1 . Minor Cold is the 23rd solar term of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms. For most areas of China, it marks the start of the coldest days of the year. Still, bitter cold can’t prevent people from enjoying their lives.     1    

Enjoy Mutton hot pot and baked sweet potato.

Mutton hot pot, and baked sweet potato are two recommended foods for Minor Cold.     2     It can help prevent cold from harming their organs. The yang energy in the three types of food is strengthened through their method of cooking: boiling, stir frying and baking.

Eat Laba porridge.

Another important traditional food for Minor Cold is Laba porridge.     3     Local people in Beijing often cook Laba porridge on the night of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month. After one night’s slow simmering, all the ingredients melt into the porridge in the morning of the eighth day, becoming a warm delicacy to enjoy on cold days.

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People in Nanjing used to take Minor Cold quite seriously, and they still keep a custom of eating vegetable rice to celebrate this solar term. The rice is steamed with aijiaohuang, sausage and salted duck that are all the specialties in Nanjing.

Make Chinese traditional herbal medicine.

    5     Many people need them to prepare new medicines, which will be consumed before the Lunar New Year.

5 . Edinburgh is the world’s “festival city”. The city holds 12 festivals throughout the year, half of which are celebrated during the months of July and August. Hundreds of thousands of people visit the Scottish(苏格兰的)capital during that time. Here are some of the events they can enjoy.

The Edinburgh International Festival

This is the original(最初的)Edinburgh festival, which began in 1947. Actors, musicians, dancers and opera singers from all over the world perform for large audiences(观众). You need tickets for most of the festival’s events, which take place in theaters around the city.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe

This is the largest art festival in the world, with thousands of performances. Anyone can perform at the festival. Over 20,000 artists can take part. Go to the Royal Mile, one of Edinburgh’s main streets, to watch performers such as magicians, acrobats(杂技演员)and comedians. However, it can get very busy, as thousands of tourists and local(当地的)people fill the city streets to enjoy the shows.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival

The largest book festival in the world began in 1983 and takes place every year in Charlotte Square Gardens in the center of Edinburgh. There are over 700 events for children and adults. You can meet many authors, talk to them, ask them to sign a book or listen to them talk about their stories.

The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

Music lovers come to this festival to enjoy musical performances all over the city. Artists perform street theater, dance and circus(马戏)shows in amazing costumes(戏装). Everyone can enjoy the music and dance performances.

6 . Best Gifts for Every Type of Mom

Mother’s Day is drawing near. Do you want to reward Mom with special gifts? We have done the work for you by selecting best gift ideas for every type of mom. Just click “Add to cart (购物车)” to shower Mom with love.

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KS Lunch Bag — Best for the Working Mom

This bag will put a smile on mom’s face during lunch hour. With about 5000 five-star reviews, the fashionable and functional KS bag will keep food and soups fresh. Plus, the soft and lightweight design makes it easy to bring anywhere.

Breville Express — Best for the Coffee Lover

If Mom is a true coffee lover, she’s dreamed of owning a high-end coffee machine. Now you can make that dream a reality. The Breville Express, which has more than 14,000 five-star reviews, comes in either black or stainless steel surfaces and offers the same dose-controlled grinding (研磨) that’s normally reserved for fancy coffee shops.

Beckham Pillows — Best for the One Who Needs a Good Night’s Sleep

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7 . In the long history of about 5,000 years, numerous Chinese traditional festivals were celebrated in honour of gods or some significant days, some of which are passed down from generation to generation and people always practice special traditional activities in each festival.

The Qingming Festival

The Qingming Festival is on the 15th day after the Spring Equinox (春分), around April 4 or April 5 every year.     1    . They remove the weeds growing on their ancestors’ tombs to make them clean, so this festival is also called Tomb-Sweeping Day. In some areas, people are forbidden to use the fire to cook food, so they only eat the cool food. Thus, it is also named the Hanshi Festival.

The Double Ninth Festival

    2    . The Chinese character of September is the same as 9, so we get this special name. Chinese people, especially in the northern region, climb up the mountains to enjoy the wonderful view, and admire the beauty of chrysanthemums (菊花).

The Winter Solstice (冬至)

The winter solstice is on around December 22 or 23 of the solar calendar each year. From that day on, the daytime will be longer and longer.     3    . Chinese people in the northern region eat dumplings and wontons (馄饨), while in the southern region rice balls.

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In China, this festival is in late January or early February, the last day of the lunar year. People celebrate it by having a family reunion dinner, setting off fireworks and staying up late. Breaking the dishes and bowls is a thing all the people are afraid of, but if you did it, you should say “Sui sui ping an!”     5    .

At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Contest. When Amy`s letter arrived at the radio station, Manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special girl and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.

The next day, in the whole country, newspapers and radio and TV reported the story of Amy, who asked for such a simple Christmas gift—just one day without teasing.

Then, the postman was a regular at Amy`s house. A great number of letters addressed to Amy arrived every day from children and adults all across the country. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement. Some of the writers had disabilities(残疾). Some had been teased during childhood.

Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy saw a world full of people who were truly concerned about each other.

Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore (忽略) teasing and carry her head high.

Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at her school. No one laughed at her. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing could make others feel.

That year, in the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, December 21 was set as Amy Day. The official explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught us that everyone should be treated with respect, love and warmth.

10 . When people think of Beijing, the hutong style always comes to mind. It is no exaggeration (夸张) to say within hutong lives the city’s history.

The word “hutong” referred to a place where people live, which was borrowed from the Mongolian word to mean “water well” about 700 years ago. Hutong we see today are made up of small paths formed by walls of siheyuan. They were built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

When the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, there were more than 3,000 hutong. Most of the city’s population lived in this traditional housing. But with the modernization of the city in the 1980s and early 1990s, many hutong were pulled down to build roads, skyscrapers and modern houses.

The government has recognized the importance of hutong to Chinese cultural heritage. In 2002, Beijing listed 40 protected historical zones and increased its efforts to rebuild some key relics and older streets in the city. Nearly 500 hutong have survived.

Hutong that still exist are like oases (绿洲) of calm in the noisy city. Walking through them, it’s common to see groups of elderly people sitting together playing cards, mahjong (麻将) or Chinese chess. In the early mornings and evenings, they gather to practice traditional forms of exercise such as Taijiquan as well as dancing and singing folk songs or Peking Opera. Hutong have become a museum of Beijing’s folk customs and history.