"