In China, writing brushes, ink sticks, paper and inkstones are called the Four Treasures of the Study. Among the high-quality treasures, the writing brush produced in Huzhou, the ink stick produced in Huizhou, the Xuan paper made in Xuancheng and the inkstone made in Duanxi are the best-known.

The writing brushes are mainly made of the hair of animals. Those made of wool are called yanghao and those made of the weasel’s tail hair are called langhao. Their artistic effects（效果） in writing and painting cannot be copied by any other pens.

The ink stick is the pigment（颜料） used in writing and painting. The ink stick produced in Huizhou is of high quality. A story goes like this: Xi Chao and his son produced a kind of high-quality ink stick. As a result, Emperor Li Yu in the Southern Tang Dynasty agreed to give them the family name “Li”. In the Song Dynasty, its producing area was changed into Huizhou, and it was then called the Hui Ink Stick.

Paper is among the four great inventions in ancient China. The famous Xuan paper appeared in the Sui and Tang dynasties. In Xuanzhou, （now Xuancheng, Anhui）, where the Xuan paper is produced, it’s said that Cai Lun’s pupil Kong Dan happened to see the ebony （黑檀） in a river. It was wet with the water and turned white. Then he used the bark（树皮） to produce the world-famous Xuan paper.

The inkstone was already, very popular in the Han Dynasty. The Ming and Qing dynasties saw the appearance of the Four Famous Inkstones-Duan Inkstone, She Inkstone, Tao Inkstone and Chengni Inkstone. They can be used not only in writing and painting but also for admiration.

September is a big month for students in China since the new term begins from now on. In ancient China, the school entrance ceremony (入学典礼) was one of the most important ceremonies.

Children began school at the ages of 4—7 in ancient China. Since there was no certain time to begin a new term at that time, the most important thing for parents was to choose a lucky day for their children to enter school. Next, parents would prepare some school things for their children, including desks, chairs and four treasures of the study.

In ancient times, teachers were usually very knowledgeable local persons. Parents would prepare many gifts, and then write a letter of invitation to ask a knowledgeable man to be their children's teacher.

On the day their children entered school, parents would take them to take part in the First Writing Ceremony. Before that, children would kowtow (叩头) to the statue of Confucius (孔子像) 9 times and then to their teacher 3 times to show their deep respect (尊敬). During the ceremony, the teacher would put a red point on the students’ forehead (前额) as it meant opening the wisdom eye. Children would also ring a certain bell to start a new term. After that, they could finally sit down in their seats and begin to study. The First Writing Ceremony was a very important ceremony for every student.

Every day, students would arrive at school earlier than their teacher, and kowtow to the statue of Confucius, and then go back to the seats. Usually the teacher would give every student a new name, which was used for future Imperial Examination (科举考试):

Today, some schools are starting to hold an entrance ceremony like they did in ancient times. Students put on traditional costumes and bow to the statue of Confucius and their teachers. This means that from this moment, they take a step in the lifelong journey of learning.

The Yangko Dance is a traditional Chinese folk (民间的) dance. And it was created by the farmers when they worked in the rice field hundreds of years ago. Many Chinese people like the dance and take it as an important way of relaxing, no matter when there is a Spring Festival or when there are some special celebrations.

Before the Yangko Dance starts, the music is performed to build the dancer an atmosphere (气氛) and a rhythm to follow. As the dance’s parts are from special folk legends (传说), men and women performing the dance are dressed in colorful costumes and necessary tools are used.

During the dance, the dancers are shaking their bodies and walking at a special pace to express old stories to the audience (观众) in a new style. The dance also shows their happy mood and life.

While the dancers are dancing on the ground, there is usually a big crowd around them, enjoying and sharing the feelings of the dancers there.

【推荐1】If you really want to succeed in life, it is very important to be a team player. For example, in a basketball game, Michael Jordan is a great player, but he still has to work well with his team members to win a game, because every member of his team has a very important role and every member of the team is necessary to the success of the team.

The idea of teamwork also works well in other parts of our life. Lab work and group programs are just some of the experiences calling for good teamwork with others. In the workplace, working together is also necessary for success, because no one person can build a railroad or control an airline.

Being a team player does not mean that one person should not have any ideas of his own. He doesn’t have to agree with the other team members all the time. A good team member should not be afraid to think of new ideas even the crazy ones. He needs to stick to (坚持) his ideas and share them with the other members of the team. Those crazy ideas may help the team reach the dreams.

All in all, we all need to work with others as team players.

【推荐2】How To Get Good Marks

No one knew how to study when he or she was born. You need to learn to do some things first. Then it will be easy for you to learn and do well in class.

Take Care in Class

Taking care is good for learning. It can help you know what your teacher says, and it will help you learn more and faster.

Take Good Notes

Taking good notes can make it easier to study. Be sure to write down all the important things about what your teacher says or writes on the blackboard, and then read them after class.

Plan Before You Study

Don’t wait until Thursday night to study for Friday’s test. Planning before you study can help you get good grades. You can plan what to do and how much to do each day.

Ask for Help

What should you do if you are not sure about something? Be sure to ask your teacher for help. You can also ask some other people, like your classmates and your mom or dad.

【推荐3】The Spring Festival comes after New Year’s Day. It’s usually in January or February. It’s the Chinese New Year’s Day. The Spring Festival is the biggest festival in China. All Chinese like this festival. When the Spring Festival comes, people are busy. They usually do some cleaning and go to the store to buy some new clothes and a lot of food. On the eve of the festival, everyone in the family comes back home from other places. They get together and have a big supper. They eat dumplings, New Year’s cake and some other delicious food in their houses. Some people like New Year’s cake, but more people think (认为) dumplings are the most delicious food of all. Some families have a party. They sing, dance and have a good time.

The art of Chinese paper cutting, or jianzhi, has a history of thousands of years. The art form is said to date back to the Han Dynasty. During that time, paper was very expensive. During the Tang Dynasty, Chinese people started using paper for artistic expression. Paper cutting became popular.

Common themes of paper cutting include animals, plants and traditional Chinese characters like fu, shou and xi. They are often seen during Chinese New Year. In the past, paper cutting was usually used as decorations for festivals. It was put up on windows and doors for good luck.

Chinese paper cutting has become more than just a traditional art form. It is also a symbol of Chinese culture. In recent years, Chinese paper cutting has been enjoyed by people all over the world. It is not only for decorative purposes, but also in fashion, design, advertising and more areas.

Chinese paper cutting is a fragile (脆弱的) art form. On the one hand, the beautifully shaped designs can easily be broken. On the other hand, the traditional skills used to create them are at risk of being lost. Luckily, some people are trying to keep this tradition alive. Groups such as the China National Paper-Cutting Association (中国剪纸协会) are working to promote the art form. They want to make sure that it will be passed down to many more generations.

Each country in the world has its own traditional clothes, which show us the country’s traditional aesthetics (美学), philosophy (哲学), and social values in special ways. Here are the four most well-known types of traditional Chinese clothing.

Hanfu

Hanfu is the oldest of China’s traditional clothes. Legend traces it back to over 4,000 years ago when Huangdi’s wife, Leizu, made cloth with silk. It was kept improving till the Han dynasty, when Hanfu was made and strongly promoted (推销) by the ruling class. It also had a far-reaching influence on neighboring Asian countries, such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

The Zhongshan suit

The Zhongshan suit, also known as the Mao suit overseas (海外地), is a type of male clothes. It was First advocated (提倡) by Sun Zhongshan in 1912, so it was called the Zhongshan suit. Later on, after Chairman Mao had been seen wearing it in public many times, this type of clothes gained another name-the Mao suit.

The Tang suit

The Tang suit often refers to a type of Chinese jacket rather than the clothing of the Tang dynasty.

This name came from the overseas Chinese. As the Tang dynasty was famous for being rich and powerful in the world, foreigners called the overseas Chinese people “the Tang people” and the clothes they wore were called “the Tang suit”, also known as Tangzhuang.

The Cheongsam

The Cheongsam(Qipao)developed from the Manchu women’s changpao of the Qing dynasty. The Manchu people were also called the Qi people by the Han people; so their changpao was named qipao.

Generally, traditional Chinese clothes had two basic forms: the top- bottom (最上面的) clothes and the one-piece clothes. The top-bottom clothes, made up of an yi (the upper garment上面的衣服) and a chang   (the lower garment), were the earliest form of clothing recorded in Chinese documents. The one-piece clothing was called shenyi. The upper garment and the lower garment were sewn as one piece although they were cut separately.

There are some traditional art forms in China. Paper cutting is one of them.

Traditional paper cuttings were first put on windows for decoration (装饰). This is why they’re called “window flowers”. Today, people use paper cuttings to decorate not only windows, but also doors, walls and other objects at home. The paper cuttings themselves can also be given as gifts.

Paper cuttings are popular because of their expressions of good luck and wishes. During the Spring Festival, for example, many people put up paper cuttings of Chinese character “Fu”. They hope that this will bring them good luck. At wedding ceremonies (婚礼)，you can always see paper cuttings of character “Xi”. It means that the couple can enjoy double happiness together. And paper cuttings of lively children or flowers express wishes for the couple to have a baby soon.

Paper cuttings have developed into different styles in different places of China. Paper cuttings from the northern places usually have interesting shapes and rich patterns. In Southern China, people prefer beautiful paper cuttings. They focus more on the flowers, fruit, birds and fish.

It is quite easy to learn how to make paper cuttings. With a piece of red paper and a knife or a pair of scissors, you can try to make your own paper cut. You can only make one piece at a time by using knife. But if you use scissors to cut several pieces of paper together, you can make several same paper cuttings at once. Although paper cuttings are easy to start with, one needs a lot of practice and imagination to become really good at them.