China has the world’s largest number of world natural heritage sites, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. The country is now home    1     14 world natural heritage sites and four mixed sites,     2     are noted for both cultural and natural features, both leading the world in terms of quantity, the administration said. These heritage sites     3     (effective) protected China’s representative geological relics, mountains, forests and lakes, along with the rare and     4     (endanger) animal and plant species, the administration said Friday at     5     news conference regarding cultural and natural heritage day, which     6     (fall) on June 8. In the past few years, the country     7     (enhance) legal, and technological support of the protection of its world natural heritage, establishing a management system with Chinese characteristics. China’s world heritage has contributed to the country’s socioeconomic development     8     presented its image to the world. These areas have also played an important role in the protection of cultural relics, intangible cultural heritage and historic cities, towns and villages,     9     (bring) in over 14 billion yuan in average annual tourism income for     10     (local).

5 . Use this list of winter festivals to plan your trip or plan around them, as many of these festivals will tie up transport and accommodations and drive up prices. It’s all up to you: either plan your travel dates around them, or arrive early enough to jump into the festive atmosphere!

A day-trip away from South Korea’s capital Seoul, the Garden of Morning Calm is a must-see during the Festival. The lights there cover an area of some 330,000 square meters, using 30,000 colorful LED lights hanging from the trees. Wander around the fairy-like wonderland created by the lights-through such fields like Bonsai Garden, Moonlight Garden, and the Garden of Eden.

·Where: Gapyeong County, South Korea

·When: December-Mid-March

Millions of tourists visit this icy festival every year, drawn by the massive ice sculptures that decorate the fairgrounds next to Songhua River. The sculptures, ice palaces, mazes and slides are simply massive in scale, constructed from some 260,000 cubic yards of ice blocks harvested from the river. They range in size from life-scale carvings of animals and fantastic creatures, to massive 250-foot structures that tower over the crowds.

·Where: Harbin, China

·When: January 5-February 5

Japan’s biggest winter festival has expanded in size and scope since its first celebration in 1950.The Festival covers two main sites in Sapporo. The centerpiece Odori Park site features some 100 ice sculptures dazzlingly lit up after dark. The Susukino district site features a smaller scale of ice sculptures decorating the district. The sculptures cover animals both real and fantastic, including anime-based creatures like Pokemon. Visitors can also enjoy snow mazes, street food, musical performances and skating on the ice rink near Odori Park.

·Where: Sapporo, Japan

·When: February 4-11

The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in Taiwan, China is Taiwan’s most visited lantern festival, lighting the skies with floating lanterns bearing messages for the gods. Its counterpart in the Yangshui District favors a noisier kind of illumination-the Tainan Yanshui Fireworks Display takes place at Tainan’s Wumiao Temple, where locals dare to be hit by small fireworks as a test of their strength and to ward off evil.

·Where: Pingxi and Yangshui, Taiwan, China

·When: February

The 3rd Flushing (法拉盛) Poetry Festival will be held in April this year to celebrate modern Chinese poets     1     (live) overseas and encourage cross-cultural conversation and translation of poetry from these poets. Poems should be submitted before February 15, 2021     2     (compete) in the festival, which will be open to the public in Chinese and English     3     free.

The festival was started by poets of Chinese descent (血统) in the USA, and this     4     (year) event will be hosted by the editorial committee of First Line New York, an online poetry magazine     5     (attach) to the Flushing Poetry Festival. The purpose is to encourage Chinese poets overseas to publish their original writing, and build a bridge between Chinese poets and poets writing in English and     6     languages. The festival will be held during the time of the National Poetry Month in the USA,     7     the place and the form of the event will be decided later due to the COVID-19 situation.

The lst and 2nd Flushing Poetry Festivals were held in 2018 and 2019     8     (separate) and winning poetry     9    (publish) online. The schedule of the two previous festivals included     10     award ceremony, poetry reading and group discussion.

It was my first time spending Spring Festival in China     1     my host family. Spring Festival is highly valued by every Chinese family. Preparations began a week before the festival. First, the house     2     (clean) from top to bottom. Next, the Chinese character Fu was attached upside down to our front door. It is believed that when Fu is put upside down,     3     (happy) arrives. The character looked really cool.

8 . The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms, which reflect the Chinese people’s understanding of time. Here several special solar terms are listed.

Rain Water

Rain Water signals the increase in rainfall and rise in temperature. With its arrival, the river water defreezes, wild geese move from south to north, and trees and grass turn green again. Extra care is needed to cope with a returning cold spell in this period. The wet and damp weather during Rain Water period is considered harmful for people’s spleen (脾) and stomach according to Chinese medical practice. Therefore, a bowl of nutritious porridge is the best choice to nourish the body.

Awakening of Insects

As the third solar term in the lunar year, its name implies that animals sleeping in winter are awakened by spring thunder and that the earth begins to come back to life. It is the key time for spring agricultural activities. Modern meteorological science shows that around this period, the earth becomes wet, the hot humid air from the north is strong and creates frequent winds. For this reason, thunder often occurs.

Spring Equinox

Spring Equinox signals the equal length of the day and night time. On the day of the Spring Equinox, the sun is directly above the equator. After the equinox, the sun moves northwards, resulting in gradually longer day time in the Northern Hemisphere. Standing an egg upright is a popular game during this period. It is believed that if someone can make the egg stand, he will have good luck in the future.

Grain Rain

Grain Rain originates from the old saying, “Rain brings up the growth of hundreds of grains", which shows that this period of rainfall is extremely important for the growth of crops and people are busy working on the land. Grain Rain falls between the end of' spring and the beginning of summer, with infrequent cold air moving to the south and lingering cold air in the north. With dry soil, an unsteady atmosphere and heavy winds and sandstorms become more frequent.

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. The Spring Equinox(春分), as the fourth term of the year starts on March 20     1     ends on April this year.

The Spring Equinox signals the equal     2     (long) of the day and night time. The day of the Spring Equinox is     3     the sun is directly above the equator. After the equinox, the sun moves northwards, resulting in     4     (gradual) longer day time in the Northern Hemisphere and longer night in the Southern Hemisphere.

Standing an egg upright is a popular game across the country during the Spring Equinox. It is an old custom that       5     (date) back to 4,000 years ago. People practice this tradition to celebrate the coming of spring. It     6     (believe) that if someone can make the egg stand, he will have good luck in the future.

The Spring Equinox is     7     good time to fly kites. In ancient times, people did not have good medical resources. So     8     (pray) for good health, they wrote their medical issues on paper kite. When the kite was     9     the air, people would cut off the stringy let the paper kite float away,     10     (symbolize) the flying away of diseases.