The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er, Yunnan Province, gained World Heritage Site status on the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on September 17, 2023.

As UNESCO World Heritage Committee noted, “This land-use system,     1     (create) by ancestors of Blang and Dai peoples, permits the complementary (互补的) use of     2     (nature) resources in the mountainous environment of Jingmai Mountain     3     acts as an exceptional example of a human interaction in a challenging environment.”

Li Qun, head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said in Riyadh that China will strengthen efforts     4     (manage) the heritage site and guide local communities to join     5     the protection of the old tea forests. “We’ll also advance international exchange and     6     (cooperate), and take more responsibilities in the World Heritage circle,” he said.

Chen Yaohua, director of World Heritage Research Center of Peking University who     7     (lead)studies of the site in the past 12 years, said that the practice on Jingmai Mountain is quite unique in the environment     8     large-scaled terraced (梯田形的) tea plantations play     9     leading role in today’s world.

According to his research, about 10% of tea trees on the mountain are at least 100 years old, and the     10     (old) ones are over 300.

3 . Canada is diverse and vast, and the festivals celebrated there reflect this. Here are some exciting ones that attract visitors worldwide.

Vancouver Celebration of Light

The largest fireworks competition in the world is held every summer in Vancouver. It consists of concerts, food stalls, and the Seawall Challenge, a popular urban adventure race. The festival, which lasts about a week, makes for a great way to get to know the city from a local standpoint.

Edmonton Folk Festival

From its humble beginning in 1980, Edmonton Folk Festival has grown to be one of the world’s famous folk festivals. Held each August, the lineup of the 10-day-long festival is always outstanding and ticket prices stay reasonable. Edmonton is also a gateway to Jasper and the Canadian Rockies, about two hours away in case you have extra time to explore after the festival.

Toronto International Film Festival

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is one of the leading film festivals in the world, ranking closely with Cannes and Sundance. Films such as Hotel Rwanda, American Beauty, and The Big Chill made their premieres (首映) at this famous star-filled event held each September. The 11-day-long festival is also known as the kick-off of awards season, with many films that make their first public performance at TIFF going on to get nominated for Oscars and Golden Globe awards.

Montreal Comedy Festival

Since 1983, Montreal Comedy Festival, or, Just for Laughs as it is more commonly known, has been inviting people to get together just for fun, just for entertainment-just for laughs. The festival, which takes place every year for two weeks in July, has grown in popularity and reputation and today features some of the world’s greatest comedians and it also resulted in a television show that is broadcast internationally.

The Old Town of Lijiang, lying in the northwest of Yunnan Province, is one of the last     1     (survive) ancient towns in China. The architecture of the Old Town of Lijiang is noteworthy for the     2     (combine) of elements from several cultures, and its ancient water-supply system still functions     3     (effective) today.

The Yulong Snow Mountain to the north-west     4     (serve) as the source of the rivers and springs. This town is made up     5     three parts: Dayan Old Town established in the Ming Dynasty as a commercial centre, Baisha housing cluster established earlier during the Song and Yuan dynasties, and Shuhe housing clusters located 4 km north-west of Dayan Old Town. These settlements lying in mountains and     6     (surround) by water display the mixture of local cultures, folk customs and traditions over several centuries.

It     7     (design) as a town around the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. From 1253 on, the Naxi people of Lijiang developed     8     unique social system, customs and culture of their own. In the 18th century, the Qing Dynasty rulers carried out a policy of     9     (culture) interaction, and the Naxi people adopted the customs of the Tibetan     10     Han peoples. Despite several earthquakes, most of the old town keeps its original structure.

By drawing on the surface of a cup of tea, chabaixi, an ancient Chinese tea trick has become popular. However, 10 years ago, this typical technique was close to     1    (disappear) completely.

“It in fact requires dozens of processes, and they are not easy     2    (complete)” Zhang Zhifeng, a performer of chabaixi, said.

As a special art form in China,     3     had once been as normal as drawing and playing instruments, chabaixi can create endless     4    (pattern) such as bamboos and mountains or even calligraphy such as autographs and short proverbs.

“It is     5    (total) different from making latte(拿铁) because we use clear water as the object to inject into the cup instead of milk. But when the water     6    (touch) the surface of stirred tea, it turns into a white color and disappears in 20 minutes,” Zhang explained.

This technique     7    (list) as part of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, after it was recovered by Zhang. “This technique is key     8     tea culture from the Song Dynasty, and it would be such     9     shame to let it fade.     10     is also necessary that this technique be passed on to the next generations so they can have a better understanding of the history behind it,” Zhang added.

Since the pre-Qin period, Chengdu    1    (be) an important cultural town in China. But    2    really sets the city apart, culturally, is its opera. An important aspect of Sichuan Opera is    3    magic of “face changing” where vividly coloured masks are changed within the blink of an eye. In opera gardens and tea houses across the town, audiences    4    (want) a glimpse of the local culture love to drink tea while listening to Sichuan Opera and watching face changing.

It is believed that “face changing” has its roots in evolution. Early humans needed survival strategies to avoid fierce animals and foreign    5    (invade). Often, aggressive facial gestures and non-verbal cues were part of it. The Sichuan Opera is said    6    (bring) this range of emotions on stage.

Once the performance starts, the actor keeps pulling down one mask after    7    in swift movements to convey different emotions.    8    (astonish), no matter how close one is    9    the stage, they just can’t tell how the masks change.

In fact, the different kinds of characters and personalities that Sichuan Opera brings alive can    10    (find) among common people. This is why its emotions will continue to resonate with people for a long time.