For Greek photographer George Doupas, Beijing is home now. During the past decade, he has been photographing the city, capturing its beauty     1     sharing these photos online and in exhibitions.

“This     2     (true) represents Beijing — the old and the new, nicely mixing together,” Doupas said while showing his photograph of the Zhihua Temple, a delicate Ming Dynasty building. It     3     (locate) in front of a modern office building, Galaxy SOHO, which features weaving bridges and interlocking passageways.

With rich historical heritage, Beijing     4     (be) an important center of traditional Chinese culture since the Ming Dynasty. Doupas often gets     5     (lose) in the city’s splendid ancient architecture. Meanwhile, he is also amazed by the modern city     6    (combine) high-end businesses and various industries. “It is fascinating to see a rapidly-developing city that invests so much effort in preserving its past, which is     7     I decided to pursue my career here,” he said.

Doupas is determined to continue with his career in China, hoping to serve as     8     bridge between China and the West. The     9     (display) that show his photos about Beijing have attracted a large audience in Greece and the Czech Republic.

“I call Beijing my home now,” he said, “I’ll keep sharing photos of China     10     the rest of the world.”

Liu Ruying,     1     grandfather is a huge fan of Peking Opera, has been interested in Peking Opera for much of her young life. Her grandfather is a great influence     2     her. At the age of 8, she     3    (begin) to practice the classic art. It wasn’t easy for a little girl     4    (experience) the difficult training, as performances combine martial arts, dancing and acrobatics(杂技).

“Sometimes I was tired,“ she said. ”I had to balance my studies and other     5    (course) I was interested in, such as dance. But the great charm(魅力) of Peking Opera made me always practice it.”

When Liu got the news that her region would have a cultural exchange with other countries, she had the idea of     6    (introduce) Peking Opera to the world in English. With     7     help of her mother, she took part in the activity after several months of practice.

“I     8    (extreme) love traditional Chinese culture,” she said. “Peking Opera has a long history of about 200 years and     9    (consider) a treasure of our nation. We should let     10    (we) make great efforts to carry forward our culture and protect the cultural diversity of the world.”

East China’s Shandong province, where the Yellow River flows into the sea, is promoting the deep integration of culture and tourism. So far, Shandong    1    (launch) many cultural tourism projects, making great progress in digging into the culture and value of the Yellow River    2    (boost) the high-quality development of the region.

One example is the Yellow River Tower in Binzhou’s Puhu Lake Scenic Area, which was open    3    the public last year. It has become a cultural landmark of the Yellow River Basin    4    visitors can view the river passing through the city and watch exhibitions showing    5    (it) long history and diverse cultures. The tower offers various types of activities, such as research tours, and undertakes Yellow River-themed video competitions.

One of the most    6    (influence) tourism brands in Yuncheng County is the Shuihu Film Studio. It integrates film shooting and performances. There are 36 courtyards and 108 scenic spots that    7    (vivid) display the diverse cultures of the Chinese classic novel Shuihuzhuan.

Yellow River culture is a product of the material and spiritual advancement of the people living by the river throughout time. The local artistic    8    (create) are playing important roles in the Yellow River culture. The most representative among them is Lyu Opera,    9    unique kind of the Chinese art form.    10    (root) in Dongying, the opera has become extremely popular among tourists.

Consisting of a bamboo frame and a     1     (delicate) painted paper surface, Chinese oil-paper umbrellas have long been viewed as a symbol of China’s tradition of cultural craftsmanship and poetic beauty. Not just are they an instrument to keep off rain or sunlight, but also works of art     2    (possess)rich cultural significance and aesthetic(美的)value.

The first oil-paper umbrellas appeared during Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220).Later,they    3     (bring) overseas to Japan and ancient Korea during the Tang Dynasty (618-907),which is     4     they were known as “Tang umbrellas”.

It takes quite a lot of time and effort to make a traditional Chinese oil-paper umbrella     5     hand. For example,in Fenshui township in Luzhou, Sichuan Province,craftsmenmust complete more than 90 steps and use over 100 different tools    6     (create) a single handmade oil-paper umbrella.

Since the appearance of modern mechanical umbrellas, traditional oil-paper umbrellas    7     (suffer) from declining sales, while     8     number of craftsmen has been on thedecrcase. Fortunately, with the    9     (include) of Fenshui oil-paper umbrellas as one ofChina’s national intangible cultural heritages in 2008, things have been improving. These greatitems appear in many fashion shows and media publications due to the positive publicity     10     they have received.

A skywell, or “tian jing” in Chinese, is a typical feature of a traditional home in Southern and Eastern China. They are commonly seen in homes     1     (date) to the Ming and Qing dynasties, which     2     (design) to house different generations of relatives. Despite their varied sizes and designs, these skywells are typically square and located in     3     heart of the house. They serve to allow in light, enhance airflow, and harvest rainwater.

Since decades ago, the government     4     (advocate) green buildings, promoting environmentally-friendly practice. The increased interest towards traditional Chinese architecture is leading to the restoration of historic buildings with skywells     5     modern use. Architects are also looking towards the principles behind skywells while designing new buildings     6     (save) energy. The Dongguan TBA Tower in Guangdong Province, for example, brings natural airflows into every floor with internal “windpipes”    7     function in a similar way to skywells. The aim is to keep the building's temperature     8     (comfort) in all seasons, using only natural airflow.

The fact that skywells still exist today shows     9     clever ancient builders were in using nature's elements to create energy-sufficient and sustainable living spaces. These timeless architectural     10     (wonder) continue to inspire architects in their efforts to find green solutions for cooling homes and buildings.

The world’s biggest kite, shaped like a dragon and    1     (stretch) over 280meters, flew high on Sunday in the skies over the Chinese city of Weifang. The city in the eastern province of Shandong is     2     birthplace of kites and home to the Weifang International Kite Festival since 1984.

The highlight of this year’s edition was the “Chinese Giant Dragon”, four meters in    3     (high) and 3.6 meters in width. The kite has the head of a dragon and the body of a centipede(蜈蚣) and is the    4    (wide) of its kind in the world. “It took 28 experienced workers 48 days to design and complete the kite.55 people     5     (require) to fly it,” said Zhang Huagang, general manager of Weifang Tianshun Kite Productions and one of the kite makers.

According to Zhang, the giant dragon kite, using traditional Chinese techniques, “    6     (refer) to our nation’s wishes for prosperity and fortune”. The kite festival, now in its 38th edition, opened on Friday    7     the presence of hundreds of amateurs and professionals,    8     flooded to the city from near and far to display their creations at the event.

This year’s festival features a record 1,628 kites in     9    (vary) forms by 500 participants     10     (divide) into 188 teams from over 31 provinces and regions from across the country.

7 . During the Lantern Festival, long lines of customers are waiting outside Daoxiangcun stores in the capital city Beijing. "I feel I'm missing something     1     I don't eat yuanxiao during the Lantern Festival. Getting up early in the morning,     2     (put) on warm clothes and waiting in a long line outside a Daoxiangcun store to buy newly-made yuanxiao is a sort of private ceremony for me and ensures I will have another sweet year." Dong Shanshan,    3     35-year-old Beijinger said. For many people like Dong, eating Daoxiangcun, yuanxiao     4     (be) an essential Lantern Festival tradition.

The Beijing Daoxiangcun Food Company,     5     owns the brand and stores, recently staged an event to mark the official launch of yuanxiao being made at some of its     6     (factory). Shi Yan, the company's representative manager, said, “All     7     (we) yuanxiao are handmade, because it is the only way to maintain the traditional flavor.”

    8     (meet) local demand, the company will demonstrate how yuanxiao are made at some of its stores in Beijing. "This will     9     (hopeful) bring a festive atmosphere to the city and its residents," Shi said. "Young people can learn how the traditional food is made and the culture surrounding this food can     10     (carry) forward and expanded.^”

Since the pre-Qin period, Chengdu    1    (be) an important cultural town in China. But    2    really sets the city apart, culturally, is its opera. An important aspect of Sichuan Opera is    3    magic of “face changing” where vividly coloured masks are changed within the blink of an eye. In opera gardens and tea houses across the town, audiences    4    (want) a glimpse of the local culture love to drink tea while listening to Sichuan Opera and watching face changing.

It is believed that “face changing” has its roots in evolution. Early humans needed survival strategies to avoid fierce animals and foreign    5    (invade). Often, aggressive facial gestures and non-verbal cues were part of it. The Sichuan Opera is said    6    (bring) this range of emotions on stage.

Once the performance starts, the actor keeps pulling down one mask after    7    in swift movements to convey different emotions.    8    (astonish), no matter how close one is    9    the stage, they just can’t tell how the masks change.

In fact, the different kinds of characters and personalities that Sichuan Opera brings alive can    10    (find) among common people. This is why its emotions will continue to resonate with people for a long time.

Tai Hang, a modern-looking neighborhood in Hong Kong, is home to the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance,a folk art form that    1    (perform)during the Mid-Autumn Festival for over 100 years.    2    started as a way to rid this fishing village of bad luck has become a cultural treasure.

The dragon is about 70 meters long and weighs more than 200 pounds,with its body     3     (wrap) with pearl grass.More than 70,000 incense sticks(香柱)are lit and strung along the dragon’s back and head to make the“fire”of the fire dragon.At the festival,hundreds of people work    4    turn to parade the burning dragon through the streets of Tai Hang.The     5    (strong)man among the group has    6    honor of supporting the 30-kilogram head. Dozens of performers    7    (move)the dragon smoothly up and down through the air attract rounds of cheers and    8    (applaud)from surrounding crowds.

The inheritors of the dragon dance have set up workshops to demonstrate various aspects of the traditional art from the making techniques to    9    (base)dance skills.In June, 2022,the Hong Kong Tai Hang Fire Dragon Museum was opened    10    (inspire)more people to learn more about this traditional dance culture.

Running for more than 20,000 kilometers, the Great Wall is a historical landmark of unparalleled glory, but climbing     1     is hard work. Not everyone has the strength or     2     (determine)to climb its tall steps and steep slopes (斜坡), while only a handful may have the special skills to     3     (physical) participate in the restoration of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

However, a recently     4    (launch) WeChat miniprogram is allowing every history enthusiast to be a hero in a virtual world,     5     one not just climbs the Great Wall, but also protects it. Great Wall E-tour, co-produced by the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation and internet giant Tencent, among others,     6     (go) online on June 11 to mark the annual     7     (nation) Cultural and Natural Heritage Day. Offering an almost simulated (模拟的) experience of climbing the Wall and helping in preservation work, the program has created a lot of enthusiastic     8     (response) in recent weeks and won a large fan base.

Thanks     9    cutting-edge digital technology, the virtual model is “detailed to millimeters”. Around 50,000 high-definition pictures have been used     10    (offer) users the remarkable experience.