The Old Town of Lijiang, lying in the northwest of Yunnan Province, is one of the last     1     (survive) ancient towns in China. The architecture of the Old Town of Lijiang is noteworthy for the     2     (combine) of elements from several cultures, and its ancient water-supply system still functions     3     (effective) today.

The Yulong Snow Mountain to the north-west     4     (serve) as the source of the rivers and springs. This town is made up     5     three parts: Dayan Old Town established in the Ming Dynasty as a commercial centre, Baisha housing cluster established earlier during the Song and Yuan dynasties, and Shuhe housing clusters located 4 km north-west of Dayan Old Town. These settlements lying in mountains and     6     (surround) by water display the mixture of local cultures, folk customs and traditions over several centuries.

It     7     (design) as a town around the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. From 1253 on, the Naxi people of Lijiang developed     8     unique social system, customs and culture of their own. In the 18th century, the Qing Dynasty rulers carried out a policy of     9     (culture) interaction, and the Naxi people adopted the customs of the Tibetan     10     Han peoples. Despite several earthquakes, most of the old town keeps its original structure.

In recent years, Chinese craftsmanship has enjoyed a renewed interest from global audiences. This is due in part     1     the growing popularity of Chinese culture and the     2     (increase) wealth of middle-class consumers.

One of the most popular forms of Chinese craftsmanship     3     (be) porcelain (瓷器). Porcelain is a type of ceramic     4    is made from a mixture of clay and kaolin, a type of white clay. Chinese porcelain has been prized for centuries for its beauty and durability. It was once used as     5     status symbol in the Chinese imperial court.

Another popular form of Chinese craftsmanship is jade (玉) carving. Jade     6     (use) in China for thousands of years for jewelry, sculptures, and other decorative objects. Jade carving is a highly skilled craft that requires a great deal of     7     (patient) and precision. Craftsmen use a variety of tools     8     (carve) jade, including chisels, saws, and drills.

The intricate designs of jade carvings often reflect Chinese culture and symbolism. For example, the dragon is a popular motif in Chinese jade carving, often     9     (see) as a symbol of power and good luck.

Chinese craftsmanship is a valuable part of Chinese culture. It is a testament to the skill and creativity of Chinese craftsmen,     10     it continues to inspire and amaze people around the world.

Selected from more than 1.86 million precious items from the Palace Museum in Beijing,     1     total of 914 artworks and cultural relics (文物) will be displayed on July 2 at the Hong Kong Palace Museum     2     (celebrate) the 25th anniversary of the city’s return to China. Among the relics, many will be exhibited for the first time in Hong Kong. Among them, 166 cultural relics     3     (recognize) as national treasures, accounting     4     18 percent of all items on display.

The borrowed relics,     5     will be displayed across nine halls in the museum, cover a wide range of art from paintings, drawings, sculptures, ancient books to architectural works that show China’s 5,000 years of history.

Louis Ng Chi-wa, director of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, told media that he has high expectations for the opening of the museum.

“Each object on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum has     6     (it) unique historical, cultural, artistic or     7     (science) significance,” he said. “The opening in July will be a great opportunity to present these treasures to both Chinese and foreign     8     (visitor) and share the interesting stories behind them with the public.”

In addition to     9     (display) cultural relics, the Hong Kong Palace Museum will also focus on     10     (educate) by hosting movie screenings, art workshops and teacher training.

On March 21, an artist released a video     1     (title) “The Current Status of AI Utilization in Game Companies”, demonstrating the process of using AI in art. She said that her videos     2     (gain) only a few thousand views before. But this one swiftly got hundreds of thousands of views,    3     (cause) heated debate about the influence of AI on society.

AI painting,    4     involves coping human painting techniques, styles and thought processes via algorithms (算法) and models, enabling computers     5     (generate) artistic images, is a form of generative AI. The AI drawing software has achieved great popularity among users for its text-to-image method, which has     6     (dramatic) lowered the threshold (门槛) of artistic creation.

Despite the increased efficiency, people are becoming concerned about the possibility of losing their jobs. Not that long ago, painters     7     (think) to be immune to being replaced by AI. But now it appears     8     they are among the first professionals who might be out     9     a job because of the technology. For the time being, artists do not need to overly worry about being replaced by AI. It takes them years to perfect their ability to express their emotions, values and life experiences in unique ways, which is not     10     (attain) for AI-generated art at present.