Terracotta Warriors exhibition opens in Spain

The Archaeological Museum of Alicante opened on Tuesday     1     unique exhibition of China’s renowned Terracotta Warriors, known as the “    2     (eight) Wonder of the World.”

The exhibition     3     (title) “The Legend of China’s Qin and Han Dynasties” and open to public between Wednesday and January 28, 2024, showcases more than 120 pieces from nine Chinese museums.

The exhibition is divided into three galleries     4     showcase the history of the unification of China by Emperor Qin Shi Huang, his tomb, and the     5     (mystery) Terracotta Warriors. The museum uses advanced technology to create an immersive exhibition space     6     (use) light, music, and scent.

Curator of the exhibition Marcos Martinon-Torres, an archaeologist and professor at the University of Cambridge, said the exhibition would provide an “unforgettable experience” for thousands of visitors.

The exhibition is part of a series of     7     (activity) intended for the China-Spain Year of Culture and Tourism. Apart     8     the 10 life-size Terracotta Warriors and horses, it also features gold and silver, bronze, pottery, and jade cultural relics.

At the opening ceremony on Tuesday, Carlos Mazon, president of Alicante provincial council, called the exhibition “a historic moment.” He said his province “will become a cultural center in Europe in the next ten months,     9     it is the first time that the Chinese Terracotta Warriors     10     (exhibit) abroad since the (COVID-19) pandemic.”

Chinese screen, also known as pingfeng, is a unique and elegant piece of     1     (tradition) furniture in Chinese decoration.

Typically, it     2    (make) of wood and features a delicate appearance. Famous for     3    (it) carving and paintings , the Chinese screen can block wind and noise from the outside, cover a door and make the room private. When     4    (decorate) a house, Chinese people attach great importance to the harmony of their living space with the surrounding environment. Architects believe a screen can help to control     5     the energy flows in a room and promote a feeling of peace and calmness.

With its roots in Chinese culture and ancient history, the screen is more than just     6     physical barrier.     7     addition to its decorative and practical functions , the Chinese screen is considered a symbol of honor and respect as well. When important guests visit, the host often greets them behind the screen as a sign of respect and privacy.

Today, Chinese screens are treasured and employed for their multiple     8    (role). Whether used to divide a room, create privacy,     9     add a touch of traditional elegance to a space, the Chinese screen     10    (remain) a beloved and valuable piece of design.

Solar terms, which     1     (be) also called Jieqi in Chinese, are days marking one of the 24 time buckets or the solar year in traditional Chinese calendar, used to indicate the alternation of seasons and climate changes in ancient China.

As far back as the Spring and Autumn period, there were four solar terms: mid-spring, mid-summer, mid-autumn    2     mid-winter. After continuous improvement, by the Qin and Han dynasties, 24 solar terms have been     3     (full) established.

The Yellow River Basin in Northern China is believed to be the cradle of the solar terms system. China’s 24 solar terms are a knowledge system and     4     (society) practice formed through observations of the sun’s annual motion and cognition of the year’s changes in season, climate and phenology. Ancient Chinese divided the sun’s movement through the sky     5     24 segments, with each segment     6     (equal) one roughly two-week-long “solar term”.     7     (base) on the sun’s position in the zodiac, the 24 solar terms were created by farmers in ancient China     8     (guide) the agricultural affairs and farming activities. They serve as an instruction manual of sorts for farmers, allowing them to know     9     conditions to expect or what agricultural activities to carry out during certain periods of the year.

Solar terms are often called “the     10     (five) great invention” of China after paper making, printing, gunpowder and the compass.

Ineense (香) is material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. Yang Jinqing, an inheritor of Qingyuan traditional incense making, has a burning desire to develop popular fragrances. For decades, Yang has committed     1     (he) to the traditional incense craft in Qingyuan,     2     was named a national intangible cultural heritage by the State Council in June 2021.

The country boasts a profound incense history     3     (date) back to before the Qin Dynasty. The craft and its culture thrived during the Song Dynasty. It found wider     4     (popular) during the Ming and Qing dynasties when it     5     (use) to fend off diseases, insects, mosquitoes and preserve people’s health.

Qingyuan saw many incense workshops set up during the Song Dynasty, thanks to its close geographical location to abundant herbal resources     6     (hide) in the Taihang Mountains.

Nowadays, with the     7     (increasing) expanding market, more than 50, 000 people are engaged in the incense business in more than 500 local incense businesses.

Yang Jinqing has helped to establish     8     engineering center for herbal incense in Hubei that specializes in studying ancient recipes and developing new crafts based on the fragrance. “We might think incense culture is very elegant and, therefore, far away     9     us, but it is actually very close to our lives.” he says. “When drinking tea, playing chess, reading or writing, lighting an incense stick can help calm the nerves and concentrate the mind.”

“I want future generations     10     (appreciate) the charm of China’s incense culture and craft.” he adds.

Qingming is the perfect time for Chinese people to pay respects to ancestors. Meanwhile, it allows us     1     (appreciate) the cultural connotation (内涵) of Qingming. Adventures on Qingming Festival 2023, aired on Henan TV and Elephant News on April 4, features     2     (celebrity) from the circles of music, dance, and culture. They take the audience on a magical springtime journey.

    3     (inspire) by The Creeping Grass, a famous poem from The Book of Songs, the dance Spring Riverside Beauty     4     (shoot) in March in Xiandu Scenic Resort, Lishui of Zhejiang. In this splendid performance, dancers flutter their broad sleeves and sway     5     (soft) with moves of classical Chinese dance, recreating the scene where women in ancient China joyfully began a springtime outing. The musical skit (音乐短剧) Adventure in Early Spring brings famous Song dynasty paintings into life. By organically weaving many elements together, the skit puts on a humorous show that suits both refined     6     popular tastes.

Since the Spring Festival Gala in 2021, Henan TV     7     (improve) its shows based on Chinese festivals, bringing out the cultural connotations of traditional festivals and innovating new ways of presentation, leaving the audience eagerly awaiting     8     comes next. Adventures on Qingming Festival 2023 showcases the art and culture of Qingming,     9     (tap) deeper into the dynamics and hope of Qingming and the emotional value that is unique to     10     festival through a multitude of songs, dances and instrumental performances.

Yingge Dance, a traditional folk art     1     (combine) dancing, Chinese martial arts, and Chinese opera, is popular in the Chaoshan area of Guangdong province in South China. Yingge,     2     is written with the characters for “hero” and “song”, means heroic song in Chinese and Yingge dancers, as     3     (they) name implies, are the avatars of heroes. The dancers each hold a pair of short sticks and strike the sticks with force to create strong beats —     4     artistic display of masculinity. In 2006, the Puning Yingge Dance     5     (list) among the first batch of national intangible cultural heritages in China.

    6    , as young people move out of the villages, so are local folk arts gradually disappearing all around China. In Puning, Yingge is still danced during holidays such as the Lunar New Year and its performers are generally amateurs — farmers who have put down their tools and put on costumes. Some of the parts are passed     7     in the family, from father to son, and so far some villages     8     (start) giving performers a basic salary.

    9     (dress) in colorful clothes and wearing heavy makeup, ordinary villagers have created a song of cultural confidence. The     10     perform), a must-watch for the local people, graces the village square one more time.

Around 160 experts attended the International Forum on Cave Temple Conservation in Chongqing from August 19 to 21     1     (explore) opportunities for cooperation and methods to protect rock carvings in cave temples around the world.

The carvings run the risk of damage as a result of weathering     2     climate change. Li Qun, director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said in the opening ceremony that Chinese cave temples displayed remarkable characteristics in terms of their subject matter, and artistic style,     3     reflected the peaceful nature of Chinese civilization.

The Chongqing forum     4     (hold) to improve the preservation of cave temples and uncover     5     (they) value and historical significance. It contributed to the preservation of humanity’s intellectual achievements.

Experts agreed to promote the     6     (protect) of cave temples in light of global climate change, develop new materials, build early warning systems, and create a global database of historical images, which they hope would help future     7     (generation) appreciate their beauty.

“Water and wind are the primary factors     8     (cause) damage to the cave temples and stone carvings globally,” said an expert. He called for     9     (far) studies on core factors such as water-related damage and the geological environment than now. Moreover, efforts should be directed toward strengthening archaeological investigations and exploring the values     10     these sites, as well as managing tourism.