1 . In the 2022 Beijing Olympics process, hand-kitting (手工编织的) Chinese knot, a symbol of unity and happiness in Chinese context, is loved by friends from other countries. It has a complex graceful curve, but it can be reduced to the simple two-dimensional line. It displays fantasy and wisdom of the ancient Chinese civilization. It has elegant appeal which comes from the basic tools of human life in the beginning years.

Preparation of Chinese knot, roughly divided into three categories: the basic knot, varying knot and combinatorial knot. Its knitting techniques, in addition to all the basic techniques, agree with a common principle of knitting and can be summarized as the basic techniques and combinations techniques. But the basic techniques use a single line, double line or lines to knitting, or change the use of the parallel thread (线) to separate thread so as to make colorful knot or bow section; and a combination of techniques use the extend of head and extended ear flap (耳帽), and combine various knot flexibly, complete pack of ever-changing knot ornaments (装饰).

To design a set of beautiful decorative knot, the most important thing is to determine what the knot will be used for. Accordingly, determine its size and shape, taking into account of the appropriate use of color matching and accessories. The shape, color and ornaments should suit each other. Do attach your own artistic beauty and deep emotion to it, which will be able to fully demonstrate the beauty of Chinese traditional art.

Long cultural heritage makes the Han ethnic Chinese knot techniques unique, purely cultural essence, rich in cultural heritage. Chinese knot not only has shape and color beauty, but also gain its name because of its meaning, such as endless knot, caisson knot (藻井结) and double the money knot, reflecting the ancient Chinese cultural beliefs and strong religious meanings. It represents the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty of good intentions.

The Chinese for cloisonne is jing tai lan, “Jing Ta” being the name of a Ming Dynasty emperor during whose reign mass production of such articles (物品) began. Cloisonne techniques were brought from Persia into Yunnan Province during the Yuan Dynasty and improved during the Ming Dynasty by searching for a combination with the traditional techniques, giving birth to a new kind of cloisonné called jing tai lan.

Jade artifacts of the Liangzhu Culture are found mainly in Jiangsu, Zhejang and Anhui provinces near the lower parts of the Yangtze River. The discovery in 1986 of the largest “ king of congs, ” was a surprise. The “king” , which is 8.8 centimeters long and 17.6 centimeters in diameter and weighs 6.5 kilograms, was dug from an old tomb on Mount Fanshan, Zhejiang Province.

The Chinese porcelain before the Song Dynasty (960-1279) basically was blue or white, but this was changed in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) when a new type was produced, that is, the globally famous blue and white porcelain. Most raw materials for blue and white porcelain came from Yunnan, Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces, and the rest were imported from foreign countries.

Bronze vessels of the Shang Dynasty ( C. 1600-1046 BC ) take the shape of animals that look unusual to catch people’s eye. A most well-known example is a wine vessel dug from the tomb of Fu Hao, a wife of King Wuding of Shang, in Anyang, Henan Province. The vessel takes the shape of an animal with a head that looks like a horse head but with goat horns. There is a wing on each, and a dragon on the back.

China is known as a state of etiquette (礼仪) and ceremonies. Take the example of an interesting story. Once upon a time, a man went on a long tour     1     (visit) his friend with a swan as a gift. But it escaped from the cage on the way and in his effort to catch it, he caught nothing but a feather. When his friend received this unexpected gift—the swan feather, he was     2     (deep) moved by the sincerity (真诚). Later, the saying “the gift is nothing much, but it is the thought     3     counts,” was spread far and wide.

Gifts are regarded as an important part to show politeness in China.     4     is appropriate to give gifts on     5     (occasion) such as festivals and birthdays. If you are invited     6     a family party, small gifts like wine, tea or candies are welcomed. Also fruit, cookies, and flowers are a safe     7     (choose).

Chinese used to cup one hand in the other before the chest as a salute (致敬). This tradition, nowadays seldom     8     (follow) except in the Spring Festival, has a history of more than 2000 years. Shaking hands, which should be firm and brief but not too strong,     9     (consider) formal greeting behavior in China.

If you follow the usual rules of etiquette in China, there is no need to worry about the cultural barriers, for the warm and friendly Chinese will try their best to respect your customs when     10     (communicate).

Zhejiang province, home to an impressive number of folk artists, has many types of folk art. Rooted in life experiences, they contribute     1     (huge) to enriching people’s cultural life.

In the village of Dongyuan, Wenzhou, the ancient Chinese    2     (invent) of wooden movable type printing is marching forward, which    3     (date) back to the Yuan dynasty. Today people in Rui’an still print the family-tree books in this way,    4    (follow) the previous printing tips. And traditionally, people in Zhejiang update the family trees every 30 years. It indicates the Chinese     5     (people) deep-rooted sense of family and love for their homeland. Another interesting art form is    6     the Zhang family in Nichu village of Cangnan county has taken and perfected for seven generations. It is about     7     (create) all kinds of artifacts with rice flour and has been added to the provincial intangible cultural heritage list. Besides, in the early 1990s, there emerged private museums,    8     were among the first nationwide. Compared with other provinces, they are also     9    (large) in number, and have bigger impact. Now, Yinzhou District in Ningbo, known     10     the “Museum District”, is home to 30 private museums.

The 2021 Yangtze River Culture and Art Festival kicked off in Zhangjiagang, East China’s Jiangsu province, on Nov 14 to celebrate the evolutionary history and growth along the Yangtze River through folk music performances and relic displays.

To get more people     1     (involve), festival organizers are holding some events online, such as an online call out for music praising the Yangtze River.

The festival has won an innovation award from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and is listed     2     one of the three cultural     3     (brand) with local characteristics cultivated by Jiangsu province.

Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Zhangjiagang is the city     4     carries the responsibilities of promoting Yangtze River culture.

In recent years, the city has established a national first-class     5     (associate) studying Yangtze River culture and the nation’s first museum promoting Yangtze River culture.

    6     great number of Yangtze River-related events feature in the city’s cultural calendar, such as art competitions, photo contests, drama festivals, a folk culture art festival and high-level forum on Yangtze River culture.

    7     (be) a high-quality platform for cultural exchanges and cooperation among cities along the Yangtze River, now the festival     8     (play) a special role as a bridge to boost     9     (economy) and social development.

Han Wei, Party secretary of Zhangjiagang, said, “We have upgraded the Yangtze River Culture and Art Festival by now and we take this as a new starting point to further shoulder the missions of protecting, inheriting and promoting Yangtze River culture.”

“We will study Yangtze River culture     10     (thorough), encourage traditional cultures to innovate, and bring greater dynamism into the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.”

8 . On Christmas Day in 2012, when I was fourteen, I didn’t get a single Christmas present. That wasn’t a _________. It was what I had _________. A week before Christmas, I decided that _________ presents, I wanted donations to buy presents for the children in the local orphanage (孤儿院).

When I told my family and friends about my plan, there were a lot of _________ but also support. However, it was only on Christmas Day that the reality hit me. When my baby sisters jumped out of bed, singing carols and opening presents, I lay there feeling _________ and making a list of all the things I really wanted for Christmas that year. I realized I had made a huge mistake.

As I _________ on the door of the orphanage that morning, I felt _________ because I realized how unprepared I was for what was _________. I even had the _________ of dropping the bags of presents outside the orphanage and________. I almost did, but then a kind woman opened the door and smiled when she __________ me in. I was taken to a room full of children, and was __________ angry at how empty it felt. I wanted the room to be filled with __________instead of fear. I wanted to make these children smile but I was __________.

But then something happened. As the workers in the orphanage __________ presents, the __________ in the room changed. I could see the __________ in the eyes of the children and their bodies filled with hope. I __________ feeling so powerless. A little girl, Diana, ran up to me and __________ my legs. I didn’t know I was crying __________ she asked me, “Auntie, why are you crying?” This only made me cry more.

The “24 solar terms” are a vital part of the Chinese calendar, which has     1     (it) origin with the ancient Yellow River basin. The Chinese calendar     2     (include) “24 solar terms”provides detailed guidelines and timetable for agricultural     3     (activity).

A complete set of “24 solar terms” first     4     (appear) in an ancient book The Huainanzi in early Han Dynasty. These 24 solar terms were soon absorbed into The Taichu calendar, the first well documented calendar in     5     history of China.

The Chinese Agriculture Calendar is     6     (actual) a combination of the lunar and solar calendar systems. There     7     (be) 365. 2422 days in one “sidereal year” while 12 lunar months add up to 354 days. To make both the lunar calendar     8     the solar calendar agree, a leap lunar month needs to be added every 2 to 3 years. Since the early Han Dynasty, a lunar month without a major solar term     9     (adopt) as a leap month (闰月) .

With more far-reaching cultural exchanges, the “24 solar terms” have been known     10     people in other parts of the world and were added to the “UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage” list in 2016.

10 . Lunar New Year used to be a daylong celebration for us. My parents tried really hard to recreate the season for my sisters and me here in America. On New Year's day, my family, including all my uncles, aunts, and cousins, dressed in new clothes, gathered at my grandma's house. Kids were pulled out of school, and adults took the day off. The celebration lasted throughout the day and late into the night, with one tradition following another.

Fast-forward to 2019: My grandma has passed away, the adults are elderly, and the kids have grown up and are living their own life. The Lunar New Year celebration is no longer as elaborate (精心计划的) as it used to be. As we melt into American culture, the "olden ways", as we call them, have fallen away. Life seems to have got busier and much more complex, but I often feel something is missing.

For us first-generation kids, it is often easier to let go of the traditions and customs of our parents'. They don't mean as much to us as they do for them. At the same time, they are still a part of our culture. I realized that the diaspora (流散) of young Asian Americans in the United States is not unique to me. It is an ongoing inner struggle that we all wrestle with. My Asian features and skin color do not entirely define who I am. I am as much a "hamburger" guy as a "rice" individual. I can't quite fully claim that I am an American and not fully Asian. There isn't really a check box that I can mark. I am Chinese-Vietnamese-Asian-American.

I now have two little boys. It saddens me to think they will never be able to experience what my sisters and I did as little kids during this holiday. Recently, for the first time, I've hung up Lunar New Year decorations around the house and replaced our Christmas wreath (花环) on the front door with decorative firecrackers. In a way, my sons are forcing me to slow down and explore my heritage.

I suppose sometimes we need to look back in order to gain clarity on the path ahead.