In traditional Chinese culture, the dragon is one of the 12-year circle of animals     1     appear in the Chinese zodiac. For many centuries, it     2     (regard) as a symbol of luck, power and mystery. People born in the Year of the Dragon are traditionally thought     3     (be) enthusiastic, intelligent, lively, energetic, and innovative.

Among the rich legacies of Chinese history, the dragon totems (图腾)in the Forbidden City are     4     (undoubted) a fascinating presence. The Forbidden City, a splendid architectural complex known as the “treasure of China”, was once the royal palace of the Ming and Qing     5     (dynasty), and it stands as the world’s largest and most complete     6       (exist) ancient wooden structure complex. In the Forbidden City, the dragons, whether hanging in the sky, leaping between beams (横梁),     7     hidden in the details, all tell ancient stories.

In each corner of the Forbidden City,     8     variety of lifelike dragons can be seen, showing not only specialized skills, but also deep history and cultural enrichment.

According to photographer Gu Caihua, those dragons sitting on the roofs seem to be guarding the ancient palaces, while those dragons     9     (sculpture) on beams appear to be telling the ups and downs of history. These dragons are not merely decorations, and       10     some extent, they carry the essence of Chinese culture.

Over centuries, villagers     1     (work) on the body of the dry dragon boat, a local intangible cultural heritage in Xiaojiafang town, Shaowu city, Fujian province.

The unique celebration, rooted in history, highlights village’s enthusiasm     2     the Lantern Festival. People are busy preparing the bamboo     3     (need) to make the village’s distinctive dry dragon boat ahead of the festival. They use best quality bamboo and start preparing a month before the festival. The boats are known as “dry” because they are not made to enter the water     4     rather to play an important cultural role.

During the early hours of the Lantern Festival, about 60 to 70 villagers gather to burn the midnight oil at the local ancestral hall     5     (finish) the making of the giant boat,     6     is about 6 to 8 meters long and 3 to 4 meters in     7     (high), in one go. The boat comes out     8     (magnificent), and its shape and features are distinctive of the north of Fujian province.

Once it is finished, the boat greets visitors at the break of dawn and is then carried door to door, in     9     symbolic gesture of spreading blessings, before being burned that night to signify the sending of the dragon back to the heavens. About 3,000 to 4,000 visitors from     10     (neighbour) villages come to enjoy the auspicious moment.

Between 2016 and 2019, the 58-year-old Swiss artist Catherine Gfeller embarked on a journey to     1    number of Chinese cities, focusing her lens on women. This led to a solo exhibition in Beijing, which displays some of the 30 results,    2     (include) photographs, texts, and videos. Through her lens, Gfeller     3     (skillful)establishes a dialogue and builds a bridge between the narratives of the women and the vibrancy(活力) of the cities in which they live.

Gfeller’s focus is on the intersection between Chinese women and the big cities they inhabit. In each city, she     4     (meet) around 10 women of various professional backgrounds to talk     5    depth before taking photos and filming them. Each took her to places where they have childhood memories, or       6     their present life takes them every day. This personal link created a special atmosphere. With her camera, she tried to capture     7    (they)thoughts, feelings, memories, desires, living presences and fantasies.

In her photos and videos, viewers often encounter women gazing thoughtfully at the city,         8     (shoot) from behind. “I want their stories     9     (interpret)in a poetic, sensory manner in a play of fixed images and images in movement, urban noise, natural sounds, voices and the combination of words and silence. I’m trying to find beauty and transform anonymity and loneliness into something     10     (joy).” she says.

Walking into Wei Lamei's home in Xi'an, one can hardly imagine that the room belongs to a 74-year-old granny, with all kinds of dolls     1    (fill) every corner. She     2    (make) at least 700 large cartoon dolls and countless small ones over the past 26 years.

Wei developed a    3     (fascinate) for making dolls at the age of eight     4    she saw a Russian girl with a blond doll in her arms."After retirement, I began to think about following my childhood dream," said Wei.

    5    (drive) by the dream, in her late 50s, Wei headed to Beijing on her own     6    (seek) better opportunities. After 13 years of hard work in Beijing, she developed her unique design concept and     7    (remark) sewing(缝纫)skills.

In 2010, she returned to Xi'an and turned her home into a workshop.She has ten pairs of glasses and keeps them in different places in the house,so she can browse fashion applications on her smartphone anytime. At     8    same time, she often draws inspiration from Xi'an, the ancient city with a long history, and adds traditional cultural elements to her works. She also     9    (active) participates in live-streaming activities, sharing her daily work and attracting many young fans.

There is no certain way to live our lives. The most important thing is     10    we can do what we love.

The Shanghai Museum celebrated the Lunar New Year with new exhibition in February, Longing for Spring: A Celebration of the Year of the Dragon.

The dragon, or long in Chinese, is the only mythical creature among the 12 Chinese zodiac     1    (sign). It has been present in legends for thousands of years, and recognized as a national totem (图腾) and has     2     long-held spiritual importance in Chinese culture.

Dragons can     3     (find) throughout ancient Chinese art. There are many objects bearing the image of the dragon in the Shanghai Museum’s collection, among which the jade Jue dragon     4     (date) back around 7,000 years. It has a large head, with     5     (point) ears and protruding (伸出的) jaws. Jue objects are widely believed to be the earliest images of the dragon, and archaeologists have speculated that the image could     6     (original) have been based on a pig, bear or even a silkworm. Another one is a flat vase from the reign of Emperor Qianlong. It is a blue-and-white vase     7     two handles, and depicts a red dragon in clouds     8     four feet spread as if it is dancing, looking especially lively.

This is the sixth time that the museum has presented a Lunar New Year exhibition,     9     (feature) zodiac animals. They hope that visitors will find the various     10     (represent) of the dragon in Chinese culture imperial and solemn (庄严), as well as vivid, attractive and lovable.