【推荐2】Dunhuang, an oasis of culture surrounded by the vast sands of the Gobi Desert, served as a shelter for ancient weary Silk Road travelers 1,000 years ago. Carved into the cliffs high above the Dachuan River, the Mogao Grottoes in Gansu Province consist of the largest, richest and longest-used treasure house of traditional art in the world, inspiring young artists to this very day.

Inside the grottoes, murals (壁画) painted with minerals have stood the test of time, still shining bright and brilliant. To carry forward this painting technique, Lian Yang, an artist in her 30s, decided to make the traditional art increasingly known among younger generations. She once worked only on ink and digital painting, but soon felt creatively stuck. Then she learned about mineral color painting and made it the focus of her career.

The traditional Chinese painting technique was commonly used before the Tang Dynasty. However, the skill gradually faded from the central Chinese artistic landscape after the Song Dynasty when literati (文人) ink painting grew.

“I want to pour more of my own ideas into creations and find an artistic expression that cannot be easily replaced with modern technologies, although the costs of handmade art are higher and it requires more time than digital creation,” Lian Yang said.

As a modern artist, Lian Yang does not limit herself by strictly following tradition. She has cooperated with the operator of mobile game King of Glory, creating works in Dunhuang fresco style. She also frequently posts short videos covering the creative process of mineral color artworks across different Chinese social media, attracting many young people.

Riding the China Chic tide, a term referring to the rise of China’s native fashion trends, traditional art needs commercialization to further develop. Lian Yang hopes mineral art can be integrated into movies, online games and even the metaverse, an integrated network of 3D virtual worlds.

【推荐2】Jasmine Charbonier’s heavy drinking started in college. By her early thirties, she was downing up to eight cocktails daily, several days each week. Last year she tried to quit and was surprised when she suffered from withdrawal symptoms (症状).

Unlike hard drugs, alcohol is generally viewed as a less dangerous way to reduce stress, says Dhruti Patel, a specialist at the University of Miami Medicine School. “It’s legal, readily available, and not so forbidden in society, so women feel less worry drinking,” she says.

That was certainly the case for Charbonier, a 35-year-old CEO and blogger in Florida. Drinking made nights out and travel more fun, enabling her to meet new people and dance excitedly. Last year, she temporarily gave up alcohol to lose a few pounds and was horrified by the withdrawal symptoms: strong desires for alcohol, heightened anxiety, and trembling hands sometimes. “I was completely shocked,” she says. “I didn’t think I had an addiction until then.”

Recent researches have confirmed the belief that even small amounts of wine, beer, or cocktails endanger health. Last year, the global non-profit World Heart Federation challenged the widely held idea that a daily glass of red wine is good for you. Any amount increases the risk for heart disease and stroke (中风), the group stated.

Compared with men, women who drink are more susceptible to its negative effects. Experts point out that women’s body composition, which has more fatty tissue and less water than men of similar weight, leads to higher blood-alcohol concentration. Therefore, women who drink will develop a greater number of medical problems at much lower alcohol levels than men.

Federal guidelines recommend that women consume no more than five ounces (盎司) of wine a day. But from a health perspective, less — actually none — is a better target, Patel says.

Reducing consumption starts with replacing alcohol in social situations. Charbonier now orders sparkling water, or a soft drink at happy hour, which gives her a glass to hold when others do. She tells her friends that she’s no longer drinking.

【推荐3】Amazing Waterfalls (瀑布) From All over the World

Sutherland Falls

Sutherland Falls is located in Fiordland, New Zealand, and it shows, an amazing 1,902-foot fall. Donald Sutherland discovered the waterfall in 1880 and he was the first to focus his eyes on the beautiful waterfall. With a striking lake at the top of the falls and mountains set in the background there, it is a really good view.

Detian Falls

This waterfall is on the border of China and Vietnam. It is about 300 feet wide, 164 feet high and comes from Guichun Boundary River. Located in the foreground are beautiful rice and vegetable fields and the background is nothing but the jungle. While Detian Falls may be great, it is not respected as one of the best waterfalls on the planet and we think that isn't fair.

Gocta Falls

While Gocta Falls has been an important place for the locals of Peru for centuries, it wasn't really known to the rest of the world until 2005! This is an unbelievable fact that Gocta Falls is among the five highest waterfalls on the entire planet, about 2,490 feet high. This is probably the farthest trip on the list but the views are worth it.

McWay Falls

McWay Falls is located on the Central Coast of California near Big Sur. While this water-fall looks completely tiny compared-to many others on this list, it is still a worthwhile destination. This waterfall is only 80 feet high but it feeds into a beautiful bay right off the Pacific Ocean. With the endless ocean to your left, a waterfall to your back, and comfortable rocks keeping you in the bay, there is no more beautiful place to be.

【推荐1】Invented in the Tang Dynasty and widely adopted after the Song Dynasty in Fujian, the watertight-bulkhead (水密舱壁) technology permits the construction of ocean-going ships with watertight compartments (隔层). If one or two cabins are accidentally damaged at sea, water will not flood the other cabins and the ships will remain afloat.

The experience and working methods of watertight-bulkhead technology are transmitted orally from master to apprentices. However, the need for Chinese junks (中国式帆船) has decreased sharply as wooden ships have been replaced by steel-hulled ships, and today only three masters can claim full command of this technology. Associated building costs have also increased owing to a shortage in raw materials. Therefore, the inheritance (继承) of this heritage is decreasing, and inheritors are forced to seek alternative employment.

Zhang Guohui, a 77-year-old inheritor of the watertight-bulkhead techniques used to make Chinese junks, has been making ships for more than six decades. Coming from a poor family in a fishing town in East China’s Fujian Province, Zhang started to make a living at the age of 16 fishing on the open seas, which is where he developed a keen interest in constructing boats. As a fast learner, Zhang was later sent to shipyards in the cities of Quanzhou and Xiamen in Fujian Province, where he received training and became a master of traditional Chinese junks and gained fame because of his extremely skilled craftsmanship in the construction of these junks.

In fear that the traditional skills would die someday, Zhang started to restore old ships and make model junks for the museum with his 20 years of shipbuilding skills. “The restored ancient ships are the historical witnesses of Quanzhou as a maritime center of the East and Southeast Asia trade network,” said Zhang, adding that he finds the work meaningful since younger generations can learn from exhibitions of ancient ships that their ancestors had advanced shipbuilding technology at an early stage of development. “As long as I’m alive, I’ll keep passing on the heritage,” he said.