Shu embroidery (刺绣), also     1     (call) “Chuan embroidery”, is one of the four famous embroidery     2    (style) in China.

It     3     (enjoy) a high reputation as “a treasure of Sichuan” ever since the Han Dynasty. The technique of Shu embroidery reached     4     (it) peak during the Song Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, many embroidery workshops were set up.

After     5     founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Shu embroidery technique was     6     (great) improved and it developed various new kinds. Shu embroidery is famous     7     its superb workmanship, smooth and bright in quality. It has strong expression and artistic effect. The features     8     (say) to be fine and smooth needlework, simple and elegant colors, graceful and easy lines and the traditional Chinese paintings’ style. The needling characteristics lie in the even stitches (针法), bright threads, closeness     9     softness in quality. The embroidery takes locally-produced colorful cloth and threads as the materials.

The unique designs on Shu embroidery include flowers, birds, landscapes, fish, and human figures. Relevant products include curtains, wedding dresses, skirts, bedding and so on. It mainly employs the themes of     10     (happy).

Shadow puppetry—also called shadow play—     1     (get) its start thousands of years ago in China and India. This unique form of storytelling is the     2     (old) type of puppetry in the world so far.

    3     is placed between a light and a screen is a vividly—shaped shadow puppet. Moving it creates the illusion(错觉) of a moving image on the screen.     4     experienced puppeteer can make figures appear to walk, fight and dance.

The first shadow puppets were likely made out of animal hides (兽皮). Their strength and     5     (flexible) allowed the puppeteer to move the puppet easily to create the desired effects. Today, a wide variety of materials are accessible     6     people. You might see shadow puppets made out of paper, plastic, wood or cloth. There’s no end to how creative puppeteers can be when     7     (make) puppets.

Shadow puppets are usually constructed in     8     (whole) separate pieces that are then put together with strings or wires. The strings or wires are usually attached to long rods (杆) that the puppeteer will use     9     (control) the movement of the puppet.

Although shadow puppets can be very creative and elaborate, they also can be very simple. With little       10     no experience, a classroom can put on a simple shadow play with little expense and just a little time.

As a distinctive visual art symbol of China, Chinese paper cutting, has been around for centuries. With     1     (simple) a piece of paper and a pair of scissors, diverse patterns ranging from portraits to animal zodiacs     2     (create) with delicate designs.

Due to their     3     (culture) value and low cost, Chinese paper cut-outs are popular ornaments used to decorate windows and mirrors. When light shines through the negative spaces of the cut-outs,     4     elegant pattern is formed indoors.     5     (refer) to as ‘window flowers’, the pretty cut-outs decorating windows are significant in Chinese traditional culture.

The oldest     6     (survive) paper cut-out is a symmetrical (对称的) circle from the 6th century found in Xinjiang, China. The art of Chinese paper cutting is believed     7     (originate) in China even before the invention of paper by Cai Lun in 105 CE. There have been documentaries     8     record the Chinese using other thin materials such as leaves, silk, and leather to carve hollowed patterns. It was found that during the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC), people had already cut tree leaves into various art forms     9     given them out as presents. They created paper-cuts to depict beautiful things, worship, and express good     10     (wish) .

Since its first appearance in Paris in mid-December, the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Show     1     (attract) huge crowds to admire its fine designs and     2     (color) lights during the cold winter nights at the 163-year-old Jardin d’Acclimatation amusement park.

It is the first time that the lantern show,     3     national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) item in Shanghai, has been held outside China.

The show, which opened on Dec.15 in Paris at the same time as the one that opened in Shanghai’s Yuyuan Garden,     4     (be) among events celebrating the     5     (sixty) anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations. It also welcomes the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism. The show will run through Feb. 25.

According to the event’s organizer Yuyuan Inc., 3,000 online tickets     6     (buy) up in a day, with additional ones being sold in-person.

At the brightly lit double dragon-shaped gate, long lines     7     visitors can be seen at the entrance.

    8     (theme) on “Classic of Mountains and Seas”,     9     shares the name of the ancient Chinese mythology (神话) Shan Hai Jing, the event comprises 60 large Chinese lantern sets and 2,000 traditional lanterns,     10     (allow) visitors to appreciate the breathtaking art of Chinese lanterns and broader Chinese culture.

With their remarkable spirituality and materiality, ancient books play a     1     (vital) important role in bearing the memories and wisdom of the Chinese nation. Indeed, they have helped to safeguard and extend the Chinese civilization, which boasts     2     unique length, breadth and depth.

The Song and Yuan dynasties saw a peak in the     3     (grow) of Chinese culture, which involved a golden age of ancient books. In this period, paper-making technology matured, ink-manufacturing entered a stage of transformation     4     printing technology reached perfection. Books of the time mainly made of paper, with various binding (装订) formats,     5     (include) scroll binding, butterfly binding and wrapped-back binding     6     (handwrite), block-printed, or rubbed from steles (石碑). They showed beauty in fonts, typography, and binding,     7     made ancient books objects of desire for collectors of all time.

The Shanghai Museum     8     (list) in the first group both of the Nationally Key Institutions and of the Municipally Key Institutions for Safeguarding Ancient Books has attached great importance     9     the editing, research, preservation, and display of ancient books.     10     (conduct) the governmental Opinions on Advancing the Work Concerning Ancient Books in the New Era and to respond to the concern of the public, a large number of masterpieces have been selected in this exhibition for our visitors.

The 13th United Nations Chinese Language Day under the theme of “Chinese Language: Together for a Bright Future” has taken place,    1    includes a series of events in celebration of the third International Chinese Language Day. Beijing Dance Academy     2    (launch) an online event to mark the day on April 20, featuring six original dance works of different    3    (style), such as ballet, contemporary dance and classic Chinese dance.

Six art schools from five countries joined in the online event with dance works     4     (specific) created for the special occasion. One of the highlights is     5    new dance piece, titled Tong, or Together, which was created and performed by Beijing Dance Academy and dancers from Brazil, South Africa, Kazakhstan and Poland. It was inspired by the classic Confucius philosophy of datong,     6     (refer) to great unity and grand harmony.

Language Days at the United Nations seek    7     (promote) equal use of all six official languages throughout the organization as well as to celebrate multilingualism and cultural     8    (diverse). Under the initiative, UN duty stations around the world celebrate six separate days, each devoted     9       one of the organizations’ six official languages. The date for the Chinese day     10     (select) from Grain Rain, which is the sixth of 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendars.

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known     1    Qingming Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday that falls on April 4th or 5th each year. It is a time     2     families gather together to pay respects to their ancestors, by cleaning their tombs, offering food, burning incense, and performing other rituals.

The holiday has a long history,    3     (date) back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). Tomb-Sweeping Day is now     4     public holiday in China, and many people take time off from work     5     (visit) their ancestral graves.

During the holiday, families will     6     (typical) bring offerings such as fruit, flowers, and other food items to the gravesite. They will also burn incense and paper money, and may perform a variety of     7     (ceremony).

In recent years, Tomb-Sweeping Day     8    (become) a more commercialized holiday, with many companies offering products and services     9     (relate) to tomb-sweeping, such as online tomb-sweeping platforms, and other products.

Despite these changes, Tomb-Sweeping Day remains an important     10     (culture) holiday in China, and a time for families to come together to remember and honor their ancestors.

Located in Wuyuan county, Jiangxi province, an old Huizhou-style mansion has been given a unique twist with a British garden, a cozy fireplace, and a bar counter,     1     (remain) in harmony with traditional Chinese style despite the Western decor.

The elegant house     2     (own) by British citizen Edward Gawne and his Chinese wife Liao Minxin,     3     native of Jiangxi. In 2015, the couple purchased the old mansion and decided to transform it     4    a bed-and-breakfast.

    5     (dot) with historical sites and ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, Wuyuan has 30 traditional villages. In 2012, the county government adopted     6     (measure) for their protection and development.

“There are trees, bridges, flowing water, and beautiful Huizhou-style houses. It is how I imagined traditional Chinese culture would look,” says Gawne, one of the first foreigners to adopt an old building in the county. The Qing Dynasty-era house,     7     was over two centuries old, had fallen into disrepair. “The house was uninhabitable, and the stairs had even collapsed,” Liao recalls.

After nearly two years of renovation with the help of     8     (globe) designers and architects, their Chinese-English-style B&B     9     (start) operations in 2017.

About 90 percent of their guests are foreigners, and they can     10     (thorough) enjoy the beauty of Chinese traditional villages and learn about the culture and folk customs of Wuyuan and Jiangxi.