The first group of 10 intangible cultural heritage    1    (workshop) opened on March 16, 2019 in Nyemo County, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. In 2018, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism    2    (identify) the first group of 10 key support areas of “poverty alleviation (扶贫) via intangible cultural heritage” and planned    3    (establish) numerous workshops there. Nyemo County was on the list as it is home    4    about 10 items of intangible cultural heritage at all levels.

After setting up the workshops, Tibetans    5    have been struggling to make a living in poor areas will have a chance to make    6    (they) way out. Basang has been learning the skills of making Xoleg paper for three years. At present, Basang earns 3,000 yuan a month    7    his family has achieved poverty relief thanks to his new skills.

China has spent 300 million yuan on    8    (protect) the intangible cultural heritage of Tibet Autonomous Region over the past 13 years. And more support    9    (give) to the region to develop relevant training and    10    (promote) activities later.

Beijing Opera is     1     form of Chinese opera,     2     (combine) acting, talking, singing, music, dancing and acrobatics, all of     3     are difficult to master. That’s     4      it is one of China’s national     5     (treasure). There are four roles and each role has     6     (it) own singing and acting styles. In early days, Beijing Opera was usually performed on open-air stages, so the performers had to sing     7     very high voices in order to be heard over the crowds. And in the past it was often performed on stages that were     8     (light) only by oil lamps. The costumes had to have bright and colourful patterns.     9    , it would have been difficult to attract the audience’s attention. It’s     10     (absolute) amazing.

It was the first time for Tom Jenkins     1    (spend) Spring Festival in China. He found the house     2    (clean) from top to bottom to sweep away the dirt of the past year and get ready for the new year. It is believed     3     happiness arrives to attach Fu to the door upside down. The night before the Spring Festival, people set off fireworks to scare     4     the monster Nian.

Xu Gang usually goes back home     5     Spring Festival and choose     6    (gift) to his parents     7    (care). His parents will tell him things     8     have been happening. It was great to have hotpot with his families and friends.

Li Yan and her husband miss their children and grandchildren a lot. They start getting ready for their homecoming     9     a few weeks. Her grandchildren run, shout and play and her children talk about the past year. They gather to enjoy dumplings which     10    (be) a sign of their wishes for health and happiness.

I have never liked my English name. My parents didn’t know that Cindy was short for Cynthia, or that Cindy Brady was the Cindy of the moment. They     1    (choose) it because it sounds like my Chinese name, Shin-tzer.

My name isn’t full of flowers like most Chinese girls’ names. My grandfather wanted me to have     2     (strong) of character, not mere physical beauty. “Cindy” seems colourless by comparison. It’s just a couple of syllables that sound good together.

I grew up     3     (speak) English and eating with a fork. Yet the customs about names are extremely     4     (tradition), down to our use of an ancient naming poem.

Most Chinese names are ones of a kind, a coupling of two words out of thousands of possibilities expressing     5     family’s hopes for the child. It was March when my brother and his wife     6     (expect) their second boy.The emails began to fly as we conferred about the baby’s Chinese name. My brother’s wife is a Korean, so the name had to sound good     7     Korean, too. One thing was certain—his name would contain the word “shi”, or “world”,     8     can also mean “generation”. We are on the     9     (six) word of a couplet that my family has used to name its     10     (son) for generations.

Throughout history, some of the     1     (origin) customs have changed, but the spirit of the festival-- the spirit of family--has largely been kept. Most of the important Spring Festival traditions are still being practised by people     2     the country.

To Li Yan, a     3     (retire) grandmother in Heilongjiang，Spring Festival is still about the joy of family gathering. She loves to     4     (surround) by her entire family. Weeks before Spring Festival, she starts to make     5     ( preparation) for the young people’s homecoming.

For the younger generation,     6     (return) home to spend Spring Festival with parents is no easy task. Flights have to be booked as early as possible. Usually tickets are hard     7     (get), and the journey would be tiring. But all the efforts pay off when the whole family sit together around a hotpot, filling each other in on what's been happening.

The festival even attracts foreigners. Tom Jenkins     8     is an exchange student in Nanjing, spent his first Spring Festival with his host family. He joined them in sweeping away the dirt of their house and attaching the Chinese character Fu to their front door.     9     is believed that when Fu is put upside down, happiness     10     (arrive ). Everything is so interesting to him but the best part is to let off fireworks, which is expected to scare away the monster Nian.

Sichuan hot pot

The surface of Sichuan hot pots is covered with a beautiful layer of chillies, Sichuan peppers, spring onions and red oil. Fresh meat, fish and vegetables can be tipped into the pot. The hot flavour can     1    (quick) people’s laughter and conversation, making the meal the perfect way     2    (relax) with friends. Sichuan hot pots are perfect for the damp, foggy climate     3    they were invented. In the beginning, the delicious dish was simple. Over time, it     4    (expand) to include multiple options of soups, vegetables, meats and sauces, appealing to people of different tastes.

Nanjing salted duck

Served plain in thin, white slices, the meat of Nanjing salted duck is juicy and salty. The     5    (count) waterways in the country side around Nanjing make the area perfect for raising waterbirds.     6    (traditional), duck is considered to have cooling properties, so it is appropriate     7    the hot summer months. Nowadays, people eat salted duck all year round and it     8    (estimate) that tens of thousands of ducks are consumed every day in Nanjing!

Cantonese dim sum

In Guangzhou, morning tea is     9    essential part of the daily routine. Today Guangzhou’s restaurants stimulate customers’ appetite with a variety of delicate and delicious dim sum. The Cantonese do not hurry over their breakfasts,     10    (spend) hours together chatting, drinking tea and working their way through the menu.