If you live in northeastern China, you expect long, cold winters. People     1    (live) in Harbin don’t just stand the cold, however, they welcome it. The city is home to the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival,    2    is considered to be the largest ice festival in the world. Even with temperatures usually close to zero, thousands of people head to city parks     3    (see) great ice sculptures, many bathed in colored lights.

The festival includes several thousand ice sculptures. Some of these works are the recreations of castles, historic landmarks and famous people, lit up at night in bright colors. There     4    (visitor) can climb ice stairways and go down ice slides (滑坡). They can also take part    5    sporting events, including skating, ice football     6    well as ice swimming.

The city started     7    (it) icy event in 1963 with the Ice Lantern Garden Party, a     8    (celebrate) of the tradition of creating lanterns out of blocks of ice. The larger festival     9    (begin) in 1985 and added sculptures, which have grown in number and size over the years. As it has gotten bigger, the festival has become popular outside the city.    10    (official), the festival starts on January 5th and lasts over one month.

3 . You might have heard a lot about ancient towns and ancient cities in China. Here, we list several of the most beautiful ancient villages in China.

Baoshan Stone Village, Yunnan Province

Baoshan Stone Village was built on a huge mushroom­shaped rock, and only has about one hundred houses. The houses are laid out in an orderly way, built on the rock, and linked by stone steps. The Naxi people there still lead an original life and grow crops in terraces; you can experience the colorful culture of the Naxi ethnic group there.

Tuvas Village in Kanas, Xinjiang

Kanas Tuvas Village is near the mysterious Lake Kanas. The small village is located in a valley, and only has about 80 houses. These Swiss­style wooden houses are all surrounded by wooden fences. Tuvas is an ancient minority group. They traditionally lived as hunters. You can visit a local family, go herding with the locals and experience the peaceful ancient village life.

Jiaju Tibetan Village, Danba, Sichuan Province

Jiaju Tibetan Village is known as the “Tibetan fairyland”. It stands on a mountain slope, and consists of about 140 houses. These unique houses are all built with crown­shaped roofs, red caves, and white walls, which make the houses look like little castles among the forest.

Xijiang Miao Village, Guizhou Province

If you're interested in the Miao Minority, Xijiang Miao Village can be a great destination for deepening your understanding of Miao history and culture. It's the largest Miao village in China, and now has 1,432 households with a population of over 5,000, of which 99.5% are Miao ethnic group. It's also famous for the houses built on stilts of different heights.

Located in the northwest of Hunan Province, about 300 kilometers away from Changsha, capital of Hunan, Zhangjiajie,     1     covers a total area of 9,563 square kilometers, is a tourist city for its unique natural scenery and abundant tourism resources. Zhangjiajie     2    (award) the title of “World Geological Park” in 2004.     3     (actual), Zhangjiajie, honored as “the most fantastic mountain under heaven” and “a walking Chinese landscape painting”, is also widely praised as “    4     enlarged potted landscaping” “a mini fairyland” and “a maze (迷宫) of nature”, attracting a growing number of tourists     5     home and abroad.

Since it was discovered in the 1980s, tourism industry     6     (become) the leading industry in Zhangjiajie, which has stimulated the development of other industries     7     (relate) to tourism. At the same time, eco-tourism has been developed rapidly in Zhangjiajie. When you come to Zhangjiajie, you can fully appreciate     8       (it) magnificent natural scenery and experience appealing folk custom as well as other thrilling tourist     9     (activity), and you will be deeply impressed by     10     is performed by the minorities there.

It must be an exciting, joyful and unforgettable tour to Zhangjiajie.