1 . Accompanied by the rhythmic sound of bamboo strips (竹板), Yang Ziqi, 17, from Xi’an Qujiang No l High School, listens to interesting stories in the Shaanxi dialect. The stories range in subject greatly from the story of the Monkey King to instructions on garbage sorting.

“Shaanxi kuaiban is amazing. It can not only bring you great joy, but also broaden your horizons” said Yang. Shaanxi kuaiban is a traditional Chinese form of storytelling in the Shaanxi dialect to the rhythm of bamboo clappers. In June, it was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage at the national level. It can be performed by a group or solo. The art form can be traced back to the late Qing Dynasty (1644 — 1911). According to its performers, the art was originally used by farmers to share their knowledge and earn money. But now, more people perform Shaanxi kuaiban on different occasions-for example, at festival celebrations, parties and art shows.

Yang Jinlong, 45, is an experienced 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 attracted to the art form because many of the stories are about heroes. The performer tells stories while playing kuaiban, and it’s easy for the audience to remember the stories since all the lines rhyme,” Yang said. He has practiced Shaanxi kuaiban for more than 30 years. Since 2003, he has been teaching the art form to young people. At 9 am on weekdays, he drives to primary and middle schools in Xi’an and teaches students about Shaanxi kuaiban until about 6 pm. Then, he returns home to prepare classes for the next day. On the weekends, he teaches for six hours each day at art education institutions in Xi’an.

Yang has made some adaptations to the art form to relate more to students. When he tells modern stories, Yang abandons the traditional gown and wears a suit. He also integrates many pop elements like tap dance, ballet, jazz dance and the rhythm of popular music into kuaiban performances. His stories focus on more trendy topics, like stories of heroes who have worked to alleviate poverty (扶贫), as well as the Chinese Olympic team.

“Art education is important for students in China. Just as many students learn to play Western musical instruments like the piano and violin, there are many people learning traditional Chinese folk arts, including Shaanxi kuaiban. They are committed and passionate,” Yang said.

3 . Blind people have long desired for brightness, but scientists don’t have the technology. To bring that one step closer to reality, Zhiyong Fan, a materials scientist of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, developed a new artificial eye recently. The device, which is about as sensitive to light and has sharper vision and a faster reaction time than a real eyeball, may outperform human eyes.

The human eye owes its wide field of view and clear eyesight to the retina (视网膜) — an area at the back of the eyeball covered in light-detecting cells. The design for a new artificial eye is based on the structure of the human eye and uses a friendly light-sensitive material. At the back of the eyeball, an artificial retina is lined with Nan scale light sensors (纳米级光感器). Those sensors measure light that passes through the lens (晶状体) at the front of the eye. Wires attached to the back of the retina send signals from those sensors to the processor, similar to the way nerve networks connect the eyeball to the brain.

“In the future, we can use this to replace damaged human eyes,” says the lead designer. In theory, this artificial eye could see more clearly than the human eye, because the artificial retina contains about 460 million light sensors per square centimeter while a real retina has about 10 million light-detecting cells per square centimeter. Besides, the artificial eyeball records changes in lighting faster than human eyes can — within about 30 to 40 milliseconds, rather than 40 to 150 milliseconds. Although its 100-degree field of view isn’t as broad as the150 degrees a human eye can take in, the device can see as well as the human eye in poor light.

Hongrui Jiang, an electrical engineer at the University of Wisconsin, though, thinks engineers need a much more practical and efficient way to produce vast series of tiny wires on the back of the artificial eyeball to give it superhuman sight, which is super hard to achieve.

4 . A walk through the galleries of Quebec’s Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) places individuals face-to-face with some 43,000 artworks ranging from Chinese ceramics to Inuit sculpture.

While the visiting is an incredible cultural experience, a group of local physicians will soon be able to prescribe museum visits as treatment for some illnesses.

“We know that art contributes to neural (神经的) activity,” said MMFA director Nathalie Bondil. “What we see is that being in contact with art can really help your well-being.”

Hélène Boyer, vice president of a Montreal-based medical association, explains that museum visits have been shown to increase levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter (神经递质) known as the “happy chemical” which helps to lift the mood.

According to Boyer, the small increase in hormones associated with enjoying an afternoon of art is similar to that offered by exercise, making museum visits prescriptions ideal for the elderly experiencing pain that prevents them from regularly joining in physical activity.

The museum visits are designed to improve traditional methods. As Bondil notes, spending time in a peaceful environment can provide a welcome distraction. “What is most important is this experience can help them escape from their own pain” she says. “When you enter the museum, you escape from the speed of our daily life.”

“I am convinced that in the 21st century, culture will be what physical activity was for health in the 20th century,” said Bondil. “Some people would do well to recall that just in the 19^th century, sports were believed to do harm to the body. Just as doctors now prescribe exercise, they will be able to prescribe a visit to the MMFA.”

5 . Maya Lin, designer and sculptor, has created some of the most iconic works and spaces with the belief that art can address important issues. Her latest projects are no different, from museums to sculptures for Presidential centers.

Lin, 62, grew up in Ohio, the daughter of college professors who were Chinese immigrants. As a 21-year-old student at Yale University, she gained national prominence when her entry won a design competition for the new Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Her winning design — two black granite (花岗岩) walls engraved with the names of US service members who died in the Vietnam War (1954-1975) or remain missing — is considered one of the most influential in modern architecture.

Lin went on to design the 1989 Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, and dozens of other projects globally, all with social and environmental justice in mind. She told The Wall Street Journal she uses facts in her art. She said, “I am going to present you with what the story is, but I am not going to draw the conclusion for you.” Currently underway is Lin’s plan for the new Museum of Chinese in America in New York City. Lin said she wants it to be a celebration of Chinese American stories and contributions to the country.

Lin is also designing a sculpture to honor former President Barack Obama’s mother, who died in 1995, at the Obama Presidential Center in Illinois. When Obama awarded Lin the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, he called her work “physical acts of poetry, each reminding us that the most important element in art or architecture is human emotion.”

6 . Movies Recommendations

James Cameron’s 2009 Avatar is the highest-grossing film of all time, so it’s surprising it’s taken 13 years for the sequel (续集). Set more than a decade after the events of the first movie, Avatar: The Way Of The Water returns to see Jake and Neytiri with a family. In the previous film. Jake (Sam Worthington), a former human, befriends the Na’vi after becoming a part of the Avatar Programme. He eventually takes their side in their conflict with the humans and leads them to victory, meanwhile falling in love with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and leaving his human body to become one of the Na’vi.

In this new movie, the humans return to cause great damage to the planet of Pandora, and Jake leads the Na’vi army into battle to protect it. The live action scenes were filmed in New Zealand, which were then overlayed with CGI (computer generated imagery) to transform the characters and seascape into an amazing fantasy world.

Based on true events, this is the story of one woman’s search for King Richard III’s remains, which had been lost for over 500 years. Amateur historian Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins), whose persistent research is met with incomprehension by her friends and family, and doubt and confusion by experts and academics. She takes on the country’s most eminent historians, forcing them to think again about one of England’s most controversial kings.

Based on the 2015 book of the same name, this coming-of-age movie is both tender and haunting. Abandoned by her mother, Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman on the margins of society, sets off on a journey of self-discovery, when she meets Lee (Timothee Chalamet), a homeless drifter (流浪汉). Together they embark on a road trip through the back country of the US. But a trail of pain and tragedy follows her like a ghost. With Lee’s help, she desperately tries to return to be normal.

Following the events of Spider-Man No Way Home, Doctor Strange unwittingly (不知不觉地) casts a forbidden spell that accidentally opens up the multiverse (平行宇宙). With help from Wong and Scarlet Witch, Strange confronts various versions of himself as well as teaming up with the young America Chavez while traveling through various realities and working to restore reality as he knows it. Along the way, Strange and his allies realize they, must take on a powerful new adversary (对手) who seeks to take over the multiverse.