As the Year of the Dragon approached, sales of products with dragon elements have seen explosive     1     (grow) on major e-commerce platforms. Dragon, or long in Chinese,     2     (consider) as an important symbol of Chinese traditional culture, is believed to bring good luck and fortune.

Since January, products with dragon-themed elements, such as clothing, daily necessities and gold jewelry     3     (gain) popularity. Items such as red envelopes, mobile phone cases designed for the Chinese Year of the Dragon have also been favored by consumers, and    4     (they) sales have surpassed those in the Year of the Rabbit last year.

Chinese consumers who buy dragon-themed goods are hoping     5     (live) a better life in the new year and displaying a strong sense     6     national pride and confidence in Chinese culture. The rich cultural meanings and the good wishes     7     the dragon carries have not only stimulated people’s passion for buying, but also satisfied their rising demand for personalized and     8     (create) products with unique cultural symbols.

Spring Festival is the traditional festival Chinese people attach the most importance to, and it’s also     9     peak season for consumption. The shopping craze for dragon-related products ahead of Lunar New Year is essential for     10     (promote) the recovery of the consumer market.

Chinese pastries (糕点) have a rich and divers history that spans thousands of years. Traditional Chinese pastries are popular     1     their beautiful shapes, delicate flavors and cultural symbolism.

The origins of Chinese pastries can be traced back to ancient times when they were primarily made for     2     (religion) ceremonies and special occasions. Over centuries of evolution, Chinese pastries    3     (develop), combining various regional flavors and techniques.

During the Tang dynasty, Chinese pastries experienced a significant     4     (grow) in popularity. The Tang dynasty emperors were known for their love of desserts and pastries,     5     led to the development of numerous delicate and complicated pastry recipes.

It was during this time     6     many symbolic pastries were created, and the art of pastry-making reached new heights.

Mooncakes, closely     7     (associate) with the Mid-autumn Festival, are among the most famous Chinese pastries. Mooncakes have a history     8     (date) back over 1,000 years. They were    9     (original) used as an offering     10     (honour) the moon goddess during the harvest season. Mooncakes are often imprinted with amazing designs and symbols that represent good luck and prosperity.

       Each region in China has its own pastries with distinct flavors, ingredients and making methods. Chinese pastries are an essential part of Chinese cuisine and cultural traditions.

In some parts of northern China, “dikengyuan” in Mandarin, which means “ground hole courtyards,” is a type of cave dwellings (“yaodong”) commonly     1     (find) in the Loess Plateau in northern China. Academic literature mentions they came into     2     (exist) about 7,000 years ago.

The soil of the Loess Plateau,     3     these cave dwellings are built, is an effective substance that can keep people warm during the winter. More     4     (important), the yellow earth of the Loess is not only soft and easy     5     (dig) into, but also strong enough that it can hold together even without support.

While the size of the courtyard     6     (vary), the cave dwellings can go up to 12 meters long. After a ground hole is dug for the courtyard, the rooms     7     (carve) out from the four walls of the sunken courtyard.

Some scholars outside China consider the dwellings to be a natural adaptation to the climatic patterns in that region, with     8     (freeze) and long winters, and extremely burning summer heat.

While these houses have been around for thousands of years,     9     government only listed them as part of China’s intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

Many of these ancient homes, especially in the Shanzhou district of Sanmenxia City in China’s Henan province, have been restored and turned     10     tourist attractions.

International Friendship Day is a day when friends show     1    (appreciate) for one another.

In 1919, International Friendship Day     2    (found) by Hallmark. It was intended to be a day for people     3     (celebrate) their friendship by sending each other cards. By 1940 the market had dried up, and finally, it died out completely. In April 2011, the United Nations     4    (official) recognized 30th July as International Friendship Day, although most countries still celebrate it     5     the first Sunday of August!

On International Friendship Day, taking a trip together to celebrate is an excellent way to make the day all about each other. You can visit places     6     you first met or go to wherever you promised each other to go. With so many people     7    (live) such busy lives, however, not everyone can plan a big day out for each other. But that’s what makes International Friendship Day such a     8    (wonder) time. Best friends understand that life often gets in the way, so they won’t be upset if there’s no big celebration in their honor. Moreover, with     9     rise of social media, we become more     10    (connect) than ever before, so International Friendship Day just gives everyone the chance to get together.

As one of the three major drinks in the world, tea is also the most consumed drink after water on earth. Since tea trees     1     (discover) thousands of years ago, the drink has become closely integrated with daily life and has developed into     2     unique culture.

How could such a little leaf from nature generate such great power? An ongoing exhibition     3     (focus) on tea culture manages     4     (explorer) the answer by offering visitors a comprehensive view of the drink.

The World of Tea: Special Exhilition of Tea Culture takes place at the Wu Men Exhibition Hall of the Palace Museum from September 2 to November 30 in Beijing. It displays 555 items       5     (attach) to tea culture, many of     6     are representative collections of 30 cultural institutions and museums at home and abroad.

Furthermore, it also provides insights into a cultural phenomenon’s origins, evolution and     7     (remark) achievements while emphasizing how it has acted as a unifying thread connecting diverse regions and fostering the integration of various ethnic groups. Using tea as a medium, it displays the essence of Chinese tea culture, and also embodies the Chinese philosophical     8     (pursue) of unity between heaven and humanity.

Wang Guangyao, director of the show and also a researcher at the Palace Museum, says, “We want our audience to     9     (complete) lose themselves in the show by setting     10       interaction spaces.”