The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms(节气). Autumn Equinox (秋分), the    1    (sixteen) solar term of the year, begins this year on September 23rd and ends on October 7th. Autumn Equinox    2    (lie) at the midpoint of autumn, dividing autumn into two equal parts.

As is said in    3    ancient book, “It is on Autumn Equinox day    4    the Yin and Yang are in a balance of power. Thus, the day and night are of equal length, and    5     are the cold and hot weather.” After that day, the location of direct sunlight moves to the south,     6    (make) days shorter and nights longer.

By Autumn Equinox, most of the areas in China have entered the cool autumn. When the cold air meets the declining warm and wet air, rainfalls are the result. The temperature also drops    7     (frequent).

On Autumn Equinox day, thousands of people around the world try to make eggs stand on end. According to     8     (expert), on the Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox, the earth’s axis is in a relative balance of power with the earth’s orbit around the sun. But some also say that standing the egg has nothing to do with the time. The most important thing is to shift the egg’ s center of gravity to the     9     (low) part of the egg.     10     this way, the trick is holding the egg until the yolk sinks as much as possible.

To promote various applications of Dunhuang art patterns in daily life design and achieve the development of cultural heritage represented by Dunhuang art patterns, the Chang Shana Design Award in 2021    1     (announce) on January 21.

Chang Shana, an outstanding designer and educator in China, was just 13 when her love affair with Dunhuang    2    (begin). Born in France, she returned from Paris with her father and devoted    3    (they) to the cause of cultural heritage. She was much    4    (young) than the other members in the conservation and research team at the Mogao Caves,     5    leader was her father Chang Shuhong (1904-1994),    6    noted painter and director of the Dunhuang Academy. Chang has spent her entire life carrying on her father’s     7    (commit) to Dunhuang. She applied the classic patterns    8    her own modern designs in a creative way after conducting research into the variety of patterns    9    (find) on the murals (壁画).

In the hope that more designers can understand and use the Dunhuang art patterns    10     (appropriate), the competition is also meant to spread Dunhuang culture practice the “Silk Road Spirit” and promote cultural exchanges along with the Belt and Road Initiative.

Sanxingdui (三星堆) is believed to have sat at the heart of the Shu state,     1     historians know little about because of the lack of written records. Discoveries     2    . (make) at the site can date back to the 12th and 11h centuries BC, and many of the     3     (item) are now on display at an on-site museum. The site has revolutionized experts' understanding of how civilization evolved in ancient China. In particular,     4     (evident) of a unique Shu culture suggests that the kingdom developed independently of neighboring societies in the Yellow River Valley, which was     5     (traditional) considered to be the cradle of Chinese civilization.

The first Sanxingdui relics     6     (discover) by a farmer in 1929. Generations of researchers     7     (work) on the discovery of the Sanxingdui culture ever since.

The Sanxingdui findings are     8     (excite), but no texts have been found, nor is there any mention of this culture in the records of other countries. Analysis of elements in the relics indicates sources similar     9     those of other cultures along the Yangtze River. At this point, however, the unique culture that produced these man-made objects remains     10     mystery.

We seem to be very familiar with teahouses. The function of a teahouse varies widely     1     （depend） on the culture. In China, a teahouse is a place     2     people gather to enjoy tea, chat and socialize. It     3     （consider） as a symbol of Chinese tea culture.

Chinese teahouses enjoy a long-standing history. They developed from tea stands in the Western Jin Dynasty,     4     （take） shape in the Tang Dynasty, developed     5     （gradual） in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties and became booming in modern times.

In the Song Dynasty, teahouses existed all over cities and villages,     6     a rate comparable with that of restaurants. The owners preferred to decorate their teahouses with paintings of celebrities（名人）and rare and precious plants     7     （attract） customers. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the number of teahouses went beyond that of restaurants, gaining more     8     （popular） and becoming more famous. Later, the acculturation（文化移入）of Western culture forced traditional Chinese teahouses to take on     9     new look. After reform and opening-up, teahouses flowered in China with the development of the economy and evident improvement of     10     （people） living standards.

What comes to mind when you think of kung fu?     1     your mind is filled with images of Shaolin monks or Bruce Lee, you wouldn’t be wrong. But for Laurence J. Brahm, an American documentary filmmaker, the first thing that springs to mind     2    (be) the concept of non-violence.

“Wushu, the official Chinese name for kung fu,     3    (translate) into ‘martial arts’ in English for a long time. Martial means military,” Brahm told a roomful of people     4    (attend) the premiere (首映式) of his latest work, Searching for Kung Fu.

As Brahm explained, if you break down the character “wu”, it consists of two     5    (character): one is “ge”, meaning dagger-axe; the other is “zhi”, meaning to stop. So, the meaning of martial arts in Chinese is not the “art of fighting”, a concept that many people take for granted.    6    the contrary, he said, kung fu is the art of stopping fighting, the art of non-violence.

In the movie, Brahm takes the audience on a kind of pilgrimage (朝圣), inviting them     7    (accompany) him as he travels to a host of     8    (historical) important locations in search of     9     origins of kung fu.

Beyond that, Brahm studies the principles and values in this Chinese cultural legacy (遗产),     10     dates back thousands of years but keeps its enormous influence and attraction to this day.

China is known for its brilliant civilization that     1    （continue）since the ancient times despite the many ups and downs in its history. It is     2    （wide）accepted that one of the reasons has been the Chinese writing system.

Several thousand years ago written Chinese was only symbols     3    （carve）on animal bones or shells. During the Shang Dynasty, these symbols became a well-developed writing system in a     4    （vary）of forms. This, however, changed in Qin Dynasty. Emperor Qin Shihuang united the seven major states into one unified country     5     the Chinese writing system began to develop in one direction. That writing system was     6     great importance in uniting the Chinese people and culture.

Written Chinese also serves as a vital way     7    （connect）China's present with its past. People in modern times can learn about the ancient Chinese by reading their classic works or     8    （appreciate）Chinese calligraphy.

Today, with China playing     9     greater role in global affairs, the Chinese writing system has established     10    （it）as a window through which more and more international students can access China's culture and history.