1 . Occurring on October 31, November 1, and November 2, the Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday held to honor those who have died, brings people from all walks of life to Mexico. But cities across the United States are also joining in on the fun. Here is where you can find this year’ s best Day of the Dead celebrations without traveling south of the border.

The Historic Olvera Street in Los Angeles

For over three decades, the businessmen of Olvera Street have annually transformed the busy outdoor marketplace into a top destination for visitors. Starting on October 25 and coming to a close on November 2,this year’s event will include a collection of live performances, face painting, and a traditional May an procession(游行).

The East Village in Manhattan

Want to get a taste of the Day of the Dead while taking a bite out of the Big Apple? Come to East yard of St. Mark’s in-the-Bowery, a church in Manhattan. Besides watching performances, you can purchase all kinds of traditional Mexican food.

San Francisco’s Mission District

San Francisco has celebrated the Day of the Day for half a century. Every November 2, people flood to the Mission District - a colorful neighborhood rich in Mexican culture. At this popular event, visitors are invited to dress up in traditional Day of the Dead clothes, and go through the neighborhood all by the candlelight.

Downtown San Antonio

This year, the Day of the Dead will arrive early in San Antonio, Texas. On October 26 and 27, people can visit Hemisfair, the city’ s popular outdoor cultural center, with craft workshops, musical performances, and live poetry.

2 . There are many classical cultures in China. All of them have a very long history. Here we introduce four of them.

	Chinese Handwriting Chinese handwriting is a special art to Asian cultures. Brush handwriting is much loved around the world. Wang Xizhi is very famous for his handwriting. He made a great difference to the development of Chinese handwriting.
	Chinese Folk Music Chinese folk music has a long history. It is connected with Chinese ancient stories. One of the classics, Shijing, includes some folk songs in 15 different areas from the West Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period. Traditional Chinese musical instruments include guqin, guzheng, pipa, erhu, xiao and so on.
	Chinese Painting Chinese painting is one of the oldest traditional painting forms in the world. Most of the Chinese paintings in ancient China were done on paper or silk. Traditional Chinese painting includes mountains and water, figures (人物), flowers and birds. The paintings show different features during the different historical periods.
	Weiqi Weiqi, called “yi” in ancient China, is a smart board game between two players with a history of over 3, 000 years. The game can be treated as the beginning of all ancient chess games. It was introduced to Korea about 2, 000 years ago and was popular among the higher classes.

3 .     1    The great animal migration across the plains of the Serengeti or the towering pyramids of Egypt are such examples. Every country can be proud of its cultural or natural heritage sites. They have been well protected, so the living people can enjoy them today.     2    We are lucky to have UNESCO to regard protection of heritages as such an important task. It sees heritage as “our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations” as well as “important sources of life and inspiration”.

    3    As a national park and nature reserve, Jiuzhaigou Valley, just north of the Sichuan Province, is home to impressive snow-covered mountains, thick forests alive with wild animals, beautiful waterfalls and blue lakes, which can easily take our breath away.       4    Similarly, standing in the shadow of the Borobudur Temple, as the sun rises over this grand historic building, we are impressed with the effort, determination and intense belief of the people who built it with only primitive tools. It is in places like these that we cannot help but be respectful, come to understand our limitations as human beings, and know that our duty is to protect them for future generations.

Heritage sites not only often provide answers to questions, but also often pose questions to which there are no final answers at the moment.     5     As Cicero remarked, “To know nothing about what happened before you were born is to remain always a child.”

4 . The world’s craziest festivals

Crazy festivals all over the world are out there just waiting to be celebrated. Join Cornelia Kumfert on a trip to the most unusual events taking place around the globe.

Burning Man Festival

Every year in Nevada (US) there is artwork and cunosities galore to marvel at when the Black Rock Desert changes into a mammoth art exhibition.

In August and September, some 70,00 people come here to celetrate the Burning Man Festival.

San Diego Comic Con

Surely superheroes don’t queue? Well, at San Diego’s Comic Convention they do. Each July hey open their dos to fans of Superman and other comic figures. More than 100,000 annual visitors have paid homage to their mythical heroes.

Crying Baby Festival, Tokyo

At the Crying Baby Festival in Tokyo (Japan), sumo wrestlers do what they can to bring babies to tears.

Sadists run riot? Certainly not! It’s a 400-year-old tradition based on a Japanese proverb, which says that crying babies grow fastest and parents believe the event brings good health to their children.

Palio Contest, Siena

Fame and honour await the winner of the Palio contest in Siena (Italy).

In July and August, ten inhabitants of different districts of the city jockey for first place in a spectacular horse race.

The trophy goes to the contestant whose horse crosses the finishing line first—whether he’s still in the saddle or not.

Chinese food and the differences between Chinese and Western diets are both things that cause the    1    (curious) of most people who visit China. Moreover, when    2    (travel) through China, you'll most likely pick up on a few differences in the way of eating food. For example, soup in the West     3    (enjoy) generally as an appetizer (开胃菜) at the start of a meal, while the Chinese prefer to enjoy their soup at the end of a meal.

You might also notice some distinct differences in meal preparation and cooking techniques. Therefore, cooking classes are becoming an    4    (increasing) popular activity among those interested in learning more about China's culture through its cuisine. If you're looking to take it a step    5    (far), keep an eye out for cooking classes    6    (hold) by residents in their own homes.

    7    it comes to traditional Chinese games, the Chinese have always been sociable people. Despite the country's super technological advancement and the increasing popularity of personal electronic devices. the majority of Chinese would rather spend time socializing with others than sit alone at home. From popular board games like Go (围棋) and Chinese chess to kids' games like Chinese jump rope, China offers    8    (vary) options to keep people busy. Most locals are more than happy to share their traditions    9    foreign visitors, so don't be shy to ask the next time you go for    10    walk through the park!