Spring Festival Gala sees viewership rise nearly 13% to 679m

This year’s Spring Festival Gala (庆典), a celebration     1     (annual) produced and broadcast by China Media Group (CMG), unfolded on the eve of the Chinese New Year on Friday evening. This occasion stands for a     2     (significance) time when Chinese people around the world gather with their     3     (family) to welcome the Chinese New Year, attracting 679 million viewers,     4     15.13% increase from the previous year.

The gala was also broadcast in about 200 countries in 68 languages,     5     (receive) warm feedback.

This year, the gala, besides Beijing, had four branch venues (分会场) in Shenyang, Liaoning province, Xi’an, Shaanxi province, Changsha, Hunan province, and Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Audience enjoyed a     6     (various) of local cultural elements from those places, such     7     folk musical instruments and folk dances.

    8     (support) by ultra-high-definition production, the gala was telecast (电视广播) on TV screens, public large screens, and mobile devices.

Since its first broadcast in 1983, the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala     9     (become) a necessary part of celebrations in the country. A major entertainment during Lunar New Year’s Eve, the gala marks the joyous moment     10     families gather together to celebrate the upcoming year.

Delicate strokes(笔画), carved onto wood, with ultimate precision. This is woodblock printing,     1     ancient printing technique that has promoted human civilization.

Certain people are believed    2     (bring) Buddhism into China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907),when there was a strong need to produce a large number of Buddhist scriptures(经文)，and copying by hand could not meet the     3     (rise) demand. Ancient Chinese craftsmen thus came up with a novel way to create printed works massively. Hence came the    4     (origin) version of woodblock printing.

Traditional woodblock printing can be divided into four major steps: writing, engraving, printing, and binding. With each step then sub-divided into several procedures,     5     takes roughly 30 steps to produce a woodblock print. Characters and images    6     (carve) to produce raised areas or lines, which calls for skilled hands.

The Buddhist scripture Diamond Sutra, the “earliest dated printed book”, can only be seen in the British Library,     7     a lot of Chinese treasures are stored. It is just one example of ancient works of art that not only tells the    8     (wise) of our ancestors, but also is a witness    9     the pursuit of beauty by Chinese craftsmen throughout centuries.

The invention of writing gave life to great thoughts,    10     it was the invention of printing that made knowledge a shareable fruit for all humankind.

The traditional Chinese name chop or seal (印章) has been used for thousands of years.     1     is quite likely that people began using name chops because Chinese characters were so complex and in ancient times few people     2     (be) able to read and write. In addition, chops date back to a time     3     there were no other forms of     4     (identify) such as ID cards. A chop also served as a valid signature. All official     5     (document) in China needed a chop to be valid at that time. Today, most Chinese are educated, but the tradition     6     (keep) alive in China.

If you spend a long time in China, you will almost     7     (certain)need to have a chop. If you’re staying for a short time, a chop makes an     8     (amaze) souvenir. A chop can be made quickly, but first you will need to have your name     9     (translate) into Chinese characters.

There are many different sizes and styles of chops. Inexpensive small chops can be carved     10     wood or plastic, while upmarket (高档的) chops are made from jade or marble. Only a special type of red ink is used for a name chop, so if you buy a chop in China, get some Chinese vermilion seal paste too.