In May, 2023, the National Museum of China (NMC) launched     1     (it) first original stage play, Joyful Songs In A Flourishing Age, as part of a project seeking to make cultural heritage active again.

Inspired by The Pottery Storyteller Beating A Drum, a piece in the NMC’s collection from the Eastern Han Dynasty,     2     play presented a fantasy “dialogue” between the ancient ceramic (陶瓷的) figures and the audience while     3     (integrate) art forms such as drama, musical and opera.

Dialogues across time and space are happening in new ways at the NMC. The bronze (青铜) exhibits from the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties    4     (display) inside the NMC’s Ancient China exhibition hall often lead visitors     5     (impress) by ancient Chinese civilization. Collectible (值得收藏的)cards featuring     6     (image) of the museum’s collections have also proven quite popular with visitors.

Since 2018, the NMC     7     (develop) virtual exhibition halls and published short videos on its social media platforms. Therefore, visitors can enjoy exhibitions online, getting a taste of Chinese culture    8    even leaving their homes. Not only can cultural and creative products bridge gaps,     9     they can also help visitors better relate to     10     (hide) cultural meanings.

Jingxi Taiping Drum is a traditional form of dancing. With its display of profound cultural elements, it     1     (include) in the first batch (批次) of China’s national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) items in 2006.

The     2     (early) historical references of this art date back to the Spring and Autumn Period. At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, it started to gain     3     (popular) in and around the capital, and then it was introduced to Mentougou District of Beijing.

In ancient times, the drums were played     4     New Year’s Eve at the imperial palace to bring peace. As a result, the performance also became known as the “New Year Drum” by Beijingers. This type of drum dance is     5     (common) seen performed during the last and first month of the lunar year in many local festive activities, thus expressing     6     (people) hope of a peaceful and prosperous year     7     (come) .

During a given performance, drummers perform various dance moves while     8     (hold) the drum in their left hands and a mallet in their right hands. Traditional Chinese aesthetic (美学的) concepts are reflected in the drum playing, all of     9     represent distinctive local features.

In the past decades, efforts have been made by Mentougou District to preserve this signature folk dance culture. Today, the time-honored folk art of the Jingxi Taiping Drum is being taken up by the young people     10     is presenting its lively artistic charm on a global stage.

Many of van Gogh’s paintings were inspired by warm, yellow sunlight because he loved how it could light up the world in different ways. His painting Sunflowers, for example,     1     (fill) with vivid yellows and browns. These colors give     2     painting a feeling of warmth and well-being.     3    , the sunflowers are actually dead and dying.

The result is a painting that combines the warmth of life that van Gogh loved with the feelings of sadness that were all around him. It is a painting that is warm, beautiful and sad, all at the same time.

Van Gogh’s most famous painting, The Starry Night, takes this     4     (mix) of joy and sadness one step further. It is a landscape full of deep blues and shadows     5     represent the sadness van Gogh was feeling as he     6     (paint), rather than what he was actually seeing.

This is why van Gogh’s     7     (image) in his painting look more imagined     8     real. The stars and moon in The Starry Night are     9     (unusual) bright, their light swirling (旋动) above the darkening hills. A tree that looks like black fire cuts through the view of the night,     10     (interrupt) its beauty.