Shortly after the silk and feather umbrellas became popular in China, their manufacturers managed     1     (discover) a new kind of material from wood paper, enabling the     2     (create) of highly stylized, decorative and lightweight umbrellas.

In addition to providing protection from sun and limited protection from rain, oil-paper umbrellas     3     (view) as symbols of wealth, and power in the past. During the height of umbrella popularity in China, you could easily recognize the owners by the designs and colors of their umbrellas—royal family members used yellow or red colors,     4     the wealthy carried blue. Even in today’s Chinese and Japanese society, umbrellas play     5     important role. They are one of the most essential items     6     (present) to newly -wed brides, symbolizing blessing, protection from evil spirits and wishes    7     more babies.

The beauty of the Chinese paper umbrellas had     8     an impact on worldwide trends that their     9     (elegant) crafted materials and their canopy designs showcasing dragons, flowers, and landscapes quickly traveled via trade routes to distant Europe. Paper umbrellas today represent one of the best -known Chinese traditional exports, with businessmen selling them to     10     (passer-by) on streets worldwide.

In 2017, a Chinese antique bowl fetched $ 38 million at auction (拍卖)—a new record for Chinese porcelain (瓷器). Though it was described as “a highly important and     1    (extreme) rare” piece of art, it was a shallow bowl that was used in ancient China     2    (clean) calligraphy and paint brushes. Why is Chinese porcelain so expensive? The answer lies     3     the European obsession (痴迷) with Chinese porcelain.

Lars Tharp, a Chinese porcelain specialist, set out to explore why Chinese porcelain was so     4    (value). He traveled to the mountainside in which almost every single Chinese export vase, plate and cup began life in the 18th century—a mountain known as Mount Gaolin, from     5     name we get the word kaolin, or china clay. He saw how the china clay     6    (combine) with another substance, mica, that would turn it into porcelain.

    7    (carry) his own newly-acquired vase, Lars uncovered some secrets of China’s porcelain capital, Jingdezhen. He saw how     8     trade between China and Europe not only changed our idea of what was beautiful but also affected the whole tradition of Chinese aesthetics too.

The porcelain fever has driven high     9    (consume) in the past ten years. Today China’s rising millionaire class are buying back the export china once shipped to Europe. The bowl     10    (sell) at auction shows that the appeal of Chinese porcelain is as strong as ever.

As a sacred thing     1     (love) by Chinese people, the dragon is inclusive in all kinds of traditional Chinese art, like sculpture, painting and embroidery (刺绣). With various meanings, the dragon appears in buildings, porcelains and decorations, and everything you can imagine may     2     (decorate) with dragon elements. All those art works reflect Chinese aesthetics (美学), and Chinese people’s     3     (wise) and love for the dragon.

The dragon is a popular object of drawings and there     4     (be) many famous paintings about the dragon. Ink wash painting is     5     unique style of Chinese painting, especially in ancient China. Therefore, famous dragon paintings which are     6     great value are that style, and the painted dragon is called the ink dragon.

The Nine Dragons Painting is a scroll (画卷) of a dimension of 46.3 cm×1496.4 cm     7     it shows nine dragons with different facial and body looks, soaring in waters and mists. The painting is marked with dragons features and perfectly demonstrates how     8     (power) dragons are. The scroll painting,     9     creator is Chen Rong, is now collected in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Chen Rong is a painter in the thirteenth century and good at     10     (paint) various dragons. Many other painters, such as Cao Buxing and Zhang Zengyao, are also famous for their dragon paintings.