2 . The first Friday of October is World Smile Day. Created by an artist named Harvey Ball, this day came about as a response to his creation of the smiley face. These little yellow faces are more than just a symbol.     1    

In 1963, Harvey Ball, a graphic (插画) artist from Massachusetts, created the smiley face symbol we’ve all come to know.     2     It’s every artists dream for their work to be respected and few symbols have had quite the impact that Harvey’s creation has had.

In the following years, the symbol has been used in many different ways including clothing, comic books, coffee cup sand more. Harvey worried that the commercialization of the symbol would reduce its impact.     3     Harvey knew something had to be done.

    4     It is aimed to promote acts of kindness. It was established in 1999 and has since been observed. Following his death in 2001, Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation was established to honour his name and memories.

The day is to encourage people to act kind and make others smile.     5     By doing so, you’d smile and in return, you’d make someone else smile and brighten up their day.

3 . The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Start of Winter, (立冬), the 19th solar term of the year, means winter is coming and crops harvested in autumn should be stored up.     1    

Eating dumplings

A legend has it that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, “Medical Saint” Zhang Zhongjing saved many people in Henan province around Start of Winter. He cooked mutton, hot peppers and herbs to drive away the cold and increase body heat. He wrapped these ingredients into a dough skin and made them into an ear shape, which became known as “dumpling”.     2    

“Nourishing the winter”(补冬)

On the first day of Start of Winter, there is a custom, “nourishing the winter”,in Southeast China.     3    , people there like to eat high-calorie food such as chicken, beef, mutton, and fish, which are usually stewed (炖)with Chinese medicines to strengthen the effectiveness of the nourishment.

Eating Chinese pumpkins

In Tianjin, on the first day of Start of Winter, people eat dumplings stuffed with Chinese pumpkins (wogua).     4    . Generally, the pumpkins are bought in the summer and stored until the Start of Winter.

Eating tuanzi

On the first day of Start of Winter, some people of Southern China have a custom of eating tuanzi, a kind of traditional Chinese food made with rice.     5     And the tuanzi made by the newly-harvested crops tastes delicious.

4 . Over the past few years, China’s aerospace industry has witnessed many landmark events. Apart from celebrating these scientific achievements, the public has also developed a growing interest in the missions’ unique names, of which many are derived from China’s myths and legends.

China’s spacecraft are called Shenzhou. This literally means “heavenly ship” in Chinese, and is also a homonym for the Chinese words “divine land”, which is a term used in literary works to refer to the country. China’s moon exploration project and its lunar probe(月球探测器)are both named after a Chinese goddess of the moon,Chang’e. In 2013,the Chang’e-3 lunar probe landed on the moon and was carried around by a lunar rover(月球车)called Yutu. The two names perfectly match the legend of the moon fairy and her pet. In another example,the relay satellite for the Chang’e-4 moon exploration mission is called Queqiao, or “magpie bridge”. The magpie bridge, in a Chinese folk tale, was formed by millions of magpies, so that a separated couple could meet each other despite the Milky Way. Likewise,the Queqiao relay satellite serves as a “space-bridge”for communication between the moon and the earth.

Chinese people’s eagerness for the universe dated back to ancient times, some even tried to explore. Luban, a great inventor living in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, made a flying wood bird. Others created many myths and legends, such as “Kuafu Chases the Sun”, to explain phenomena that they could not explain. These traditional stories have become the source of inspiration for Chinese scientists in the naming of major space missions.

The famous spacecraft and rovers built by the United States include the Challenger,the Opportunity and the Spirit, whose names reflect a positive and enterprising spirit. This is quite unlike how the Chinese name their spacecraft,which reflects the Chinese people’s sense of romance and awe for space as well as their efforts to pass down traditional culture and their ancestors’ spirit of scientific discovery. Nevertheless, all these names, Chinese or foreign, showcase the dreams of humankind and our collective pursuit to discover the secrets of space.

When Apollo 11 prepared to land on the moon, the control center on earth told the astronauts onboard to “watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit”, which refers to Chang’e and her rabbit Yutu. With the rapid progress of China’s aerospace industry, more and more Chinese stories embodying Chinese romanticism will be shown to the world.

5 . During my trip to Europe, I had the opportunity to visit Stonehenge, which is considered one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world. As I approached the area, it became clear to me that it was a circle of huge stones.

The stones were huge. Our tour guide said that the square stones weigh nearly five tons each, stand eighteen feet high, and are three feet thick. It was amazing to see them up close. Something that I really asked myself was how the ancient people could have been wise enough to arrange the stones as upright pillars(柱子), then connect the stones overhead, and place them altogether to form a circle. It was a great feeling to admire the magnificent stones up close.

I tried to imagine the figures of the ancient people moving the heavy stones, but it was hard to imagine how they could achieve such incredible work. As I admired the stones up close, I almost imagined myself back in time, standing there, watching the people move the stones.

It was really strange. As I walked around the stones, I noticed how segregated they were: there was nothing else standing around them, no community or anything. Were they also disconnected in ancient times? If so, why had the ancient people constructed them that way? And why did they place them far away from any community? If only I could really travel back in time and find out!

My thoughts were interrupted by our tour guide’s voice. He was explaining that nobody knew about the exact origin of the stones, but most scientists agreed that it dates from the time of the Druids, the first people in England. He said that there were many different theories about why Stonehenge was created. Some people believe that Stonehenge was an astronomical calendar because it was built in a circular design; they think it might represent the passing of time.

I left that awesome place with the feeling that many people had been here before me, each with a different understanding of the place, each wondering about something great and unknown that took place there a long time ago in the past. It was an unforgettable experience.

6 . Along the rocky Algerian coast, just east of where Mount Chenoua slides into the Medi-terranean, has stood Tipasa for more than 2,500 years. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in North Africa.

Tipasa fell into ruin in the sixth century. Both its main group of buildings on the coast and an inland monumental tomb(陵墓)surrounded by the olive trees were all forgotten. Most of the ancient city, in fact, remains buried under the ground. For the last few decades, however, what’s left of Tipasa’s past has been increasingly surrounded on three sides by the expanding modern town of Tipasa. And to the north, the waves lap ever closer.

“What’s special about Tipasa, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site since 1982, is its unique landscape, the shared presence of history and archaeology, culture, nature and architecture. It’s the spirit of the place,” said Lynda, who has studied Tipasa and the ongoing challenges from both rapid urbanization(城市化)and inadequate(不足的)site management.

Now, Tipasa is entering a new period, perhaps its last: It’s become a symbol of an entire continent’s heritage in great danger. In a recent Nature Climate Change paper, a team reported the results: How sea level rise is affecting nearly 300 World Heritage Sites around Africa’s roughly 20,000 miles of coastline. About 20 percent of the sites examined, including Tipasa, are already at high risk from flooding and erosion(侵蚀).By 2050 that figure is expected to more than three times.

The site’s 21st-century problems have only increased in the last two decades. UNESCO has repeatedly threatened to strip the site of World Heritage status. As recently as 2021, the organization noted a series of problems at Tipasa, such as modern building, including a proposed port, that threatened the site’s completeness.

9 . Full of beauty, happiness and a healthy love of life, the Bulgarian (保加利亚人的) festivals and customs date back to old times when man tried to live in peace with nature.

Sourvakari And Ladouvane

The merriest and richest festivals are Christmas and the New Year, when the so-called “sourvakari” makes the round of house with wishes for health and wealth. Other main festivals include “ladouvane”—a holiday for young girls on New Year’s Day or Midsummer Day（24th June）, Shrovetide and Mummers’ Games which mark the start of spring, and “lazrouvane”—a traditional festival for love and family, health and richness.

“Martenitsas” And Rose-picking

Among the local traditional celebrations, the widely popular and typical Bulgarian customs and festivals are “martenitsas” and rose-picking.

Every year on March 1st, the Bulgarians give each other “martenitsas”—a small doll made of white and red strings, a symbol of the beginning of spring, health and happiness.

In late May and early June every year, the rose-picking season starts in the Valley of Roses which is between the Balkan Range and the Sredna Gora Mountains. Rose-picking starts at dawn, before sunrise and before the pleasant smell of the rose has disappeared. The Bulgarian rose produces 70 percent of the world’s rose oil which is used by the very well-known perfume (香水) company as a basic element of its products. This is the time of the Festival of Roses, celebrated with carnivals, happy activities, folk songs and dances in Karlovo and Kazanluk on the first Sunday in June.