Nowadays about one     1    (five) of the global population celebrate the Spring Festival, making it a worldwide festival. The Spring Festival, widely known as Lunar New Year,     2    (honor) as the United Nations Floating Holiday on December 22, 2023.

    3     is announced that the UN will try to avoid     4    (arrange) conference activities on the day. This resolution reflects the great influence of Chinese culture. It will promote Chinese tradition     5    (global) as well.

With a history of 4000 years, the Spring Festival has continued all the way to today and it has spread     6     many countries in the world. Therefore, it is     7     bond between China’s present and past. It is a strong connection between Chinese people at home     8     abroad. Why has this been possible? Featuring family reunion and well-being, the Spring Festival inherits the treasure of Chinese culture: harmonious coexistence. It also expresses a common goal     9     all countries should pursue: to create a world with a     10     (share) future of harmony and prosperity.

An exhibition titled Symbiosis of the Chinese Zodiac (生肖) opened at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama on Dec 19 and would run until Jan 20.

Sally Huang,     1     Chinese Panamanian artist and a doctor of art from Beijing Normal University, presented thirteen paintings,     2     combined the freehand brushstrokes of traditional Chinese paintings with the beautiful colors of Latin America, and presented the zodiac animals. Also there were some sculptures (雕刻品) of zodiac animals     3     display, which were created by Chinese artist Zhang Yong, graduating from the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

The exhibition     4     (include) in the project Painting Our Canals (运河), which was sponsored by the Beijing Culture and Arts Fund this year. The Beijing Culture and Arts Fund is a nonprofit fund     5     (found) by the Beijing Bureau of Culture and Tourism to provide support in the three major fields of stage art, cultural exchange     6     the cultivation (培养) of art talents.

The lead institution applying for the project was Beijing Normal University,     7    (feature) a series of events themed on the canal culture in both China and Panama, also inviting artists from both countries     8     (attend) the exhibition as well as hosting academic forums.

The opening ceremony was joined by representatives from both countries, such as the Chinese ambassador to Panama and the vice-minister of culture in Panama.

The ambassador expressed some     9     (message) congratulating the artists in his speech, while emphasizing that China and Panama should work together to promote     10     (globe) peace and development.

4 . Can knots be a form of art?     1    . A Chinese knot is a knot that is tied and woven from a single length of rope to be a variety of shapes and varying complexity. Knot weavers can use a variety of colors, but they usually weave deep red ones.     2    .

History of Chinese knots

People may have originally made them to record information and convey messages before people started to write. One-hundred-thousand-year-old tools that were probably used to tie and untie knots have been discovered, and there is a reference to knots in ancient literature.     3    . It is known that they were used to symbolize and express thoughts and feelings in the Tang Dynasty era (618—907).

Ancient and modern use of artistic knots

Even today, Chinese knots are rich in symbolic meaning.     4    . For example, in ancient times and even now, lovers may give a knot as a sign of their love. The ‘true love knot’ and the ‘double happiness knot’ are given or used at weddings to express common love and growing old together in reality. Knots represent love and marriage in Chinese culture. So a knot given to a marriage partner or a couple means all these things and having children as well.

    5    

Along with being symbolic gifts or messages, knots are still used if they wear traditional Chinese clothing or as good luck charms (护身符). They are a means of fastening traditional instead of clothes buttons. Now, silk is most widely used to make these clothing knots. They are used as jewelry such as even rings, earrings and necklaces. They are sold as handicraft novelty items too.

When it comes to the Mid-Autamn Festival, Chinese people will     1     (certain) mention the Jade Rabbit. The Jade Rabbit lived on the moon. In ancient China, the moon     2     (consider) the most sacred (神圣的) and powerful natural force. The Jade Rabbit was said to be the pet of the Moon Goddess Change’s. She loved the Jade Rabbit and often     3     (keep) it company in the Moon Palace. The rabbit was so smart and kind     4     it was able to solve any problem that Chang’e faced. This story of the Jade Rabbit and the Moon Godddess Chang’e has been passed down for     5     (generation).

Today, the Jade Rabbit can be seen everywhere from toys     6     clothing. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, children can be seen climbing up hills with paper rabbit lanterns (灯笼)     7     (enjoy) the moon’s beauty and express their     8     (admire) for the Jade Rabbit. It has even become a popular topic on social media, with people     9    (share) photos of themselves with the Jade Rabbit. We can see that the Jade Rabbit remains a beloved system of the beauty and power of the moon     10     continues to play a central role in the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations.

6 . Around the World

Here is big news from Around the World.

The Chengdu Science Fiction Museum has opened its doors to the public. China’s newest museum—a star-shaped building on a lake was built in 12 months. Technology sped up the design and construction of the 635,070-square-foot museum, which has galleries, educational spaces, and cafés.

Thousands of people lined the streets of Mexico City to watch its annual Day of the Dead parade. The holiday was observed from October 31 to November 2 to remember and celebrate loved ones who have died. During this time, the dead are believed to return to the world. Families welcome them back with offerings, such as their favorite food.

A modern art exhibit at the Pyramids of Giza, titled Forever Is Now, has returned for a third year. This year’s show is the biggest yet and features works by 14 artists. The free event aims to celebrate ancient Egyptian culture with modern skills. Artists were careful not to harm the 4,500-year-old World Heritage Site.

Elementary schools in Delhi are closed for at least one week because of the city’s poor air quality. The amount of harmful materials in the air has reached nearly 100 times the acceptable limit. Delhi is often very polluted in November because that is when many farmers burn their remaining crops. To reduce the smog, officials in the city have banned polluting vehicles, construction work, and the use of fireworks.

Ge Zhichen’s livestreams on Douyin have attracted thousands of viewers to learn about Suzhou Pingtan, a traditional storytelling and music art form.

    1     (originate) in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Suzhou Pingtan is an art form performed in the Wu dialect popular in the Jiangnan region. In 2006, Suzhou Pingtan     2     (list) as a national intangible (非物质的) cultural heritage. Born in a family devoted to Pingtan for decades, he first never considered becoming an inheritor. When he was 16, his father used a white lie to ‘trick’ him     3     attending a Pingtan school, and that’s     4     he gradually became interested in Pingtan.

Pingtan faces     5     unique challenge: being understood. “The Wu dialect makes Pingtan stand out but also makes it inaccessible to a     6     (wide) audience,” Ge said. To solve this, Ge has used an innovative approach to spread Pingtan culture on Douyin, creating separate     7     (video) on each traditional element. Compared to offline performances that only receive around 100 people, Ge’s livestreams    8     (see) up to 20,000 viewers. Ge believes that     9     constraint (限制) on Pingtan’s development is the lack of a “breakout hit.” He is trying to combine well-known stories     10     (create) a ‘breakout hit’ that keeps classic charm while appealing to young people.

Inspired by five national treasures in the Hunan Museum, six groups of digital artists let their imaginations run free. They used digital art to carry out a number of dialogues across time and space,     1     (pay) their respects to China’s excellent traditional culture. The exhibition left traditional cultural relics, digital art and installation (安装) art     2     (combine) together.

The exhibition aimed     3     (explore) fine traditional Chinese culture, carried by ancient cultural relics. It was devoted     4     better connecting with contemporary (现代的) society and people. After over a year of planning and preparation. Artists from China and overseas presented a rich and rewarding exhibition     5     audiences of different ages and from multicultural backgrounds could find fun and experience     6     extraordinary cultural journey.

An artist from Taiwan, who now lives in Shanghai brought to the exhibition his understanding of the traditional Chinese landscape paintings that have been favoured by Chinese scholars and     7     (professional). In Ring, he explored the unique aesthetic (美学的) interest and spiritual comfort he     8     (continuous) found in Chinese culture through videos, projections and interactive devices.

French artist Tony Brown said he     9     (affect) by local people’s passion for fine traditional Chinese art while taking part in the exhibition. In his eyes, the Hunan Museum was doing something innovative by placing ancient treasures and new digital art pieces in the same place. He believed it was a     10     (challenge) but meaningful move.