On April 20th, the 13th United Nations Chinese Language Day themed “Chinese Language: Together for a Bright Future” took place,     1     was a series of events in celebration of the third International Chinese Language Day.

Beijing Dance Academy launched     2     online event to mark the day, featuring six original dance works of different styles, such as ballet, contemporary dance     3     classic Chinese dance. Six art schools from five     4     (country) joined in the online event with dance works created for the special event.

One of the highlights was a new dance piece, titled Together, which was created and     5     (perform) by Beijing Dance Academy and dancers from Brazil, South Africa and Poland. It     6     (inspire) by the classic Confucius philosophy of datong, referring     7     great unity and grand harmony.

Language Days seek     8     (celebrate) cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six     9     (office) languages. The date for the Chinese day was selected from Grain Rain (谷雨),the sixth of 24 solar terms (节气), when the weather is mild and it always rains     10     (gentle).

The Lantern Festival is the first significant festival after Chinese New Year. It falls on the     1    (fifteen) day of the first month of the lunar year.

The main activity during the Lantern Festival is looking at lanterns. Most cities will organize lantern shows     2     the evening of the festival, which add to the festive atmosphere.     3    (guess) riddles is also one of the most popular activities. Yuanxiao is the special food of the Lantern Festival. The round shape of Yuanxiao symbolises reunion, harmony,     4     happiness.

The Lantern Festival,     5    (know) as Chinese Valentine’s Day, was especially attractive to the young in the past. In the old days, it was unusual that the girls     6    (allow) to leave their houses, except during the Lantern Festival     7     they could join the crowds, so the festival became a rare opportunity that only happened once a year for single people to find love while looking at lanterns. Chinese poets     8    (write) a lot of poems about the Lantern Festival since ancient times, which describe happy moments and also the stories of young lovers. However, in most parts of China today, the festival has lost these     9    (origin) meanings.

As a traditional Chinese festival, now the Lantern Festival is celebrated both in China and abroad, enjoying increasing     10    (popular).

If you are interested in both China’s ancient finance and architecture, Pingyao is a place you can’t miss.

Pingyao Ancient Ctiy,     1     (locate) in the central Shanxi Province, China, is     2     exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city. Its walls are ten meters high, 6,163 meters around, and three to five meters wide at the top. The western and eastern sides of walls have two gates     3     the southern and northern walls each have one gate only.

From the 19th century to the early 20th century, Pingyao,     4     (control) almost half of the economy of the country at its booming period, was a financial center for the whole of China. There     5     (be) once over twenty draft banks’ head offices,     6     branches were distributed     7     (wide) around the whole country, even in some western and southeastern countries.

Today when other Chinese     8     (city) have been more than happy to bury their history under skyscrapers, this     9     (origin) Chinese Wall Street chooses not to. Ordinary people still live in the Chinese traditional courtyards as they did in the past. This city is helping Chinese rediscover the value of preserving what little     10     (leave) of the country’s ancient buildings.

Against a backdrop of misty green forests and with its buildings on silts (桩) above the River Tuo, Fenghuang is a picturesque place to spend a day or two. Its winding alleys, lined with traditional shops and temples, lead     1     narrow wooden bridge and stepping-stones that cross the river.

Ai though the town can get     2     (extreme) busy with continual tour groups, it has managed     3     (preserve) much of its traditional architecture. Wandering off the main streets     4     (allow) you to get a sense of     5     it would have been like before the tourists began to vast and taste the local delicacies including bamboo rat, frog and snake.

Fenghuang itself does have a section of rebuilt Ming city walls     6     (run) along its river bank, but it’s the Miaojiang Great Wall     7     is the main draw here. Built in 1554, during the Ming dynasty’s defence against the Miao, the wall     8     (destroy) partly by Miao ethnic group and then rebuilt under the ding rulers, who also sought to strength eh their power through the control of China’s southern minorities. Nowadays only a section is     9     (access), but it’s still an impressive sight,     10     (offer) great views of the surrounding countryside.