Are you familiar with pop star Jay Chou’s Blue &White Porcelain? Its original lines, just     1     the composer Fang Wenshan described, were inspired by Ru porcelain (汝瓷).

Ranked best among famous kinds during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Ru porcelain is known for its unique pale blue glaze (釉). Oceans     2     Ru porcelain flooded onto the market around the year of 1100, but the     3     (exist) of Ru ware now is actually rare. Thanks to the efforts of Ru porcelain inheritors, people can now appreciate it     4     (close) at hand than before.

Born in Ruzhou, Henan province, Li Chao has spent a decade     5     (better) crafting skills. Ru porcelain goes through 72 steps, the    6     (one) of which is knead (揉) mud. Any small errors could lead to disaster, said the 41-year-old inheritor. He then stressed that a Ru porcelain inheritor must be patient enough. Every item of artwork     7     (full) deserves our admiration.

Techniques of making Ru porcelain will     8     (lose) with senior inheritors gradually passing away. So,     9     Li spares no effort in doing is introducing it to wider masses.     10     (achieve) this goal, he creatively uses Ru porcelain in making daily ware popular among young people. Now he’s aiming to expand the market by introducing it to the whole world.

When my sister, Dona, and I were little kids, my parents both joined the army. They stayed far away from our town and hardly returned home. My grandpa took on the big responsibility of taking care of us. Still, without our parents by our side, Dona and I sometimes felt lonely and sad, especially one winter.

One morning in that winter when Dona and I were sitting in our bedroom, dull and quiet, Grandpa said, “My dear, how about trying skating for fun?” Our faces immediately lit up and we answered together, “Great, we surely like it, Grandpa!”

He smiled and quickly set about building us a skating rink (溜冰场) in our yard. The process of building a skating rink was not easy. First, Grandpa laid out long wooden boards around the yard. Next, he made the base of the rink flat. Grandpa then began spraying the water, lightly at first, until the first layer of ice was established. He would then put some water onto the ice each night. And thus, the ice became thicker and thicker.

In the darkness of the night, from the kitchen window Dona and I watched Grandpa with great expectations. His back and shoulders rounded to protect him from the freezing wind. He stood alone, busying himself creating a perfect skating rink for us. The only light was from the moon and stars.

One night, Grandpa suddenly pressed his waist and the look on his face showed he was painful. Quite concerned, Dona and I rushed out and asked, “Grandpa! What’s wrong?” “My waist is painful. Don’t worry! I’ll be fine just after a little rest,” he smiled. Dona and I offered to help create the rink. But he said it was too cold outside at night and that building the rink needs much experience and lots of skills. Then, we gave up the idea of offering him a hand, but demanded he build the rink a few days later. Seeing we were determined, he walked into the room with us and had warm tea. Before long, Dona and I were tired and went to bed.

When we fell asleep, Grandpa quietly walked out into the yard.

Amazed, we hurriedly put on the skating equipment and rushed out._

3 . The UK has a rich literary heritage, with cities packed with bookshops, literary landmarks and comfortable cafes. If you love books, try one of these city breaks.

York

Earning a remarkable “bookspiration” score of 9. 4/10, York has claimed the title of the best UK city for book lovers. Having the highest number of reading spots per 100, 000 people among all cities analysed, literary lovers will find themselves spoiled for choice in this city. Home to 20 libraries and 33 highly-rated bookshops, this serves as a significant literary resource for a city of its population size.

Books inspired by York include: The Secret Garden, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre

Bath

Bath comes second, receiving a final “bookspiration” score of 8. 1/10. Beyond its plentiful quiet reading spots, more than seven libraries and 16 bookshops per 100, 000 people, the city also offers sufficient green spaces, perfect for eager readers to dive into their favourite books. It’s a dream destination for those with a preference for Jane Austen’s works. It’s also host to the annual Jane Austen Festival in September, featuring many immersive(沉浸式的)Regency-themed experiences.

Books inspired by Bath include: Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Vathek

Belfast

In third place is Belfast, scoring a respectable 7. 3/10. The Northern Irish city has 18 libraries and 55 charming bookshops to choose from. Serving as the backdrop of inspiration for CS Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, Belfast also has a bookish culture as it plays host to an annual book festival drawing in the nation’s biggest bookworms.

Books inspired by Belfast include: Eureka Street, Mystery Man, The Star Factory

Bristol

Bristol with a score of 6. 8/10 secures fourth place to be a literary lover’s paradise. Thanks to its treasure of bookshops from independent to second-hand, over 17 bookshops per 100, 000 people, the lively South West city makes an incredible destination for book-shopping.

Books inspired by Bristol include: Shadow Dance, Birdcage Walk, Keep Him Close

Last year, I worked as a young marketing person in a company. It was one of those busy days—management meetings, sales calls, planning my travels, booking hotels and the list was endless. By the end of the day, I was not only tired but was getting angry with myself and everyone around me. It was at this time that Paul invited me to his house.

Although tired, I was excited to chat with Paul and learn through his rich experience in marketing. As I entered through the main door to his house, Paul started singing a song: I have a dream, to help me through in everything…and so on. I was in no mood to listen to his song; I wanted to hear about how he dealt with difficult sales calls!

As I told him about just that, I was totally surprised at what I saw next. Two young girls aged between 17 and 20 walked over to-Paul and hugged him. They couldn’t walk steadily, and neither could they talk properly. Their faces were full of smiles when they heard the song.

Curious to know, I asked Paul who these girls were. I knew that Paul lived in that house but I had never seen these girls. Paul explained, “I also have a dream, a dream to make these girls happy. They are my daughters and they were born as “special children’.” And he further added, “They don’t have a mother. My wife died when they were very young.” He was both mother and father to the beautiful daughters.

I was moved to tears. In the office, no one knew what Paul was going through in his personal life. He never looked for any pity from his friends. In fact, he always helped us and encouraged us to move forward in life.

I finished my tea and made my way out, when Paul said to me, “All of us have dreams.”

On my way home, his words constantly rang in my mind.

The next morning, I got to the office earlier than ever.

I’ve had a hobby of growing big fruit and vegetables, and my tomatoes, peppers, carrots and many other vegetables always grow well.

Watching the product in my garden, I was proud, yet over time, the smooth planting life felt too ordinary and lacked something. Then one morning I read the news that a woman went on a long river journey by pumpkin (南瓜) boat. I’d never heard of anyone floating by in a pumpkin before, but once the idea was in my head, I had to try it. If there’s one thing I’ve never lacked, it’s optimism, and I decided that with the right pumpkin, I could do better.

I put a lot of effort into pumpkin seeds. Eventually, I noticed one particular sample of the Atlantic Giant variety was overtaking the others. My wife called her Berta, and we watched with excitement over the next few weeks as Berta put on weight. I finally cut her off when she was big enough for me to fit inside. First, I had to test Berta on the water. Using a vehicle, I lowered her into a pond to see how she was going to float, marked the water level and then cut her open.

On 27 August this year, we set out early for the Missouri River with Berta in the back of a truck. I had a paddle (船桨) and was wearing a life jacket. Berta was eased into the river and I carefully climbed in, setting out toward the 6-mile point — the goal I set myself. My main task was to keep the pumpkin upright, away from obstacles. There were markers every mile along the river, so it was easy for the crew of the rescue boat following me — my wife, my sister and my son — to keep track of how far I’d gone and help me when necessary.

The trip passed uneventfully until an unexpected rock appeared.

The experience inspired me to make more fun attempts with my vegetables.

When I was young, we lived in a small town. Everyone knew Roy as he was a top student in the town. He was of my age, but he lost his parents in an accident at the age of 8. So he lived alone and delivered newspapers to support himself and his education.

Every time he delivered newspapers to our home, he wore a broad smile on his face and greeted my mom gently. My mom was greatly surprised when she knew his daily routine. He got up every morning by 5 o’clock and walked 5 kilometers from where he lived to the newspaper office to collect the newspapers. By 6:00, he carried 50 pieces of newspapers — more than 5 kilograms and walked 3 kilometers back. After sending the newspapers, he rushed another 3 kilometers home to cook a simple breakfast before hurrying to school.

This morning, seeing he left hurriedly in a strong wind, my mom and I decided to do something for him. After school, I waited for him at the school gate and told him that my mom would like to invite him to our home. When he asked why, I replied, “You will know soon!” Thinking for a short while, he followed me to my home nearby. It was possible that he assumed my mom would continue to subscribe to the newspaper.

My mom stood at the door, waiting for us.

Seeing the bike in front of him, he couldn’t hold back his tears.

Positive Action Fuels Hope

“I’m not going back to group therapy (治疗). I refuse to be treated like that.” The voice was so loud that I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

Alicia Gonzalez suffered from depression. This was her second month at the homeless shelter, where I work as a case manager.

Alicia had been a nurse for 10 years. Her work was intense and demanding, and she loved it. To her, the trauma (精神创伤) she’d suffered was that her son lost his life in a car crash. With her brain overloaded by the trauma, she couldn’t focus on her work. Finally, she had to quit her job. With no income, she couldn’t pay her rent. For almost three years, Alicia lived in her truck. Alicia told me all this at our first meeting.

“I want to help you,” I said. “There are lots of resources here. All I ask is that you tell me what’s going on with you. That way I can make sure you’re getting the services you need.”

“I’ll try,” she said. “It’s just hard. I used to feel as though what I did mattered. Now...” Her voice became quiet. Before I could say something, she stood and walked out of the room.

Two months later, I still felt as if I hadn’t gotten through to Alicia. Sometimes the things sending her into a violent anger were so minor—a piece of rubbish someone had dropped on the floor—it was hard for me to think of coping skills that didn’t sound like I was criticizing her.

Maybe this latest talk in group therapy was the last straw (稻草). “Finding something small you can feel good about can help you cope with anger,” I suggested. “It doesn’t need to be some huge thing.” Even as I said it, I wondered, “Was that really the best advice I could come up with?” Alicia took a long deep breath. “I know,” she said.

A few weeks later, I saw her in the hallway with a rubbish bag.

In March, Alicia was offered a job doing housekeeping at the shelter.

9 . The recent reports of a 4-year-old girl on a Shanghai beach have gone viral on social media platforms, provoking debate about whether China should criminalize negligence in child supervision.

The father of the little girl claimed that he left her alone on the beach for about 12 minutes to fetch his phone. However, she was nowhere to be found when he was back. Surveillance (监控) videos show that she waited for about 10 minutes before walking toward the water’s edge alone, and then disappeared into the water. Two weeks later, her body was discovered about 100 kilometers away in neighboring Zhejiang Province.

The core issue in this case is the father’s leaving his young daughter unattended on the beach, causing her tragic death. Should such behavior, when it causes harm to a child, be seen as a criminal act? In an online survey, more than 90 percent of respondents insisted that the father be held legally responsible and face criminal punishments.

Nevertheless, according to Liu Chunquan, a lawyer, it may not satisfy the criteria for criminal negligence, since the primary focus of Chinese criminal law is on extreme cases of parental neglect, such as physical abuse and mental torture. Rarely do legal authorities charge parents; instead, they are just likely to face penalties consisting of warnings and fines.

In 2022, a 2-year-old baby drowned in a cesspool while in the company of his father. The court ruled shared responsibility between the father and the cesspool’s owner, with a 7:3 proportion. The owner was ordered to pay 20,000 yuan to the child’s family. Unluckily, similar cases do exist nationwide. Roughly, 100,000 children lose their lives in accidents annually in China, which is largely due to negligence, such as parents leaving their children unattended, either in locked cars or at home. Besides, drowning is now the main cause of death for children aged 1 to 14 years old.

It is no wonder that an increasing number of netizens request that specific laws and regulations be passed to ensure the safety of children and their well-being. Hopefully, criminalizing child supervision negligence in China can serve as a warning and precaution.

However, downsides of introducing such legislation may also emerge. For instance, it’s difficult to distinguish between a regrettable accident and criminal negligence, so that over-criminalization can be triggered, in which well-meaning parents making honest mistakes are charged with a crime.

Therefore, a more balanced approach to addressing the issue of infant safety should involve a combination of new legislation, education and support services. The ultimate objective is to prevent similar catastrophes in the future. We must recognize that children are not only their parents’ offspring, but also the nation’s future.

The 19th Asian Games closed on October 8^th under the theme of “Enduring Memories of Hangzhou” for the closing ceremony,     1     (highlight) the power and unity of sports and the Asian Games.     2     (enhance) with AR visual effects, the stadium, also known as the “Big Lotus”, turned into     3     blooming garden with 19 giant osmanthus flowers(桂花) during the parade of athletes, symbolizing the     4     (diverse) of Asian cultures and the prosperity of Asia.

The Hangzhou Asian Games featured 40 sports and 481 events,     5     took place across 56 different competition venues. Over the past 16 days, around 12, 000 athletes from 45 countries and regions shared     6     (forget) moments in Hangzhou. China carried off 201 golds, 111 silvers and 71 bronzes, finishing atop the medal tally. It’s the third time that China     7     (host)the continental multi-sports event.

“The Qiantang River continually flows into the sea, and the light of Asia will continue to shine brightly in the future. The Asian Games flame is about to be put out,     8     its spirit will live on,” said Gao Zhidan, organizing committee president.

The Hangzhou Asian Games claimed to be a “green” and “smart” event. No fireworks were let     9     in the city during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, although impressive digital technology allowed television viewers to see Al-generated fireworks on the broadcast.

The Hangzau Asian Games also produced world-leading performances with a total of 13 world records     10     (break).