The Grand Canal is a vast waterway system in China, running from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang province in the south. It stretches for nearly 3,200 kilometers and passes through eight of the country’s provinces and municipalities.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the canal is the longest and oldest artificial river in the world. It has played an important role in ensuring China’s economic prosperity and stability, and is in use today as a major means of transportation.
The Beijing section of the Grand Canal is 82 km long. Along it, cultural relics and sites on both banks are important symbols of culture and are considered a top priority for protection by the local government.
The city government has unveiled two development plans: the first is an implementation plan for the protection, inheritance and utilization of the canal’s cultural values; the second is a construction plan for building a Grand Canal-themed national cultural park.
The plan sets up three implementation milestones in the next five years. In 2020, efforts have been made to lay a firm foundation for the construction of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park, with the Tongzhou section of the canal open to navigation and a management mechanism of the park established. By 2023, significant progress is expected to be made in coordinating the protection and utilization of cultural resources along the canal, with the national cultural park basically set up. By 2025, the park will become a new cultural landmark in Beijing. The Grand Canal, with its cultural resources put under protection and ecological conservation along its banks significantly improved, will embrace improved cultural and tourism development. Cities along the canal by then will welcome further coordinated or integrated development.
The Beijing section of the Grand Canal, a valued asset for the capital, is marked out as a river boasting rich cultural resources, ecological value, social benefits and economic potential. The capital is set to roll out more measures to bring out the best in the canal.
1. According to the passage, what roles has the Grand Canal played?2. What does the Beijing government consider a top priority for protection along the Grand Canal?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
With its protected cultural resources and improved ecological conservation along its banks, the Grand Canal will embrace improved cultural and industrial development.
4. There are many UNESCO World Heritage sites in China. What can we do to protect them?(In about 40 words)
Chinese Fancy Knots, also called Chinese knots, refer to the traditional decorative knots in Chinese culture. They began as a form of folk art in the Tang and Song Dynasties in China. And they became popular in the Ming Dynasty. Now they are taken as one of the most representative symbols of Chinese culture and regarded as popular gifts for foreign friends.
As for the name itself, it is definitely meaningful. The Chinese character for “knot”, jie, means “connection” “combination”. It is associated with a wide range of cultural concepts — marriage, brotherhood, friendship, unity, reunion, etc. Meanwhile, the pronunciation of the Chinese character jie is very close to that of ji, “good luck”. As a result, Chinese knots perfectly serve as a way to express people’s strong wishes for good things like joy, love and good luck.
Besides, the knots, widely existing in the everyday life of the Chinese, come in various sizes. Small ones are attached to jewellery, clothes, gift-wrapping and furniture in order to attract people’s attention, while large ones are applied like fine paintings or photographs to decorate a living room or study.
In addition to their varied sizes and styles, Chinese knots are famous for their bright colors. Each knot is made of a single string of cotton, silk, gold or silver, and named according to its shape and meaning. But the colors of the strings are rich and have various traditional cultural meanings. Among the most commonly used base colors, red symbolizes good luck and happiness, green means health and harmony, and yellow, which was once known as the emperor’s color, may represent wealth and honour.
In brief, the famous Chinese fancy knots fully reflect the depth of Chinese culture.
1. When did Chinese knots start as a form of folk art?2. According to the passage, what do Chinese knots express?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Chinese knots come in different sizes, styles, and each knot is made of several strings.4. Besides Chinese knots, what would you like to choose as a gift representing Chinese culture for a foreign friend? Why? (In about 40 words)
Today, the Palace Museum has one of the most significant collections of timepieces in the world,
