The Chinese couplet (对联) refers to two poetic lines obeying certain rules, often written on red paper for     1     (appreciate).

As a form of Chinese literature, the couplet     2     (vary) in content and style. Some express people’s love to their motherland, some describe the beauty of nature,     3     some convey best wishes for the coming year.

Chinese couplets originated in the Five Dynasties, and     4     (become) ubiquitous (无处不在) in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was a custom for people     5     (hang) peach wood charms to drive away evil spirits during the Spring Festival. Nowadays, couplets are used     6     a similar way.

It was said that the     7     (early) couplet was written by Meng Xu, king of Houshu State and it was     8     (extreme) popular in the Northern Song Dynasty. Since the Ming Dynasty, to write couplets     9     (regard) as a mark of the cultured life of scholars.

The couplet has two equal-length lines. However,     10       number of characters in each line can be from four to seven or more. The first and the second lines have opposite tone patterns. The last character of the first line is of an oblique tone (仄声), and its opposite in the second line, of a level tone (平声).

In a world that is full of different kinds of colors, red quite stands out. In China, people call this color China Red,     1     has become a quite popular expression     2     (catch) the world’s attention.

This expression fully shows Chinese people’s special love for red. So why are the Chinese really fond of it? One reason     3     (lie) in the color’s rich meaning in Chinese history and     4     (tradition) culture. In ancient China, red     5     (regard) as a symbol of health, energy, happiness, hope and so on. Now red things can be     6     (common) found across the nation, for example red lanterns. People can find red lanterns across China, especially during     7     (festival) and holidays. During the Spring Festival, people will see red lanterns hanging on     8     front gates of houses and stores, trees, etc. Besides red lanterns, things     9     Spring Festival couplets (对联) and invitations are also often red.

In a word, red is popular in China and it’s more than just a color. It carries the rich culture of this nation. And you’re welcome     10     (feel) and discover it in China.

Chinese paper cutting or jianzhi is the first paper-cutting design,     1     (date) back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. Due to its unique     2     (art) appeal, after hundreds of years’ development, the paper-cuts have become a means of decorations     3     is popular both home and abroad.

    4     (general) , the paper-cuts are used to decorate doors and windows, thus sometimes they     5     (refer) to as ―chuanghua (Window Flower). They are also used for religious and ceremonial purposes, buried with the dead and burned at funerals.

Chinese people believe the red paper-cuts on the door can bring good fortune and happiness     6     the whole family. As a result, paper-cuts are more often seen during traditional Chinese festivals, the Spring Festival in particular.

People find hope and comfort in expressing best     7     (wish) with paper-cuttings. For instance: for a wedding ceremony, red paper-cuttings are a traditional decoration on the tea set, the dressing table glass, and other furniture.     8     big red paper character ―Xi(happiness) is a traditional must on the newly-wed’s (新婚夫妇) door. With its popularity     9     (increase) , we may never fail     10     (feel) the existence of Chinese paper-cutting all over the world.

Tea is a healthy drink. Drinking tea in China could be considered as an art and to help people achieve a sense of calm and renewed energy. It is also     1     way to enjoy life better.

Stories     2     are about the discovery of tea are different depending on the people who you ask, but we know that Chinese people have been drinking tea since Shennong, 5,000 years ago. Usually, tea     3     (believe) to be medicinal, and is so central to     4     (day) life that an old Chinese saying includes tea in a list of seven important contents to be gathered each morning, along with firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy and vinegar.

Tea serves three primary     5     (purpose) traditionally in Chinese society: to show status, to bring people together and to improve wellness.

Drinking tea together is a sign of respect. In ancient times, “tribute tea”(贡茶) was     6     (special) kept for and presented to the Emperor. Tea still has a place in the life of the average people. It is common     7     (give) guests a cup of tea to welcome them into the home. But tea is more than a key of social customs. It is meant to act     8     a medium through which people can become much     9     (close) to nature. Drinking tea out in nature will create a spiritual connection to the environment and make people feel     10     (relax).

In the heart of modern Beijing is the Forbidden City. It served as the political center of ancient China between 1420 and 1912 and now it is     1     world famous museum.

The Forbidden City     2     (build) by Emperor Yongle, the third Ming ruler,     3     moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijng in 1403. Sources say it took a million     4     (worker) to build it between 1406 and 1420. Legend has it that the Forbidden City was redesigned to have 9, 9991/2 rooms. Half a room is missing to avoid     5     (upset) the God of Heaven. The maincolors of the Forbidden City are yellow and red. The walls, doors, and windows were     6     (most) painted in red, a symbol of     7     (happy) in Chinese culture.

The English name “Forbidden City” is a translation of the Chinese name Zijincheng. In the past, it was forbidden to ordinary people and that is     8     the Forbidden City is so named. After the Qing Dynasty, it was made a     9     (nation) museum-the Palace Museum and was open to the public. As one of the world’s largest cultural museums, the Palace Museum holds more than a million rare and valuable works of art. So do find a chance     10     (visit) it some day!

Students in Southeast Asian countries like Laos and Cambodia, especially those     1     have ancestral（祖先的）roots in china, are being offered the opportunity     2     (learn) Chinese culture, thanks to online classes provided by scholars in Shanxi Province.

The class is part of Chinese Culture Land,    3     event which was started by the China Overseas Friendship Association. It     4     (design) to deepen the overseas Chinese teenagers' understanding of Chinese culture, which has been welcomed by     5     (participant).

A Cambodian student, who     6     (fall) in love with calligraphy（书法）when she was a little girl, has been influenced by her parents. She said, “This is the first time that I have listened to a Chinese master calligrapher in a class.” Geng Yue, an influential calligrapher in Shanxi, said he is     7     (delight) to teach a class for overseas students.

Since 2020, the Chinese Culture Land event has been held online due to the pandemic, which now reaches a     8    (large) audience and interests more people in     9     (study) Chinese culture. This year's Chinese Culture Land—Laos and Cambodia will last for 12 days, ending     10     Saturday.