Long Chenchen, the mascot for China’s upcoming Dragon Spring Festival Gala,     1     (release) recently, with a lot of design details showing the aesthetics of Chinese cultural elements.

    2     (celebrate) the year 2024, “Long Chenchen” has been designed as a cute yet lively dragon, colored orange and red and with a pair of doll eyes. The     3     (seem) cute-looking dragon takes inspiration from Chinese archaeological discoveries. The design of its nose was inspired by a dragon-shaped jade item that was discovered in the Erlitou Ruins,     4     major site in Luoyang, Central China’s Henan province that witnessed the rise and fall of the Xia and Shang dynasties. The fire shape pattern on its shoulder was inspired by a bronze piece with cloud patterns dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period,     5     multiple materials appeared and social changes were underway.

    6     receiving many likes, the mascot has also sparked criticism. Some netizen doubt the dragon character might have been synthesized (合成) by artificial intelligence.     7     (admit) that it has some “imperfections”, CMG, a design studio said it was created by designers “one stroke after another” and that “all the details about the dragon, including its patterns, colors and face, have been revised by designers through a lot of versions.”

Along with such verbal     8     (explain), a short video showing the design team working on the mascot has been posted on Sina Weibo by CMG. The media group’s response to the character’s design has become a     9     (trend) topic on Sina Weibo and has been viewed by more than 200 million netizen. “    10     it was created by AI or human beings, I think the mascot has successfully delivered the spirit of the dragon.” one netizen posted on Sina Weibo.

Ancient Chinese civilisation has continued all the way through into modern times, despite the many ups and downs in its history. One of the main factors     1     (be) the Chinese writing system.

    2     (date) back several thousand years to the use of longgu，written Chinese was a picture­based language. At that time, people carved some     3     (symbol) on animal bones and shells. By the Shang Dynasty，it had been already a     4     (high) developed system. Later, there was a time     5     the Chinese people were divided geographically，leading to many varieties of dialects and characters.Chinese writing system was fixed from Qin Dynasty, when Emperor Qinshihuang united the seven major states into one unified country.

The writing system is not only of great     6     (important) in uniting the Chinese people and culture, but also an important means     7     which China’s present is connected with its past. Today, we can read the classic works which     8     (write) by Chinese in ancient times. Now, Chinese calligraphy, as     9     art form, has become an important part of Chinese culture.

With China playing a greater role in global affairs, an increasing number of international students are beginning to learn Chinese     10     (appreciate) China’s culture and history.

Jingxi Taiping Drum is a traditional form of dancing. With its display of profound cultural elements, it     1    (include) in the first batch (批次) of China’s national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) items in 2006.

The     2    (early) historical references of this art date back to the Spring and Autumn Period. At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, it started to gain     3    (popular) in and around the capital, and then it was introduced to Mentougou District of Beijing.

In ancient times, the drums were played     4     New Year’s Eve at the imperial palace to bring peace. As a result, the performance also became known as the “New Year Drum” by Beijingers. This type of drum dance is     5    (common) seen performed during the last and first month of the lunar year in many local festive activities, thus expressing     6    (people) hope of a peaceful and prosperous year to come.

During a given performance, drummers perform various dance moves while     7    (hold) the drum in their left hands and a mallet in their right hands. Traditional Chinese aesthetic (美学的) concepts are reflected in the drum playing, all of     8     represent distinctive local features.

In the past decades, efforts     9    (make) by Mentougou District to preserve this signature folk dance culture. Today, the time-honored folk art of the Jingxi Taiping Drum is being taken up by the young people     10     is presenting its lively artistic charm (魅力) on a global stage.

The living heritage, Kunqu Opera, is harmonious, elegant and emotional. These romantic features make Kunqu Opera one of the most loved art forms in China.

Born in Suzhou, Kunqu Opera distinguished     1     (it) by its rhythmic patterns. It became     2     (wide) popular during the Ming Dynasty. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Ming and Qing dynasties, opera players often     3     (gather) in Suzhou, staging dramatic works in ancient China. Combining tunes performed in the Suzhou dialect, graceful body movements, martial arts and dance, Kunqu Opera uses a variety of movements to express specific     4     (emotion). It also pays attention to each difference. Graceful movements animate (使具有活力) the fingertips and unique tunes make     5     rich and poetic world.

Kunqu Opera had an important influence on many forms of operas in China,     6    (include) Peking Opera, which is about200 years old. It is therefore known as the mother of all Chinese operas. As a     7     (tradition) representation of Chinese culture, stories     8    (perform) in Kunqu Opera have gone beyond time and space. The Peony Pavilion, written by playwright Tang Xianzu, who     9     (compare) to Shakespeare, is still loved by fans from around the world.

A living heritage is an endless dialogue between the present     10     the past, and Kunqu Opera is a carrier to pass that legacy on.

Horses, dragons, the Monkey King, and even Sponge Bob Square Pants—you probably wouldn’t expect to see this collection of animals and pop cultural icons flying together in the sky,     1     this happens every year in Weifang, the “World Kite Capital” in east China’s Shandong Province.

Kites, believed to be the earliest flying objects created by humans,     2     (invent) over 2,000 years ago in China.     3     (survive)many centuries, kites have become one of the country’s representative traditional handicrafts,     4     making techniques were included in the list of China’s national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) in 2006.

Weifang, known as a     5     (globe) center of kite culture, is widely regarded as the birthplace of these popular flying toys. The themes of Weifang kites are     6     (incredible) diverse, ranging from birds and fish to historical figures and legends.

Today in Weifang, there are virtually no limitations on the shapes or sizes of kites, which can be made     7     (represent) people’s ideals and desires. This     8     (diverse) can be observed at the annual Weifang International Kite Festival, which has been held on the     9     (three) Saturday in April since 1984. More than 10,000 participants     10     over 30 countries and regions around the world compete in the festival every year.