2 . The exhibit, Digital Dunhuang — Tales of Heaven and Earth, which was held at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, brought to Hong Kong more than 100 exhibits including the visual murals and other related programs that could allow visitors to learn about the art and history of the Mogao Caves in a fun way.

“Dunhuang was an international city, a place where East met West, on the old Silk Road. So the Mogao Caves, which were completed in a period of over 1,000 years, record the ways of life and beliefs of the different peoples that crossed paths there,” explained Fion Lin of Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

Visitors can now get up close and personal with these faraway treasures without having to step into the caves, thanks to the digitization project of the Dunhuang Academy, a pioneer that has made great progress in the digitization and 3D scanning of the Dunhuang treasures.

“Studies have shown that in a cave, both temperature and CO₂ concentration level can rise with 15 tourists inside for ten minutes. As a result, the wall paintings are going to eventually fade. Digital technology has helped to strike a balance between sharing the treasures and protecting them,” said Lin.

However, digitization of the caves faces many challenges such as poor lighting and rough wall surfaces. On average, 40,000 pictures have to be taken to cover 300 m². Great amount of efforts have been made to piece the pictures together. What the exhibition presented is the result of years of hard work.

During the exhibition period, a mini display on Dunhuang music culture was also being held at the Museum for public participation.

Knowing that you are confused about the custom of giving gifts in China, I’d like to share with some suggestions here.

To begin with, the meaning of the gifts lie in value rather than price. Giving that, you’d better found out the preference of your hosts. When comes to the color of wrapping paper, black or white may not be advisable, both of them are considered to be unlucky in China. Beside, it’s bad manner to pick a clock or a pair of shoes for your hosts. Finally, what makes the gifts specially is the bond between the sender and the recipient. The gifts to the hosts should not be cost.

I hope these suggestions will be of great help to you.

Yours,

Li Hua

4 . As the birthplace of kites in the world, Weifang, Shandong province of China, produces beautiful, vivid, colorful and high-quality kites. Now, more than 70% of kites in the world are exported from Weifang. If you want to see various shapes and sizes of kites covering the sky, you cannot miss the Weifang Kite Festival held on the third Saturday of every April.

But this year, tens of thousands of Chinese participants gathered in Weifang, from Sept 26 to 29 for the 37th International Kite Festival. Held since 1984, the International Kite Festival is an annual event to “exhibit the excellence of the kite lovers to the public,” according to the festival's website.

During the festival, kite lovers can enjoy stunt (特技表演) kite flying, also known as aerial ballet. Controlled by either a single person or a group, the kites form different shapes in the air. People always devote a lot of time and wisdom to making their own kites. From animals that crawl (爬行) on the ground or swim in the water to legends like Monkey King, everything can fly in the sky at the festival. One of this year's highlights was the giant kites decorated with images of medical staff and the Long March 5 rocket, which reflect the hot topics this year.

“Flying a kite is like flying your dream. All the cultural symbols from ancient and modern times can be found in the sky of Weifang,” noted Medium. After more than three decades of development, the festival has become a place to appreciate kites. But most importantly, it serves as a unique cultural event to promote international exchange.

5 . A British friend told me he couldn’t understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds（嗑瓜子）as a snack so much. “I’ve met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth, I believe that’s from cracking the seeds,” he said.

I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware. I realized that whenever I’m watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn’t like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so much just to get one small seed.

When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door-to-door on Chinese New Year’s Eve to check out what every household was making.

I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. Out in the living room, a large table would already be laid out, complete with fancy tablecloth, ready-made dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds. Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.

I don’t think it’s right to criticize one’s choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem.

It’s not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all sorts of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins your breath. They think it’s。delicacy（美味佳肴）, and it’s connected to their certain culture. I think it’s a wonderful tradition.

Last Sunday, my parents and I went to the countryside, which we had a great time together. To make it a green journey, we all agree to cycle there. With everything ready, we set out. Upon arrival, we got down to making preparation. Everyone was enjoying the pleasant but relaxing family atmosphere in open air. After the meal, my father and I couldn’t wait to fly kites. We watched our kites dancing high in the sky, laugh happily together. Mum couldn’t help cheering for them. Dusk fell down before we realized it. Seated together at ease, we quietly watched the gold setting sun, wishing to have more joyfully weekends like this.

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. The Awakening of Insects(惊蛰)falls on Mar．6 and ends on Mar 20 this year．

The Awakening of Insects signals    1    rise in temperature and increased rain fall. As the third solar term in the lunar year,    2    (it)name suggests the fact that animals sleeping in winter are awakened by spring thunder and that the earth begins to come back    3    life．It is the key time for spring agricultural activities. It is also a good time for people    4    (enjoy)fun outdoors, especially for people living in the city. Driving to the suburbs,     5    (fish)in a lake or enjoying the singing bird will make for a perfect weekend in spring．The most popular fruit in this season    6    (be)pears．

The custom of eating pears is     7    (wide)practiced around the Awakening of Insects. As the weather gets warmer and the air becomes    8    (dry),people tend to feel their mouths and tongues are dry,    9    can cause colds or coughs. A pear is sweet, juicy and cold, moistening(湿润) the lungs to arrest a cough．    10    ,pears are recommended during the Awakening of Insects．

I’m writing to you to talk about my opinions about

Yours,

Li Hua

9 . Once,I had an American friend.After she went back home,I never heard from her again.I can't help but wonder if there can ever be real friendship between Westerners and us Chinese.

What is friendship?The Oxford English Dictionary says,"The emotions or conduct of friends."In both Western and Chinese culture,we have similar proverbs when it comes to friendship,such as"a friend in need is a friend indeed."    1    

Chinese people value friendship highly.As you know,Chinese people are known to be extremely hospitable and open-hearted.    2     However,there are different types of friend ship and they treat them differently.

One type of friend in China is a"close acquaintance"who only occasionally eats and drinks and hangs out with you.In the West,they are called"a fair-weather(不可共患难的）friend."Nikki was that kind of friend.Despite our language barrier,we had a lot of fun together..    3     Only real friends can enter your inner circle,where assistance and special care are always provided.

    4     They tend to make friends with those who share the same values or interests.When foreign friend of mine asks for favors on behalf of his or her friend,I often have to clarify whether that person is a"close friend"or just a friend,and then I will decide how much I will help.

    5     But the depth of that friendship is different.So how will you know how l feel ab out you?Well,the moment I stop being polite around you,you are my real friend.

10 . Hanfu is a traditional robe(长袍) of the Han people, which has a history of thousands of years in China. The number of people adopting the ancient style of dress in modern times has. grown significantly these days. The hanfu clothing industry is now worth one billion yuan(US$140.7 million).     1     However, it may be too early to call it a “revival”(复兴).

    2     And it sounds impressive that about 2.2 million people in China wear hanfu. But considering that the clothing retail(零售) industry was worth 1.92 trillion yuan in 2017, one billion yuan is a small number. Similarly, 2.2 million seems a small number considering that China’s population is more than 1.3 billion.

Having played a major role in China’s clothing history, hanfu remained popular until the late 1600s.     3     After pursuing Western fashion, it’s natural that Chinese people are returning to traditional clothing in search of their cultural identity.

But what is the obstacle of hanfu’s revival, despite people’s love for it?     4     The hanfu trend appeared five years ago, so the industry is quite young. And many tailors are still learning how best to make hanfu from historical TV dramas and so on. But most of these historical dramas are fictional, as are many of the clothes the characters wear.

Short-video and live-streaming apps are the other sources that promote the hanfu culture. But most of these live streamers have their own shops.     5     To fulfill their selfish interests, those behind the short videos and live-streaming blame one another instead of working together to revive the hanfu culture.

If these live-streamers really want to develop the hanfu culture, they should change their attitude and work together for the betterment of the hanfu industry.