The official mascots (吉祥物) of the 19^th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 — three sporty robots    1    (name) Congcong, Lianlian, and Chenchen —    2     (introduce) to the public at a digital launch ceremony in Hangzhou, China    3    April 3, 2020. Each represents a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the host city.

The robot Congcong represents the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City. Its name comes from the Cong jade pendant (玉琮) — a classic relic unearthed from the Ruins    4    dates back around 5000 years. The robot Lianlian represents West Lake and its name means the endless lotus (莲花)     5     (leaf) on West Lake. The robot Chenchen represents the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and it takes its name from the Gongchen Bridge, a landmark structure on    6    Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal. They stand for not only the joy of sports but the peak of     7     (culture) and economic development.

Raja Randhir Singh, the acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia, said    8    the mascots showed the smart intelligence of the modern world     9    the energy of the future. “The mascots are rich in content, combining Chinese culture, the characteristics of the city of Hangzhou, and the spirit of the Asian Games and the Asian continent.” Together, they are calling out to Asia and the world, inviting everyone    10     (meet) in Hangzhou for the Asian Games 2022.

Qingtuan, or sweet green rice balls, is     1     typical and popular Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day ) food in China’s eastern provinces.

Qingtuan     2     (make) of a mixture of glutinous (黏的) rice flour and green plant juice, and stuffed with sweetened bean paste. A green plant called mugwort, or “Ai Cao” in Chinese, is     3     brings the color to the delicacy. This time of year is when the plant has just jumped out of the earth and is at its     4     (fine).

With some soda     5     (add) to the water, the plant is boiled into a state of paste. Normal rice flour is mixed into glutinous rice flour to make the rice ball sticky,     6     not too soft to be shaped. Next, the liquid is poured into the powder. This rice dough is then kneaded (揉) into little green balls.

The green rice balls can have various fillings, most traditionally being sesame (芝麻) or bean paste. But nowadays some people also make     7     (one) filled with pork meat, pickled vegetables and bamboo shoots.

    8     (date) back to the Tang dynasty, the sweet green rice balls have been around for some 1000 years.     9     (original) a food to sacrifice to ancestors, they have gradually become a dish of the season. For people who leave their hometowns for work elsewhere, the sweet green rice balls are a delicacy reminding them     10     home.

Painted with tung oil, a kind of plant oil from the tung tree, to make them water-proof, Chinese oil-paper umbrellas are not just tools to shelter people     1     rain or sunlight, but also works of art with rich     2     (culture) meaning in China.

Chinese oil-paper umbrellas are among the world’s     3     (old) umbrellas. According to historical records, the first oil-paper umbrellas appeared during the Eastern Han Dynasty. They soon became very popular,     4     (especial) among the literati (文人). They loved to write and draw on the umbrella surface to demonstrate their literary tastes and painting     5     (skill).

During the Tang Dynasty, Chinese oil-paper umbrellas     6     (bring) overseas to Japan and ancient Korea,     7     they were known as Tang umbrellas. Over centuries, these umbrellas also spread to other Asian countries such as Vietnam and Thailand.

Oil-paper umbrellas are     8     necessary part of traditional Chinese weddings. A red oil-paper umbrella is needed as the bride is greeted at the groom’s home, because the umbrella is supposed     9     (help) avoid bad luck. Also, oil-paper sounds similar to “youzi” in Chinese, which means    10    (have) children. So the umbrella is seen as a symbol of fertility (多子多孙).