Pan used to expect that people could live     1     abundant life in his village,     2     nobody had to work far away from home. Now his dream has come true.

Pan is a silversmith in Guizhou Province and the village called Maliao, which he lives in is famous for its silver jewellery. In fact, Miao ethnic silversmith technique     3     (list) as China’s national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006.But with cheaper, machine-made trinkets (小首饰)     4     (rule) the market, they couldn’t rely on the old technique to survive.

At that time, most people in the village lived under poverty line, which means they could simply afford food and     5     (base) clothing, and seldom purchase things like bicycles or televisions. So many villagers left their hometown     6     (hopeless). But in 2018, the government allocated 580,000 yuan of poverty funds to set up the Silverware and Embroidery Workshop of Maliao Village, helping Maliao Villagers fight poverty     7     their own crafts.

Since that year, most young craftsmen     8     (return) to their hometown and found a bright future. With the help of the government, they learned     9     (fashion) trends and how to meet clients’ various     10     (request). Instead of holding on to old ideas and existing design. villagers enhanced their skills and made their products customized.

An ancient culture     1     (date) back more than 5,000 years proved China’s early exchanges with other societies, experts say.

Experts believe the Majiayao culture had a close connection with     2     (vary) of other cultures. They put it forward at a recent meeting     3    (hold) in Gansu Province. With more than 5,000 years of history, it plays     4     important role in the development of the Chinese civilization. This culture spread to Central Asia through     5     is now China’s Xinjiang, bringing rice from China to the West.

Swedish expert Johan first investigated cultural sites in 1924. In the 1940s, Xia Nai named the sites after the Majiayao, with painted pottery as     6    (it) most special feature. Some experts point out that the Majiayao culture     7     (obvious) shares similarities     8     the cultures of some parts of the Black Sea. People from these cultures used pottery     9    (make) human head sculptures. In addition, some Central Asian features also appeared on the painted pottery of the Majiayao.

Measures     10    (take) to protect the Majiayao culture by building museums, organizing meetings and doing more research so far.

Yu Rong, a famous artist, thinks of a new way to introduce     1     ancient story of Hua Mulan in her picture book. In the book, I Am Hua Mulan, she tells the story by     2     (combine) paper-cutting with international artistic styles. She places Shaanxi paper-cuts over western-style pencil sketches (素描)     3     (create) a typical presentation of Chinese elements, which turns out to be a     4     (success) and impressive breakthrough.

Hua Mulan,     5     story has been told by generations in China, was a fighter from the Northern Wei Dynasty(386 -534). As a devoted daughter, she dressed herself as a man to serve in the army     6     place of her father. Mulan’s characteristics, such as courage, kindness and a disinterested attitude toward fame and fortune, made     7     (she) one of the most respected historical Chinese heroines. Mulan’s story has been adapted     8     (frequent) in modern media. For example, in 1998, Disney produced a film named Mulan, which     9     (consider) a great success by critics and the public.

To better tell the story, Yu Rong draws inspiration from her several     10     (visit) to sites of ancient battles and Henan Opera. After years of preparation she finally makes this extraordinary work.

In and around China’s southwestern Sichuan Province, one can often find folk artists producing sugar paintings with liquid sugar along the streets and in the parks.

According to some academic studies, sugar painting     1    (date) back to the Ming Dynasty when sugar animals and figures were made in moulds (模具) as part of a sacrifice in religion ceremonies. In the Qing Dynasty, sugar painting gained more popularity. The production techniques     2    (upgrade) and the patterns became more various, most of     3    stood for good luck such as the fish, dragon and monkey. Afterward, the folk artists in Sichuan developed this art by adding techniques of the Chinese shadow puppet and Chinese paper cutting, the moulds     4    (replace) with a small bronze spoon. As time passed     5     the contemporary form of sugar painting has gradually evolved.

Although the number of sugar painters has    6    (remarkable) decreased, due to its unique charm,     7    certain number of artists are making efforts     8    (preserve) it by offering classes, holding relevant     9    (activity) such as sugar painting contests and applying to be added to the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Nowadays, this art is getting support again from the general public and it has already been listed as Provincial Intangible Culture Heritage by the Sichuan Provincial Government. Moreover, the sugar painting artists have gained increasing     10    (recognize).