【推荐2】A decade ago, colored lights danced around the living room on New Year's Eve and happy music was played. Upstairs, the children were asleep. But I wasn't feeling happy. In mid-December, my husband and I had been informed that he had cancer and that he was going to die. He had less than a year left, the doctors said.

In the years since that painful season, I have come to look back upon New Year's Eve as an ending and a beginning. New Year's Eve brings a halt to the endless commitments that fill our daily lives and a chance to reflect.

New Year's Eve is full of possibility, and anticipation. What will be the surprising experiences and delightful successes in the coming year? But also, what disappointments are waiting for us in the next twelve months?

In many ways, New Year's Eve and the days that surround it are a line between past and future. That line is made up of a series of moments of transition that take us out of the old and into the new. Transition can be challenging for many of us. It's about letting go of the familiar and diving headlong （迅猛地）into the unfamiliar.

Just as, back then, I had to face letting go of the life I had led with my beloved husband and stepping into a new world as a widowed（丧偶的）mom. I find that each year I have to step out of the version of me that suited the year that is ending and ease into the version of me who will rise to the goals I am holding for myself for the year ahead.

Last year at this time, I sat in a chair in southern France and drank in the stillness and beauty of the countryside around me. The three children and I had brought into this world talked and laughed around the table beside me as we enjoyed a lunch of bread and cheese.

I was filled with a sense of joy and I had a glowing （热情洋溢的）heart that was full of hope. It was another ending and another beginning. May we all transition into the best of what lies ahead. May we all find happiness in this holiday season.

【推荐1】Chinese elements highlighted at Olympic closing ceremony

The curtains came down on the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games Sunday night at Bird’s Nest in Beijing. During the ceremony, many Chinese cultural elements were put into the design of the grand show, expressing some Chinese romance. They became the highlights of the closing ceremony and let’s take a look.

Festival lanterns

The closing ceremony began with a large snowflake torch appearing in the sky, echoing the moment from the opening ceremony. Then accompanied by cheerful music, children hung traditional Chinese festive lanterns, lighting up the emblem (象征) of the Winter Olympics, which originated from the Chinese character for winter, “dong”.

Chinese knot

The 12 Chinese zodiac (生肖)-themed ice cars created an outline of a Chinese knot with its wheel trails. And then it was enlarged, and an enormous “Chinese knot” was presented using digital AR technology. Each ribbon could be clearly seen, and all of the ribbons twisted together, symbolizing unity and a good fortune.

Fish and riches

During the closing ceremony, the Malanhua Children’s Choir from a mountainous area of Fuping county in Hebei province performed again, this time with different clothes. The Chinese paper-cut of double fish was seen on their clothes, meaning “rich and have a surplus in the next year” in Chinese culture.

Willow (柳树) branch for farewell

In ancient times, Chinese people broke a willow branch and gave it to their friends, family or relatives when seeing them off, as willow sounds like “stay” in Mandarin. Willow branches appeared in the closing ceremony, expressing Chinese people’s hospitality and bidding farewell to the world guests.

【推荐2】“The arrow shot is so straight that it hits the bull’s eye. The young people will have good luck…” Dargye sang as he worked on his handmade bag.

Dargye, 56, an artist who excels at traditional craftsmanship (技艺) and Tibetan folk music in Drinba village in Dragyib district, Nyingchi, Tibet autonomous region, remembers many folk songs he learned from his father and uncle. Now, it’s his turn to pass them on.

“I have liked traditional songs and dances since I was a child,” said Dargye, who has four apprentices (学徒). “The songs tell the histories of our ancestors and carry our unique culture, and it’s always a lot of fun to perform these traditional songs and dances at various gatherings.” The song topics vary from archery, love, to labor and praise for the land. In addition to teaching these songs to his family members and apprentices, he also uses social media platforms such as WeChat to teach songs.

His daughter, Chok Butri, also admires the folk culture. After posting a video of her daughter, Tsering Kyi, dancing on Douyin, she gained a lot of new fans on the popular short-video platform. “We are modern people living in a modern era, so it’s important and our responsibility that we use modern tools to pass on our traditional culture to make it last forever.” said Chok Butri, adding that she often posts songs and dances on WeChat and Douyin.

Dargye and his fellow villagers also recreate songs, adding modern elements such as aircraft and trains to the lyrics. Besides singing and dancing, Dargye makes handicrafts decorated with Tibetan cultural elements, including various hide and hair ropes, bags made of leather and cloth, and knife sheaths.

The local government encourages villagers to inherit (继承) and develop folk songs and other forms of traditional culture. Dargye’s efforts to preserve folk culture have been acknowledged by the government. In 2014, he was chosen as a county-level intangible (无形的) cultural inheritor and receives funds every year.

【推荐1】Wherever we go, we are surrounded by history. Across the globe, cultural heritage is passed down through the generations. It is in the buildings and structures around us. It is in the arts and artifacts (手工艺品) we treasure. It lives in the languages we speak and the stories we tell. But today, it is under attack as never before. Not only are the damages of time threatening our cultural heritage, but conflicts, climate change, globalization and tourism are all exacting a heavy price. Technology is now the most important weapon in the battle. Here’s how technology is preserving our cultural heritage.

As you can imagine, creating the replicas (复制品)by 2D images is extremely time-consuming. Increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms (算法) allow millions of images to be stored in a matter of hours. AI will also make restoration and preservation of existing cultural heritage far easier and better than previous methods.

Virtual reality (VR) technology will play a leading role in preserving our cultural heritage in the coming years. Many of the most important sites and architecture are easily damaged. Human interaction with these locations is doing a great deal of harm. Wastes pile up everywhere, causing serious problems. As more cultural heritage sites and objects are digitally mapped and recorded, VR technology will increasingly become the way that people experience them. We’ll all finally be able to walk through places, look at (and touch) artifacts and works of art without ever seeing them with our own eyes.

Finally, our cultural heritage will be preserved by technology. Efforts in research,   data sharing and project work will help promote and preserve the cultural heritage of countries all across the world.

【推荐2】A hot-blooded carnival for football fans is around the corner! FIFA World Cup Qatar(卡塔尔)2022 will be a special treat since it’s the first World Cup held by a country that has not participated in the World Cup FIFA WORLD CUP before, and also the first time to be held in a Middle Eastern country.

First let’s talk about its mascot(吉祥物), La’eeb, shaped like a walking headscarf, is an avatar (化身)with no fixed shape. This Arabic word means a highly skilled player. The mascot wears a rope and is soft, whose body can make various and difficult movements at will-it gives fans full imagination. The design of the mascot is very novel(新颖的)and this playful image is loved by many fans. Its facial expression is full of determination with an inspirational, upward and positive attitude, just like a strong-willed athlete who never gets discouraged in the face of difficulties.

Considering the high temperature of about 50 degrees in Qatar in summer will affect the athletes’ competitive status, this World Cup is the first time to be held in the northern hemisphere in winter. To successfully hold this World Cup, the Qatar government has invested a huge amount of money in the construction of venues and supporting transportation, communication, accommodation, even with over 1, 000 luxurious Bedouin-style tents in the desert, etc. Service facilities, with a total investment of 220 billion US dollars, make it the most expensive World Cup game at present.

This World Cup will even be the very first carbon-neutral tournament, and the organizer has prepared a total of 8 stadiums, all built to be energy efficient. One of our favorites is Stadium 974, the first fully demountable(可拆卸的)stadium, built using 974 shipping containers, whose number also happens to be Qatar’s country code. The opening game and the final match will be held in the same stadium-Lusail Stadium. Moreover, thanks to Qatar’s efficient public transportation, football fans will need just under one hour of traveling time between stadiums.

And the World Cup final will take place on December the18th, also Qatar’s National Day. So, expect fireworks all around. And let’s have a blast together!

【推荐3】Living in a modern society has its advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage is that you often have to live closer to other people than you would like to. Sometimes, your neighbours make noise that you are not comfortable with.

The best way to solve this problem is to talk with your neighbour first. You should be very polite and ask your neighbour if he knows how thin the walls of your homes are. This way doesn’t criticise (批评) his behaviour; it simply points out that he may not realise how far his sound travels. Tell him that you know that sometimes you make noise as well, but that you do your best to keep it down. Often this will solve the problem right away, but sometimes the neighbour may become angry.

If your neighbour becomes angry with you, there are some more steps you can take. You might write a letter to the neighbourhood committee. Make sure you write down the source of the noise and the time in the letter. They will review the situation and decide whether your neighbour is out of line. Some noise is considered to be reasonable, even if it bothers you. So you may prepare a good pair of earplugs (耳塞).

Even if your neighbour makes too much noise, you don’t have to live your life in discomfort. It’s always a good idea to be friendly with your neighbours. You may clean the rubbish in front of his door. He’s sure to appreciate behaviour like this and be more open to your suggestions about the noise level.