It is believed that Chinese knotting, also known as zhongguojie, originated for recording information and exchanging messages     1     writing was invented. Over the past thousands of years, knots     2     (play) an important part in the life of Chinese.    3     (initial), Chinese knots acted as good -luck charms to drive away evil spirits. Today, Chinese knots are widely used to decorate homes during festivities.

A major characteristic of Chinese knots is that they are often tied from a single continuous length of string. The knots are commonly named     4     the shape it takes. Chinese knots are created in a     5     (various) of colors such as gold, green, blue, or black, though the most commonly used color is red,    6     symbolizes good luck and prosperity.

Crafting the Chinese knot is a three-step process     7     (involve) tying knots, tightening them and adding the finishing touches. The knots     8     (pull) tightly together and are strong enough to be used for binding or wrapping, making them very practical.

Today, most of such knots are often mass manufactured in factories. Skilled knot artists weave complex knots that you might see     9     (sell) as souvenirs that you can take back with you. If you have time, why not try your hand at it? Perhaps these age-old charms can add     10     touch of good luck to your daily life?

Patrick Sommier, a French theater director, is dovoted to passing on the true meaning of Chinese operas to the French public.

On the occasion of the     1     (celebrate) for the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in 2004, Sommier     2     (invite) to cooperate on a joint project to spread Peking Opera in France. Sommier says that when he arrived in China, like many other     3     (European), he showed great interest in Chinese operas. The beauty of Peking Opera     4    (immediate) caught his heart, he says.

Recalling his first cooperation with the Chinese team, Sommier says he was impressed by the actors’ makeups, costumes,     5     the characters of incredible strength. He was also touched by the Chinese professors’ effort     6     (pass) their acting skills to their students by acting with them. One professor explained, “In China, opera is     7     art requiring lifelong devotion and the effect of the performance largely     8     (depend) on the actors’ inner strength and acting skills.”

Sommier began exploring into different performance forms and suggested introducing Chinese operas     9     the French audience. The team then gave some     10     (origin) performances, some without makeups or costumes and some with students performing classics in a traditional way.

The Chinese zodiac, also known as Sheng Xiao or Shu Xiang, is a     1     (repeat) circle of 12 years. Each year     2     (represent) by an animal. Chinese New Year 2024 is a year of the Loong.

Chinese Zodiac Loong is the     3     (five) of the 12 zodiac animals, following the Rot, Ox, Tiger and Rabbit. People born in the year of the Loong — an animal no one knows if it existed in real world—are enveloped in mystery, and very charming.

Back in the pre-Qin period over 2,200 years ago, there was already the Chinese zodiac signs theory. So it is     4     (reason) that Chinese Zodiac years are in agreement with the beginning of Chinese Lunar New Year. If you have an idea of Lunar Calendar, you will know     5     Chinese zodiac year often starts from late January and ends in middle February of the next year.

Therefore, to see what your Chinese zodiac animal is,     6     to confirm whether you are a Loong, you need to change your Gregorian calendar birthday to Lunar Calendar of the year you were born. For example, if you were born     7     February 16, 1988 (a year of the Loong), the Lunar New Year’s Eve, which was very close to Loong year, but you are a Rabbit.

    8     is also worth mentioning is that if two people were born in the different Loong years, they may have very different     9     (personality), and horoscope, due to the Five Elements, which are Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Each element     10     (come) in a 60-year cycle.

You enter through a round entrance known as a moon gate. There before you, is a     1    (cover )passage made of red wood, leading you past a walled courtyard. Along the edges of the courtyard are piles of rocks, among which     2    (grow) bamboo. The whole scene is like a painting;     3     every step you take, another part of the painting is unrolled.

    4    (step) into the courtyard, you look over the scene. Latticed(格状) windows in the walls reveal yet more bamboo, suggesting that the courtyard is just one part of a     5    (large)garden. At the far end of the courtyard is a room with wooden chairs,     6     windows that create frames for the scene of     7     (strange)shaped rocks beyond them, just like Chinese ink-wash paintings. This little courtyard is     8     picture of the classic Chinese concept of peace and beauty. Yet, you are not in China, but a copy of Chinese garden. The Astor Chinese Garden Court     9    (create)by a team of 26 Chinese craftsmen in 1981, and it represented the first permanent cultural exchange between America and China. The courtyard is a place of rest for a museum     10     (visit). As a museum piece in and of itself, the garden gives a wonderful view of ancient China.

China is a country with a rich cultural heritage (遗产)     1     (stretch) back thousands of years. However, with the passage of time and other factors such as natural disasters and wars, many of its cultural treasures have been damaged or destroyed. In recent years, China has used technology to protect its cultural heritage through digitalization so that it can     2     (preserve) for future generations to enjoy and study.

One of the most notable     3     (example) of China’s digital preservation effort is the Dunhuang Mogao Cave Project, the goal of which is     4     (create) a digital profile of the Mogao Caves with the help of 3D scanning and virtual reality software. Another example is the Palace Museum Project. Through the use of technology, the Palace Museum is now able to showcase the relics to visitors from all around the world     5     risking damage to the precious artworks.

Digital technology has the potential to aid in the restoration of damaged artworks. A 3D printing technology enabled Chinese researchers to recreate the cultural relics, including ancient Buddha statues and     6     bronze (青铜) lion from the Qing Dynasty.

    7     (additional), China’s digitalization of cultural heritage has been instrumental in research and education. The digital achievements have enabled researchers to study the artworks in greater detail     8     ever before.

Digitalization has made cultural heritage more     9     (access) to the public, particularly to people living in rural areas     10     would otherwise be unable to visit these sites in person.

Confucianism is the way of life propagated (传播) by Confucius in the 6th-5th century BCE and followed by the Chinese people for more than two thousand years. Although     1    (transform) over time, it is still the substance of learning, the source of values, and     2     social behavior rules of the Chinese. Its influence has also extended to other countries,     3     (particular) Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

Confucianism, a Western term     4     has no counterpart in Chinese, is a worldview, a moral rule, a scholarly tradition, and a way of life. Sometimes viewed as philosophy and sometimes as a religion, Confucianism may be understood as a     5     (think) and living way. East Asians may claim themselves to be Daoists, Buddhists, Muslims, or Christians, but, they seldom cease to be Confucians.

Although often grouped with the major historical religions, Confucianism     6     (differ) from them by not being an organized religion. Nevertheless, it spread to other East Asian countries and has exercised a far-reaching influence on spiritual and     7     (politics) life. Both the theory, and practice of Confucianism have unforgettably marked the     8     (pattern) of government, society, education, and family of East Asia. For well over 2,000 years Confucian moral values     9     (serve) as the source of inspiration as well as the court of appeal for human interaction       10     individuals and nations in the Sinitic (中国文化的) world.

For Xu Bing, her job is like planting trees. First, she sows the seeds and then watches the trees grow, with each one gradually     1     (add) to a forest.

As the     2     (found) of the Zhengzhou Jiefu mutual aid center for parents with exceptional children, also known by its English name Gift, she has dedicated all her passion and wisdom to helping children with special needs, especially     3     (autism) children.

What her organization does is to provide     4     platform, like sowing seeds, to help people understand autism and, at the same time, mobilizing parents of people with autism, and volunteers, to provide care for the group. Eventually, multiple wins     5     (achieve).

“I am delighted to see that children with autism grow up     6     (healthy) and happily. Their parents are stronger and more resilient, and society has become a better place to live in,” Xu says.

Xu, 47, used to be an English teacher at Zhengzhou University of Light Industry in Central China’s Henan province, but a volunteer experience changed the course of her life.

“I once accompanied several foreign friends to a local orphanage and found children suffering from cerebral palsy and autism with dirty bodies     7     unable to even stand up,” Xu says.

“Yet, as soon as I saw the big and innocent smiles on these children’s     8     (face), I was deeply touched,” Xu says.

She learned that those children have few opportunities     9     (access) professional training and treatment and “I felt obliged at that moment to do something     10     them”.

Liu was one of 192 young volunteers from Shougang Group,     1     participated in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.     2    (title) Shougang Group Winter Olympics Youth Service Team, they worked 66 days and provided more than 15,000 hours of volunteer service. For their     3    (dedicate) and professionalism, the team was later awarded the China Youth May Fourth Medal as a group, the     4    (high) honor that can be granted to Chinese youth collectives.

Shougang Group,     5     giant in China’s steel industry, has been promoting its own evolution. As some of its old factories have been turned into new cultural parks and venues for big events, its young employees     6    (embrace) this transition by serving as volunteers in competitions, exhibitions and other activities,     7    (display) their youthful energy.

The Shougang volunteers have been associated     8     the Olympics twice. They worked as     9    (driver) and cheerleaders for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Fourteen years later, in 2022, chasing the honor of working at two Olympics, the group further developed     10    (it) volunteering services.