Cheering, dancing and singing, local people and tourists gathered around the fire during the Torch Festival of the Yi People in Bijie’s Hezhang county, Guizhou, on Aug 12. The festival was listed as     1     national intangible cultural heritage in 2011. There are different     2     (story) about how the festival started. But probably it was because of the natural worship of fire by the Yi ethnic (民族的) group.

Fire was important since their ancestors could use it     3     (make) light as well as warm and cook food. One Yi ethnic proverb says, “Everything you eat must ‘see’ fire.” This is due to an old practice. Before     4     (bring) meat into the home from the outside, a small fire must first     5     (light) outside and the meat should be smoked on the fire to remove the dirt. In farming, fire was used to light piles of branches and leaves,     6    were later buried in the ground to fertilize the land.

The Yi people     7     (use) to celebrate the festival as a way to pray for a good harvest and drive away evil from their homes and farmland. Today it has become a social event. During the festival, people come together to light torches and join in     8     (vary) activities such as building bonfires, horse racing, wrestling, bullfighting and beauty contests. The festival also provides people     9     a chance to expand their circle of friends. Through the festival, the Yi people not only share their joy and thanks for their good life, but also get their lifestyle and traditions     10     (understand) by more people at home and abroad.

China’s Tea Villages

In most Chinese tea villages, March is the time of year in which locals start to pick and process tea. The     1    (usual) quiet villages suddenly become busy centers of activity, as people take out special tools and prepare     2    tea processing. In some villages, local residents hold traditional ceremonies,     3    (thank) heaven for its blessing. The price of tea     4    (pick) in March is extremely high because     5    is fresh, tender and contains multiple trace elements.

China     6    (be) famous for tea production since ancient times. Of the goods transported and traded along     7    Old Silk Road linking China to the Middle East and Europe, the importance of tea was matched only by silk. China produces Oolong, black, green, white, yellow     8    dark (post-fermented) tea. The Oolong, green and black     9    (vary) are most notable for their high quality.

Most of China s tea villages are found in remote mountainous areas in the country’s south and southwest,     10    the beautiful scenery is often hidden under clouds.