2 . With one’s eyes closed, Beijing’s main roads sound like any Chinese city. All around is the roar of traffic, featuring recorded safety warnings from buses and the occasional bell of a rental-bicycle. But in the capital’s last hutongs, as its ancient grey-walled alleys are known, fragments of an older soundscape can be heard.

The song of caged crickets is one. Hung in the doorways of courtyard homes, the insects bring a rural note into the city. A quarter-century ago their song was common.

Another relic is the musical sound produced by steel plates, announcing a knife sharpener’s arrival. Several such specialists still work Beijing’s streets. Their sounding-plates attract customers from hutong homes and high-rise flats. But numbers are falling.

An almost-vanished Beijing sound is one of the strangest. Like the noise of flying saucers in an old science-fiction film, it is made by pigeon whistles. Tiny flutes made from bamboo, these are sewn into the tail feathers of pigeons kept in rooftop cage. The birds are released twice a day to circle in the sky. Even 20 years ago, it was possible to hear this melodic noise in the hutongs.

Modern Beijing is a city in a hurry. Many hutongs have been torn down to make way for wide avenues and shiny skyscrapers,   leaving no room for pigeon lofts(鸽舍). Zhang Baotong is one of Beijinig’s last master pigeon-whistle makers. He is advising a museum of sound in Songzhuang, a suburb of Beijing that is popular with artists. A rooftop cage is planned, with more than 100 pigeons that will take to the skies for visitors.

The co-founder of the museum, Colin Siyuan Chinnery, is a British-Chinese artist and collector of Beijing’s sounds. He lists the rattles(拨浪鼓) and rhythmic cries used by fortune tellers and medicine sellers, doctors, barbers and knife sharpeners. Many of these will be showcased in an exhibition about old Beijing narrated by an animation of Mr. Zhang. Other places had traders’ cries, but true Beijingers dismiss sellers elsewhere as mere loud shouters; Beijingers’ pride is one tradition that never fades, Mr. Chinnery says.

3 . Tibetan New Year, aka Losar, is the most important festival in Tibet and is celebrated for 15 days, typically falling in February or March. It is a time of renewal and optimism, marking the start of the Tibetan lunar calendar.    1    

·Decoration

It is a common custom that houses are adorned with bright and colorful banners and prayer flags, while the streets are lined with lanterns and colorful decorations.    2    

·Offerings

    3    

Apart from music and dance, Tibetans indulge in rich and delicious dinners with their family and friends. Traditional dishes such as momos and Tibetan butter tea are served.

Closing Ceremonies

The Losar celebrations end with the Chunga Choepa ceremony, a religious offering service to worship the local gods.    4    This is followed by the service of throwing Tsampa into the air as a symbol of letting go of the past year and embracing new beginnings.

The customs of Tibetan New Year are deeply carved in the culture and traditions of the Tibetan folks.     5    And the customs and traditions associated with this festival reflect the rich history and heritage of this fascinating culture.

5 . When someone mentions Valentine’s Day citybreaks, there are certain places that automatically come to mind,   Paris, Rome, Venice. However, there’s a whole wide world out there, so here are a few impressive locations which may not have crossed your mind.

Bled

Located in the Julian Alps, this town is a romantic jewel. There’re loads to explore here, walk around the lake book a horseback tour, or explore the town and castle to experience the history and culture. The natural beauty of the area is astonishing with Lake Bled as the perfect backdrop for photos of the precious memories you make in this beautiful part of the world.

Bellagio

You’ll find this village in the Italian Lakes, the perfect alternative to the busier towns of Como and Lecca. Wander along the beaches,explore the gardens, or simply relax with a romantic meal by the shoreside,admiring the mountains.

Opatija

Looking for an alternative to the Amalfi Coast? Relax in this stunning sea-side town and drink coffee like the locals with a Bijela kava as you watch the world go by. Go on a private walking tour with a local expert guide to discover why it’s called the Pearl of the Adriatic.

Buenos Aires

Known as the Paris of South America, Buenos Aires has it all. Fantastic food, an energetic nightlife, and top-end hotels. Why not get a feel of the Argentisian culture, while sharing some quality time with your partner with a tango lesson? If you prefer to leave it to the professionals, there s always a tango show instead.

6 . Straw Weaving (草编)

What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of wheat straw?    1    , However, Wu Cui, an intangible cultural inheritor, can turn the straw left over from harvested wheat into beautiful and eye-catching functional artworks.

·The Origin of Straw Weaving

    2     The Book of Rites, one of the classical works of Confucianism, also records that there were already mats made of cattail grass and professional straw-weaving craftsmen during the Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century—256 BC).

·The Process of Straw Weaving

Straw weaving is a method of manufacturing daily items or artworks. Wu explains the process of straw weaving: selection of materials is the first step of a complicated, time-consuming and labor-intensive process that can take weeks, or even months, to complete. You need to sketch (素描) the piece on paper, which requires drawing skills.     3    Even by finishing that process, it does not mean that you will always create a good piece of work, and the hardest part is to make it lifelike.

·The Current Situation of Straw Weaving

    4     But due to the impact of industrialization, manufactured goods have replaced such products, which yield low profits, and there are only about 100 individuals engaging in the work across the country. “The world has changed, and craftsmen need to transcend practicality and pursue the beauty and artistry of straw culture to help the craft survive and thrive,” Wu says.

·The Future of Straw Weaving

From her perspective, straw weaving should respond to people’s needs and preferences, while still drawing inspiration from traditional culture.     5    she says. When asked about her plans, Wu says she wants to dig deeper into local traditional culture and create cultural creative products by developing the straw-weaving technique.

8 . For people who are planning a trip, a visit to a museum might not be the first thing they think of. After all, there are plenty of ways to appreciate the world’s civilization, gain exciting experiences and spend quality time with family and friends.     1    

Museums are where people learn something new, at every age! Are you interested in something specific?     2    . There, you will find yourself drawn in and inspired! Museums are a fantastic place to learn about a region’s history, scientific achievements, major cultural events, and of course, dinosaurs. They also design exhibitions related to visual arts, industrial innovations and anything that inspires an individual to learn about the past and create new paths to the future.

    3     They will surely be an exciting part of the educational experience with the main purpose to expose children to knowledge of various fields and expand their horizons. To achieve that, museums are working to create meaningful and engaging activities, interactive and knowledge-based.

Museums support tourism. They are tourism promoters in small towns and large cities. Museums aren’t a burden on tax revenue (税收) or a separate concern from other city projects.     4    Statistics show that museums support more than 726, 000 jobs in America.

Museums shape communities. They have activities and exhibitions through which visitors can learn about local history. Museums are places where a shared heritage is celebrated and a collective identity is formed. They provide an interesting public space where people meet and talk to each other.     5    

9 . Craftsman Qian Gaochao and his son recently spent more than six months making three “chicken-blood” stone carvings showing the taekwondo and wrestling competitions of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. As a national inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of the chicken-blood stone carving technique, Qian Gaochao says that he is working on the other carvings related to the Asian Games in the chicken-blood stone museum in Changhua town, Zhejiang Province.

Chicken-blood stone is one of China’s most prized decorative materials and has been used for centuries to create carved works with characteristic red markings. With its bright blood-red color, bright crystal-like jade texture, quality and shape, chicken-blood stones are celebrated the world over. The artistic value of Changhua chicken-blood stone lies in its adaptability, which can be made into decorations of various sizes and forms. It is not only a mineral specimen (标本) that records geological changes, but also a cultural relic that reflects the productivity of different eras, living conditions and folk customs.

The stone has become a cultural symbol of deepening bilateral friendship in diplomatic (外交的) activities. For example, in 1972, the Chinese premier gave Changhua chicken-blood stones to Japan as State gifts. In 1986, a seal of Changhua stone was presented to the US. In 2016, the Changhua stone sculpture “Haliaeetus Albicilla Duda Portrait Seal” was presented to Poland. In September 2016, 36 sets of portrait seals were given as gifts to guests who attended the 11th G20 Summit held in Hangzhou.

“As a craftsman, I’m not only doing carving work but also recording the development and changes of our society and remembering the era through the medium of my carvings,” Qian Gaochao says. He has created fascinating works, many of which are related to important events in Chinese history and famous people who have made significant contributions to the country.

“We are also recruiting qualified people to continue to inherit and innovate these traditional skills,” Qian Gaochao says. “Additionally, we often hold research activities and provide training courses, enabling more young students to understand and learn Chinese traditional culture,” he adds.

10 . One of the world’s oldest preserved human settlements has been significantly damaged by heavy rain in Pakistan.

Moenjodaro, a World Heritage site in the Indus River Valley was built in the Bronze Age, some 5, 000 years ago. “Unfortunately we witnessed the mass destruction at the site,” reads a letter from the Cultural, Tourism, & Antiquities Department of Singh state sent to UNESCO and signed by curator Ihsan Ali Abbasi and architect Naveed Ahmed Sangah. The letter adds the site was being used as temporary accommodation for local residents whose own homes had flooded. Currently, around one-third of Pakistan is underwater after downpours combined with water from melting icebergs.

Most of Moenjodaro’s structures, which were discovered in the 1920s, are above ground and easy to be affected by environmental damage. The letter explains some of the immediate actions the site team has taken to reduce the flood damage, like bringing in water pumps, repairing brickwork and cleaning drains (下水道).

But it’s clear that these measures will not be enough. Abbasi and Sangah ended their letter by asking for ＄45 million to cover the costs of full repairs. UNESCO has responded to the request for help, delivering ＄350, 000 from its emergency fund. The funds will go to Moenjodaro and other sites including the Sehwan folk and craft museum, the Amri Museum and the historical monuments at Makli.

Moenjodaro’s significance as a historical and architectural site cannot be underestimated. When it was added to UNESCO’s register in 1980, the organization wrote that Moenjodaro “presents outstanding evidence of the Indus civilization,” making up of “the most ancient planned city on the Indian subcontinent.” During its glorious days, the city was a metropolis. There were markets, public baths, and a sewage system mostly constructed out of sun-baked brick.

In their letter, Abbasi and Sangah express concern that Moenjodaro could be added to the list of UNESCO sites in danger. Sites currently on this list include Florida’s Everglades National Park and the city of Liverpool, England.