Sitting on a lounge chair (躺椅) in her studio in northwest London, Duan Yiran, the     1     (found) of a handcrafts workshop promoting the traditional indigo dyeing (靛蓝染色) technique, admits actually she used to hate the craft. As a member of the Bai ethnic group, she was born and raised in Dali city, Southwest China’s Yunnan province.     2     one time, in her village, nearly every household boasted members who mastered the tie-dyeing (扎染)technique. Duan’s family also ran     3     company that produced handwoven, hand-dyed fabrics.

To tie-dye pieces of cloth, people use needles and threads to create different     4     (fold) in the fabrics before putting them in dye vats (大缸) several times.     5     (typical), the vats contain sky-blue-colored dye     6     (obtain) from plants. Unfolding the fabrics reveals beautiful patterns, such as geometric shapes and flowers. The areas stitched (缝) by threads remain white     7     they were not immersed in the dye, while other areas turn blue. In 2006, the tie-dyeing technique of the Bai ethnic group     8     (list) into state-level intangible cultural heritages.

Duan never thought about     9     (inherit) the craft until she moved to London in 2015 to study costume design. “When making the Victorian-style costumes, I found     10     (I) unconsciously applying the Chinese embroidery (刺绣) stitching and knotting techniques that I learned from my grandmother,” she says. At that time, she realized that a person may not be entirely separated from his homeland and the cultural imprints (印记) that come with it.

Labor Day

How’s this for a strange idea: a day off from work in honor of work    1    (it)? Actually, that is     2     Labor Day, celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday of every September, is all about.

The     3    (one) American Labor Day was celebrated in New York City on September 5th,1882, as thousands of workers and their families came to Union Square for a day in the park. There were picnics and a parade,     4     there were also protests. The workers had gathered, not just to rest and celebrate, but to demand fair wages, the end of child labor, and the right    5    (organize) into unions.

During the period known as The Industrial Revolution, many jobs were difficult and dangerous. People worked for twelve hours, six days a week,     6     extra benefits, and if you were young, chances are you were doing manual labor instead of your ABCs and fractions. Children as young as ten worked in some of     7    (dangerous) places. In the following years, the idea of Labor Day caught on. But then came the violent Haymarket Square Riot (暴乱) of 1886, which led to many deaths in Chicago. After that, many groups began to mark Haymarket Square on May 1st, which became known as International Workers’ Day.

But in spite of this new holiday, it was a long time before the changes that workers wanted     8    (become) a reality. At present, as America and Canada celebrate Labor Day, most of the two    9    (country) children enjoy a day off from school. But it is important to remember that there was a time when every day was a labor day for children in America, and     10    (unfortunate), the same fact remains true for millions of children around the world today.

The 2023 Chinese Bridge Calligraphy and Painting Contest lasted for six months,     1     (attract) 1, 084 contestants from 86 countries     2     a total of 1, 146 calligraphy and painting works.

According to experts, the award winning calligraphy works this year mirrored many Chinese classic elements with more     3     (expressive) and creativity, compared to the winners of last year's contest,

“I feel honored to be the judge again and also     4     (delight) to find that the entries for this year have been such a breakthrough. From their progress, you can     5     (definite) see the authors must have spent a lot of time and energy learning traditional Chinese culture, ” commented one of the judges.

At the closing ceremony, Zhang Bo, professor from Beijing Language and Culture University, gave high praise of the achievement of overseas Chinese teaching,     6     played a significant role in cultural exchanges. He said the quality of the entries resulted from the contestants' years of study, as well as     7     guidance and assistance of overseas Chinese teaching behind them.

The experts suggested watching the videos about the contestants on the website. “Through these videos, we can see their daily practice and creation process,     8     we can also feel their understanding and love for Chinese culture from their introductions. The creative process of calligraphy and painting     9     (have) a visual appreciation similar to dance. It is our hope that these videos     10     (share) on social media will encourage more people to develop a love for Chinese culture.”

Shoes may not be the first thing one would notice of these 2, 200-year-old Terracotta Warriors,     1     an initial analysis of their footwear showed that these humble accessories might have played a “vital role” in the Qin army. Two Chinese researchers made     2     copy of the footwear using the shoe-making techniques and materials known to be used by the Qin people when the warriors     3     (build). The study found that the replicas provided the wearers with “a more comfortable, stable and efficient”     4     (walk) experience.

    5     (equal) fascinating are the warriors’ clothes: they were candy-coloured. When the Terracotta Warriors were originally created, they were painted a bright array of reds, blues, and greens,     6     are believed to have matched the colours of the clothing worn by the Qin soldiers. In many cases, the paint has not survived the centuries after the warriors     7    (burn) by fires or soaked in floods, but a few of the warriors have been unearthed     8     their original colouring still largely undamaged. A 2019 study found that the colors were mixed with various protein-based binders, such as egg, animal glues and milk, before     9     (paint) onto the soldiers to help secure the paint.

    10     (reconstruct) based on this research seem to suggest the Qin fashion-at least in the army-was to clash colours (撞色).

As one of the major schools of opera in China, the Sichuan Opera has a long history. It     1     (date) back to the end of the Ming Dynasty,     2     there were several different forms of popular theatre in the Sichuan area which gradually developed and combined to emerge as the present Sichuan Opera.

Today’s Sichuan opera is a     3     (relative) recent combination of 5 historic theatre styles. It is characterized by solo singing, skillful acting and incredibly funny     4     (comedy). Performers wear brightly colored costumes     5     move to quick and dramatic music. They move their heads up and down or back and forth in an instant,     6     (change) the thin painted masks over their faces. Their movement is so quick and frequent that you will be left amazed at how they could control the masks so skillfully.

    7     (attract) the audience, Sichuan Opera uses vivid, humorous narration, singing, and actions. Its     8     (perform) is always full of wit, humor, lively dialogues, and     9     (pronounce) local flavors.

Most Sichuan Opera repertoires (轮演剧目) are adapted from the Chinese classical novels, mythologies, legends, and folk tales. Statistics show that     10     total number of Sichuan Opera plays is over 2,000.

As a world-renowned festival, Luoyang Peony Culture Festival has been held for 41 sessions     1     1983. Through the combination of horticulture and science, the flowering time of each peony variety is     2    （precise）controlled, so that the general public can enjoy more blooming peony flowers at the same time.

Peony,     3    （feature）bright colours and graceful shapes, symbolizes peace and prosperity and thus has gained wide     4    （recognize）as “kings of flowers”. For thousands of years,     5     huge mass of poems and paintings have been produced to praise the flower. In the Tang Dynasty, peonies were planted so widely in the royal gardens as “the national flower”     6     they enjoyed great popularity across the country. In the 10th century, the ancient city of Luoyang became a centre of peony planting     7     has remained as such since then. Nowadays, hundreds of thousands of domestic tourists pour in Luoyang for the annual peony festival,     8     they can both appreciate the unique beauty of the flowers and explore the history of the city which is known as the capital of six dynasties.

This year’s opening ceremony with the theme of “A Journey of Peony Petals” fell on April 1 and the festival lasted until May 5. Various performances     9    (stage), including songs and dances, acrobatic shows, and traditional Chinese music performances, among others, empowered by special effects production,     10    (present)an audiovisual feast with distinctive Chinese cultural characteristics.

Xiangsheng, or crosstalk, is arguably the most popular comic performance in China, appealing to people of all ages.

Xiangsheng first appeared in China during the Ming Dynasty. But it was not until the middle and late Qing Dynasty     1     xiangsheng, established itself as     2     unique and independent art form.

Performed mainly in Beijing or Tianjin dialect, xiangsheng is     3     (essential) known for its humorous and satirical (讽刺的) nature. It could be a comedic monologue, dialogue or multiplayer sketch.

As the     4     (early) form of xiangsheng, dankou, or monologue, is performed by an actor who mainly cracks jokes or simply narrates humorous stories. It’s known as qunkou when it is performed by three or more people.

But most of the time, xiangsheng is performed by two actors,     5     is called duikou. The two actors usually discuss or argue over a subject or a social phenomenon     6     a satirical and humorous manner. The main purpose is     7     (cause) laughter among the audience.

In the early years, xiangsheng performers typically came from a humble background,     8     (start) off as street performers. The most popular     9     (venue) of xiangsheng used to be Beijing Tianqiao, Tianjin Quanyechang and Nanjing Confucius Temple. Later, they began to perform in teahouses and theaters. With the     10     (arrive) of radio and television, xiangsheng began to reach audiences everywhere.

Documentary A Hazy Dream World D from Ancient China has been shown on CCTV-9.

The documentary is based on the ancient Chinese literature work The Classic of Mountains and Rivers, or Shan Hai Jing.     1     (consist) of legends, geography, history, astronomy, animals, plants, medicine, religion and other     2     (subject), the book is regarded as an encyclopedia (百科全书) of ancient China.

It is generally believed that the book originating from folk literature that had been passed down orally     3     (write) before the Warring States Period and then     4     (continuous) revised.

Taking “peculiarity (奇)” as its theme, the 8-episode series     5     (describe) several legendary figures, mythical (神话的) animals and their related myths. Having referred     6     other related historical resources, it combines cartoons, dances as well as on-the-spot video shooting with the interpretation of experts,     7     leads audiences into a fanciful world.

In episodes such as Goddess Nüwa Mends the Sky: Where I Came From and Zhulong: God of Time, the documentary discusses some legendary stories     8     (know) to all Chinese people.

Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University, said, “This documentary has made     9     interesting visualized illustration and given a complete introduction of the important Chinese literature work Shan Hai Jing. It also shows CCTV’s great effort     10     (promote) the traditional Chinese culture.”

Wang De, who is a blacksmith by trade and an inheritor of the 500-year-old art of dashuhua that     1     (literal) means “creating tree flowers”,     2     (live) in Yuxian county of Zhangjiakou.

Wang and his assistants put     3     over a dozen dashuhua performances for villagers and tourists as part of Spring Festival celebrations each year. The folk artist hopes the revival of the tradition can bring more visitors to his hometown of Zhangjiakou.

Dashuhua is a traditional form of fireworks performance that takes place during certain festivals.     4     (create) molten iron fireworks, waste iron is melted to 1,600℃ and thrown against a cold wall. The mix bursts into sparks that look like glittering tree branches.

But the high-risk tradition is still only reserved for     5     brave. Due to the nature of the performance-handling superheated coal and molten iron, it’s easy for performers to suffer injuries. During a performance a few years ago, Wang suffered severe     6     (burn) on his leg and took two months to recover.

There are only four people     7     (leave) in China who have mastered the ancient practice, three of     8     are either middle-aged or elderly. Both Wang’s father and grandfather were blacksmiths. Wang said     9     was his responsibility to pass this craft on to the next generation. Otherwise, it will be lost.

The art of dashuhua requires extraordinary courage, skill and     10     (strong). Now, The molten iron fireworks performance has become a major tourist attraction.

Before moving to the city of Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, Robin Gilbank had     1     (limit) knowledge about the city despite a keen interest in Chinese culture.

“Like many foreigners     2     had never been here, I knew nothing about the historic city except for terracotta warriors at that time,” recalled the 41-year-old scholar from North Yorkshire in Britain.

Enchanted by its profound history and distinctive culture, Gilbank applied     3     a teaching position at Northwest University in Xi’an in 2008. “Shaanxi boasts (拥有) many famous writers. So I decided to translate their works into English so as to provide a new window for the world     4     (get) a glimpse (一瞥) of the real and diversified life here,” said Gilbank.

    5     (work) with Hu Zongfeng, dean of School of Foreign Languages of Northwest University, Gilbank travels     6     (wide) in Shaanxi and learns the dialect from locals to have a deep understanding of customs. They have translated over 30 Chinese novels into English.

The past decade witnesses his deeper friendship with the     7    (native) and the centuries-old city. In 2018, he was awarded as one of the 40 most     8     (influence) foreign experts during the past 40 years since the initiation of China’s reform and opening-up policy.

Since the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was proposed by China in 2013, China     9     (open) wider. Gilbank’s experience is a microcosm (缩影) of the story of     10     increasing number of foreigners settling down in Xi’an. They are kick-starting a new journey in the open and livable city with a population of 13 million.