Understanding culture through music

Last night, I watched a performance of Butterfly Lovers, a piece that really deserves     1    (hear).

The music took me through the twists and turns of a classic story about a young couple     2     (tear) apart by their families. When the two lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, first meet, the music is light and pleasant, as if     3    (whisper) to the audience. It is followed by a fast and cheerful section which represents their three happy years of school. Then the music gets dramatic with     4    (heavy) notes and that is when the lovers are separated     5     Zhu's father forces her to marry another man. Angry and sad, Liang falls and dies. Zhu weeps     6     (bitter) over the loss of her love. Overcome with sorrow, she jumps into his grave. Finally, during     7     most exciting part, the music takes a softer turn and ends on a bittersweet note, telling us how the couple transform     8     butterflies and fly away to be together forever.

Butterfly Lovers combines Chinese and Western musical elements: it     9    (play) on Western instruments such as the violin, but more significantly, much of the music has its roots in Chinese Yue Opera. This unique     10     (combine) made me realize that music is indeed a universal language.

A traditional Chinese dance performed underwater in Luoyang, Central China’s Henan Province,     1     (go) viral on social media during the Dragon Boat Festival. The show led to renewed passion among audiences for traditional Chinese art and culture.

The     2     (stun) dance is named The Prayer, which was the opening performance of the gala by Henan Television Station on Saturday.

In the video on social media the underwater actress is seen dancing in colorful traditional Chinese costume. The short dance, which lasted less than two minutes, was seen as a     3     (combine) of contemporary art and traditional Chinese culture.

“The water made the costume even more gorgeous and the moves     4     (graceful)!” said one observer online. Netizens were left     5     (amaze) by both the beauty of the dancer and the creator involved in putting on the dance underwater.

The dance featured a character from     6     famous ancient Chinese painting Ode to Goddess Luo, the daughter of a sacred king character Fu Xi in a Chinese tale     7     drowned and then became a goddess.

“The moves     8     (capture) underwater at 4. 5 meters     9     the ground. The team spent a total of 26 hours under water     10     (complete) the shooting. The film team had to soak themselves in the water in each shooting session,” Chen Jia, director of the HNTV gala, said to local media.

Mascots (吉祥物) for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games（残奥会）

A red lantern baby called “Shuey Rhon Rhon” and an     1     (energy) giant panda named “Bing Dwen Dwen” have been uncovered as the two mascots for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The mascots, known to people     2    Tuesday night at Beijing’s Shougang Ice Hockey Arena,     3     (connect) with the host nation’s culture.

    4     ( explain) the idea clearly behind the design of the two mascots at the launch ceremony, Beijing 2022 executive president Chen Jining couldn’t hide his pride. “The two mascots put elements of traditional Chinese culture together with a modern international style.     5    is believed that they show the Chinese people’s eager expectations for the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and China’s warm invitation to friends from all over the world,” said Chen,     6    is also the mayor of Beijing.

“They are designed     7     (express) all the aspects of the Olympic spirit, including wonderful characteristics such as passion, perseverance, friendship and common understanding to     8     (active) engage the public.”

The name “Bing Dwen Dwen” is     9    combination of several meanings in the Chinese language, with “Bing” the Chinese word for “ice”, and “Dwen Dwen” meaning     10     (strong) and liveliness. In the name “Shuey Rhon Rhon”, “Shuey” is the Chinese word for “snow” and “Rhon Rhon” has the meaning of tolerance.