Sichuan Cuisine and Hunan Cuisine are both known for their hot flavors, which might appear similar at first sight. That’s why Americans are pretty confused about how they are different.

This confusion has its roots in how Hunan food     1     (introduce) to the American public. According to Kian Lam Kho, the author of Chinese food blog Red Cook, a group of Chinese chefs are said     2     (train) in both Hunan and Sichuan Cuisines in 1945. When they later     3     (seek) opportunities in the United States, they brought Hunan and Sichuan Cuisines to New York,     4     these two cooking styles were adjusted to suit local tastes.

As Kho puts     5    , these two cuisines offer different flavors. Sichuan Cuisine is characterized by the use of Sichuan peppercorns (花椒粒), which provide     6     unique numbing feeling. Hunan Cuisine, on the other hand, is famous for its bold and burning flavors, which features the     7     (combine) of fresh chilies (辣椒) and garlic to create a powerful and intense spicy taste.     8     Sichuan Cuisine, Hunan Cuisine does not typically include the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns.

“It is amazing     9     distinct Hunan cooking is compared to its confusing Sichuan cousin. It is truly worthwhile to seek out restaurants or cookbooks that     10     (faith) capture Hunan flavors in their menus or recipes.” Kho notes.

Sichuan cuisine, one of the eight major cuisines in China, is now popular all over the world. In February 2010, Chengdu     1     (award) the honorary title of “City of Gastronomy” (美食之都) by UNESCO. To experience comprehensive Sichuan cuisine culture, you should definitely visit Sichuan Cuisine Museum (also Chuancais Museum), the first museum     2     (display) a regional cooking culture in the world.

    3     (cover) an area of more than 40 mu, the museum forms     4     unique cultural landscape of ancient Kingdom of Shu in Chinese history. In this AAA national museum, you can appreciate more than 6,000 pieces of antique and cultural relics related to Sichuan cuisine culture, as well as     5     (catch) a glimpse of new style classic garden scenery and traditional western Sichuan style folk houses. Sichuan Cuisine Museum is the only “EATABLE MUSEUM”,     6     you can not only learn Sichuan cuisine culture by using eyes and ears, but also enjoy it by using mouth and nose. Interesting, meaningful and featured activities are     7     (special) designed from the moment you stepped into the museum to the time you leave. The highlighted experience for your visit should be cooking the typical Sichuan dishes     8     the guidance of the professional chef. There is arguably no better way to know more about a cuisine     9     learning how to cook it yourself.

Start your     10     (explore) from Sichuan Cuisine Museum, enjoy different aspects of Sichuan cuisine, satisfy your curiosity and taste buds and experience all fun for “Playing with Chuancais”.

Following the barbecue-induced travel craze to the city of Zibo in East China, Chinese social media has once again highlighted the next internet-famous city worthy of     1     (explore).

This time it’s Tianshui, a low-key city in China’s Gansu province that     2     (take) the spotlight recently. It has attracted considerable attention     3     food enthusiasts and social media influencers online,     4     (celebrate) the city’s iconic dish of hot pot.

Known as Tianshui Malatang, which     5     (literal) means spicy and hot, the local dish is popular for its large portion of skewered meat, vegetables,     6     hand-made potato noodles in a pot of boiling broth (肉汤).

Two food bloggers, with over 3 million followers in their account on the popular Chinese Weibo,     7     (be) among the influencers praising the deliciousness of Tianshui Malatang. Their vlogs show eager food enthusiasts lining up on the streets, many of     8     traveled from cities far away.

Dong Liangyan, 29, from Daqing in Heilongjiang province,     9     (locate) more than 2,000 km away from Tianshui, told Xinhua that she was absolutely delighted     10     (enjoy) the local delicacy.

Oracle bone script (or jiaguwen), the earliest-known Chinese characters     1     (carve) on tortoise shells (龟壳) and animal bones, today has made its way into modern life. Chen Nan, an     2     (enthusiast) professor with the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University, is among those responsible for its resuscitation (复兴).

The protection of Chinese character culture     3     (achieve) good progress in recent years. And the ancient characters have also gained growing global influence. In 2017, the script     4     (official) entered the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. Oracle bone script calligraphy exhibitions even took place in Morocco and Japan in 2018-19. International experts, too, have participated     5     the research on and promotion of the characters. One such expert is Adam D. Smith from the U.S., who said he once visited Anyang     6     (see) the unearthed script and further introduced the ancient characters through lectures and workshops abroad. He suggested     7     (take) the research online so     8     more people can better understand the roots of Chinese culture.

For Chen, the global promotion of oracle bone script culture is far from sufficient, given people from other cultural     9     (background) may still consider it mysterious and abstract. “I hope modern designs can break down cultural barriers,” said Chen,     10     newly made designs have been published and exhibited overseas.

Incense (香) boasts a long history,    1    its roots in many cultures-ancient China, ancient Egypt, Babylon and beyond. People from all walks of life benefit from its countless qualities, whether they use it for pleasure    2    as medicine.

Since the Tang and Song dynasties, burning incense, hanging paintings, making tea, and enjoying music have been known as the “four arts for literati (文人)”.    3    (make) from seeds, leaves and flowers, incense has been used as an enjoyable     4    (pursue) for scholars.

Moreover, medical incense is an essential part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which considers preventative healthcare as     5    far superior form of treatment when illness strikes.

    6    (basic), medical incense can kill bacteria in the environment, protecting people against infections. It is also believed     7    (possess) the ability to balance the flow of Qi, a vital energy force within the body. Once the medical elements within incense are breathed in, they soon find    8    (they) way into the bloodstream. From there they go directly to the organs    9    treatment assistance is needed. The specific types of incense    10    (choose) based on the individual’s condition, aiming to restore balance and promote well-being.

Nanjing, situated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, was the capital of China for six Dynasties. An Australian Nanjinger Townley loves the rivers in the city. He     1     (ride) a bike along the bank of a river to the Nanjing Fishmouth Wetland Park in Jianye District every Saturday and Sunday mornings, about a 15-km round trip.     2     (walk) around the city or visiting museums is also an enjoyable part of his life.

According to Townley, Nanjing is in an ideal     3     (locate) in one corner of the Yangtze River Delta region, close to Shanghai.

Now, Townley works with and     4     (support) by the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute. He serves     5     a visiting professor at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering at Nanjing Tech University. After being a consultant and in the industry for     6     (year), he loves being connected to a university again     7     (share) his knowledge and experience with younger people and to initiate research based on the problems he has encountered in the real world so far. “I know my education and life are different from the     8     (type) Chinese students. Despite the differences,     9     I want to do with my Chinese students is encourage them to think, to be curious     10     to always search for new things.”

Recently, you may have noticed some new trends in the fashion industry, from “dopamine (多巴胺) dressing” to “tomato girl”. Now, it is the perfect time     1     (try) something new with the “Maillard style” that’s getting popular on social media.

The term “Maillard” originally refers to the Maillard     2     (react). This phenomenon is well-known in Western cuisine. It describes a chemical change that produces flavor chemicals and browning in foods such as toast and steak, as     3     (note) by BBC Science Focus.

    4     (similar), Maillard-inspired fashion creates clothes     5     show different kinds of brown, like rich reddish-browns, warm yellow-browns, and delicate off-whites(米色). This makes     6     easier for people to think of the rich tastes food brings,     7     (create) pleasant emotions in their brains.

    8     (compare) to the bright colors of “dopamine dressing” and the fresh “tomato girl” look, the dark earth colors that Maillard style uses reflect the autumn season and give people a     9     (comfort) feeling.

The style has also become     10     hit among many famous brands. At fashion shows showing off their new autumn products, brands like Miu Miu, Hermes, and Miuccia Prada have all presented Mailard-themed clothes one after another.

Yiwu’s market bounces back after three difficult years

Orders from all over the world     1     (flood) into Yiwu factories since earlier this month, a snapshot of global trade in the post-pandemic era     2     indicates a strong recovery for foreign trade in Zhejiang province in early 2023.

Statistics show that on Feb 2, 75,000 merchants     3     (participate) in the opening ceremony at Yiwu International Trade City — the world’s largest     4     (distribute) center for small commodities — placing orders on-site after almost three years of being unable to do so     5     person since the COVID-19 epidemic began.

Lu Qingrong, manager of the Jingrong Toy Company, said that orders have already been scheduled for May and June,     6     that this year’s sales are expected to be 30 percent     7     (high) than the previous two years.

For the past three years, Yiwu’s manufacturing companies     8     (devote) more energy to innovation and quality as they have upgraded, in a bid to underpin steady and accelerated growth.

Lu added that Jingrong will focus on strengthening innovation and research     9     (satisfy) increasing demands and plans to launch at least 10 new products every week.

In addition, the company is currently adding more production lines, which will raise     10     (efficient) and is expected to increase production by 50 percent.

Jianbing has a     1     (long) history than almost any other Chinese street food. It is thought to have originated in Shandong Province during the Three Kingdoms Period (220–280 AD).

Jianbing is one of China’s most popular street breakfasts. The recipe     2     a modern-day jianbing holds fairly closely to this principle. A thick, sticky wad of dough (面团) is quickly spread into a giant pancake, using a thick wooden paddle. While the jianbing cooks, an egg or two are cracked onto its uncooked surface and spread evenly. Then topped with     3     (fine) chopped (剁碎) vegetables, the jianbing     4     (fold) in half like a fan,     5     sweet and spicy layer of sauces spread on the back to taste. And each one is cooked fresh to order on a circular cast-iron grill, just the way that you want it.

The batter (面糊) and fillings     6     (use) in jianbing differ by region. In southern China, the batter might be made from green beans,     7     in Tianjin, they use you tiao (fried dough sticks) rather than fried wontons (馄饨) as filling, calling them jianbing guozi. Other fillings vary too, ranging from Chinese sausage to chopped carrot, chicken, or even—in Shanghai—slices of bacon.

Jianbing     8     (stand) are the simple breakfast architecture of every Chinese city. Every city has its own jianbing vendor serving breakfast     9     dawn through mid-morning,     10     (satisfy) hungry locals on their way to work.

Tanghulu (also known as bingtang hulu) is a traditional Chinese snack consisting of hardened sugar coated fruits on a stick.     1    (classic), tanghulu is made of hawthorns that are rich     2     vitamin C. In recent times, tanghulu makers     3    (add)variety to this traditional snack by using other fruits such as cherries, strawberries, pineapples or grapes.

Tanghulu can taste sweet or sour, depending on your fruit. Traditional tanghulu using hawthorn berries is said to taste like a     4    (combine)of both. You can, of course, make your own Tanghulu using any fruit you desire.

Tanghulu is easier     5     (make)at home than you might think. The trick is to use the correct water to sugar ratio (比例) and boil the sugar water mixture     6     its temperature reaches 150 ℃. Then quickly dip your fruit skewer (扦) into the sugar mixture. This will result in fruit that’s coated in a thin layer of hard candy that cracks when     7    (bite)into.

Tanghulu is commonly eaten in the winter. You can find     8    (travel)traders roaming (游荡) in the streets, selling this unique snack. If you want to try the sticky treat     9     (you), you can find Tanghulu stands near most of the popular tourist attractions in China. Tanghulu isn’t expensive, as a skewer costs only $1. So, what could possibly stop you from giving one     10     try?