【推荐2】Many people believe that tea was first drunk nearly 5.000 years ago. It is said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong was the first to discover tea as a drink. More than 4,000 years later, Lu Yu, “the saint of tea”, mentioned Shen Nong in his book Cha Jing. The book describes how tea plants were grown and used to make tea. It also discusses where the finest tea leaves were produced and what kinds of water were used.

It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. In England tea didn’t appear until around 1660. But less than 100 years later, it had become the national drink. The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world. Even though many people now know about tea culture, the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea.

【推荐3】In the eyes of many foreigners, Chinese are the best hosts (主人) and the worst guests in the world. They’re not really bad guests. But because the guest-host relationship in China is very different from that in western countries, it appears they are not nice guests.

My wife, a very kind Chinese lady, doesn’t smoke. When I see some of her guests smoking in the house, I feel unhappy. Usually I want to stop them directly, but I must realize that in China, to be a good host, she can not do that. In most North American homes, if you are a guest, and the hosts are not smokers, you should not smoke in their house.

Guests in China also have special habits. Some western people may not adapt to these habits very soon. Thankfully my wife is Chinese, so whenever we visit a Chinese family, she tells me to buy them a gift. However, giving a gift to a host is not always necessary in my country. So, if you invite international guests to your house, don’t be too surprised if they don’t bring you a gift.

In China, you probably won’t need to change the guest-host relationship very much because you will probably only be the host, and Chinese are naturally very good hosts. If western hosts invite you to their house, try not to be too surprised if their style of treating you is not what you have expected.

【推荐1】Cycling, which means riding a bike, is popular among children across the UK. They have saved parents more than £368,000 in gas (汽油) costs in the last three weeks, by cycling a million miles to school.

The journeys were made as part of Sustrans’ Big Pedal—the UK’s biggest school cycling game, started by the world’s top cyclist, Mark. More than 1.000 schools around the country took part in it.

With gas prices rising, families across the country are looking for ways to cut down on gas costs. The Big Pedal shows just how easy it is to leave the car at home and use two wheels for short trips like the school run.

More than a quarter of a million children have shown how choosing two wheels instead of four can help families save money. If children keep cycling to school all the year round, families in the UK can save themselves nearly £3 million in gas costs.

According to Matt, a famous director (导演), cycling not only helps families save on gas costs, but also improves a child’s performance at school.

In fact, cycling is good for kids. “By regularly (定期地) cycling to school, we become fitter, smarter and better leaners.” a student called Tommy said confidently.

“It’s great to see more people cycling, and I always smile when I see a family or a child on a bike. So many kids want to cycle, so we should make it easy for them to get around by bike and keep healthy.” Mark said.

In order to encourage more schools to take part in the cycling competition, Joseph from Sustrans.org.uk said that prizes (奖励) would be given. Schools can choose any six weeks in the year to take part in the competition (or longer if they wish).

【推荐2】Shaanxi kuaiban is a kind of traditional Chinese storytelling in the Shaanxi dialect (方言), with the rhythm (节奏) of bamboo strips (竹板). It can be performed by one person or a group. In June, 2021, it was included on the list of national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产).

The art form dates back to the late Qing Dynasty. Farmers used it to tell stories and make money. But now, people perform Shaanxi kuaiban at festivals, parties and art shows.

Yang Jinlong, 45, is a well-trained Shaanxi kuaiban artist. He first learned the art at the age of 9. Before that, he often went with his father, an amateur performer, to watch kuaiban performances. “As a young boy, I was interested in the art form because many of the stories were about heroes. The performer tells stories while playing kuaiban. It’s easy for the audience to remember the stories since all the lines rhyme (押韵),” Yang said.

He has practiced Shaanxi kuaiban for more than 30 years. Since 2003, he has been teaching the art form to young people.

Yang has made some changes to the art form. When he tells modern stories, Yang gives up wearing the traditional clothes. Instead, he wears a suit. He also borrows many pop things like tap dance, ballet, jazz dance and the rhythm of popular music. His stories are mainly about more modern topics, like garbage sorting (垃圾分类) and the Chinese Olympic team.

“Art education is important to students in China. Just as many students learn to play Western musical instruments, there are many people learning traditional Chinese folk arts, including Shaanxi kuaiban. They are hard-working and active,” Yang said.