【推荐3】As an epic (史诗) which brings back to life some of the most famous poets from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) , on July 2, the animated movie Chang’an held its first release in what was once called Chang’an, now known as Xi’an.

Produced by Light Chaser Animation, a Beijing-based animated studio known for its focus on tales inspired by traditional culture and mythology (神话), the film is scheduled for a nationwide release on Saturday.

With a total time of 168 minutes — the longest of any Chinese animated movie to date — Chang’an mainly chronicles the decades-long friendship of Li Bai, arguably the country’s most beloved poet, and Gao Shi, his close friend and a well-known poet.

In an interview, Zou Jing, the director of the movie, discussed the challenges faced in bringing their story to the screen. The biggest challenge we faced was deciding how to present the impressive prosperity (繁荣) of the Tang Dynasty. Before production began, our team studied historical materials, read as much as possible about Tang Dynasty culture and the poets’ lives. We invited experts from different fields to guide us to make sure the content was correct and reliable, and we also learned thoroughly about the poems in this film.

Zou Jing added that in this film, animation gave us a strong expressive means to present Chinese poetry culture in a more impressive way so that the audience could better understand the poetic mood and artistic concepts of the poets.

Chang’An is set up as the first in a series of New Culture films that Light Chaser plans to produce. Speaking with Global Times, Zou Jing explained, ”The New Culture series will be based on actual historical figures in China. This is the key of the series.”

As of Saturday, the movie had gained over 27 million yuan ($3.7 million), topping the country’s presale box office.

【推荐1】Do you ever give up easily in difficult situations? If so, imagine yourself as someone with great abilities, like Batman(蝙蝠侠). It will help you feel strong. You will not give up easily and will probably do better. This is called the Batman Effect(效应).

In a study, researchers gave three groups of six-year-old children a difficult task to complete on a computer. In Group One, the children were told-to repeat asking themselves, “Am I working hard?” In Group Two, the children were told to ask themselves the same question in the third person - as in “Is Sam working hard?” And in Group Three, the children were told to imagine themselves as Batman and ask themselves, “Is Batman working hard?” Researchers found that the children in Group Three did the best.

How can you make use of the Batman Effect? Imagine yourself as someone who is the best for the task you are doing. If you’re facing a personal difficulty, imagine yourself as a wise family member. If you’re running a race at school, imagine yourself as a top runner. In this way, you can become a little more like the person you wish to be.

【推荐2】The African penguin lives on St. Croix island off the east coast of South Africa. A new study has found that they are leaving their natural environment to escape noisy ship refueling (补给燃料) activities.

The African penguins once mainly raised babies on this island. But the population has dropped sharply since South Africa started permitting ships in the area to refuel at sea six years ago, the study found.

Lorien Pichegru is acting director of the Coastal and Marine Research Institute at Nelson Mandela University, which led the study. She said the organization had found that noise levels in the area had doubled since the refueling activities began. Scientists say high noise levels affect the ability of penguins to find and catch other animals for food. Noise also makes it more difficult for them to communicate with each other and map travel paths. ‌“This year we are at 1,200 breeding pairs at St Croix from 8,500 pairs in 2016,” Pichegru said.

The study recently appeared in the publication Science of the Total Environment. The researchers said the study is the first to explore the effects of ocean traffic noise pollution on a seabird.

Nelson Mandela University’s study collected some data to estimate underwater noise from passing ships. Oil-covered penguins were found in 2019 in Algoa Bay after an oil spill from ship-to-ship refueling. Environmental groups have called for the activities to be banned in the bay.

Pichegru said penguins in the area were already struggling to survive because of a series of issues, including industrial fishing activities. She added that the refueling activities did not kill all the penguins. However, ‌“It was just the thing that made the whole ecology tip over and then the penguins couldn’t cope with that,” she said.

【推荐3】It was an innocent little detail, backed by centuries of science, in a chemistry book about tea, something American author Michelle Francl never anticipated would cause a stir among the British.

In her new book, Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea, Francl analyzed caffeine levels and studied the molecules that give tea its good smell. She uncovered the little-known presence in tea of other chemicals, including fluoride and aluminum. And she also mentioned a careful study of an 8th-century Chinese article that called for salt to be added to the boiling water.

“The sodium ions (钠离子) in the salt block our sense of bitterness,” says Francl, a chemistry professor at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. “So if you put a tiny bit of salt in — not enough to taste — you make the cup of tea or coffee smoother and less bitter.”

The recipe for a perfect cup of tea, she wrote in her book, includes a little salt. And for tea with milk, Francl recommends warming the milk first, so that it doesn’t curdle (凝结) when it hits the hot water.

Sounds harmless, right? But anyone with British friends and loved ones — or who’s spent more than five minutes in the United Kingdom — will know that recipe amounts to blasphemy. Within hours of the publication of Francl’s book, face palm emojis (捂脸表情) were appearing across the British Isles.

“Hot milk and salt!? Who is this person?” radio host Toni McDonald shouted on his program.

“This scientist supposes that the only way to have a decent cup of tea is with a little salt? That’s foolish!” another radio host, Vic Minett, said.

To respond to these complaints, the U.S. Embassy’s public affairs officer, Rodney Ford told the press, “We want to say to the good people of the U.K. that the unthinkable idea of adding salt to Britain’s national drink is not official United States policy — and never will be.”