Yu Rong, a Chinese artist, thinks of a new way to introduce     1     ancient story of Hua Mulan in her picture book. In the book, I Am Hua Mulan, she tells the story by     2     (combine) Chinese paper-cutting with international artistic styles. She places Shaanxi papercuts over western-style pencil sketches (素描)    3     (create) typical presentation of Chineseelements (要素), which turns out to be a     4     (success) and impressive breakthrough.

Hua Mulan,     5     story has been told by generations in China, was a fighter from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). As a devoted daughter, she dressed herself as a man to serve in the army     6     place of her father. Mulan’s character, such as courage, kindness and a disinterested attitude towards fame and fortune, made     7     (she) one of the most respected historical Chinese heroines. Mulan’s story has been adapted     8     (frequent) in modern media. For example, in 1998, Disney produced a film named Mulan, which     9     (consider) a great success by critics and the public right after its release.

To better tell the story, Yu Rong takes inspiration from her several     10     (visit) to sites of ancient battles and Henan Province’s Yu Opera. After years of preparation she finally makes this extraordinary work.

The youth version of The Peony Pavilion (《牡丹亭》) successfully entered the stage of the Spring for Chinese Arts at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center.

The Peony Pavilion,     1     cultural treasure of the world, was written by China’s Ming Dynasty playwright and writer Tang Xianzu, who is compared to William Shakespeare. And Kunqu Opera,     2     (combine) songs performed in the Suzhou dialect, graceful body movements, martial arts and dance, was     3     (origin) born in the region of Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. It was listed as one of the representative     4     (work) of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 2001.

Kunqu Opera uses a seemingly endless     5     (vary) of gestures to express specific emotions and has distinguished itself by its rhythmic patterns. It also has a major impact     6     all the more recent forms of opera in China, such as Peking Opera.

    7     excites the organizing committee is that The Peony Pavilion     8     (attract) a growing young audience since its first performance in Beijing. Up to now, Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center,     9     aim is to emphasize the inheritance, promotion, development and popularization of traditional Chinese culture and arts, has also held many exhibitions related to traditional drama, and established the Peking Opera inheritance class     10     (popularize) the traditional art to children.

Classical Chinese poetry is traditional Chinese poetry     1     (write) in Classical Chinese and typified by certain traditional forms and close connections with particular historical     2     (period), such as the poetry of the Tang Dynasty. Its existence     3     (document) at least as early as the publication of the Classic of Poetry or Shijing.     4     (variety) combinations of forms and genres exist. Many or most of these     5     (arise) at the end of the Tang Dynasty.

Use and development of Classical Chinese poetry     6     (active) continued up to the year of 1919,     7     the May Fourth Movement took place, and is still developed even today. Poetry created during this 2,500 year period of more or less continuous development shows     8     great deal of diversity-classified by both major historical periods and by dynastic periods.

Of the key aspects of Classical Chinese poetry, another is     9     (it) intense interrelationship with other forms of Chinese art, such as Chinese painting and Chinese calligraphy. Classical Chinese poetry has proven to be of strong influence     10     poetry worldwide.

“Du Fu: China’s Greatest Poet”, a 58-minute documentary released recently on BBC, introduces Du Fu to the Western world for the first time    1     the form of documentary. In the film, Michael Wood, one of BBC’s most popular hosts, visited a number of Chinese    2     (city) to retrace Du’s steps. The documentary invited well-known British actor Ian McKellen,     3     played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings movies,     4     (read)15 of Du’s poems that have been translated into English.

Born in 712, Du Fu lived through the violent fall of China’s brilliant Tang Dynasty. He had the desire to serve his country, but his life    5    (destroy) by the An Lushan Rebellion of 755. Of all     6     poems he wrote, 500 have been preserved over the ages. For generations he     7     (be) the guardian of the moral conscience (良知) of the nation.

The documentary compared Du to Shakespeare to help audiences     8    (well) understand the poet’s great achievements in literature. It also highlighted Chinese poetry, noting that its 3000-year-old history makes     9    the oldest living tradition in the world.

During an interview, the director even quoted a line from Du to encourage the people    10     (suffer) from pandemics (流行病).

As evening sets in, Chung Chia-ming arrives at the busy night market of Nan’an District in China’s Southwest city Chongqing, parks his car on the roadside     1     kicks up his mobile lemon tea stand.

“Customer flow has increased dramatically recently. I am very optimistic     2     business prospects this year,” Chung said,     3     (add) that he once sold more than 200 cups of lemon tea in a single evening. The economy had been hit     4     (severe) by the COVID-19 crisis in recent years. The car trunk shop, which is a special feature of Chongqing’s night market, offers an efficient service to the customers.

Obviously, the business     5     (grow) since the beginning of this year. Despite being very busy at times, Chung is excited to earn money on his own, and it has also boosted his self-confidence. His shop has gained     6     (popular) among visitors. He has set     7     example for young people in terms of commitment and hard work.

The night market,     8     flexibility provides more employment alternatives for job-seekers, has brought joy and fun for consumers. Meanwhile, it boosts the confidence of the sellers. Chongqing’s Nan’an District has been planning     9     (promote) consumption in the cultural industry. The night market has put great energy into the night economy in the past few months. Its great activity marks a good start for a     10     (hope) year.

Dressed in long robes, a crowd of young people wanders around royal gardens, with their flowing sleeves(衣袖)    1    (gentle) swaying in the breeze. They are not actors nor actresses in a movie set, but Hanfu fans in a themed event held in Beijing.

“Over a decade ago, Hanfu fashion was a subculture, but relevant     2    (activity) often draw thousands of participants these days, ” said Liu Xiang, an organizer of the event.

Hanfu,     3     was a traditional style of clothing worn by the Han people, nowadays enjoys a growing     4    (popular) among young Chinese people, including Liu. Liu is a co-founder of a Hanfu community in Beijing. This community, called Hua Yan Hui, was founded in 2011     5    (follow) a Hanfu revival(复兴) movement that emerged from growing cultural confidence and the desire     6    (express) national identity. Since then, Liu     7    (volunteer)to support the group.

“My passion     8     Hanfu came from two of my friends who love traditional Chinese clothing, ” Liu said. Her interest grew as she learned more about     9     culture behind it and acquired her first Hanfu costume. Currently, more and more young people wear the adjusted Hanfu with the belief     10     the best way to preserve tradition is to adapt it to modern life.

Young Chinese consumers are becoming fans of home-made brands and turning their back on foreign products.

According to a recent survey by weniuan.com, about 96% of the     1     (interview) young people said they were willing to purchase guochao products, which refer to products produced by homegrown brands. At the same time, 91.6% of them expressed their     2    (expectation) for more video programs digging deeper into traditional Chinese culture than before. Over the past decade, Chinese food, drink and personal care brands     3     (expand) their market share by 3.3% to nearly 70%.     4     (gradual), the opinion that foreign products are superior has been abandoned by Chinese youngsters.

The age group of the interviewees ranged from the post-90s generation     5    the post-2000s generation. Unlike older generations     6     might favor Western culture and brands, young Chinese people     7     (raise) when the country’s economy was taking off, so they tend to have strong confidence in their     8    (nation) identity and culture.

The young people, who nowadays have access to     9     wide variety of China’s cultural heritages, are carrying the responsibility of       10     (spread) Chinese culture. Obviously, they’re really doing well.