Silk was invented in China in 3000 BC. It was well integrated into the Chinese economy during the Han Dynasty,     1     plain silks and products of peasant households were used as the main form of tax paid to the government. Fancy silk clothes were worn by the wealthy     2     symbols of status from the Han Dynasty on.

Women played     3     major role in the production of this vital product. In many households, the laborious task of raising the silkworms (蚕) originally     4    (restrict) to women.

Producing silk is a     5    (relative) lengthy process and demands constant close attention. The worms need a certain degree of     6    (warm) to survive. Sometimes the tiny eggs were sewn into little cotton bags and worn beneath the clothes. When hatched (孵出), they might be placed in shallow baskets or on shelves in the house     7     fed fresh mulberry leaves night and day. When they became cocoons (茧), dipping them into hot water to loosen the tightly woven filaments (细丝) and then     8    (wind) these filaments onto a spool (线轴)     9    (produce) the silk threads woven into cloth were also     10    (woman) work. Today, silk factories still mainly employ women for these tasks.

In Chinese culture, different plants and flowers represent different human personalities. For thousands of years, an art form     1     (relate) to flowers, namely traditional Chinese flower arranging, has been an important and     2     (appeal) part of Chinese culture.

Ancient China saw the beginning of traditional Chinese flower arranging art, during     3     time flower arranging was done without containers. In the Qin and Han dynasties, flowers were arranged in containers. By Song Dynasty, flower arranging art enjoyed high     4     (popular) among ordinary people.     5     society developing greatly over the past years, the art of flower arranging has developed too. In 2008, traditional flower arrangement     6     (include) in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list, protected by the government.

Wang Lianying, a university professor,    7     (apply) herself to traditional Chinese flower arranging for over forty years. Wang and her coworkers traveled to     8     (gallery) across the country to collect information. When choosing flower materials, flower arranging artists try to take their forms and understand their meaning. They not only show the flower’s natural beauty,     9     show its humanistic spirit. They also organized training programs and set up courses at university     10     (arouse) the interest of the younger generation. They hope they will always love flowers and plants, and when arranging them, they will follow their natural shape to create impressive artworks.

As an important sub-forum (论坛) of the ninth Nishan Forum on World Civilizations, the Nishan Forum on Arts     1    (hold) at Nishan Sacred Land in Qufu, Shandong province, on Sept 26.

Experts and young scholars from China, Japan, South Korea, Madagascar, Myanmar, Vietnam and other countries were invited     2    (share) their academic ideas and understandings, creating a platform for dialogue on the development of the arts and how to shape     3     better future for all.

    4    (focus) on the theme of “Connections-between Civilizations through Arts”, the forum aimed to broaden cultural exchanges with an open mind. During the keynote speech session, Pan Lusheng, vice-chairman of the Chinese Writers’ Association, stated that nowadays, peonies (牡丹), originally from China, are being cultivated in dozens of countries worldwide.

“To combine peony art into international exchanges,     5     is necessary to carry forward the     6    (tradition) peony culture of our nation and seek more deep     7    (value) of human civilization through the natural character of the peony,” he added.

During the roundtable dialogue, experts, scholars and artists were divided into three groups, and     8    (discuss) topics under the themes of “Strengthening Cultural Exchange and Mutual Learning through Art”, “Building a Community of Shared Destiny for All Humanity through Art” and “Technological Progress and Artistic Innovation”.

Ahead of this year’s forum, invited guests wrote more than 20 themed papers,     9     total about 170,000 words, with thoughtful and in-depth explorations of how     10    (broaden) cultural exchange and dialogue in the new era and improve excellent traditional cultures.

On September 23rd, at the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games     1     (hold) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, torchbearers (火炬手) from both the virtual and real worlds lit the torch together,

The torch used in the relay (接力) of the 19th Asian Games     2     (name) the “Eternal Flame”. The 73-centimeter-high torch weighs 1.2 kilograms, and     3     (it) surface features patterns from ancient Chinese culture combined     4     modern design principles.

The design of the torch was inspired by jade cong from the Liangzhu Archaeological Ruins,     5    is located in today’s Hangzhou and has been written on the World Heritage List as a     6    (culture) site since July 2019. Jade cong, or yucong, is an ancient ritual article (礼器), proving the     7    (exist) of at least 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

“The 19th Asian Games will leave     8    (last) memories for people around the world,” said Li Yiqing, spokesperson for the 19th Asian Games opening and closing ceremonies operations center.

The torch relay for the 19th Asian Games     9    (begin) in Hangzhou on September 8 and ended on September 20. It featured 2,022 torchbearers who passed the torch through 11 cities in Zhejiang Province, showcasing Chinese culture and heartwarming     10    (story) of ordinary people.

An academic exchange event     1     (title)“China’s Four Great Discoveries in the 20th Century” was held at the National Library of China. Experts said Oracle Bones(甲骨文), the Juyan Bamboo Slips (竹简), Dunhuang Literature and the Files of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are China’s four greatest discoveries,    2     need to be better promoted in modern China.

The event aimed     3     (explore) the academic value and cultural influence of ancient Chinese texts. It also     4     (seek) to highlight their vital role in the     5     (preserve) and protection of civilization, while making people have confidence     6     Chinese culture and history. The event gave     7     unique view on the evolution of Chinese writing and literature, and is the first one that displays the four parts as a whole. It has contributed     8     (significant) to China’s academic and cultural history. “China’s Four Great Discoveries in the 20th Century” meet the growing spiritual and cultural needs of the people,    9     (bring) together valuable cultural treasures from     10     (variety) locations.

World Tai Chi & Qigong Day falling on the last Saturday of April is an annual event organized     1     (promote) Tai Chi and Qigong across the world.     2     it started in 1999, the movement has witnessed people in over 80 countries taking part in its celebrations.

The first form of Tai Chi as apractical tradition     3     (document) in Northern China in the 17th century,     4     the most widely recognized form was the “Yang style” spread by Yang Luchan in the 19th century. In the 20th century, Tai Chi’s various methods were standardized, helping it gain     5     (wide) recognition. The event that inspired World Tai Chi & Qigong Day took place in Kansas City, Missouri in 1998, where the local Tai Chi club held a public exhibition     6     (aim) to spread the Chinese martial arts (武术). Gradually, the event     7     (catch) people’s interest, beginning in other American cities and eventually spreading worldwide by 1999.

The goals of the event today are to educate the world about the medical and spiritual benefits both arts offer, and the benefits of including    8     (tradition) Chinese ideas in health, education etc. These are taught through events ranging from educational seminars     9     exhibitions. By doing so, the movement helps encourage     10     (cooperate) that goes beyond geopolitical borders.