Tea comes from China, and Chinese tea culture has a long history. Now, enjoying a nice cup of tea is a habit around the world. Not only is drinking tea a     1    (relax) moment, but tea is an endless drink with so many different types to get, each with     2    (it) own unique flavor (味道). But if you’re a tea-time beginner and find yourself just     3    (put) an old tea bag in hot water and steeping (浸泡)     4    (simple) and carelessly, you could be missing out on tons of flavor and the chance to experience the moment of tea-drinking     5    (happy). There are a few important     6    (thing) that can affect the taste of tea, including the types of tea, the water temperature, and the steeping time. To make a cup of perfect tea, firstly, instead     7     tea bags, you’d better prepare loose-leaf tea     8     has a strong and lasting flavor. Loose-leaf tea also produces generally     9    (little) rubbish than tea bags. Secondly, you should start with fresh water and not let the water get too hot. Remove the water right when it     10    (start) boiling for the best flavor. Finally, set a timer and start steeping according to the suggested time on your tea’s packaging.

5 . Literary (文学的) festivals are all over the UK and Ireland this month. Here are four of them.

Hay Festival

Set on the beautiful Wales-England border, this year’s Hay Festival includes travel writer Kapka Kassabova delivering the 2023 Jan Morris Lecture, Ray Mears discussing the British woodland, and Bear Grylls and Ranulph Fiennes celebrating a love of wild spaces. Author-led tours with Wayfair Walks explore the Brecon Beacons.

Date: From 25 May to 4 June

Guernsey Literary Festival

Celebrating great writing and big ideas in the beautiful island of Guernsey, this event includes activities such as a talk by Susie Dent centred on her book An Emotional Dictionary — Real Words For How We Feel, and family-focused drawing classes from painter Rob Biddulph. The festival also offers poetry competitions, writing workshops and the chance to stretch your legs on Guernsey’s coastal trails and nature walks.

Date: From 2 to 14 May

International Literature Festival Dublin

The ancient streets that were once inspiration for James Joyce, W·B Yeats and Oscar Wilde welcome Ireland’s leading literary festival this May. The 10-day event celebrates the best Irish and international writers, poets, playwrights and screenwriters. Book-themed guided walks are also offered.

Date: From 19 to 28 May

The Bath Festivals

Founded in 1948, The Bath Festivals is a year-round creative learning program that inspires and connects different people and communities through various activities. For example, we have Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair in May and Bath Children’s Literature Festival in September. Our other year-round hands-on music and literature projects give children and young people opportunities to gain real-world experience.

6 . The Spring Festival is the most important celebration in China. There are some interesting Spring Festival traditions about Don’ts & Dos. Let’s take a look!

Don’t take out the rubbish

Taking out the rubbish, on that day, is said to stand for sweeping luck and wealth from the house.    1    .

Don’t give a watch or clock as a gift

A clock is an unpopular gift at any time of the year in China, as the phrase “giving a clock” sounds exactly like the Chinese words for “song zhong”.     2    , so it is an especially bad gift for the elderly.

    3    

During the festive period, you’ll see amazing decorations all over China, and your house should be no exception.     4    , you’ll be able to find red decorations everywhere during the Spring Festival.

Popular decorations include red lanterns driving away bad luck, door couplets showing wishes for the coming year, and the character(fu) meaning good fortune.

Give hongbao or fruit

Hongbao, or a red envelope containing money, is a popular gift for adults to give children.

Spring Festival is an important traditional festival in China, which has many unique     1     (custom). Here are three readers’ accounts, who shared their experiences and views about it.

Tom Jenkins spent Spring Festival with his host family in Nanjing. A week before the festival, the house was cleaned     2     (thorough). His host mother said this was     3    (sweep) away the dirt of the past year. Next, the Chinese character Fu     4     (attach) upside down to the front door to welcome happiness. At the night before Spring Festival, they sat together to enjoy a big dinner.

For Xu Gang, he usually plans his trip home weeks before Spring Festival as it is difficult to book train tickets or flights.     5     (surround) by Shanxi accents on the train, he knows that he is heading home. When he arrives home, his parents will tell him     6     has been happening. It’s great to be back together with the family and talk of old times.

To Li Yan, who has been     7     (retire), the joy of a family     8     (gather) is the most important. She and her husband get ready for their children’s homecoming early. The house buzzes     9     activities when everyone comes home. The children run around     10     (play) and the adults talk about the past year. They also have fun making jiaozi, a sign of wishes for health and happiness in the coming year.

8 . Oliver’s journey with tai chi began in her early 20s, when she was suffering from a back injury, which left her lying in bed for six months.

“As an active youngster at that time, I couldn’t bear resting in bed,” she explained. “My muscles became wasted and stiff(僵直的) for lack of use, and I was often in a lot of pains. So, I felt that some physical exercise would help.”

She then discovered tai chi when she spotted by chance a poster advertising classes and decided to try the mysterious and exotic(异国的) sport. Oliver was immediately struck by the gentle and beautiful movements of tai chi, and to her delight, found that her occasional pains disappeared after years of practice.

“It not only helps me improve physical strength, but also provides me with many mental benefits, such as improved mood and focus, and less anxiety and depression,” she added.

To further understand tai chi and the Chinese philosophy behind it, Oliver decided to begin a journey to China. In 2005, Oliver established the Double Dragon Alliance Cultural Center, which acts as a bridge for foreign people seeking to gain a better understanding of Chinese culture. The center supports kung fu masters in teaching martial arts(武术) and organizes events for people to experience various aspects of Chinese culture.

Apart from her tai chi classes, Oliver now serves as the director of the British Cultural Center at Shanghai University. Reflecting on her work, Oliver said, “For quite many years, my work is actually like a cultural bridge. If you don’t have someone in the middle who is appreciative of all the cultures and have the desire to connect people, then it’s hard for them to get to know each other. I hope I can be the bridge to bring people close together. We need to foster mutual understanding among cultures to promote peaceful relations and friendship across the globe.”