Born in 1958 in Dali, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Yang Liping is a famous     1    (dance) in China. She started dancing at the age of 13 and     2    (go) all the way to one of the country’s top art troupes (歌舞团) — China Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble. “I have been attracted     3    our culture since childhood,” said the famous artist.

For     4     long time, Yang was known as “the peacock (孔雀) princess” for her classic peacock dances. But her creations go far beyond this. A typical example is her great work Dynamic Yunnan,     5    is still performed every day in Kunming, Yunnan Province.

“I felt very     6    (concern) after seeing that many valuable and classic things were disappearing,” Yang said. “I think as dancers, we should try to show what we have instead of     7    (simple) copying foreign countries.” She has gradually moved backstage. But her passion (热情) for the art form still burns. She said she will keep learning, experimenting and    8    (create) and is determined to present the history and beauty of her hometown to the world through a special work expected in the years     9    (come).

Yang said every human has to face the     10    (real) of aging, but the life of good works will last forever.

In Chinese art history, Qi Baishi ranks     1     a towering figure. His unusual and playful style opened up a new vista in the imagery of traditional Chinese painting, and has left a rich legacy still widely     2     (recognize) in modern society.

Lifelike shrimps play a key role in Qi’s vast body of visual artworks. The “shrimps” are so popular     3     they have become synonymous with the painter himself. Unlike his predecessors, Qi Baishi painted shrimps in an impressionistic style with swift and definite brush strokes. He used different shades of ink     4     (model) the shrimp’s torso (躯干) and head. These shrimps are not just passive subject matter; rather they are asserting their presence.

Qi was an all-round artist. Born to a family of farmers in Hunan in 1864, he learned carpentry in his teens, and later taught     5     (he) the arts of painting, poetry, calligraphy and seal cutting. The years spent in rural areas     6     (sow) in him a deep-rooted love of nature. During his youth, he traveled around the country to seek     7     (inspire) from nature while     8     (enthusiastic) studying the masterpieces of early Chinese painters. Qi settled in Beijing in 1919 and soon achieved wide fame in the Chinese capital. Qi Baishi opened     9     new window for the fine art world. He     10     (name) the “People’s Painter” and awarded the title of “People’s Artist” by China’s Ministry of Culture.