Beijing Opera is a national treasure of China. The art    1     (date) back to the late eighteenth century     2    it combines acting, talking, singing, music, dancing and acrobatics. Actors play one of four roles: sheng, male roles; dan, female roles; chou, clown roles and jing roles. Each role has its own singing and acting styles. In the early days, most often Beijing Opera     3     (perform) on open-air stages in markets, streets, teahouses or outside temples. The music had to be played loudly and performers had to sing with sharp    4     (voice) in order to be heard over the crowd.     5     (gradual) this kind of singing became a special style of Beijing Opera. Beijing Opera used to be performed on open-air stages     6     were lit only by oil lamps. As     7     result, the actors had to wear bright costumes in colorful patterns    8     (attract) the audience’s attention. Symbols also play a very important role in Beijing Opera. Many body movements can represent complex actions. For example, when a lady is    9     (ride) in a carriage, the performer actually walks a flag on each side. Four generals and four soldiers refer     10     an army of thousands. In other words, every action and movement in Beijing Opera is important.

The Chinese writing system is one of the main factors that make     1     possible for China to have a glorious civilisation. At the beginning, symbols     2    (carve) on animal bones and shells. By the Shang Dynasty, the symbols had become a well-developed writing system. It was after Emperor Qinshihuang united the whole country     3     it began to develop in one direction. Written Chinese is not only important in uniting Chinese people and culture, but has also become a means by     4    China’s present is connected with its past.

A group of researchers and scientists are working together to help increase knowledge and     1    (appreciate) of China’s ancient cultural heritage by recording and collecting digital images of cultural relics from Mogao Caves, which have been playing an important role in different cultures. Since the project started, nearly 500000 high-quality digital photographs     2    (produce). By sharing so many digital photos over the Internet, the researchers hope to     3    (far) educate people about the significance of safeguarding historic and cultural relics.

    1     (organize) by China International Culture Association and Central Academy of Fine Arts, the Mascot Design Global Competition of “Happy Chinese New Year” kicked off in Beijing on August 19th.

“Happy Chinese New Year”     2     (involve) a number of activities held in overseas     3     (country) about the Lunar New Year, so that people can experience the festive atmosphere and know more about Chinese culture.

The competition collects mascot designs that show the concept of “Happy Chinese New Year” activities     4     stresses reunion, a festive atmosphere and sharing. With the rabbit     5     the main image, since next year marks the Year of the Rabbit, designs are supposed to be rich in Lunar New Year cultural elements.

The call for entries began on August 19^th     6     will end on Dec 26^th. The collected works will enter four stages of evaluation, and the final selected one will be     7     (official) released at the end of this year as the mascot for the “Happy Chinese New Year” event.

According to Gao Zheng, director of the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the “Happy Chinese New Year”     8     (become) one of the most popular brand event overseas since its launch more than 20 years ago. And it is especially highly     9     (influence) to the overseas Chinese. He hopes     10     (provide) audiences at home and abroad with a more innovative experience.

10 . I still remember my father’s embarrassment the day when he was invited to have dinner at a colleague’s house. Freshly arriving in Brazil, and not being able to look up on the Internet, he offended his hosts by making a hand gesture — a circle with the thumb and index finger. He had always understood it to mean “OK”, but in Brazil, it meant something different.

The incident was quickly forgotten. My father’s colleague understood that he probably wasn’t yet aware of the local meaning of the gesture. He gently explained it meant something rude, and then it was kept in mind under “things not to be done in Rio”.

I was reminded myself when touring China. After I replied to a friend’s WeChat message with a Van Gogh sticker that I thought meant “keep fighting”, another friend told me I used it wrong.

“The Chinese version is a bit different,” she said, taking out her phone and showing to me. “See these characters? They mean ‘I will hit you!’”

Life is full of crossed meanings. In India, you sign to someone to come over with your palm down, not up. And in the Middle East, you never use your left hand for anything public.

As adults, we understand that even if it hurts, a mistake is only an insult (侮辱) when it is made on purpose. Yet, many conflicts come from misunderstanding, and history is full of the unfortunate outcomes of cross-cultural communication.

My father’s pre-Internet Brazilian mistake was forgiven because of context — he had just arrived and he didn’t know its local meaning. But when context is absent or simply differently understood — especially in the social media — perhaps it is time we all think twice before typing or talking, especially when the consequences can be more severe than the misuse of a WeChat sticker.