It’s a race against time, as generations of cultural heritage conservators at the Dunhuang Academy make a great effort to protect the artistic charm of the Mogao Caves,     1     UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The team     2    (devote) to protecting the 45, 000 square meters of murals (壁画) and more than 2, 400 painted sculptures of the 735 caves of the site, the construction of     3     takes about a thousand years, from the 4th century to the 14th century. The cultural relics are the product of the cultural exchanges that took place over     4    (century)on the ancient Silk Road.

Commonly     5    (see) “diseases” affecting the murals include cracking and flaking, as well as erosion that is caused by changes in temperature and humidity of the caves, and the deposition of salts. To restore a mural requires an all-rounder. Restorers should know painting, master the skills of a mason (石匠) and have some knowledge of chemistry and physics,     6    (be) able to recognize the problems and their     7     (correspond) causes and deliver a solution. They must also select proper materials and tools, and conduct experiments,     8    formally carrying out the restoration and evaluating the effect afterward.

The restoration should respect the original work and aim to maintain the status quo of the murals rather than repainting them. When the restorers find some parts of murals missing     9     fading away, they never repaint them to create a “perfect”     10    (appear) in restoration.

The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, has been officially listed as a UN floating holiday in its calendar of conferences from 2024. The UN General Assembly, in a resolution, acknowledges the     1     (significant) of the Lunar New Year and invites the UN bodies at headquarters and other duty stations to avoid     2     (hold) meetings on the Lunar New Year.

The resolution encourages the arrangement     3     (take) into account when drafting future calendars of conferences. The United Nations identifies     4     (globe) observed holidays as floating holidays and refrains from scheduling meetings     5     such occasions.

China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations said the Spring Festival, as a traditional Chinese holiday     6     features family reunion and good wishes for the coming year, not only     7     (bear) the idea s of the Chinese civilization of peace and harmony but becomes the common values of humanity such as     8     (harmony) family, social inclusion and sound relationship between man and nature.

The resolution serves as a showcase of the influence of Chinese civilization and aims at tolerance and interactions between diverse civilizations worldwide.     9     also reflects the values of diversity and inclusion promoted by the United Nations. The deputy added that the listing of the Spring Festival as a UN holiday     10     (welcome) among member states and staff members of the UN Secretary.

Chinese ancient civilisation has continued all the way through into modern times, despite the many ups and downs in     1     (it) history. There are many reasons why this has been possible. but one of the main factors has been the Chinese writing system.

At the     2     (begin), written Chinese was a picture-based language. It dates back several thousand years to the use of longgu animal bones and shells on which symbols     3     (carve) by ancient Chinese people.

By the Shang Dynasty, these symbols     4     (become) a well-developed writing system. Over the years. the system developed into different forms, as it was a time when people were divided     5     (geographical), leading to many varieties of dialects and characters. This, however, changed under Emperor Qinshihuang of     6     Qin Dynasty.

Emperor Qinshihuang unified the seven major states into one     7     (unite) country where the Chinese writing system began to develop in one direction. Today, no matter where Chinese people live or     8     dialect they speak, they can all still communicate in writing.

Written Chinese has also become an important means     9     which China’s present is connected with its past. The high regard for the Chinese writing system can be seen as an art form.     10     (know) as Chinese calligraphy, which has become an important part of Chinese culture.

Delicate strokes, carved onto wood, with ultimate precision-this is woodblock printing,     1     ancient printing technique that advanced human civilization.

As Buddhism prospered in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) , there was a strong need     2     (produce) a large amount of Buddhist scriptures. Meanwhile,     3     (copy) by hand could not meet the rising demand. Ancient Chinese craftsmen thus came up with a novel way to mass produce printed works. Hence came the earliest form of woodblock printing.

    4     (tradition) woodblock printing comprises four major steps: writing, engraving, printing, and binding. With each step then further     5     (divide) into several procedures, it takes roughly 30 steps to produce a woodblock print. Carving is at the center of woodblock printing as this painstaking step can make     6     break the final print. Characters and images     7     (carve) to produce raised areas or lines that will eventually apply ink to paper. It calls for a pair of skilled hands.

A five-meter-scroll of the Buddhist scripture Diamond Sutra, printed in 868, is the “earliest dated printed book” in the words of the British Library     8     it is stored. It is just one example of ancient works of art that not only tell the wisdom of our ancestors, but also are an evidence of the     9     (pursue) of beauty by Chinese craftsmen throughout centuries.

The invention of writing gave life     10     great thoughts, but it is the invention of printing that made knowledge a shareable fruit for all humankind.

Yu Rong, a Chinese artist, thinks of a new way to introduce     1     ancient story of Hua Mulan in her picture book. In the book, I Am Hua Mulan, she tells the story by     2     (combine) Chinese paper-cutting with international artistic styles. She places Shaanxi papercuts over western-style pencil sketches (素描)    3     (create) typical presentation of Chineseelements (要素), which turns out to be a     4     (success) and impressive breakthrough.

Hua Mulan,     5     story has been told by generations in China, was a fighter from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). As a devoted daughter, she dressed herself as a man to serve in the army     6     place of her father. Mulan’s character, such as courage, kindness and a disinterested attitude towards fame and fortune, made     7     (she) one of the most respected historical Chinese heroines. Mulan’s story has been adapted     8     (frequent) in modern media. For example, in 1998, Disney produced a film named Mulan, which     9     (consider) a great success by critics and the public right after its release.

To better tell the story, Yu Rong takes inspiration from her several     10     (visit) to sites of ancient battles and Henan Province’s Yu Opera. After years of preparation she finally makes this extraordinary work.