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.

Celadon(青瓷),    1     type of porcelain(陶瓷), is a traditional Chinese art. Mature celadon came into being in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In Tang Dynasty, celadon     2    (export) to lots of overseas countries, such as Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Japan,    3    (play)a major part in the “Maritime Silk Road”. The celadon from the Guan Kiln of the Southern Song Dynasty is the peak of celadon producing,    4     is characterized by its bright and smooth lines, simple shapes and pure colors. It is considered     5     the treasure among ancient porcelain products. Nowadays many Chinese porcelain factories have     6    ( use) more advanced facilities and upgraded producing technology, making them green as jade and bright as a mirror.

The formation of each celadon is a process of life casting. Only after being burnt at around 1300℃ for 400 hours can it be made into an object. The     7     (difficult) of firing celadon is obvious, but at the same time, it     8    (make) each piece unique in the world. Because of the existence of celadon, many Chinese     9    (artist) have been constantly searching for the spirit of “the unity of man and nature” by appreciating the art of “mud and fire” and     10    (reflect) on the historical and cultural context in it.

Liangzhu Museum displays     1     (vary) burial objects found in the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins have gained worldwide recognition as evidence for the     2     (exist) of at least 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

When Zhang Han set foot inside Liangzhu Museum, the 10-year-old embarked on a tour that took him back more     3     5,000 years. Wearing the smart glasses, Zhang was presented with virtual images of relics. Augmented reality glasses feature among a string of       4     (measure) taken by the museum to give visitors a more vivid experience of Liangzhu civilization, while helping       5     gain a better appreciation of Chinese culture.

Tourists can also visit       6     official website of Liangzhu Museum to enjoy a virtual tour. With a click of the mouse, they can gain access to exhibition halls that they may never be able to visit physically.

Advanced technologies are       7     (increase) playing a major role in Chinese museums. In the northwestern Chinese city of Dunhuang,    8     (know) for the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mogao Grottoes, the “digital Dunhuang project” has made extensive use of digitalization. By the end of 2021, it       9     (complete) the digital collection of 268 grottoes, the image processing of 164 grottoes, and so on.

The protection and revival of Dunhuang’s ancient culture is not an isolated case in China. The Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi province also have 3D “digital archives”, which allow precious cultural relies and historical archives       10     (preserve) permanently.

In the workshop of     1     brush pen store in Huzhou, Shi Wangli makes traditional Chinese brush pens. Her hands are immersed (浸泡) in water for at least eight hours a day, in     2     summer and winter. The choice of the hairs in steps of making a quality brush pen     3    (be) of great importance and the work she does cannot be performed     4     a machine. It is a difficult but meaningful job. She is     5     (young) brush pen technician in Huzhou. The manager of the store says he is worried the thousand year old technique for     6     (make) the Huzhou brush-pen used in calligraphy (书法) will be lost with few young people willing to learn it. In Chinese history, brush-pen is an essential (基本的) tool for cultural inheritance (传承).     7    , with the rapid progress of modern technology, brush pens were replaced firstly by pens, then ballpoint pens and now keyboards.

The Ministry of Education required elementary and middle schools to start calligraphy classes     8     (protect) the Chinese traditional culture. There is a general belief that brush pen making should     9     (consider) as a technique that represents Chinese culture. People should get to know the     10     (meaning) and thoughts behind these traditional techniques.

So far, four ancient Chinese irrigation (灌溉) sites     1     (honor) as World Heritage Irrigation Structures, which has brought the total number of irrigation projects in China on the list to 23.

Tianbao Weir (堰), one of the     2     (new) awarded projects, is situated in Fujian Province. With a history of over 1,200 years, the weir is the     3     (old) existing water project specifically aimed at stopping saltwater and     4     (store) freshwater.

Longshou Canal and Ancient Luohe River Irrigation District in Shaanxi Province is said to be     5     first underground canal in China’s history. The canal is a major branch of the Yellow River, providing irrigation for local     6     (farm) in the face of droughts and water shortage.

The Weirs of Baishaxi Stream Project in east China’s Zhejiang Province is made up of 36 weirs, 21 of     7     still offer irrigation water. The project     8     (cover) 45 kilometers of the Baishaxi Stream and has a total water level drop of 168 meters.

Sangyuanwei Polder Embankment (堤) System is located in south China’s Guangdong Province, which was first built     9     the 10th century. The embankment extends for 64.8 km and the system provides irrigation, drainage canals and water pathways.

The ancient irrigation projects are treasures of the development of Chinese water     10     (cultural) and of great value for the development of Irrigation agriculture in China.

Paper lanterns are beautiful decorative lanterns,     1    (original) made of rice or silk paper, covering a light source. They have been used to decorate rooms during festivals and other important     2    (occasion) for hundreds of years. Nowadays,     3    (hang) lanterns is still one of the traditional customs in many places.

Due     4     the thin covering of paper lanterns, the lanterns are very beautiful when they are lit. Different paintings and designs       5    (attach) to the thin covering, making the lantern more attractive.

The only color not traditionally used in making paper lanterns is white; it is often used in memory of     6     dead in many Asian cultures. Paper lanterns have     7     (vary) shapes and sizes. A common design is the ball or globe design,     8     holds its shape by being stretched (伸展) over bamboo strips.

It is very unusual today to see paper lanterns that hold candles, unless the paper     9    (use) is fire resistant (耐火的). It’s simply too easy for them to catch fire, otherwise. So in modern times, for safety, people often use a small electric light instead of a candle     10    (avoid) possible fires.

It’s common to see a barista (咖啡师) create coffee art, but it’s a whole     1     (difference) ballgame doing the same thing with tea. Han Zheming has managed to perfect     2     skill, creating tea art in cups, or dian cha     3     Chinese, which used to be a ritual (仪式) during the Song Dynasty (960—1279).

Over the past six years, he has used tea and spoons     4     (create) beautiful patterns based on ancient paintings.

“It’s like adding bells and whistles to tea and giving people a stronger sense of occasion, so     5     (drink) tea is more fun,” Han says. He     6     (want) to bring the old ritual back to modern life and have more people appreciate     7       (it) charm.

Han says. “It is similar to the foam on top of a cup of coffee, except that it consists of tea rather than milk.”

Chinese tea culture started to enjoy popularity during the Tang Dynasty (618—907) and flourished throughout the Song Dynasty,     8     tea had become a necessity for almost everyone, just like rice, oil and salt.

“I want more people to understand the items that     9     (use) by people in the past to drink tea, and the special     10     (reason) behind the ways they prepared tea,” he says.

Weiqi is the Chinese name for the classic board game    1    (common) known in English as Go. The game,     2     was called yi in ancient China, has a history of over 3, 000 years. Weiqi is a board game between two players     3    (use) black and white game pieces.

According to ancient books, weiqi     4    (invent) by the Chinese emperor Yao. In the Spring and Autumn Period, people would use terms in weiqi like “ju qi bu ding”(meaning “holding a game piece but not sure what move to make”)     5    (describe) vacillation (犹豫不决) in polities. It’s quite clear how popular the game was at that time. Later, there were lots of talented weiqi     6    (player) in all dynasties and many emperors in ancient China were weiqi lovers, such as Cao Cao and Zhu Yuanzhang.

The rules of weiqi are very simple     7     the choices to move the game pieces vary.

This is where the charm of the game lies. The time for one round of weiqi can be     8    (difference). In most cases, it takes one or two hours to finish one round of weiqi.

Weiqi is a game that combines science, art and     9    (compete). It’s no wonder that the game has been popular for thousands of years and is gradually becoming     10     international cultural game.

With exotic Silk-Road themed music performed by musicians from the China National Traditional Orchestra, a grand art exhibition titled Silk Road: Artists’ Rendezvous kicked off     1     the afternoon of Aug 15 at the National Art Museum of China.

    2    (attract) about 40 foreign diplomats and representatives from several international organizations, the exhibit presents over 190 works by artists from 112 countries in the Belt and Road Initiative. The exhibit also     3     (include) an interactive, immersive unit where visitors may click a mouse or use     4     (they) fingers on a touch screen to change digital versions of the artwork.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism     5     (invite) influential artists from Europe, Africa, America, Oceania and Asia for field trips, residency programs and workshops across China over the last decade. Drawing inspiration from their China experiences, these artists have created a wide     6     (various) of works, including oil paintings, traditional Chinese ink paintings, sculptures and mixed media.

“The Silk Road was important over the centuries. It carried not only silk but also knowledge and cultures,” said Shahbaz Khan,     7     is the director of UNESCO Beijing, at the opening ceremony.

The Silk Road is     8     invaluable world heritage to be celebrated for reminding the world of the importance of cultural diversity and cross-cultural communication, Khan said, adding “cultural and artistic creations, no matter their specific     9     (form), are all conducive to innovation and sustainable development in a country”.

Khan suggested that the exhibit     10     (bring) to countries in the Belt and Road Initiative.

You may think you couldn’t live through summer without air conditioning. But in ancient China, hand fans were almost the only way     1     (drive) the heat away.

Chinese people have used hand fans     2     2,000 years. The fans came in different shapes and were made of     3     (vary) materials. Palm leaf fans were much cheaper and     4     (easy) to make. Feather fans marked to owner’s high status. Sandalwood fans could send out a sweet smell.

Later, hand fans became far more than just something     5     could cool you down. They developed into works of art, in which Tuanshan—round fans, and Zheshan—folded fans were the most common. In the shape of a full moon, round fans     6     (make) of silk. They had beautiful embroidery (刺绣)     7     (feature) birds and flowers on them. Women     8     (especial) those in the royal palace, like to use them. Poets in ancient China often compared a woman’s round face to round fans. A poet in the Qing Dynasty, Nalan Xingde was a typical example. He wrote, “If only life were as beautiful as we first met, why should the autumn wind bother to pity painted fans?” Meanwhile, men liked to use folded fans to paint and write poems one them. It was     9     way to show off their skills in literature, painting and calligraphy.

Today, Chinese people still use these fans, though many people doesn’t write     10     paint on them any more.