3 . Teenagers across the world eagerly await the day they become legal adults, to be free from the dependence of their parents and to practice the full rights of their citizenship. The situation is no different in South Korea. Here, the legal age of adulthood is 19. Ten years ago, the legal age was 20, but this was lowered by a year in 2013 based on recognition of the early maturity of modern teenagers. Now, from their 19th birthday onwards, South Korean teenagers can vote, get married and work full-time.

Unlike most other countries, the South Korean government celebrates this transformation into adulthood with an official “Coming-of-Age Day”, which falls on every third Monday of May. Its first written record of celebrating adulthood dates back to the Goryeo Dynasty, where King Gwangjong gifted Prince Wang Juan outfit (服装) reserved for male adults in 965.

By the late Jose on Dynasty, the ceremony marking adulthood developed into a full-grown event for the middle and upper classes, celebrated by their 15-year-olds. In this period, one of the most symbolic changes that adults-to-be went through was that boys would tie their long flowing (飘逸的) hair into a topknot (结) and cover it with at all black hat made of horsehair; likewise, girls put their hair, which they let fall as single braids (辫子) in youth, up into a knot and set it with a long hairpin (发簪).

Today, the traditional coming-of-age ceremonies still live on, supported largely by government and public interests. But a set of very different customs has also been added. Unless they apply to participate in publicly-held ceremonies or attend schools that provide these series, 19-year-olds celebrate the third Monday of May the modern way, by having a nice meal with family or drinking with their friends.

China's traditional tea-making techniques were     1     (official) recognized by UNESCO on November 29th, 2022, when the techniques and associated social practices     2     (add) to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (非物质文化遗产) of Humanity.     3     forty-three items on the list, China maintains its No.1 position in the field.

With the success of the application starting in March 2021, the list of world intangible cultural heritage has recognized the knowledge, skills, and practices     4     are about the management of tea gardens, picking of tea leaves, hand-made processing, and the drinking and     5     (share) of tea.

The result has been widely praised by the Chinese public and experts because it is     6     important step for conservation and promotion of traditional tea culture. “Years ago, Chinese tea culture     7     (become) widely known by people in many     8    (country) around the world through the ancient Silk Road. The     9     (success) application of Chinese tea-making can further help improve     10     (it) international influence,” Zheng Changling, secretary general of the China Folk Culture Innovation and Development Center, told the Global Times.

Yours,

Li Hua

Qipao, a traditional dress for females in China, is generally considered as one of the perfect examples of traditional Chinese costumes. Though     1     (debate) by experts about the exact time of its occurrence, it is generally believed     2     Qipao originated from a type of Manchurian female garment in the Qing Dynasty. It developed and was popularized soon during the Republican Period. Under the influence of     3     (celebrity) in Shanghai and even politicians of the time, it reached its peak in the 1930s and 1940s.

Qipao, which is usually made     4     satin, brocade (锦缎), silk or cotton, mainly     5     (feature) a stand-up collar, Chinese knotted buttons, the left lapel (翻领) over the right, a tight-fitting waist and hemmed slits (开衩) on both sides. Two major styles of modern Qipao     6     (establish) in the progression, namely the Shanghai style and the Beijing style. The former,     7     (absorb) western elements of design and tailoring, leads the fashion trend.

Wearing Qipao, a natural result of women’s pursuit of intellectual     8     (free), carries a symbolic sense of promoting gender equality. Later on, the priority of Qipao shifted from a     9     (politics) expression to decorative emphasis. Till today, it is not just a symbol of fashion     10     a timeless classic, an irreplaceable cultural heritage in the fashion world.

9 . Tea is currently the world’s most popular drink, only after water. However, there was a time when tea was known only to the Chinese. So, how did tea originate in China? And how did it get to conquer the world to the extent that people often describe something they really like as their “cup of tea”?

While we know that tea drink started in China, its true origin remains something unknown. Legend has it that about 5, 000 years ago, Shennong came across tea when dried leaves blew into a pot of boiling water. Following his discovery, tea was used as medicine, included in meals and later offered as a refreshing drink to officials and noblemen. Eventually, it became a common drink enjoyed by all Chinese people.

The love of tea inspired many people to write about it. Over the years, tea drinking became an important part of China’s rich culture. The great poet Du Fu described his tea-drinking experience in poetic language. Lu Yu, a tea master, wrote The Classic of Tea, which remains the earliest and most famous detailed study on tea in the world.

It is then not surprising that the beauty of tea was eventually spread to a wider world. Tang and Song Dynasties needed strong Tibetan horses, so the Tea Horse Road was born. Porters (脚夫) carrying back-breaking loads of tea bricks made their way through dangerous snow-covered mountain passes, to trade Sichuan and Yunnan tea for horses. Over time, the gift of tea was further delivered to Western Asia and Easten Africa. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Saicho, a Japanese monk came to study in China and took tea seeds and tea-making customs to Japan. Around the 1600s, tea was shipped to Europe from China by Portuguese and Dutch sea traders.