1 . As a country powerful in math, China has many folk games full of math wisdom (智慧). You may play many of them before. Let’s take a look at three of them.

The images of Chinese dragons (loong in Chinese) appeared over 6,000 years ago. They are not the images which have any similarity with dinosaurs, as well as are different     1     western dragons. In fact, loong is not a     2     creature. It was created by ancient Chinese. Chinese combined the advantages of several animals to create the images, like snakes, horses and so on.

Loong was always regarded     3     a lucky animal by Chinese people to bring a good year for people. Besides this, it was a symbol of power and royal dignity in China. Only the emperors could put on the clothes with the images of loong. The images can be seen in the Forbidden City     4     the Summer Palace.

Nowadays, loong is still admired by Chinese and represents Chinese spirits. There are two festivals which have to do with dragons. On the Lantern Festival, each January 15th on the lunar calendar, people wave dragon lanterns to     5     the coming spring. And they also perform the dragon dance. On the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, people hold dragon boat competitions. How interesting these activities are!

3 . Chinese paper-cutting is one of the most popular art forms in the world.     1     The first piece of paper-cutting appeared in western China around the 6th century. From the 7th to 13th century, paper cutting became popular especially during Chinese festivals. The art was introduced to the world in the 14th century.

In the beginning, Chinese people used thin materials like leaves to make the cutting. After paper was invented, they found that this material was easy to cut.     2    

People make paper-cutting to show beautiful things and their good wishes.     3     People include everything in paper-cutting, from great people to the things that we can find in everyday life such as birds, flowers and animals. There are also some Chinese characters in traditional Chinese paper-cutting.

    4     People only need a piece of paper and a pair of scissors or a knife. But to make this art perfect is not easy at all because it needs a lot of hard work, practice, skills and imagination. There are two ways of making paper-cutting. One is using scissors, and the other is using knives. Using scissors can make a few pieces of paper-cutting at a time by cutting a few pieces of paper together, while using knives can make only one piece at a time.

    5     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 (装饰性的) purposes, but also in fashion, advertising and more areas.

Jin Ying, 25, is a lover of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). She took part in a three-month training course on acupuncture and tuina (针灸推拿)     1     2023 at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

Jin’s life has been different since the training. She     2     (change) her life habits after learning the Five Elements theory (五行学说). For example, she avoided sweating too much during exercise in winter     3     the cold of winter means people should slow down, according to TCM. For     4     (she), learning these skills and theories was not about becoming a TCM doctor but rather about choosing a new lifestyle.

She is not an     5     (usual) example of young people becoming interested in TCM. A survey by China Youth Daily showed that 93.3 percent of the 1,000 young people     6     took part had tried different TCM treatments.

“I have seen     7     (many) young people come to me for neck and back pains than before,” said Ma Huifang, a TCM doctor at Guoyitang.

Between Western medicine and TCM, young people now prefer TCM for its efficacy (疗效). But some people question why TCM treats the same illnesses with different prescriptions. “This is actually     8     advantage of TCM, rather than a shortcoming, as it can be a accurate (精准的) treatment for different     9     (patient),” Ma explained.

Younger age groups are choosing TCM, and at the same time, TCM is also helping young people. As Jin noted, “It helps young people understand Chinese medicine and learn why it is     10     (believe) to be a treasure of our Chinese culture.”

Martial arts (武术) are traditional Chinese sports. Most people think martial arts are all about kicking and fighting. But tai chi (太极) is another way around. Unlike other e    1    , it is soft, slow and peaceful. Although tai chi is an ancient martial art, it is still quite popular today.

People do tai chi as a way to keep h    2    . They can practice it almost anytime and a    3    . People believe that practicing tai chi can help them have better control of their bodies so that they can stand, walk, and run better.

Above all, tai chi is also good for our mind. Marleni, a woman who has practiced tai chi for more than f    4     (十五) years, says it’s not only a sport, but also a way of life. Tai chi has taught her the value of living more peacefully. Thanks to tai chi, she began to feel changes b    5     in body and in mind. As she expressed, “For me now, practicing tai chi is like speaking with my soul.”

8 .

As we all know, China is the Kingdom of Bamboo.     1     There are about 1, 200 kinds of bamboo in the world and about 400 kinds are in China.

People in ancient China used bamboo a lot in their daily lives.     2     In the Shang Dynasty, Chinese people began to use bamboo to make beds, chairs, chopsticks, spoons, baskets and so on. Before paper was invented, people wrote on bamboo.     3     Besides, bamboo shoots (竹笋) could be made into popular bamboo dishes, because they were delicious. It was also easy to find bamboo in Chinese medicine.

Today we can still find bamboo products all over China. Bamboo is tall with thick leaves. People like bamboo very much. They often plant it in the yards or in the parks. It can stand the heat of the summer.     4     It is also a plant that can grow in poor soil.

Through the centuries, bamboo has always been a subject of many poems and paintings. People admire it for its purity (纯洁) and elegance (优雅).     5     In fact, bamboo makes Chinese culture rich and colorful.