Luban lock is a traditional Chinese folk educational toy that was believed to be invented by Lu Ban,     1     structural engineer from the Spring and Autumn Period (770—476 BC). Lu was later became known as the “father of     2     (carpent)” in the country.

The concave and convex parts within the toy dovetail (吻合) perfectly. Luban locks come     3     different shapes and sizes, and with different internal structures. They are known for being easy to take apart     4     difficult to reassemble.

The interlocking burr puzzle with the simplest construction uses three rods (杆)     5     can be assembled into a three-way cross, in which each rod is perpendicular (垂直的) to the other two.

Its structural integrity relies     6     (sole) on its internal arrangement, removing the need for nails or cords. Similar to folding a piece of paper to create a standing shape, this seemingly simple yet ingeniously     7     (craft) toy encapsulates (概括) a reservoir of extraordinary wisdom.

Beyond its role as a toy, the principles behind the Luban lock’s interlocking structures have been extended into the realm (领域) of     8     (architecture) design.

In 2020, the craft of making this toy     9     (name) a Shandong provincial intangible cultural heritage item. In Tengzhou, Zaozhuang, the birthplace of Lu Ban, this ancient craft has been passed down over the centuries. Many workshops in the city can still be found     10     (manufacture) this lock today.

Welcome to BBC Learning English. I am Sun Chen, the host of today’s programme In this programme, we will take you around London’s Chinatown.

So until next time, it’s goodbye from both of us at BBC Learning English.

When Peng Jingxuan began playing the guzbeng on the streets of France in 2018, she did not expect that the traditional instrument would change her life.

Peng began to study the guzheng when she was 7 years old. In 2017, she went to France to study     1    a master’s degree in musicology. There, Peng     2     (draw) to the various performances by artists playing musical instruments on the streets.     3     she seldom saw Chinese instruments     4     (play) on the streets. So, in the summer of 2018, she took her guzheng and began to perform on the street. She was     5     (surprise) to find that very few people in France knew about the Chinese instrument.

“I wanted to make this instrument known to more people,” Peng said. She began to do street performances to     6     (sharp) her skills.     7     more Peng played on the streets, the greater sense of     8     (responsible) she felt to spread Chinese music and culture.

To make this traditional Chinese instrument better known to people in France, Peng carefully selected and arranged each song. She     9     (choose) to focus on traditional guzheng pieces and a number of pop songs with strong Chinese influences.

“    10     (see) the guzheng go global and get more people to know about it, understand it, and love it, I think, is the biggest wish of Chinese artists playing the traditional musical instrument,” she said.

Shaanxi History Museum

Shaanxi History Museum is located on the northwest side of the Big wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province.    1    (build ) in 1983 and opened on June 20, 1991, it is China’s first large-scale modem national museum.    2    (it) completion marks a new development milestone for the Chinese museum industry. The museum is    3    high-rise and group-combined building built according to the layout of the palace courtyard,    4    , covers an area of 65,000 square meters. The collection of cultural relics totals 1,717950 pieces (sets),    5    (rang) from the simple stone tools used in the initial stage of ancient humans    6    the various kinds of artifacts in social life before 1840. The time    7    (span) more than one million years. Since the opening of the museum, it has     8    (full) demonstrated the    9    (advantage) of cultural relics collection. Meanwhile its collections    10    (exhibit) abroad, displaying the splendid Chinese civilization and dazzling Sanqin culture to the people all over the world.

“Pure love, only for China.” When the host of the Harbin Ice and Snow World in Heilongjiang province read out the words on the wallpaper of a lost phone to find its owner,     1    (applaud) broke out among the audience, CCTV News reported.

The sentence was from the diary of a soldier Chen Xiangrong, who lost his life in a border conflict with Indian troops in June 2020.     2     owner of the cellphone, surnamed Xie is a student of the Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine. She learned about Chen’s story when she was in high school. Since then, Xie     3    (regard) Chen as an example and hoped one day she could also contribute to the country. So she took the patriotic(爱国的) expression     4    (write) by Chen as a motto, and placed together with the national flag     5     the background of her cellphone.

She said     6     she didn’t expect was the sudden popularity of the wallpaper on the internet, with many netizens     7    (ask) her to share it. “I am very happy that this resonates with so many people. We post-2000s generations are not a lost generation,     8     a generation that can contribute to the future of our country,” Xie said. “I firmly believe that through our efforts and hard work, our country will become more prosperous! We will     9    (definite) live up to the expectations of the times, and make an effort     10    (create) a better future for our country!” She added.

Tang Yan gave up a promising career in 1992 to save an almost lost art—that of “Beijing silk figurine” (北京绢人) . In 1997, she established a studio with five other enthusiasts. Then they spent     1     entire year making several figurines, only to find there was no market for their products.

“A figurine could cost     2     (basic) the annual salary of many people at the time due to precious materials and complicated handicraft techniques. ” Tang said. “Many potential customers were amazed by the beauty of our products, but their price     3     (drive) them away.”

The first failure taught Tang     4       they needed: finding ways to reduce production costs. She made many creative and bold     5     (adaptation) to the traditional figurines, like using machines to paint the clothes. These measures cut the price to less than a tenth of the     6     (origin) one. However,     7     (lend) the dolls a sense of delicacy and craftsmanship, she preserved several handmade processes for hair and makeup.

After decades of whole-hearted devotion     8     the craft, Tang now runs her own Beijing figurine product brand Tang Wawa. “Girls in China need their own dolls. When I was little, dolls     9     (call) yangwawa, meaning Western dolls.” Tang continued. “I wanted to create dolls     10     (bear) a cultural connection to Chinese people, figurines with a rich historical implication. ”