Chinese acrobatic (杂技) dates back to the Neolithic, when ancient people developed it from daily life for enjoyment and celebration. The use of daily items such as tables, chairs, bowls and plates     1     (be) common in their performances. By the time of the Han Dynasty, the art of acrobatics     2     (achieve) great progress in both content and variety. There were wonderful acrobatic performances     3     background music on the stage. During the Tang Dynasty, the number of acrobats greatly increased and their skills improved a great deal.

    4     (regard) as part of the national heritage, Chinese acrobatics features the ability     5     (maintain) balance in performance movements. For example,     6     experienced acrobat can walk on 3-meter-high poles while juggling 7 bowls. Acrobats can act like fish swimming     7     (smooth) in the water, birds flying through trees and butterflies dancing among flowers, showcasing wonderful skills     8     require years of hard training. And the performances reflect humans’spirit of braving hardships and dangers while seeking     9     (perfect).

Modern Chinese acrobatics has set up a designing and directing system. It is aimed at creating beautiful stage images and     10     (harmony) effects of music, clothing, props, and lighting to bring about a fully developed stage art.

Ai Jing’s exhibition All The World Is Green opened on Tuesday, at the Helen J Gallery in Los Angeles. This     1     (mark) the debut solo (首次个人) exhibition in Los Angeles for the     2     (high) recognized multitalented artist, musician, writer, and actress.

The exhibition showcased     3     diverse range of artworks, including paintings, videos, and installations (现代雕塑装置),     4     (demonstrate) Ai’s artistic skills on and unique approaches to life, nature, and emotions.

At the heart of the exhibition, Girl on a Swing     5     (surround) by block-color paintings and a recreated grassy area, reflecting the artist’s inner world with colors of golden cornfields, shining sun, and expansive greenery spreading out.

In her younger years, Ai longed to leave home,     6     now she finds herself seeking a sense     7     belonging. This emotion pushed Ai’s exploration into painting, video, and installation art.

During the early stages of her career, she sang: “At 17, I left my hometown of Shenyang / For it seemed my dreams lay elsewhere.” It wasn’t until she gained international     8     (recognize) and spent years abroad that Ai began to feel a longing for home. “Childhood     9     (memory) leave deep impressions on one’s growth,” reflected Ai.

Running until April 16, the exhibition offered enough time for audiences     10     (explore) and appreciate Ai’s artistic vision.

An optional college course named Appreciation of the Jiangxi Opera has been taught in a packed house recently at Nanchang University. Waving water sleeves while     1     (wear) traditional makeup and costumes, Chen Li, the instructor of this course, displayed the charm of Jiangxi Opera,     2     several-hundred-year-old local opera, in front of the students this morning.

Many of students     3     (record) the performances and posted the video clips of the class     4     social media platforms, receiving millions of views and likes from netizens. Instead of adopting the traditional form of stage play, Chen devoted more attention to her students’ interactive experience. “I invite my students to come to the stage where they can experience the whole process of the performance by     5     (them),” Chen added.

The course has been open for many years, mainly introducing the history, tunes and performance characteristics of Jiangxi Opera. Originally this course was rarely attended but now is full of people. “    6     I used to focus on was the form of speech and lectures while the teaching effect was unsatisfying,” said Chen.     7     (arouse) the enthusiasm of students, Chen decided to put on a costume and turn the class into a stage to perform.

    8     (face) with the unexpected fame, Chen was satisfied but also realized that a     9     (great) responsibility rested on her shoulders than before. “I hope that even though the     10     (popular) of Jiangxi Opera decreases, this art can still be passed down through generations,” Chen said.

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.

Tai chi is a Chinese martial art often practised with the purpose of     1     (improve) health. The practice forms of tai chi are well known for relaxing, circular movements that work in harmony with breath regulation (调节). It can not only keep your mind calm     2     also make your body strong. As you focus on your breathing and movements, your mind can clear itself of its worries,     3     does your whole body good,

    4     (influence) by Taoist and Confucian thoughts, and the ideas of traditional Chinese medicine, the practice has developed into several styles,     5     (usual) named after a master, such as Chen-style and Yang-style.

Chen Bin, one of the     6     (master) of the Chen-style tai chi, has been practising the martial art since he     7     (be) six years old. More than two decades of practice has made him a master. “One’s understanding of tai chi can develop when the practice continues. As one’s experience grows, it becomes much     8     (easy) to understand its cultural meaning,” Chen Bing explains.

Tai chi has taught Chen Bing     9     (stay) calm during life’s ups and downs, and to learn about the world with     10     open mind. Moreover, the martial art encourages using gentleness to get over toughness, and making use of weakness to win strength through one’s self-awareness, which shows the wisdom of Taoism.

Chinese cultural elements commemorating (纪念) Tang Xianzu,     1     is known as “the Shakespeare of Asia,” add an international character to Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare’s hometown.

Tang and Shakespeare were contemporaries and both died in 1616. Although they could never have met, there are common     2     (theme)in their works, said Paul Edmondson, head of research for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. “Some of the things that Tang was writing about     3     (be)also Shakespeare’s concerns. I happen to know that Tang’s play The Peony Pavilion (《牡丹亭》) is similar in some ways     4     Romeo and Juliet.”

A statue commemorating Shakespeare and Tang was put up at Shakespeare’s Birthplace Garden in 2017. Two years later, a six-meter-tall pavilion,     5     (inspire)by The Peony Pavilion,     6     (build)at the Firs Garden, just ten minutes’ walk from Shakespeare’s birthplace.

Those cultural elements have increased Stratford’s international     7     (visible), said Edmondson, adding that visitors walking through the Birthplace Garden were often amazed     8     (find)the connection between the two great writers.

    9     (recall)watching a Chinese opera version of Shakespeare’s play Richard III in Shanghai and meeting Chinese actors who came to Stratford a few years ago to perform parts of The Peony Pavilion, Edmondson said, “It was very exciting to hear the Chinese language     10     see how Tang’s play was being performed.”