Every year for over a millennium, fishermen have braved the subzero temperatures, biting winds and deep snow to search for     1     underwater fortune at Chagan Lake — one of the biggest freshwater lakes in our country.

Chagan is the only place in China     2     you can still find fishermen using a Mongolian fishing method that dates back centuries and has     3     (bare) changed over time. Holes are drilled in the ice     4     (lower) a 2-kilometer-long net into position underwater. Once it fills up with fish, the net is pulled out of the water using a giant wheel     5     (turn) by Mongolian horses. The largest fish in the     6     (season) first catch is believed to be lucky, and will go to the highest bidder at the auction (拍卖).

To ensure that this tradition can continue     7     damaging the lake’s ecology, fishermen keep nature in mind throughout the process.     8     (avoid) the use of modern vehicles helps reduce the chance of polluting the lake water, and the number of fish that can     9     (catch) is capped to ensure that there will be fish for years to come.

Also, over the past few years, the money from the auction has been invested into protecting the lake and surrounding environment. And during the summer, private fishing without     10     (permit) is strictly prohibited. These preservative measures have kept the tradition alive for thousands of years and certainly will be passed on to future generations.

The year 2023 witnessed the significant protection plan released for Beijing’s Central Axis (轴线),     1    (stretch) for 7.8 kilometers through the Chinese capital. World-famous landmarks like the Forbidden City, Tian’anmen Square, the Temple of Heaven are located along the central axis,     2     construction began in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and     3    (last) until the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The protection plan for Beijing’s Central Axis from 2022 to 2035 was released in January of 2023, marking     4     new stage in its conservation, sustainable development and application as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The plan is said to be one of the necessary steps for UNESCO World Heritage status, and     5    (it) release and implementation (实施) will play an important role in the protection and     6    (manage) of the capital’s central axis.

Alongside regulations on the protection of the Central Axis     7    (carry) out earlier, the plan is in line     8     the requirements of World Heritage conservation and provides an     9    (effect) strategy for the conservation.

The 21 member countries of the World Heritage Committee will decide on whether Beijing’s Central Axis can     10    (add) to the World Heritage List at the committee’s 46th annual conference in 2024. If the application succeeds, it will reinforce Beijing’s top position among cities worldwide by number of World Heritage Sites.

Dujiangyan is an ancient irrigation system,     1    (locate) in the Min River Valley, Sichuan Province, China. It     2    (build) by a governor named Li Bing and his son, who have been admired by Chinese for over 2,000 years.

The system consists of three main     3    (part): the Yuzui (Fish Mouth) levee (河堤), the Feishayan(Flying Sand Weir) , and the Baopingkou (Bottle-Neck Channel) . The Yuzui redirects water away from the city of Chengdu while allowing sand and mud     4    (flow) through the main channel, preventing flooding. The Feishayan controls the flow of water and helps prevent gradual destruction, while the Baopingkou distributes the water     5     farmland.

Dujiangyan has been able to control the water flow without the use of dams or gates     6     is considered one of the greatest engineering projects in ancient China. It has also played a crucial role in irrigating the surrounding farmland,     7    (make) the region one of the most fertile croplands in China.

In addition to its     8    (practice) uses, Dujiangyan is also a popular tourist attraction,     9     visitors come to admire the ancient architecture and learn about its history. In 2000, it was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its cultural and historical     10    (significant) .

Grand Canal is one of the great engineering wonders built by ancient Chinese. “It bears witness     1     a   remarkable and   early   development of   hydraulic (水利的)   engineering,” the UNESCO website states.

In ancient times, the Grand Canal     2    (serve) as the main channel for grain transport and every kind of economic and cultural exchange. It also facilitated the time-consuming journeys of laborers and materials for the     3    (construct) of the Forbidden City in Beijing, the capital city of the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Grand Canal had inspired the name of Chenchen, one of the three mascots (吉祥物) of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou. Chenchen, coming from the Gongchen Bridge,     4     stretches over the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal, was colored blue     5    (represent) science and technology.

The Hangzhou section of the canal covers     6     total length of 39 kilometers, which is home to 11 of the canal’s total 58 historical     7    (site). It enters the city from Tangqi ancient town in Yuhang District, travels through Gongshu and Shangcheng Districts,     8     finally flows into the Qiantang River from the Three Gorges Ship Lock.

Visitors     9    (recommend) to take a boat trip on the ancient waterway to enjoy some of     10    (it) incomparable scenery as well as the amazing landscape of Jiangnan water town.

A skywell, or “tian jing” in Mandarin, is a typical feature of a traditional home in southern and eastern China.     1     (expose) less to the outdoor environment, a skywell is different from a northern Chinese courtyard. Skywells are     2     (relative) common in historic residences in large areas of southern and eastern China.

In today’s rapidly urbanising China, fewer and fewer people live in skywell dwellings,     3     a revival of interest in traditional Chinese architecture is leading some of historic buildings with skywells     4     (restore) for modern times. Meanwhile, some architects are drawing     5     (inspire) from skywells to help keep new buildings cooler, which is a method     6     (combine) design and technology to cool a building without the use of power.

However, there are some     7     (challenge) for bringing skywells into modern designs. The mechanisms of courtyards facilitating natural lighting, ventilation (通风) and rain collection are well known, but applying these principles     8     (need) to be site-specific. Because traditional skywells had different shapes, sizes and features, which were highly dependent     9     their natural surroundings. Adding skywells into modern buildings requires designers to be sensitive to their project’s context and situation, making it difficult to apply them as     10     universal solution.

Hiking the Longji Rice Terraces (梯田) in southern China is something I would recommend for everyone to add to their bucket list. The name     1     (literal) means “Dragon’s Backbone” due to the fact that the rice terraces look just like a dragon’s scales,     2     the mountain’s summit resembles the backbone.

During my visit to Guilin, I decided to set out on a three-day hike through the famous Longji Rice Terraces. Known as the “Dragon’s Backbone”, the terraces were a spectacular sight as they stretched across the green hills in complicated     3     (pattern) looking like ripples of water.

The hike     4     (take) me through small villages set against the beautiful landscape. Local farmers were busy tending to the terraced rice fields that     5     (farm) for over 1,000 years. Along the paths, I passed orange groves and met friendly locals who offered me fresh lychees.

At night, I stayed in simple homestays run by farming families. Over multicourse meals     6     (feature) local specialties like sticky rice, I learned     7     (much) about the terraces and village life. The feeling of community spirit and     8     (connect) to the natural environment was unique.

Reaching the hike’s end after three full days, I felt a profound appreciation for these ancient agricultural wonders carefully built into the landscape     9     generations of families. The Dragon’s Backbone terraces provided me with unforgettable mountain views     10     cultural insights into rural China.

The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er gained the World Heritage Site status at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee,     1     (become) the first World Heritage Site related to tea.

The     2     (new) named heritage site, located in Lancang Lahu autonomous county in Pu’er, Yunnan province,     3     (comprise) five large-scale, well-preserved old tea forests, three protective barrier forests     4     nine ancient villages in the old tea forests.

The committee said the cultural landscape is an outstanding example of a sustainable land-use system     5     (base) on the combination of horizontal and vertical land-use patterns. “This land-use system permits the use of natural resources in the typically     6     (mountain) environment of Jingmai Mountain and represents an exceptional example of a human interaction by Blang and Dai     7     (people) with a challenging environment.”

Chen Yaohua, director of Peking University’s World Heritage Research Center, said the tea growing technique on the Jingmai Mountain is quite unique, particularly these years     8     large-scale terraced (阶梯状的) tea plantations play a dominant role in the world. It represents the ecological ethics (伦理) and     9     (wise) that can inspire sustainable development in the world today.

The local government of Pu’er and the Yunnan provincial authorities have released three laws and seven regulations focusing     10     the protection of the cultural landscape resources.

For people interested in learning more about the ethnic (少数民族) Miao culture, an ideal place to experience it is an ethnic Miao community, called Qianhu, in Guizhou Province.     1     has preserved the distinctive cultural traditions of the Miao ethnic group exhibited in the forms of architecture, arts, and daily lifestyle.

This world’s largest Miao community consists     2     a dozen smaller settlements     3    (spread) over rolling mountains. Singing is     4     essential part of local life. The Miao people begin to learn how to sing as early as they can speak.

The Miao people are also known for making fine embroidery (刺绣). Different from other parts of China, the themes     5    (express) in Miao embroidery are showy,     6    (imagine), and often based on folklores (民俗). Meanwhile, Miao people can     7    (effortless) arrange colors in a way that avoids awkwardness. This is a truly natural gift.

Another fine element of the Miao culture is wearing silver ornaments (装饰). For most of their history, the Miao people     8    (have) no written language, so they had to preserve and pass on their heritage through visual elements, like carving history on silver ornaments. Over time, this craft has evolved into a vehicle     9     represents the Miao culture and spirit.

The Miao songs, embroidery, and silver ornaments all convey the rich, profound history of the Miao people and     10    (symbol) the continuity of their culture and traditions.