1 . In recent years, traditional Chinese culture and art has gained a foothold on short video platforms and attracted a large number of young followers thanks to the explosive growth of the short video industry. Relaxing, emotional and fragmented, these video contents perfectly match the demands of the users. With the application of new technologies such as social communication and immersive experiencing, short video platforms are seeing more users, becoming a shining spot of new Internet media.

Recently, Huangmei Opera Female Consort Prince became a hit on short video platforms as a lot of young users covered the aria (咏叹调) in their own way and showed great artistic talents. The interactive platforms are expanding the charm of the traditional opera among young people.

Peking Opera was also well-received on short video platforms thanks to a series of AR effects. Users love to film clips with a set of virtual facial makeup, headwear and costumes. Statistics indicate that these effects were applied by more than 18 million users, most of whom were young people.

In addition to Chinese operas, intangible cultural heritage items, such as embroidery, paper-cutting, printing and dyeing, shadow play works, oiled paper umbrella making, and bamboo weaving are also actively promoted on short video platforms. In a word, short video platforms are becoming an important channel to display China’s intangible cultural heritage.

Short video platforms, offering a fun, popular and easy way to explore the traditional art forms, are receiving a lot of positive feedbacks from China’s young generations. The seconds, or minutes long videos have produced remarkable achievements in promoting traditional Chinese culture.

A Visit to Hunan Museum

6 . Dressed in a pretty long robe (袍服), stylist Xiao Hang walks across the busy Beijing metro, attracting curious glances.

China has been _________ by Western fashion in recent decades, but many young people like Xiao are looking to the _________ for their choices of clothing and wearing traditional hanfu. These historic costumes of the Han ethnic group are _________ a renaissance (复兴) in part because the government is promoting traditional culture to boost patriotism (爱国主义) and national _________. Period dramas have also contributed to the _________ in interest in traditional Chinese clothing — The Story of Minglan, a TV series set in the Song Dynasty _________ more than 400 million viewers in three days.

There is no _________ definition of what counts as hanfu since each dynasty has its own style, but the clothes are _________ by loose, flowing robes, with sleeves that hang down to the knees. “When we were little, we would drape (披) sheets and blankets to _________ we were wearing beautiful clothes,” Xiao said.

“Two-thirds of my wardrobe is hanfu,” said Yang Jiaming, a high school student dressed in a Tang-style robe and black boots at a hanfu gathering. He wears hanfu under his uniform at school and his classmates and teachers have been ____________ of his style.

The support of the government for Chinese culture has given the hanfu community a(n) ____________. In April 2019, the Communist Youth League of China ____________ a two-day conference on traditional Chinese clothing, including hanfu.

Clothes are the “____________ of culture”, said Jiang Xue, a member of Beijing-based hanfu club Mowutianxia, which has received ____________ from the Communist Youth League of China. “If we do not even ____________ our traditional clothes or don’t wear them, how can we talk about other essential parts of our culture?” she said.

7 . Culture shock refers to the anxiety and feelings (of surprise, uncertainty, confusion, etc.) felt when people have to operate within a different and unknown cultural or social environment, such as a foreign country.

Generally speaking, we could say that there are four stages of culture shock. The first stage is called “the honeymoon”. In this stage, you are excited about living in a different place.     1    

The next stage is “the hostility stage”. In this stage, you begin to notice not everything is as good as you originally thought it was.     2     Moreover, people don’t treat you like a guest anymore.

Then you come to the third stage called “recovery”.     3     You have learned enough to understand the new culture. The whole situation starts to become more favorable and you begin to learn to adapt yourself to it.

The last stage of culture shock is called “adjustment”. In this stage, you have reached a point where you actually feel good.     4     The things that originally made you feel uncomfortable or strange are now things that you finally understand. Now you have adjusted to the new culture and you feel comfortable.

Not all individuals visiting another country will experience all these four stages.     5     It also occurs within cultures as individuals move from place to place or from one setting to another (e. g., from high school to college).

8 . Pottery (制陶) may be the oldest artwork of human beings. As far back to more than 8,000 years ago, people began mixing clay (黏土) and water then baking it until it held its shape. People attached the word “pottery” to their discovery. For a more convenient and better life, ancient people used it to create various containers and tools to cook, to store things, and to hold cuisine or water as dishes.

As time passed, the technique became mature. Different kinds of pottery appeared in different times and regions. Yangshao Culture, 5,000-7,000 years ago to today, developed a technique for painted ceramic wares (陶器). Qujialing Culture and Longshan Culture, about 4,000 years ago, were known for their black ceramic wares. During the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th century BC) bronze containers grew into a status symbol; common people, though, sill used traditional clay ceramic wares. From the Warring States Period through the Han Dynasty, the art and culture of pottery boomed. The Terra Cotta Warrior (兵马俑), discovered in Xi’an, are the finest representatives of artworks of that time.

A representative example of pottery is the tricolor glazed (上过釉的) pottery of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), known as Tangsancai in Chinese. The pottery appeared to be light yellow, reddish brown, or light green but the most popular were yellow, brown and green. The sculpture of figures, animals or daily appliances was amazingly combined with the characteristics of Tang art—graceful and lively. Preferred by many foreigners to the region, such pottery had been transported worldwide.

Another choice pottery that won great reputation for hundreds of years is purple clay pottery. It is well-known for its mild color, concentrated structure, high intensity and fine particles (微粒). As early as the Song Dynasty (960-1279), people found purple-clay teapots to look much more graceful than those of other materials. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, tea developed as a simple and tasteful art. Modern people still take delight in this classic fashion artwork.