1 . Having spent more than a decade on the dance floor, ROME — Niccolo Filippi, a 23-year-old Italian dance performer, recently decided to explore Chinese culture and its traditional dance forms and believes that this experience will not only boost his career, but also broaden his horizons beyond the world of dance.

His interest in diversifying his skills grew after he stumbled upon a short video of traditional Chinese-styled dance on YouTube. “I saw it as an art that combines tradition and modernity, which was mostly the reason why I liked it,” says Filippi.

Ever since, he has been closely following Chinese dance performers and watching numerous videos to learn more about the traditional style that he admires. “I prefer the traditional style because of its light movements. It also reflects my personality with elegance,” he adds.

Filippi’s chance came when he was invited to perform for a Chinese New Year celebration in the central Italian city of Florence. He has since fully committed himself to the art form, learning several pieces and putting his newfound passion into practice.

“The biggest difference that I found (compared to other disciplines) is the change of mood and emotional expressions among dances,” says Filippi, adding that he needed to shift from the dynamic moves of hip-hop to the graceful and fluid movements of Chinese dance. Despite various obstacles, Filippi’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Two of his friends shared videos of his performances on social media, and the response was overwhelming. One video garnered 500,000 views, while the other received 200,000 views.

Filippi believes that learning about different cultures is priceless, and he sees it as a means of personal growth. “I like to think of a person as a book,” he says. “Embracing different traditions and cultures, such as Chinese culture and many others, is like adding new chapters to my book, making it more diverse and wonderful.”

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.

Did you ever imagine that one day we could enjoy the benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine in a cup of coffee?

Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, is    1    approach used to help people re-balance their health and mind. A typical way of making a TCM formula (配方) is to get a prescription from a    2    (license) doctor, shop for all the medicinal materials, and then brew(煎) them with water in a pot. These materials    3    (say) to have a restorative effect by re-balancing one’s natural energy, or Qi,     4    runs through series of invisible meridians (经脉) throughout the body.

But if you ask younger generations of Chinese, few visit TCM shops nowadays, let alone brew these time-tested remedies for    5    (they). However, social media has recently seen a type of coffee    6    (feature) goji berry juice get popular.

The concept of combining TCM herbs    7    popular drinks could make young people access TCM more easily. The key of TCM is    8    (prevent). By trying such drinks, young people can take more care of their health, and nip sicknesses in the bud. Most people, attracted in such a cafe by the”new TCM drinks“ at first, would also be offered other TCM products like dried herbs and teas, after which they stay    9    (learn) more about TCM.

As Traditional Chinese Medicine becomes more    10    (access) to young people, many are integrating these ancient drinks into their daily wellness routines.

East China’s Shandong province, where the Yellow River flows into the sea, is promoting the deep integration of culture and tourism. So far, Shandong    1    (launch) many cultural tourism projects, making great progress in digging into the culture and value of the Yellow River    2    (boost) the high-quality development of the region.

One example is the Yellow River Tower in Binzhou’s Puhu Lake Scenic Area, which was open    3    the public last year. It has become a cultural landmark of the Yellow River Basin    4    visitors can view the river passing through the city and watch exhibitions showing    5    (it) long history and diverse cultures. The tower offers various types of activities, such as research tours, and undertakes Yellow River-themed video competitions.

One of the most    6    (influence) tourism brands in Yuncheng County is the Shuihu Film Studio. It integrates film shooting and performances. There are 36 courtyards and 108 scenic spots that    7    (vivid) display the diverse cultures of the Chinese classic novel Shuihuzhuan.

Yellow River culture is a product of the material and spiritual advancement of the people living by the river throughout time. The local artistic    8    (create) are playing important roles in the Yellow River culture. The most representative among them is Lyu Opera,    9    unique kind of the Chinese art form.    10    (root) in Dongying, the opera has become extremely popular among tourists.

China is known as the hometown of tea. For thousands of years, tea has been    1    (deep) rooted in Chinese culture and has been an important part of Chinese people’s daily life.

    2    is believed that the Classic of Tea, by Tang scholar LuYu in the 8th century, is the first book in China to systematically elaborated (阐述) the knowledge of tea and related practices.

While the age-old tradition of tea has been well-cherished by the Chinese, innovation is putting new life into the tea industry. In recent years, with the consumption upgrading of milk tea, there    3    (be) a boom in “new tea drinks” combining tea, fresh fruits and vegetables,    4    are particularly sought-after among young people.

From a    5    (globe) perspective, tea has been a long-standing bridge,    6     (connect) China and the world. It was once an important commodity (货品) on the ancient Silk Road and the ancient Tea Horse Road, and today, China is a major tea exporter in the world.

On Nov. 29, 2022,China’s traditional tea-making    7    (add) to the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) list, a milestone for the worldwide recognition of China’s tea culture.

The successful inclusion into     8    list has further highlighted the important contribution the Chinese culture has made     9    the diversity of human civilizations.

Chinese people believe that tea reflects the values of modesty, harmony, comity, and respect. The newly     10    (recognize) world cultural heritage will help introduce such Chinese wisdom and philosophy to more people in the world.