Often called the Porcelain (瓷器) Capital for its important role in the domestic and international ceramic (陶瓷) industry, Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province is     1     (remark) for its ancient porcelain production that     2     (date) back to more than 1, 700 years ago.

As the most important ceramic production center in China, Jingdezhen produces high-quality porcelain that is appreciated both in China and worldwide. In December 2014, Jingdezhen was     3     (official) approved by UNESCO and joined the Creative City Network,     4     (gain) itself the “City of Crafts and Folk Art” title. In recent years, by making use of its cultural advantages, Jingdezhen     5     (organize) important activities on ceramic arts. These events have transformed Jingdezhen into     6     incredible platform for diversified cooperation and communication,     7     young artistic talents are drawn.

Establishing a name for himself, Deng traveled from Qingdao to Jingdezhen     8    (explore) the clever cosmos of ancient Chinese ceramic vase patterns. His ceramic works are full     9     elements of fashion, humor, and character painted on with traditional Chinese ink. Delicate and sensitive to the touch, Deng’s brilliant pieces are a sight to see. The red and pink     10     (combine) of colors and lighting surrounding the vases represent Chinese happiness and Western passion, attracting East and West in the same narrative, on the same canvas (画布).

The living heritage, Kunqu Opera, is harmonious, elegant and emotional. These romantic features make Kunqu Opera one of the most loved art forms in China.

Born in Suzhou, Kunqu Opera distinguished     1     (it) by its rhythmic patterns. It became     2     (wide) popular during the Ming Dynasty. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Ming and Qing dynasties, opera players often     3     (gather) in Suzhou, staging dramatic works in ancient China. Combining tunes performed in the Suzhou dialect, graceful body movements, martial arts and dance, Kunqu Opera uses a variety of movements to express specific     4     (emotion). It also pays attention to each difference. Graceful movements animate (使具有活力) the fingertips and unique tunes make     5     rich and poetic world.

Kunqu Opera had an important influence     6     many forms of operas in China, including Peking Opera, which is about 200 years old. It is therefore known as the mother of all Chinese operas. As a     7     (tradition) representation of Chinese culture, stories     8     (perform) in Kunqu Opera have gone beyond time and space. The Peony Pavilion, written by playwright Tang Xianzu, who     9     (compare) to Shakespeare, is still loved by fans from around the world.

A living heritage is an endless dialogue between the present     10     the past, and Kunqu Opera is a carrier to pass that legacy on.

The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, has been officially listed as a UN floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings as from 2024.

The UN General Assembly, in resolution (决议) , acknowledges the significance of the Lunar New Year, which     1     (observe) in many UN member states and invites the UN bodies at headquarters and other duty stations to avoid holding meetings on the Lunar New Year. The resolution encourages this arrangement     2     (take) into account when future calendars of conferences and meetings are drafted.

Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said the adoption of the resolution     3     Spring Festival featuring family reunion and good wishes for the     4     (come) year has been listed as a UN floating holiday is very meaningful. It not only bears the ideas of the Chinese civilization of peace and harmony but also carries the common values of humanity like     5     (harmony) family, social inclusion (认同感) and sound relationship between man and nature.

The resolution serves     6     a showcase of the influence of Chinese civilization and aims to enhance interactions between diverse     7     (civilization) worldwide. “It also reflects the values of diversity and inclusion     8     (promote) by the United Nations,” he said.     9     listing of Spring Festival as a UN holiday was     10       (wide) welcomed among member states and staff members of the UN Secretariat, Dai added.

Every year during the Spring Festival, a small village east of Beijing puts on a special show. It’s about -15°CS and a man dressed in a straw hat and sheepskin coat who     1    (throw) spoon after spoon of heavy molten iron (铁水)at a massive, icy wall. The collision (碰撞)between the l,600°C liquid metal and the frozen brick creates a waterfall of sparks (火花)     2    (fall) over him, equally beautiful and dangerous.

This is a very performance     3     requires extraordinary courage, skill and strength. Known as Da Shuhua, it has a history of 500 years in Nuanquan, a highly-developed steel town. Da Shuhua translates literally into “beating down the tree flowers,”     4     agricultural activity of hitting fruit trees to increase growth.

In ancient times, fireworks weren’t always     5    (wide) affordable. So people in Nuanquan made use of scrap iron and developed Da Shuhua as a way     6    (celebrate) festivals. As a result, they brought firework displays     7     a whole new level.

Today, Da Shuhua has become more popular than ever, because of     8    (rule) of banning on fireworks to reduce air pollution in some parts of China. Every year, this unique firework display attracts tons of people in spite of the freezing cold weather     9     draws attention for its protection. Since 2021, it     10    (list) as an intangible cultural heritage of China.

As the most     1     (wide) recognized type of Chinese opera in the world, Beijing Opera is regarded as the quintessence of Chinese culture. When performing Beijing Opera, artists follow the     2     (establish) types of singing, reciting, acting and martial arts,     3     are the four main elements and skills of Beijing Opera. Usually, performers start practicing these four skills from     4     early age. Perseverance is the key to the lively characters     5     stage.

Beijing Opera combines wonderful performance with fine costumes and makeup. The unique     6     (face) makeup art is called “Lianpu”. It uses a form of exaggeration    7     (show)the nature, psychological and physical features of the characters.

Color patterns are painted on the performers’ faces, especially on their eyebrows, eye sockets and the corners of their mouths. The face colors are connected with the characters’     8     (personality). For example, red means loyalty and hospitality; black shows     9     (fair)and justice; white indicates doubtfulness; blue suggests bravery; gold and silver create a sense of grandness.

Up to now, the art of Beijing Opera “Lianpu”     10     (apply) to many creative cultural products. Special stationary, clothing and skincare masks are getting more and more popular around the world.

The Chinese couplet (对联) refers to two poetic lines obeying certain rules, often     1     (write) on red paper for     2     (appreciate).

As a form of Chinese literature, the couplet     3     (vary) in content and style. Some express people’s love to their motherland, some describe the beauty of nature,     4     some convey best wishes for the coming year.

Chinese couplets originated in the Five Dynasties, and since then they     5     (become) commonplace everywhere in China. It was the custom for people     6     (hang) peach wood charms to drive away evil spirits during the Spring Festival. Nowadays, couplets are used in a similar way.

It was said that the     7     (early) couplet was created by Meng Chang, king of Later Shu and it was     8     (wide) popular in the Northern Song Dynasty. At present, writing couplets     9     (regard) as a mark of the cultured life of scholars.

The couplet has two equal-length lines. However,     10     number of characters in each line can be from four to seven or more. The first and the second lines have opposite tone patterns. The last character of the first line is of an oblique tone, and its opposite in the second line, is of a level tone.

A traditional Chinese dance performed underwater in Luoyang, Central China’s Henan Province,     1     (go) viral on social media during the Dragon Boat Festival. The show led to renewed passion among audiences for traditional Chinese art and culture.

The     2     (impress) dance is named The Prayer, which was the opening performance of the gala (盛会) by Henan Television Station on Saturday. In the video on social media the underwater actress is seen dancing     3     colorful traditional Chinese costume. The short dance,     4     (last) less than two minutes, was seen as a     5     (combine) of contemporary art and traditional Chinese culture.

“The water made the costume even more lovely and the moves     6     (graceful)!” said one observer online. Netizens were left     7     (amaze) by both the beauty of the dancer and the creativity of the dance underwater. The dance featured a character from     8     famous ancient Chinese painting Ode to Goddess Luo, the daughter of a sacred king character Fu Xi in a Chinese tale who drowned     9     then became a goddess.

“The moves were captured underwater at 4.5 meters from the ground. The team spent a total of 26 hours underwater     10     (complete) the shooting (拍摄). The film team had to soak (浸泡) themselves in the water in each shooting session,” Chen Jia, director of the HNTV gala, said to local media.