It was Dragonboat Day. Shiny white tents lined the waterfront,     1     (provide) shade and refreshments for Dragon Boat paddlers (桨手) from all over California,     2     gathered around the Castaic Lake for a festive competition.

Giggling kids raced cheerfully along the lakeside beach,     3     their parents enjoying the shady picnic areas under the trees along the shore. “It’s a great day out,” said Paul Lin, co-founder for Castaic’s own Dragon Eyes team.

Dragonboat racing has been going on for thousands of years in China,     4     (initial) in honor of the Chinese water dragon deity (神) in an effort to call down rain     5     avoid misfortune and disaster.

In the race, a drummer     6     (use) a large traditional wooden drum to keep the paddlers on beat, while a steersman in the back keeps them in their lane.

Lin said a friend got him     7     (involve) in dragonboat racing over a decade ago. In 2018, they     8    (decide) to host their own festival. “There’s something really special to be learned from our dragonboat motto: ‘One Boat, One Beat,’” he said. “Paddlers come from all walks of life and that kind of     9     (close) with people is nowhere else to be seen.”

“We really want to help expand awareness and grow the sport,” Lin said. “We’re hoping one day it’ll become    10    Olympic sport.”

Hanfu, or Han-style clothing, one of the     1     (old) types of clothing in the world, is becoming popular again. Walking in downtown areas or scenic spots in the Chinese mainland, one can’t miss the sight of girls and boys elegantly     2     (dress) in Han-style clothing posing for photographs with either     3     oil paper umbrella or a circular silk fan in hand.

Actually, the clothing style of Chinese Hanfu kept changing over the centuries due to the     4     (change) in people’s taste, requirements and the availability of new clothing materials. However, the development of Han-style clothing came to a sudden stop, when the Manchus, after establishing the Qing Dynasty,     5     (essential) banned people from wearing Hanfu.

For a long time, Hanfu was worn only by some brides and grooms during weddings and a few other special occasions. Attracted by the elegance and beauty of Hanfu, a few brave youngsters began to wear Han-style clothes a decade ago     6     (take) photos in ancient towns. They immediately drew the attention of the public and the media,     7     in turn prompted (促使) others to try on Hanfu.

Thanks to the country’s emphasis     8     cultural confidence, Han-style clothing has been developing into a trend. Some cities     9     (hold) Hanfu festivals or Hanfu fashion shows so far. The     10     (grow) popularity of Hanfu has also fueled public interest in other traditional cultural elements, Chinese painting, calligraphy, kung fu and so on.

Before coming to China to teach, I wrongly assumed that there would be much     1     (difficult) for me since I couldn’t speak Chinese well. Nevertheless, while it presented some interesting challenges, I cannot stress enough how warm the majority of people I met     2     (be).

Making friends was my big concern     3     first but I soon settled in and became good friends with the fellow teachers. There weren’t many foreigners at the school in     4     I was teaching, but I had plenty of friendly neighbours     5     (keep) me company. They often had me round for dinner!

In China, teachers     6     (normal) get several weeks off for Chinese New Year, so I was fortunate enough to travel a bit. I loved walking along the Great Wall and visiting the Forbidden City.

When it comes to my favourite Chinese food, how can I possibly choose?! Every meal was a feast, especially with the low cost of living which meant eating out wasn’t just something     7     (luxury). While I loved the big crowded dinners with 20+ dishes on the table, I was     8     big fan of the homemade dumplings my friend made for me. I'd strongly consider going back just to taste them again!

Overall, it can't be     9     (good) if you can have the chance to teach in China for some time. I’d absolutely do it again if     10     (give) the chance.

In Yimeng area of east China — situated Shandong Province, colorful clay whistles,     1     used to be the most popular toys for local children, are regaining attention as     2     typical symbol of local folk culture.

In the memory of many local people,traditional Yimeng clay whistles had simple and exaggerated style, ingenious appearance and bright color and     3     (wear)around necks of children with threads of five colors including red, yellow, blue, white and black     4     (pray) for good luck.

In Chuzhuang village in Linyi City of southeastern Shandong, clay whistles making boasts a history of more than 340 years. In the past, clay whistles made in Chuzhuang were once sold to provinces of Jiangsu and Hebei,     5     (provide) a major source of income for local villagers.

Similar     6     other folk arts in Shandong, color of clay whistles made in Chuzhuang is characterized by brightness, clarity and elegance. By combining     7     (common)used colors such as magenta, pink green, brownish yellow, sapphire blue and eggplant purple with black, the originally completely different colors become     8     (harmony).

Some of the fine Chuzhuang clay whistles     9     (collect) by many national museums andexperts around the world have won many national awards in China and are deemed as one of the important     10     (platform) for cultural exchange between China and foreign countries