The lantern fair in Zigong, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, which     1     (own) a history of more than 1,000 years, is once again fascinating visitors with its brilliant shining lanterns.

Covering     2     area of nearly 37 hectares, the 30th International Dinosaur Lantern Show received around 450,000 visitors during the Spring Festival holiday from February 10 to 17.

To mark the Year of the Dragon, many of the lanterns     3     show feature the Chinese sign of the zodiac (生肖), but there are also a wide variety of other lantern designs to meet different needs. Visitors     4     prefer traditional lanterns can find lanterns with flowers and birds, legendary figures, and landscapes, while lanterns with modern themes such as cartoon characters, cultural trends and online games are gaining     5     (popular) among young people.

The lantern show is also expressing the concept of environmental protection. For example, a dragon lantern     6     (measure) over 200 meters long was made by tying together some 200,000     7     (abandon) water bottles.

This year’s show received more than 3,000 children’s artworks from around the world. Some of the art pieces were turned into lanterns by     8     (profession) craftsmen. Visitors can also enjoy acrobatics (杂技), folk arts, and Chinese music performances during     9     (they) lantern-viewing tours.

Famous for lantern-making, Zigong saw its lanterns lighting 80 cities across China during the Spring Festival holiday and Zigong lanterns     10     (light) up in more than 20 countries overseas last year.

The Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, is believed to have a history of about 2,500 years. Over centuries, Chinese people     1     (develop) colorful traditions, the most important of     2     is honoring ancestors.

Besides burning paper money, in some regions, firecrackers are also set off while sweeping tombs to inform their ancestors of the family’s     3     (present) and drive away evil spirits. Although these customs are deeply rooted in traditional culture, it is important in modern society     4     (abandon) old practices, observe civilized rituals and reduce carbon emission.

    5     (fortunate), many places have issued proposals for civilized tomb-sweeping, not only advocating for citizens to strengthen their safety awareness but also     6     particular providing various civilized tomb-sweeping methods for citizens to refer to.

Examples include encouraging     7     use of fresh flowers and tree-planting memorials instead of burning paper money. Promoting simple funeral practices,     8     (simplify) funeral ceremonies, and supporting eco-burials as well as visiting red education bases to learn about the heroic deeds of revolutionary martyrs (烈士)     9     (be) also other preferable options.

Understanding the essence of the Qingming Festival itself is far     10     (essential) than pursuing traditional forms. Civilized and low-carbon tomb-sweeping will be more in line with the essence of cherishing memories and respecting life.

Wearing Hanfu and sitting in front of a Chinese zither (筝), Peng Jingxuan, a young Chinese student, moves her fingers gently along the strings on a street in Paris, France.

Peng has shared more than 200     1     (origin) videos online, with the most popular one featuring the theme song of the movie A Chinese Ghost Story viewed over 16.61 million times. “I love how she’s representing her culture in a     2     (set) where people are not familiar with it. You can tell she’s proud of her background and her music,” one of her fans commented.

Chinese zither (筝), or guzheng, is an ancient musical instrument with 21-26 strings and a length of 1.63 meters. Peng     3     (fall) in love with it when young and has been practicing it for years. Hardly finding Chinese instruments     4     (play) on the streets in Paris, she took along her guzheng     5     began her street performances to sharpen her skills. The more she performed, the more she felt a greater sense of responsibility     6     (spread) Chinese music and culture.

Considering her audience’s     7     (unfamiliar) with Chinese songs, Peng made adaptations, for     8     she received positive responses. She also performed Western pop songs that local people could relate     9    , entertaining them with beautiful melodies in a     10     (refresh) style.

More young people are trying their hand at farming the soil. Guo Lan, 29, works in a vegetable greenhouse on his organic farm     1     (locate) in the suburban district of Hefei, East China’s Anhui province. It is the eighth time this summer that Guo has failed to grow vegetables     2    using chemicals. Despite trying various homemade pest solutions, such as plant ash and mixtures of pepper and alcohol, the vegetable     3     (leaf) were still being eaten by insects. “I will not give up     4     (try),” the 29-year-old accountant-turned-farmer says. He is determined to turn his farm into     5     organic one, cultivating fruits and vegetables with the same flavors as those from his childhood memories.

“Growing tasty and healthy food     6     (be) my dream since I was a teenager. I know     7     challenging it can be, but if you take the soil     8     (serious), I believe it will pay off,” Guo says. He adds that farming is not a business that can make quick money, but for him, it has become an uplifting activity that brings back memories of spending time on the farm with     9     (he) parents as a child. Guo’s passion for organic farming and commitment to producing healthy food will surely inspire more young people to explore     10     (sustain) agriculture.

With over 1.5 million fans on Chinese social media platforms, Rachel labels herself as a German-American vlogger (视频博主) who speaks Chinese.     1    many may not know is that she spent her childhood in Guangdong and     2     (call) China her home since the age of six.

Rachel’s journey as a     3     (create) of digital content began during her time at Xiamen University, when she started sharing videos about her everyday life and hot topics in China.     4     (film) in fluent Mandarin, occasionally with a Cantonese accent, her videos quickly captured the interest of many viewers.

Rachel’s exceptional command of the Chinese language has opened doors     5     exciting job opportunities. In 2022, she became the first regular female guest on a cultural interview program in China     6    features foreigners as the main guests.

Her popularity     7     (boost) further in 2023, thanks to My Guangdong Story,     8     six-episode documentary series that explored the lives of foreigners in Guangdong.

“I am actually a Cantonese, and Guangdong is my home,” Rachel shares     9     (warm).

With her passion, language skills, and genuine love for China, Rachel continues to inspire her vast online community,     10     (bridge) cultures and building connections across borders

The 2.4-km-long Peljesac Bridge (佩列沙茨大桥), connecting Croatia’s mainland with the Peljesac Peninsula on the country’s southern Adriatic coast,     1     (be) a Belt and Road Initiative project built by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) .

The bridge has     2     (significant) improved people’s lives, cut travel time to the Adriatic coast and increased     3     (economy) opportunities for the region. “This bridge is not a luxury; it is our     4     (necessary),” said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic when the bridge was opened.

The construction team attached great importance     5     environmental protection. While     6     (build) the bridge, they took different measures to create     7     environmentally friendly site. A bubble curtain, a measure to reduce noise caused by underwater construction,     8     (apply) to decrease the disturbance to the wildlife in the sea and neighboring residents. In addition, oil containment zones were set up at the site     9       (prevent) possible oil leaks.

“I have worked on some other big projects in Europe, but none compare with the Peljesac Bridge project,” Selma Knudsen said,     10     worked as a commercial coordinator on the Peljesac Bridge project.