【推荐2】If it were not for a TV show, Fu Sheng, who lived during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, may have remained a stranger to us. If it were not for Fu Sheng, we may have never had the chance to enjoy the great book Shangshu, one of the “five classics” of Confucianism(儒学五部经典).

The TV show is China in the Classics, a wonderful program presented by China Central Television. In its first episode, Fu Sheng’s story was turned into a play. After watching it, people not only took great interest, but also were greatly touched by a common man’s strength and efforts(努力) to protect and pass on a country’s spirit.

It was not an easy task for Tian Qinxin, head of the National Theater of China and the art director of the show, to turn an ancient classic into a one-hour show that connects with the people of today.

However, he made it and the show received high praise from people. The 11-episode show focuses on one classic Chinese book of ancient times in each episode, letting rich history shake hands with modern expressions. It is enjoyed by young people and makes classics “alive”. Its popularity shows the charm of creativity.

“Through the classics, we can see the basic of modern China,” said Tian. “No matter how the human history has developed, they still have a great influence on us. The classics remind us not to forget our past and explain where our cultural confidence comes from.”

【推荐3】Lanterns have been part of Chinese culture for centuries and play a major part in many celebrations. In ancient times, there were mainly three kinds of lanterns:

Palace lantern(宫灯)

    1     When making palace lanterns, fine wood was used. The palace lanterns were covered with silk or glass. Different kinds of pictures were drawn on the covers. These lanterns were not only used as lights but also as decorations in palaces.

Gauze lantern(纱灯)

Less expensive bamboo and gauze were used to cover the lantern. Red gauze was used when making them.     2     So red lanterns are always hung on big festivals such as Lantern Festival,

Spring Festival and National Day in parks or along main streets. In some famous Chinatowns abroad, you can see red lanterns all the year round.     3    

Shadow-picture lantern(走马灯)

It was usually used for amusement.     4     There were two layers(层) of covers and pictures were drawn on the inside layer. When the candle was lit, the heat caused a paper wheel inside the lantern to turn around, so that moving pictures appeared on the outside cover.

Now more kinds of lanterns appear in festivals besides the traditional ones. More modern technology is used on making lanterns.     5    

【推荐2】Riding a Mobike on the street, you may hear some people speaking Chinese aloud. Turing to the right, you see a Sichuan-style restaurant. After walking into a shop, you may see that Huawei smartphones are on sale. But you are not in China --you are in Manchester in Britain. In fact, you might see similar things in many other cities. Chinese products have been going global.

Chinese food has been enjoyed in Western countries for a long time. To meet local people’s tastes, Chinese restaurants have made some changes to the dishes. “One example is the meat,” said Yin Hang, who is studying at the University of Wollongong in Australia. “We like to eat meat with the bone in, but people here don’t.”

So Chinese brands（品牌）are also becoming more popular. In many cities in Europe, stores sell TCL televisions, Haier fridge and Lenovo computers, reported Reuters. More than half of US-owned drones（无人机）are Chinese models, according to China Daily. They are not simply made in China, but designed and developed in the country.

In the past, most Western people thought Chinese products were cheap and unreliable. But things have changed greatly. “Made in China” has become cool and more people trust Chinese brands. For example, Huawei, one of China’s major smartphone makers, overtook Apple in global smartphone sales for the first time in June and July. “ They are beautiful and offer some special features（特点）American phones don’t have,” CNN once said about Chinese smartphones.

【推荐3】Not everyone is born smart or good at sports. But everyone can study to become smarter and train to get better at sports. Science shows that anyone can get better skills.

Your brain is made up of billions of neurons（神经元）. They are all connected and send messages to each other. Scientists have found that when we learn, neurons make new connections and old connections grow stronger. But if connections aren’t used, they will break down. So, learning is like exercise for your brain.

A mindset is a way of thinking. Some people have a fixed mindset. They think they are either smart or stupid and they will stay that way forever. Other people have a growth mindset and they think they can learn and get better.

According to Dr. Carol Dweck’s studies, people with a fixed mindset worry about grades. They’re afraid of looking stupid when they make mistakes. People with a growth mindset care about learning, not grades. They learn from their mistakes and try to find different ways of solving problems. They ask for help when necessary. In only two years, babies learn to walk, talk and feed themselves. They never worry about looking stupid when learning. If they make mistakes, they just try again.

Dweck’s team discovered that kids can choose to have a growth mindset. They can do better in school. So notice what mindset you have. If you ever think yourself stupid, it’s not true. You just have not learned how to do something yet.