1 . The “24 solar terms” (节气) originated and was first used in China. It was created thousands of years ago on the basis of practical needs of agricultural. Ancient Chinese people used it to guide agricultural production, explain special climate signs and even come up with healthy living tips. Last year, the 24 solar terms was added to UNESCO's world cultural heritage list(联合国教科文组织世界文化遗产名录). Now, it has been brought to life thanks to a creative designer from Southwest China's Guizhou Province.

On the eve of this year's Qingming Festival, Shi Changhong released (发布) his version of reproduced and packaged characters for each solar term in the form of “moving art” of gifs. Since their first release on Zcool on March 29, the gifs have won great praise among the general public and quickly flooded the social media with millions of hits during the festival period.

To maximize publicity, Shi released his work in three forms: the video, the animation and pictures. The background sounds add to the brilliance.

“When I watch the short video, I can strongly feel the Chinese-style elements hidden in it. And it is really cool to liven up traditional Chinese culture in such a unique way.” WeChat user Xiao Feifei said.

“It is really a comfort to me to see so many people like my latest work. To be honest, it would really surprise me if the work had not aroused great interest among Chinese people. The 24 solar terms is a deeply rooted concept that covers the essence of Chinese wisdom. However, only a small portion of people know all the names or the correct order of those terms. My intention is to increase Chinese people’s self-awareness to learn more about our traditional fine culture. Actually, the 24 solar terms work is only a part of my whole design program ‘Charm China’, which I started a year ago.” Shi told China Daily.

Yesterday, I went to an amazed Chinese art festival. It was of an exciting experience for a foreign student like me. Which caught my attention first was a 15th-century qinghua bowl. It vivid showed a dragon playing with a ball. Then I tried some paper cutting or made images out of paper. It was difficult, but a lot of funs! With the help of the artist, I manage to make one in the shape of a fish. There was also an old man write Chinese calligraphy: his writing was so free and elegant! Another man sitting next him showed me how seal cutting (篆刻) worked. Finally, he made one for myself with my name in Chinese—pretty awesome!

China’s Ministry of Culture released the Fifth National List of Representative Elements of Intangible (非物质的) Cultural Heritage of China on Thursday,     1     (add) 185 items to the list, including the skills     2     (involve) in making luosifen, the iconic noodle soup from south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Shaxian snacks originating in Shaxian County in southeast China's Fujian province.

Liuzhou luosifen,     3     soup dish named by some people as “durian (榴莲) of soup” for its strong smell, originated in Liuzhou. It features rice noodles soaked in a spicy soup flavored by river snails and topped with,     4     (ingredient) including pickled (腌制的) bamboo shoots, string beans, peanuts and tofu skin.     5     having the word “snail” in its Chinese name, actual snails don't     6     (common) appear in the dish, but are used to flavor the soup.

Shaxian snacks are a shining example of Chinese food chain brands,     7     most likely include foods such as steamed dumplings, noodles and huntun.

Now the local authorities     8     (work) to standardize and modernize operations at the restaurants     9     (turn) the brand into a successful and safe food business worldwide. Shaxian snacks have shops in 62 countries and regions including Japanese, American, French, Portuguese and Malaysian markets and its trademark registration     10     (approve ) in eight countries over the past decade.

6 . China is a country with many colorful days and festivals. The Dragon Head Raising Day (Longtaitou) is one of them. This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar (阴历). It stands for the start of spring and farming. This year, the day falls on March 4th.

The dragon is important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people call ourselves the “descendants (传人) of the dragon”. Therefore, people celebrate the Dragon Head Raising Day with many customs about dragons.

On the day in ancient times, people put ashes (灰) in the kitchen. This was to “lead the dragon into the house”. People believed that with the help of the dragon, they could have a good harvest in autumn.

Also, people eat special foods on that day. The foods are usually named after dragons. For example, people eat “dragon whisker (细须)” noodles and dumplings called “dragon teeth”.

Today, many customs have faded away. But one that has remained is the cutting of hair. It was said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the mother’s brothers. So many people have their hair cut on the Dragon Head Raising Day.

8 . The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Minor Snow (小雪) refers to the time when it starts to snow, mostly in China's northern areas, and the temperature continues to drop.

Here are four things you should know about Minor Snow.

Wearing hats and scarves

In China, starting in Minor Snow, the wind blows from the northeast a lot. Because it's still not bitterly cold, many people do not wear hats or scarves yet. In fact, according to an old Chinese saying, "The head is the place where all passages of the body gather". It's sensible to keep one's head warm.

Drinking soup

During Minor Snow, indoor heating begins to work, which means the air indoors is dry and most people might find their nose and mouth feels a bit dry. According to practices in traditional Chinese medicine, this accumulation of "inner heat" in one's body can cause problems, including oral ulcers and breakouts (口腔溃疡和破损). The solution is to drink more hot soup, such as cabbage and bean curd soup, spinach and bean curd soup, and mutton and radish soup.

Making preserved pork

After Minor Snow, the temperature declines sharply and the air becomes dry. It is the best time to start making preserved pork, which by the Chinese Spring Festival would be ready to enjoy. In the past, when storage conditions were poor, people developed many ways to store food and preserved pork is one such example. So even in the bitter winter, the whole family could enjoy meat. Some even say preserved pork tastes more delicious than fresh meat.

Avoiding spicy food

On cold days, people may crave some hot and spicy food to keep warm. Experts say it's wise not to eat overly spicy food, since that will increase your inner heat.

So delighted to know that you are interested in traditional Chinese operas.

Yours,

Li Hua