Despite the passage of time, honesty has always been a traditional virtue in China and embodied in countless tales throughout China’s history.

In the early Western Han Dynasty, a general     1     (name) Ji Bu was known for being courageous and honest. Legend has     2    that whenever Ji made a promise, he would spare no effort to fulfill it. Such a virtue of honesty earned him a good reputation, and there was a saying     3     (wide) spread: It is better to have a promise from Ji Bu than to get hundreds of ounces of gold.

In ancient China, the currency (货币) consisted mainly of precious     4     (metal), such as gold, silver and copper, so carrying a large quantity of cash was not only a heavy burden but could also put the owner in danger as robberies quite often happened along the way. So a story     5    (tell) about the start of the Chinese banking industry.

A successful merchant during the Qing Dynasty, Li Daquan, was visited by a friend who came up     6     a novel idea. His friend proposed that a draft     7    (issue) to replace the real cash. This draft (汇票) was not only a promise, but a declaration that     8     same amount of currency had been deposited and could be withdrawn elsewhere.

Li readily agreed and kept his word. The story soon got around,     9     Li’s honesty brought him a flood of customers. He later set up China’s first draft bank, Rishengchang,     10    later had 35 branches across the country.

Yours,

Li Hua

Qiang embroidery (羌绣) has a long and rich history. It dates back to the Han Dynasty,     1     it was adopted for use on clothing. Usually practiced by women, it    2    (feature) a bold use of brilliant colors and makes use of many kinds of stitches (针法). The Qiang people adore nature, so flowers, grasses, fruits, vegetables, and animals are used as inspiration for the embroidery’s most common patterns.

As the local tourism industry began to develop, Chen Yunzhen,    3     master of Qiang embroidery from Beichuan, Sichuan Province, decided to promote the embroidery as a brand to attract more tourists. Many local women,     4    (great) encouraged by Chen, began to earn their living through Qiang embroidery. In an effort    5    (stop) the endangered technique from disappearing, she established a workshop in 2014 that    6    (provide) free training to over 20,000 people ever since.

To breathe new life    7    Qiang embroidery, Chen has continued to keep an open mind, introducing new products like personal accessories (配饰), notebooks and bags, and    8     (combine) metalwork and Qiang embroidery to create earrings, rings and necklaces that enjoy increasing    9    (popular) among young consumers. For Chen, Qiang embroidery is much more than a piece of art to appreciate. The Qiang people do not have a    10    (write) language, so Qiang embroidery must be well preserved and developed as part of efforts to sustain its culture.

6 . As the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Therefore, when you intend to run your business in France, you may as well get to know French culture, make marketing plans, and do business by local laws.

    1    The French take great pride in their language, so anyone who does not speak it may run the risk of being disrespected by his French colleagues or business partners. Also, another reason why learning French is important is that it is a great way to show every possible French business partner that you care and respect their country’s culture and language.

Use first names only after being invited to.    2    The French will sometimes introduce themselves using their surname first, followed by their first name.

Dress well. The French draw information about people based on their appearance. Your business clothing is a reflection of your success and social status.    3    Women are advised to dress simply but elegantly. Wearing make-up is practiced widely by businesswomen.

The French are passionate about food, so lunches are common in doing business in France, which usually consist of an appetizer, a main meal with wine, cheese, dessert and coffee, and normally take up to two hours.    4    

Do not begin eating until the host says “bon appetite”. Pass dishes to the left, keep wrists above the table and try to eat everything on the plate.    5    This may suggest that you find the food tasteless. If eating in a restaurant, the person who makes an invitation always pays.

7 . Psychologists tell us that there are four basic stages that human beings pass through when they enter and live in a new culture. This process, which helps us to deal with culture shock, is the way our brain and our personality react to the strange new things we meet when we move from one culture to another. If our culture involves bowing when we greet someone, we may feel very uncomfortable in a culture that does not involve bowing.

Culture shock begins with the “honeymoon stage”. This is the period of time when we first arrive in a new culture where everything is strange and exciting. We may be suffering from “jet lag” but we are thrilled to be in the new environment, seeing new sights, hearing new sounds and eating new kinds of food.

Unfortunately, the second stage of culture shock can be more difficult. After we have settled down into our new life, working or studying, buying groceries, doing laundry, or living with a home-stay family, we can become very tired and begin to miss our homeland. All the little problems in life seem to be much bigger when you face them in a foreign culture. This period of cultural adjustment can be very difficult and lead to the new arrival rejecting or pulling away from the new culture.

The third stage of culture shock happens when you begin to realize that things are not so bad in the host culture. Your sense of humor usually becomes stronger and you realize that you are becoming stronger by learning to take care of yourself in the new place. Things are still difficult, but you are now a survivor!

The fourth stage can be called “at ease at last”. Now you feel quite comfortable in your new surroundings. You can deal with most problems that occur. You may still have problems with the language, but you know you are strong enough to deal with them. If you meet someone from your country who has just arrived, you can be the expert on life in the new culture and help them to deal with their culture shock.

Dragon Head Raising Day,    1     falls each year on the second day of the second lunar month, is one of the Chinese traditional festivals. As the proverb goes: “The dragon is awaked,    2     (raise) his head”. On this day, dragons, a prominent totem (图腾) in Chinese culture raise     3     (they) heads with the sound of thunder. Around this time, the earth     4     (burst) with life. Grass and trees are beginning to shoot up. In ancient China, people     5     (pray) the dragon god beside a river or a lake for the precious spring rains to breed their crops.

    6     (tradition), food eaten on this day was renamed after parts of the dragon. For instance, wontons were called “dragon’s eyes.” The special     7     (food) usually eaten on this day include dragon’s scales, popcorn and pig’s head.

In Shanxi, people get their hair     8     (cut) in a symbolic move to remove the old and embrace the new. In     9     countryside in Hebei Province, people would fetch water from a well at dawn. It was believed     10     on this day the well was full of dragon eggs which would bring the collector good harvest.

I’m glad to know that

Yours,

Li Hua

10 . One of the main points of traveling is to relax and take a break from your normal daily life. But the truth is, we’re not always free to do what we like when traveling to a foreign country, and a US tourist learned that the hard way.

On Aug 12, the unnamed 41 -year-old man was beaten by a passerby after he was seen giving Nazi salutes (纳粹礼) again and again on a street in Dresden, Germany. Ever since the end of World War Ⅱ, Germany has strict laws forbidding the Nazi salute, as well as other symbols of Nazism.

In fact, most countries have their own taboos (禁忌).If you plan to travel overseas, it’s best to get familiar with these taboos before you start touring local sites. Here are some examples.

Singapore

You can get fined for a lot of things in Singapore, including feeding birds, spitting (吐痰), smoking in public, not flushing (冲) a public toilet after you use it, and eating or drinking on buses or trains.

Japan

You’re not supposed to wear your shoes in someone’s house, but you’re not supposed to take your shoes off outside the house either. Instead, there’s a small area inside the door called a “genkan” which is where your shoes should go. If you’re still not sure where that is, pay attention to what other people do and do the same.

France

French people don’t like it when you talk about money. It’s OK if you say that you want to quit a job because you aren’t paid enough money, but you should never say the exact amount. Money is considered to be a “dirty” topic in France.