【推荐2】This is a typical (典型的) day for Yang Jinlong.

At 9 a. m., he drives to primary schools and middle schools in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, to teach students about Shaanxi kuaiban. It is a traditional Chinese form of storytelling to the rhythm (节奏) of bamboo clapper (响板), which the art form is named after. Sometimes, he helps students prepare for competitions. Usually, his classes run until about 6 p. m. and then he returns home to prepare classes for the next day.

On June 10, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced 325 national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) items in Beijing, increasing the list to1, 557 items. Shaanxi kuaiban, which appeared during the late Qing Dynasty, has been included. The form has been introduced to local schools as part of their art education.

Yang has been teaching young people the art form since 2003 after graduating from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts in Beijing. He studied quyi there. Quyi is a general term for Chinese folk art forms, including storytelling crosstalk and clapper talk.

“Art education is important for students in China. Just as many students learn to play Western musical instruments like the piano and vioiin, there are many people learning traditional Chinese folk arts, including Shaanxi kuaiban, which I’ll work for my whole life,” he said.

Kuaiban is popular in northern China, including Beijing and Tianjin. According to Yang, Shaanxi kuaiban was influenced by the art of different areas. The art form can be played by a group of players or only one. With one or two pairs of kuaiban of different sizes in hand, the players speak in the local dialect (方言) while telling stories, which are usually about heroes. The player tells stories while playing kuaiban, and it’s easy for the watchers to remember the stories since all the lines rhyme.

Thanks to artists like Yang, this traditional Chinese form of storytelling is passed on and stays alive in our country.

【推荐3】Ever since its completion in 1962, the China National Museum of Fine Art has been the largest and most well-respected gallery of fine art in China. The museum was one of ten key projects that were completed within the first ten years after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.

The National Museum today lies on grounds covering 30,000 square metres; the buildings themselves cover over 17,000 square metres of that space. The exhibition halls account for more than one third of the buildings’ area, covering about 6,000 square metres. The museum was built in the style of ancient pavilions, with beautiful corridors and buildings decorated by yellow glazed tiles.

The museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation and display of both modern and contemporary works of art, as well as to art research. It is currently home to a collection of more than 60, 000 works of art, both those on display for public viewing and those in carefully preserved archives. The museum’s archives contain not only works of art but also historical documents. The museum frequently compiles and publishes albums drawn from its vast collections. In addition to its main functions, the museum is also involved in the organization of art exhibitions and academic exchanges, both nationally and abroad.

【推荐1】Western Canada and the northwestern United States have been facing record-breaking high temperatures for days. The heat lasts for several days.

The town of Lytton in British Columbia reached 46.6°C, setting the record for Canada's highest temperature ever. Before that, the record was 45°℃. But a few days later, Lytton set a new record, reaching 47.9°C.

In the US, records were also being broken. Portland, Oregon reached 46.1°C and Seattle hit 42.2°C. Those were the highest temperatures in those cities since the 1940s when they began keeping temperature records in the area.

Weather experts say that the cause of the heat wave is a high pressure system that is caught in the area. Like a cover, it is holding the hot air in over the area. Though some cities offered cooling centers to help people beat the heat, it's not always enough.

Temperatures weren't dropping much at night. Since the affected areas are usually much cooler, many people don't have a machine that cools and dries air. The number of heat-related hospital visits and deaths in the affected areas has gone up quickly and suddenly.

The extreme temperatures are also affecting farmers. Some crops are getting ripe much earlier than expected，meaning farmers have to hurry to pick them before they go bad. Other crops are now likely to produce far less than expected because of the hot, dry weather. One Canadian farmer said that this year was “looking like the worst crop in history”.

【推荐2】Snow crab legs, the commonly-seen seafood, are no longer in the restaurant.

Considering a huge fall in numbers, Alaska cancelled (取消) its Bering Sea snow crab harvest for the first time in recorded history this year. The $132 million-a-year industry saw the state’s snow crab population drop 87%, from 8 billion in 2018 to 1 billion last year. Officials suggested that climate change might be to blame; But that’s only part of the story, says Wes Jones, an Alaska-based fisheries expert. Unexpectedly, the most immediate cause of snow crab death is something even experienced fishermen didn’t see coming: they eat each other. Back in 2017, Jones says, there’s a sharp increase of young snow crabs’ population, which continued into 2019, creating the largest population on record. At the time, the young crabs were too small for a legal harvest- they take four to five years to be fully developed. Meanwhile, Bering Sea temperatures were on the rise, causing the them to speed up their metabolisms (新陈代谢)，which meant they had to eat more.” It was a double blow (打击), he says, and the results were unavoidable for the crabs lacking its usual food source: “They basically ate each other.”

Snow crabs are only the latest victims of climate change in the Bering Sea. Rising temperatures have often led to unexpected results along the food chain. A sudden increase of sockeye salmon is one possible reason for the recent sharp drop of Alaska’s red king crab harvest. Meanwhile, the warming waters of the Bering Sea have opened the door for Pacific cod, a predator (捕食者) of young crabs.

It will be years before the Alaskan snow crab population recovers to harvest-worthy levels, says Jones. And that’s only if temperatures in the Bering Sea stay cool enough for the cold-loving young crabs—and climate change is making everything harder to expect. “You don’t know what will happen until it’s happened,” says Jones, like rising water temperatures and the mutual (相互的) killings.

【推荐3】Yunqing was 27 when he took the first photo while his daughter Hua Hua was just a one-year-old. At first, he didn't have any plans to make this into a tradition. But all of that changed when he actually saw the first photo and absolutely loved it.

“I didn't have any thought of doing the same thing again but when I got the photo back, I liked it so much that when we went back the next year I repeated it.”he explained.

“After that, it became sort of the family tradition and we did it every year for 40 years with only one break in 1998 when my daughter did not join us for the family holiday and was abroad,” Yunqing pointed out that there was a small gap in the photos.

Things changed quite a lot over the years. His daughter grew up into a beautiful woman and started a family of her own and that meant Yunqing became a grandpa. Hua Hua's first daughter was born in 2008 while her second daughter came into this world in 2012.

“When I started, I never guessed that I'd still be doing this when I was in my 60s and my daughter is now no longer alone, she is a mother-of-two,” he said, adding that he was pleasantly surprised by the positive reactions to the family photos online, even though he didn't expect to continue the tradition forever.

According to Lenore, an expert, traditions help families understand who they are. “We are the family that always sings this particular song, makes this particular food, gathers for this particular event, or even honors our elders－dead or alive－in this particular way. Just as religions have special holidays, activities, do’s and don'ts, so do families and they serve a similar purpose: defining and binding a group by what they share.”

【推荐1】A group of Chinese language students from Spain visited Malta for three days. They had a chance to enjoy themselves in the amazing Chinese cultural experiences there.

At the Confucius Institute of the University of Malta on Saturday, the students from the Official School of Languages were attracted by traditional Chinese flute (长笛) performances, and Chinese tea making. Each of them was photographed trying on Hanfu, a form of traditional Chinese clothing. Despite their age differences, they all proved their dexterity (灵巧) at traditional Chinese works such as paper-cutting and knot-weaving. Maria Nieves, a group member, expressed her strong interest in Chinese culture, after two years of learning the language. “Despite the challenges, Chinese characters are truly beautiful,” she says.

On Sunday, the group visited the Mediterranean Regional Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine in Paola, Malta. Under the guidance of a doctor, they practiced Ba Duan Jin, a set of exercises whose name translates as “eight steps to healthy living”. A lecture on TCM introduced them to treatments like acupuncture (针灸) and cupping, and some of the students had the chance to personally experience a treatment. Feng Hua, leader of the Chinese medical team, says that the TCM center is planning to host more students, who are interested in TCM and Chinese culture to take part in cultural exchange, and learn more about Chinese medical practice.

During their visit to the China Cultural Center in Valletta on Monday, the students were drawn to the traditional Chinese lanterns hanging in front of the entrance, and also to the beautiful tea sets in the main hall. Yuan Yuan, director of the China Cultural Center in Malta, highlights the importance of cultural exchange in promoting friendship between nations.

【推荐3】On January 17, the “Chinese Bridge” Cultural Experience & Exchange Programme kicked off at Chongqing Bashu Secondary School. International students will attend Humanities, Languages, Cultures Winter Camp online during the next week. “Chinese Bridge” is a large- scale programme for international Chinese language education sponsored by the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation. Since its launching in 2002, “Chinese Bridge” has been serving as a vital platform for Chinese language learning, understanding of China, and Chinese culture experiencing and a bridge connecting Chinese and foreign young people.

Aside from Chinese language courses, the Programme also opens courses on tea culture, Tai Chi, calligraphy, and illustration painting and holds lectures on Bayu culture. Chinese students and international students in Chongqing will be invited to share their studies and life in this city. As a result, they can help promote Chinese culture, assist attendees of the Programme in understanding China’s developments, build friendships with the attendees, and draw more international students to study in the country.

“Chongqing is attracting foreign students to study in China, more than just sending Chinese students to study abroad. It has turned into a cultural pioneer from an inheritor (继承人). Becoming the programme host proves that Chongqing has made remarkable achievements in international cooperation and educational reform,” said Li Bin, Director of International Cooperation and Exchange Division, Chongqing Municipal Education Commission.

At the end of the first day of the winter camp, students shared how they felt. Hellen from Altai State University in Russia said with excitement, “I love the Chinese classical dance and instrument performances! But my favourite is the chorus, which is said to be the theme song of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. It is so beautiful, and I will learn to sing it.” Jac, a Chinese language teacher from KCE International School Cambodia, praised the adequate preparation by the Bashu Secondary School, and said it would be a fun and valuable learning experience for students.