1 . In September, when UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay visited Zhoukoudian in suburban Beijing, which is famous for the discovery of Peking Man living between 700,000 to 200,000 years ago, she was full of praise for the structure that successfully protected Yuanrendong Cave from an unusual rainstorm in July.

The cave in the central area of the site has so far revealed the remains of 40 individuals. The structure protects the site from the weather, including heavy wind, snow and hail, and its design fits in with the surrounding environment, Qin Changwei, secretary-general of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, said at the 2nd World Cultural and Natural Heritage Forum in Beijing on Nov. 17 and 18. “It provides a reference for the protection of precious cultural relics, and suggests measures for helping heritage sites respond to the influence of climate change.”

Organized by the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region under the Auspices of UNESCO(Beijing), and the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation among others, the forum brought together some 50 professionals to discuss the protection and sustainable (可持续发展的) development of heritage sites. Scholars stressed the influence of climate change on heritage sites, and offered suggestions for how to solve the problem.

“Entering the 21st century, climate change has been the subject of in-depth discussion by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. Questions like how to balance between humans and nature, how to respond to natural disasters caused by climate change, and what new challenges this brings to World Heritage Sites, are worth consideration,” says Qin. “Solving the problem requires us to unify, making full use of advanced technology, such as space and digital technologies, and jointly developing risk prevention and response plans,” he adds.

To welcome 2024, a wide range of events were organized in many cities across China, from lantern and fireworks shows to outdoor concerts.     1    , the New Year’s countdown (倒计时) at the Guangzhou Museum offered visitors     2    antique different experience, combining a digital light show accompanied by a countdown     3     (feature) the bell-ringing of a Qing Dynasty clock.

The event attracted crowds of visitors who were treated     4     a visual feast arranged by a team of professional lighting designers. During the light show, images showing the development of Guangzhou City, the heritage of Lingnan culture, and     5     (select) pieces from the collection of the museum were projected onto the front wall of Zhenhai Tower, one of the     6     (old) landmarks in the city with a history of over 600 years.

    7     people began to countdown the remaining seconds of, 2023, the projections on the tower changed into colorful Chinese characters spelling out “2024,” adding to the     8     (excite) of the crowd.

Accompanying the visitors as they hugged one another and made their New Year wishes     9     (be) the twelve strikes of a rare gold clock from the Guangzhou Museum’s collection. It was the first time that the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) clock     10     (hear) in public since it was restored. Produced in Guangzhou, this typical clock of the era was made to pay a form of tribute to the royal court, not only striking on the hour but also playing music when wound up.

3 . By tradition, on Lunar New Year, you’re supposed to put on new clothes, from inner to outer ones. If they’re the lucky red, all the better. You can never have too much luck.

But when you turn a multiple of 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and so on — the tradition gets extended: Red underwear every day of that lunar calendar year. When I first heard about the practice a few years ago, I considered it nonsense. It also seemed ridiculous to buy so many pairs in a color vivid under light clothes. My practical immigrant Chinese parents, an engineer and scientist, didn’t pass this tradition down. Adding another superstition (迷信) also seemed like a thing I could do without. But as I approach my fourth time around the wheel for the “Year of the Dragon,” — in what’s known as “ben ming nian” or the threshold year — I’ve been reflecting upon the milestones of those past intervals: puberty at age 12, moving across the country for a job at 24 and giving birth to my twin sons at 36.

The more I’ve looked into the practice, the more I realize the significance of its popularity. As an American-born Chinese, I have always adopted and adapted what comes from my birthplace. Logically, I know it won’t matter if I wear red or not, but for me, for now, this shared tradition strengthens my bond with my culture.

So often, life goes by so quickly before we could realize. Days become weeks, months, years and suddenly a dozen years go by. My newborns have grown into tweens and I’ve transformed from not quite middle-aged to now very much so. With the turn of the Lunar New Year, I value a chance to reflect on my past struggles and how I found a way through.

It’s a mindset we could all benefit from.

4 . The Mogao Caves form a system of 492 temples 25 km southeast of the center of Dunhuang, which is located at the religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu province. Known as Buddhist (佛教) caves, the caves contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art, lasting a period of 1,000 years.     1    

The Mogao Caves are especially famous for the colored sculptures and murals (壁画), or wall paintings.     2     Rich and varied in forms, they typically have a healthy body, dignified appearance and simple style. The background color is dark red, plus other fresh colors. The color tone is strong and open, and the lines soft and comfortable, which shows the features of western Buddhism.     3    

The painted murals in the Mogao Caves tell stories about Buddhist scriptures (经文), scenery, open halls and scenes about production or flower patterns, reflecting society and civilization in ancient China.

    4     They are the goddesses serving Buddhas, flying in the universe. The artists used the special lines and harmonious interest and charm to show the graceful dream world. The gorgeous color, and lively lines reflect the artists’ passion for the dream world.

In lots of painted murals, the art features of other countries such as India, Iran and Greece can be easily seen.     5     The artistic charm of the painted murals contributes to glorious history of art in China.

8 . More than 3/4 of the Southeast Asia population is agriculture-based. Twice as much fish is consumed in this area compared to other forms of animal protein, reflecting the long coastlines and river environments of Southeast Asia. The staple food(主粮) throughout the area is rice, which has been planted for thousands of years. Rice serves as the basic staple food for more than half of the world’s population today.

In Asia, there are different styles of eating food. In India and the Middle East, as well as Southeast Asia, people eat food with their hands. It is a very direct way to experience the texture(口感) of the food, and people normally wash their hands before and after each meal. Normally, only the right hand is used, so that one knows to keep it especially clean. Generally, the foods to be eaten are placed on plates in the center of the mat or table, and people take food in small portions(一份) as they eat.

The exception to this pattern is Vietnam, where the influence of China was much stronger than anywhere else in Southeast Asia. Here, each person has chopsticks, and food is served and divided among people onto individual plates or into individual bowls. A similar pattern is found in other Asian countries where Chinese influence was especially strong,e. g. Japan, Korea and so on.

The influence of Western cultures is found not only in the use of tables and chairs in many modern Southeast Asian households, but also in the use of spoons and forks. Knives are not necessary, since meat and vegetables are cut into smaller portions before cooking or serving. A large spoon is held in the right hand, while the left hand is used to shovel food into the spoon.

Zhang Zening, a hanfu enthusiast in Nanjing, started an extraordinary journey eight years ago to revive this traditional Chinese costume. Inspired by ancient murals (壁画) ，Zhang studied the artistry of hanfu in various museums,     1     (transform) paintings into wearable pieces.

Upon graduating, Zhang opened     2     hanfu studio with some friends. Now Zhang has cooperated with women’s re-employment organizations, seeking stay-at-home women with sewing skills, among     3     were many single mothers that could earn an income while taking care of their children. Around 2015, Zhang began to focus independently     4     the process of hanfu restoration. In that year, she visited Dunhuang, and     5    (impress) by the delicate murals there, wondering how she could     6     (possible) materialize them into beautiful costumes. Eight years     7     (late), she managed to restore more than 50 sets. In the past decade, she     8     (travel) to more than 10 cities across China, constantly studying murals and conducting research to restore hanfu from different     9     (dynasty ) . She has cross-referenced different materials accurate as possible. Thanks to her work, many young people wear     10     (restore) hanfu when they visit museums, and Zhang is excited to see more of them doing so.