I’ve had my fair share of travelling around China, and a recent week-long trip to Guizhou was my first time to the province. It was     1     true learning experience.

I tried looking up meaning of the name Guizhou in the dictionary     2     advance, basically to have a reasonable idea of what is waiting for me.     3     that was a hard task, so I asked from a Chinese colleague among a group of local and foreign     4     (reporter) on the trip. From what she said, the province was named after a famous mountain called “Gui” and “zhou”, which     5     (simple) means province in Chinese.

Our trip began in Zunyi city, which enjoys great popularity among Chinese for the famous ‘Zunyi Conference’. Yet not much     6     (know) about this famous conference in Africa and the western world even today, but obviously it was at this place     7     China’s first leader and Chairman was elected.

The following journey was mind blowing as I went on to explore Anshun, a place that never fails     8     (attract) every visitor with its largest waterfall in Asia. I     9     (dream) of this place for a long time and am more than thrilled to witness the breathtaking views, which leave first-time visitors like me     10     (impress).

Finding yourself at the doorway of any temple or ancient building in China, you may encounter y     1     attractive but seemingly odd piece of wall, only     2     (slight) larger than the entrance itself. You would be forgiven for thinking this is just the remainder of another building, with the rest lost to history, as was my initial assumption the first time I     3     (spot) one. However, the reality is far more fascinating.

Out of     4     (curious), I asked around,     5     (bother) friends for information, and was finally able to get not only the name, but also the purpose of these walls. Zhaobi, or spirit walls, have a long and storied history of 3,000 years. Zhaobi could be found outside the entrance of various buildings. They     6     (reserve) for only the highest members of society once. Seeing zhaobi outside a building would let passersby know this was the residence of someone of extreme importance, while protecting the privacy of     7     (it) residents.

In more modern times, zhaobi,     8     (adopt) by companies that practice fengshui, still exist.     9    zhaobi can help bring them good luck is questionable. But what can be said for sure is that these structures, like any other in history, stand     10     the development of Chinese history.

In most big cities, it is easier     1     (hire) a taxi at a moment’s notice when the weather is good. But when it’s raining, people have a much harder time finding one. One obvious reason is that many people     2     walk short distances during good weather prefer to take a taxi in the rain. Therefore, taxis tend to be more fully filled on     3     (rain) days. Besides, the supply of available taxis is also smaller because taxi drivers can     4     (easy) reach the target fares and go home early.

Phelps     1     (suffer) hyperactivity (活动过度) disorder as a child and     2     (encourage) to take up swimming at seven to control his energy. Over the years he developed into a champion swimmer, beating record after record. “I was trying     3     (see) what I could really do and where my potential could go”, said Phelps.

Every year during the Spring Festival, a small village east of Beijing puts on a special show. It’s about -15°CS and a man dressed in a straw hat and sheepskin coat who     1    (throw) spoon after spoon of heavy molten iron (铁水)at a massive, icy wall. The collision (碰撞)between the l,600°C liquid metal and the frozen brick creates a waterfall of sparks (火花)     2    (fall) over him, equally beautiful and dangerous.

This is a very performance     3     requires extraordinary courage, skill and strength. Known as Da Shuhua, it has a history of 500 years in Nuanquan, a highly-developed steel town. Da Shuhua translates literally into “beating down the tree flowers,”     4     agricultural activity of hitting fruit trees to increase growth.

In ancient times, fireworks weren’t always     5    (wide) affordable. So people in Nuanquan made use of scrap iron and developed Da Shuhua as a way     6    (celebrate) festivals. As a result, they brought firework displays     7     a whole new level.

Today, Da Shuhua has become more popular than ever, because of     8    (rule) of banning on fireworks to reduce air pollution in some parts of China. Every year, this unique firework display attracts tons of people in spite of the freezing cold weather     9     draws attention for its protection. Since 2021, it     10    (list) as an intangible cultural heritage of China.

While     1     (hundred) of millions focus their eyes on the torch igniting (火炬点燃) during the     2     (open) ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Saturday, many will turn to their phones to soak in the     3     (excite) of that moment.

They will be able     4     (take) part in the first ever virtual lighting of the main torch tower in the Games' history, the most exciting part of its first ever digital torch relay.

First     5     (introduce) on Nov 27, 2022, the digital torchbearer program aims to break through the limits of time and space, so     6     more people can enjoy the Games, according to the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee.

It was     7     (official) started on June 15 this year, when the flame of the Asian Games was lit.

Over a hundred million users have signed     8     and passed on their digital torches, according to figures released by Ant Group, which     9     (develop) the digital platform and made it part of Alipay, one of     10     most popular mobile payment apps in China.

A UPS driver     1     (move) to tears after an entire town gathered to thank him in a special way.

Chad Turns delivers for UPS in the small town of Dauphin. On Tuesday, Turns drove into a parking lot for what he     2     (think) was a pick-up, but was greeted by lots     3     residents (居民) clapping.

Waiting for him on a table was a large card     4     (sign) by the community and a $1,000 tip.

Turns was so touched that he pulled out his handkerchief to wipe his     5     (eye).

Dauphin resident Jenny Shickley organized     6     special event after people commented in a group Facebook post about what a good job Turns was doing during the pandemic (大流行病). She raised $1,000 for Turns in two weeks.

“He tries his best     7     (make) us feel taken care of,” said resident Adam Shickley. “He’s been working for over 70 hours every week.”

Shickley said Turns, who has delivered in the town for several years, is a man who     8     (true) cares about others. “The whole town has had     9     (person) experience with Chad,” he added.

Turns is also known for     10     (give) treats to all the dogs on his route.