The International Ice and Snow Festival kicked off in January in Harbin, capital city of China’s northernmost Heilongjiang Province. Harbin came as the hottest     1    (attract)in winter throughout China.

Harbin Ice and Snow World,     2    (build)on the northern bank of the Songhua River which flows through the city, is     3     landmark ice-and-snow theme park as the country’s top snow and ice tourism site for New /Year holiday travel.

The theme park,     4    (cover)an area of 810,000 square meters, this year used a total of 250,000 cubic meters of ice and snow mined from the Songhua River for crafting various sculptures     5     castles and towers, which are illuminated(照亮)by colorful lighting.

“This year’s scale of ice-and-snow sculptures in the park is the     6    (large)since it first opened in 1999,”said Sun Zemin, a marketing director of a travel agency. The park offers more than 20 amusement     7     (activity)including ice kart racing, snowmobile racing, snow drifting and snow yo-yo.

Sun said the number of ice slides in the park     8    (increase)by the time of the festival     9    (satisfy)the growing tourist demand, from 8 last winter to 14 this winter.

“My wife and I had thought about going to somewhere warm for a winter trip, but we were attracted by short videos that went viral online about ice-and-snow fun in Harbin. That is     10     we are here now,” said Sun Chengzhe, a tourist from east China’s Fujian Province.

Every Wednesday afternoon, Le Duc An, a Vietnamese PhD student at Beijing University of Technology, practices calligraphy in the calligraphy group.

The 33-year-old     1    (study) Chinese calligraphy for nearly three years. “I     2    (expose) to Vietnamese calligraphy when I was a child, and it was one of the things that made the biggest impression on me,” An says.

When he came to Beijing in 2019 for his PhD studies focusing on the environment, he also spent time practicing Chinese calligraphy,     3    (commit) himself in earnest to the journey of learning the art.

    4    (initial), An says that he did not understand the techniques in Chinese calligraphy, but with the help of Professor Liu Hongli, he gradually came to understand the meaning behind the characters and the techniques in calligraphy.

    5    (gain) a deeper understanding of calligraphy, An has visited many ancient sites in Beijing, including the Confucius Temple and the Forbidden City. He has also participated     6     a number of calligraphy competitions, both at school and international events.

An says that places     7     he has seen treasured scrolls of calligraphy have left a profound impression, and are     8     major source of inspiration. “Calligraphy has become a part of me,” An says.“Whenever I see Chinese calligraphy from different     9    (dynasty), and on sculptures and at historical sites, I find myself     10    (impress) by the vastness and depth of Chinese culture.”

In the small coastal town of Brighton, the community    1     (come) together every summer to celebrate their unique heritage and culture. This year’s festival, was more special as it    2     (mark) the town’s 200th anniversary. The event    3     (kick) off with a grand parade featuring colorful floats and costumes, each    4     (represent) different aspects of Brighton’s history.

Local artists and craftsmen    5    set up booths along the main street, proudly displayed their handmade goods, drawing admiration from visitors and locals alike. Among the attractions, the most popular    6     (be) the traditional dance performances,     7     (showcase) the town’s rich cultural diversity.

The highlight of the festival was the seafood cook-off, where the    8     (good) chefs in Brighton competed to create dishes using the freshest catch from the sea. The aroma of cooking filled the air,     9     (tempt) everyone to taste the delicious creations.

As the sun set, people gathered at the beach where a bonfire was lit up, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Stories and laughter were shared, and it had become evident that the festival was not just a    10     (celebrate) of the town’s past, but also a reinforcement of the strong community bonds that had been formed over generations.

Ieoh Ming Pei, an influential architect of the twentieth century, has created many cross-cultural projects. His distinctive identity — as     1     American architect born in China — gives him a special transnational background. Scholars typically try to locate his design inspirations in his childhood memories, connecting Pei with his dual-cultural (双文化) background and     2     (describe) his buildings based on his biography. Suzhou, the town     3     Pei family was located, is often mentioned by scholars as a way     4     (understand) I. M. Pei’s Chinese cultural background. The city is famous     5     its architecture and landscape, especially its ancient gardens.

    6     (found) in 1960 and originally located in the national historic landmark, Zhong Wang Fu Palace complex, the Suzhou Museum has been a highly-regarded regional museum with a number of significant Chinese cultural     7     (relic).

A new museum designed by world-famous architect I. M. Pei     8     (complete) in October 2006, covering over 10,700 square meters and located at the cross of Dongbei Street and Qimen Road. The design of this new museum     9     (visual) adds to the traditional architecture of Zhong Wang Fu. I. M. Pei designed the current building of the Suzhou Museum in     10     (associate) with Pei Partnership Architects at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Located in the northeast, Yanji is one of the earliest     1     (area) in China to promote football. With     2     population of only 680,000, the small city has a large number of football players and fans. The average number of the audience at last year’s home games was over 16,000 per game. The figure is     3     (near) the same as the number of the audience in the Chinese Super League, and a sizable share of the audience is made up     4     visitors.

Visitors come to Yanji not only to watch the game,     5     to have a cup of coffee and see dinosaur fossils (化石)     6     (discover) in 2016. So far, Yanji’s “dinosaur tour”     7     (join) the “football tour” and “coffee tour” as a new feature. Li Jun, the owner of Chayina Cafe, has witnessed the tourism boom in Yanji, and the     8     (hot) type of coffee in his cafe can sell up to 1,200 cups every day.

Football, coffee, and dinosaurs are the focus of an     9     (increase) number of visitors to Yanji and a new window for the outside world     10     (get) to know Yanji.

Qinzhen Mipi, a traditional snack originating from Huyi District, Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, is     1     (high) popular among food     2     (lover) for its unique texture (口感) and long history. In Shaanxi Province, Qinzhen Mipi has been one of the special snacks.

Qinzhen Mipi is made from high-quality rice grown     3     the west bank of the Fenghe River in Huyi District. The rice goes through a series of process, including soaking, grinding, and steaming. The     4     (finish) Mipi is seasoned with specially made chili oil, vinegar, salt, and other spices. Additionally, bean sprouts (豆芽) and shredded cucumber     5     (add) as toppings, making it refreshing and appetizing (引起食欲的). With every bite, you can taste the unique flavours of sourness, spiciness, chewiness, freshness and coolness,     6     (create) a distinctive flavour.

Although the way of making Qinzhen Mipi gradually faded away due to wars     7     disasters, Xue Shouxin, in the Qing Dynasty, successfully steamed Mipi based on historical legends and records. He invited his neighbors to taste it, receiving     8     (they) praise.

Today, Qinzhen Mipi has become a famous snack in Huyi District. There are many other special snacks in Shaanxi Province. Visitors from all over the world can enjoy the snacks,     9     can help them better understand the deep historical and     10     (culture) heritage of Shaanxi Province.

An exhibition titled Symbiosis of the Chinese Zodiac (生肖) opened at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama on Dec 19 and would run until Jan 20.

Sally Huang,     1     Chinese Panamanian artist and a doctor of art from Beijing Normal University, presented thirteen paintings,     2     combined the freehand brushstrokes of traditional Chinese paintings with the beautiful colors of Latin America, and presented the zodiac animals. Also there were some sculptures (雕刻品) of zodiac animals     3     display, which were created by Chinese artist Zhang Yong, graduating from the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

The exhibition     4     (include) in the project Painting Our Canals (运河), which was sponsored by the Beijing Culture and Arts Fund this year. The Beijing Culture and Arts Fund is a nonprofit fund     5     (found) by the Beijing Bureau of Culture and Tourism to provide support in the three major fields of stage art, cultural exchange     6     the cultivation (培养) of art talents.

The lead institution applying for the project was Beijing Normal University,     7    (feature) a series of events themed on the canal culture in both China and Panama, also inviting artists from both countries     8     (attend) the exhibition as well as hosting academic forums.

The opening ceremony was joined by representatives from both countries, such as the Chinese ambassador to Panama and the vice-minister of culture in Panama.

The ambassador expressed some     9     (message) congratulating the artists in his speech, while emphasizing that China and Panama should work together to promote     10     (globe) peace and development.