Quyi is a general term for all kinds of talking and singing arts in China. It originated from oral literature, the talking and singing performances of ancient people. It refers     1     (primary) to storytelling, accompanied by body movements. There are many different types of quyi-performance in China, such as comic dialogues, degu, pingshu and shuanghuang, among    2    the crosstalk is most popular,

The crosstalk, also     3     (know) as xiangsheng in Chinese, a kind of folk art with “comic” dialogues began as     4     form of Street performance and is generally thought to have taken form in the late Qing Dynasty, particularly during the rule of the Xianfeng Emperor and the Tongzhi Emperor in the mid-1800s.

The crosstalk realizes     5     (it) artistic presentation by means of imitation, talking, teasing, and singing. The jokes     6     (hide) in the baofu, or “package”. When the right time comes, they are suddenly spilled out, just like the funny stuff being thrown out of a carefully, wrapped package, thus unexpectedly but logically with a second thought,    7     (cause) the audience to laugh. Most of the crosstalk     8     (story) come from daily life. Others are based on folk jokes, historic legends, events and word games. The stage props (道具) are quite simple: a fan, a handkerchief     9     a table will be adequate. Normally, a crosstalk performance is done by two people. Up to now, the crosstalk has become a nationwide    10     (entertain) loved by different walks of people.

Chinese calligraphy (书法) is an art form that    1    (involve) the skilled and deliberate use of brush and ink to create beautiful and expressive characters.

The origins of Chinese calligraphy can be traced back thousands of years to the Shang Dynasty, making it one of the     2     (old) continuous artistic traditions in the world. Its evolution is accompanied with the development of the Chinese writing system,     3     consists of thousands of characters, each with its own artistic structure and stroke order (笔顺).

Calligraphy in China    4    (regard) as one of the highest forms of artistic expression. It is not only a means of communication     5     a way to develop one’s character, discipline, and spirituality. The practice of calligraphy requires     6    (patient), concentration, and a deep understanding of the balance between empty space and solid forms.

Different styles of calligraphy have emerged throughout history, each with its own distinct characteristics and artistic conventions. The most famous    7    (style) include regular script (kaishu), running script (xingshu), cursive script (caoshu), and seal script (zhuanshu).

Chinese calligraphy has a profound influence     8     other art forms, such as     9    (paint), poetry, and seal carving. It is often considered as an important part of the Chinese traditional culture, where scholars and artists would gather in a     10    (culture) salon to appreciate and discuss calligraphic works.

Ancient Chinese healing methods     1     (spread) along the Silk Road for over two millennia, but the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has further boosted the internationalization of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, the BRI,     2     aims are to better connect the world and expand common prosperity, has brought the healing powers of TCM     3     more countries and regions, bridging different cultures and promoting international cooperation.

In Budapest, Traditional Chinese Medicine Center of Hungary (Qihuang Center) provides     4     ray of hope for patients seeking relief from various health issues. One such patient is Jozsef Frenyo, an 80-year-old     5     (retire) teacher who suffers from hearing impairment due to an inflammation (发炎) of the middle ear five years ago. Since then, he had to use a hearing aid -- until he visited the Center two months ago when a “miracle”     6     (occur).

After     7     (give) more than 10 acupuncture treatments by TCM expert Zhang Haifang, from northwest China’s Gansu Province, Jozsef’s hearing improved     8     (significant). He no longer needs the hearing aid.

The center has also helped Jozsef’s son, Csaba Frenyo, who has been struggling with obesity-related health     9     (issue). A combination of acupuncture and herbal medicine treatments helped him lose nine kilograms within a month,     10     (ease) his back and knee pains.

A total of 16 Chinese and Italian volunteers, wearing Hanfu, an ancient clothing     1    (traditional) worn by ethnic-majority Han Chinese,    2     (participate) in a parade launched in Venice on Feb. 17, 2023.

The clothing, transported from the Suzhou Silk Museum, was themed of Han, Tang, Song and Ming     3     (dynasty) respectively and well displayed Jiangnan culture and world-known Suzhou silk.

The show attracted lots of young people, most of     4     decided to participate in this initiative, thinking it could be a way to get even     5     (close) to Chinese culture.

The 24-year-old Irene Di Maio,     6     (major) in Chinese in Venice, went to Suzhou to attend a dragon boat festival five years ago. “The event was amazing, especially the part from Suzhou, a city I loved very much. This time I would like     7    (know) more about Hanfu.”

In addition to the clothing show, visitors can also enjoy a series of Chinese cultural activities, including the performance of guzheng,    8     traditional Chinese musical instrument, Hanfu try-ons and calligraphy demonstrations.

Suzhou, considered by the Italian explorer Marco Polo in the 13th century     9    “the Venice of the East”, became a sister city to Venice in 1980, and since then multiple activities of mutual historical and cultural exchange     10     (carry) forward.

If you have not heard of Yangshi Lei, the     1    (honour) name of the Lei family responsible for imperial architecture during the Qing Dynasty, then you have missed an important detail about the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and Yuanmingyuan Garden.

All the above great cultural relics and popular tourist attractions have been included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List,     2     surprisingly enough, they are all designed by the Lei family.     3     (represent) the great achievements of science and technology in ancient China, their architectural practice covered a wide range of city planning, imperial palaces, gardens, temples, princes’ residences and schools.

Yangshi    4     (refer) to architect or architecture in Chinese. Yangshifang, the then government authority similar to the National Architecture Design Institute today, was in charge of site     5     (select), design and construction of imperial architectures.

    6     (amaze), eight generations of the Lei family were appointed director of Yangshifang consecutively from 1662 to 1911.

With so many architectural    7     (work) on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Lei Family is    8     unique phenomenon in the architectural history throughout the world. Apart from the grand architectures, China has another treasure left by the Lei family - design drafts. In the National Library of China alone, there     9     (be) up to 20,000 architectural design drafts, each of     10     plays an important role in the research of the history of the Qing Dynasty and how architecture developed at the time.