I     1     (be) always full of confidence about Hamlet before I saw The Revenge of Prince Zidan — the Peking Opera version of Hamlet. First, the opera brought a     2     (complete) new sound to my Western ears, beginning with an orchestra playing traditional Chinese instruments, one of     3     was an instrument with two strings     4     (call) jinghu. Then, I was surprised when the main characters came on stage. The costumes and masks were     5     (amaze). Although the     6     (perform) sang in Chinese, the music, exaggerated movements and mime helped get the meanings     7     the audience. The voices sounded really unique. So high were some of the female voices     8     I was sure they could break glass! And the stage was really simple.     9     (use) some special techniques, the opera had transformed a small stage into the whole universe. What I liked most was how the characters moved on stage. It was so dazzling and energetic that I wasn’t sure if the characters were performers     10     athletes! Feeling the strong emotions of love, anger, fear and grief in the performance. I could easily recognise the theme of Hamlet.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday signed legislation that makes Chinese Lunar New Year a state holiday. The move recognizes the diversity of cultures which Asian Americans have brought to California, the third     1     (large) state in the US.

The legislation lets any state employee take eight hours of vacation, annual leave or compensatory leave     2     (celebrate) Chinese New Year.

In a     3     (sign) letter, Newsom emphasized the diversity and cultural significance that Asian Americans represented in California and     4     (encourage) all Californians to participate in the festival.

Lunar New Year is celebrated by thousands of Asian and Pacific Islander Californians at community events that illustrate     5     state’s rich cultural history and commitment to racial, religious, and cultural diversity. Many jurisdictions (辖区) in California have already made Lunar New Year an     6     (office) school holiday.

Also on Friday, a ceremony     7     (hold) in San Francisco’s city hall to raise China’s national flag in celebration of the 73rd anniversary of the     8     (found) of the People’s Republic of China.

Zhang Jianmin, China’s consul general in San Francisco, raised the flag with Meron Foster, a senior officer at the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Protocol. Zhang expressed his gratitude     9     San Francisco’s “very genuine gesture of friendship” toward China,     10     he spoke to an audience of us elected representatives, business figures and community members.

The Chinatown in San Francisco is the     1     (big) in America. It is a very popular tourist draw     2     receives many visitors each year.     3     (historical), Chinese immigrants settled in the area during the railroad construction and gold rush period. Now the     4     (major) of residents in Chinatown are still ethnic Chinese.

Most of Chinatown     5     (destroy) in the 1906 earthquake, but the city and residents rebuilt it,     6     (take) care to include lots of Chinese architecture. There are many famous sites in Chinatown including the Tin How Temple, Bank of Canton and Portsmouth Square,     7     (name) but a few. People can find     8     unique range of souvenirs, goods, and clothing in the stores in the Chinatown. But perhaps     9     people treasure most is its food that     10     (suit) everyone’s taste.

Every year the Weifang International Kite Festival     1    (amaze) visitors with colorful kites. The origin of kites in China can be traced back to the Warring States Period    2     the great Chinese philosopher Mozi in the State of Lu made the first “wooden kite”. In 1984, the first Weifang International Kite Festival was held.

Kites     3     (use) in China for military purposes at the very beginning. They were made to signal and measure distance,    4     (provide) intelligence to aid moving large armies across difficult terrain (地形). Over time, kites became connected with leisure activities    5    were often flown during festivals and     6     (holiday).

The Weifang Kite Festival is not only the best platform     7     (share) kite-making skills, but also     8     good way to improve friendship between people from different countries. The kites presented in 2023 brought various surprises to kite lovers all over the world, and brought the people of China and other countries much     9     (close). As one netizen put it, “No matter how far away kite lovers go, there is always a ‘thread’ in their heart that can pull     10    (they) together.”

Singapore’s tradition of eating out in places called hawker (小商贩) centers has been recognized by the United Nations for its     1     (culture) importance so far.

A hawker is a person     2     sells food or goods by shouting at passers-by on the street. Hawkers are     3     special part of Singaporean culture. Open-air eating areas where hawkers sell     4    (they) goods are very popular in Singapore.     5     Wednesday, the United Nations’ cultural agency, UNESCO, added the city’s “hawker culture” to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Singapore     6     (apply) to have hawker culture added to the list about two years ago.

Because it has been recognized, Singapore must provide a report every six years to UNESCO. The report must specifically show measures that the city-state has taken     7     (save) and support its hawker culture. “These centers serve as ‘community dining rooms’ where people from diverse backgrounds gather and share the experience of     8    (chat) over breakfast, lunch and dinner,” UNESCO said.

However, Singapore’s hawker culture does face difficulties. The average age of hawkers     9    (be) 60 years old. Younger Singaporeans now want to work in offices. They are     10    (little) interested in working in small restaurants.

Traditional Chinese culture is beginning to capture the attention of the world. Kung fu,     1     (especial), has had a great effect     2     the millions of people who first learned about China through it. From that, they may come to China and learn about some other     3     (aspect) of this culture. Other Asian nations have long known about the     4     (great) of ancient Chinese culture. Their own cultures are     5     mix of native ones and those Chinese characteristics. Korea and Japan long ago adopted Confucianism, something that continues today even as it     6     (challenge) by pop culture. This strength comes from the ideas given in the Four Books of Confucianism,     7     built upon the ideas of an even     8     (much) ancient period codified (编纂) in the Five Classics. From them, the West learns what is uniquely Chinese, for example, feng shui. So far China has taken steps     9     (further) this spread of its culture by     10     (establish) Chinese Cultural Centers in such places as the United States and Europe.

Li Wen, a paper-cutting artist from Lingbi county, Suzhou city, east China’s Anhui Province,     1     (work) in the art industry for 17 years.

In 2005, Li was studying oil painting at Lingbi Normal School in Lingbi county when she saw wedding paper-cutting works stuck on the windows of her neighbor’s house and was     2    (deep) impressed by the craft(手艺), as well as the lifelike images on     3     (they).

“I had never thought before that traditional arts and crafts could be so beautiful,” Li said. Since then, Li has wholeheartedly thrown herself into     4     (learn) the craft.

Li always brings scissors (剪刀)and paper    5     her wherever she goes, and has created paper-cutting works under various     6    (theme), including pictures of Zhong Kui, a god traditionally regarded as a vanquish er of ghost s and evil beings, local folk customs, plants and crops, among others.

Li’s excellent    7     (able) and serious attitude towards the art has helped her go far. She has been awarded several honorary titles , including “Master in Arts and Crafs” of Suzhou city and an inheritor of Lingbi paper-cutting art, which is a city-level    8    (culture) heritage (遗产).

Li,    9     is also a teacher at Lingbi Normal School, has given paper-cutting classes there to introduce     10     art form to more students.

Chinese Language Day

Language Days at the United Nations seek to celebrate multilingualism (多语言) and cultural diversity as well as promote equal use of all six    1     (office) languages throughout the organization.

The date for the Chinese day was selected from Guy, which is the     2    (six) of 24 solar terms in the traditional East Asian calendars (日历),     3     (usual) beginning around April 20.

Chinese was established as a formal language of the United Nations in 1946. However, in early    4    (year), Chinese was not commonly used in the work of the United Nations.    5    situation was improved after the People’s Republic of China regained (重获) the lawful rights in the United Nations in 1971. In 1973, they    6    (include) Chinese as a working language,     7    was used by more and more UN offices and staff members.

In    8    (celebrate) of United Nations Chinese Language Day 2021, UNSRC Chinese Book Club is organizing three events under the theme “Highlighting Pictographs(象形文字)”. The three events focus    9    three types of characters    10    (connect) with three cultures and three UNESCO World Heritage sites. All the three events will be shown live.