1 . It’s been nearly two decades since the traditional clothing style Hanfu first started to reemerge in China. Since then it has gone from a small cultural movement celebrating an ancient fashion to a trend that is booming on social media, having been adopted by China’s Generation Z as a means of connecting with their past. Instead of following other cultures blindly, Generation Z now have different opinions about what trend is by promoting local culture while having an objective view of exotic cultural products.

The new tastes of Generation Z—young people born after 1995—are well represented on Bilibili. In the recent New Year’s Eve gala presented by Bilibili, it attracted more than 100 million views within 48 hours with a colourful set of programmes ranging from Peking Opera to classical Chinese cartoons. The same is also true of movie industry. Last year, for the first time, the top 10 most viewed films in China were all domestic films, while the ticket sales for imported films have dropped to only 16.28 percent.

”Generation Z grew up with the rapid development of China and under good economic conditions. With the development of the Chinese Internet industry, they have more access to diverse international information and culture, which bring them a much broader vision and makes them more open and confident in analyzing foreign culture. Apart from taking pride in China’s rapid development, this generation also pursues individuality and values devotion to the country,“ Professor Zhang Yiwu said.

He also noted that the popular rock and punk culture pursued by the 70s and 80s generation is more of a challenge against real life and local culture. Some people who were born in the 1970s and 1980s did not grow up in the Internet age—they experienced the transformation of China going from poor to rich first-hand. This kind of longing and admiration of the West came from a lack of confidence.

However, Generation Z now have the confidence to look at Western culture with equal status. This kind of cultural confidence will result in China being more active and creative in its development on the international stage in the future.

Chinese people love flour-made food, whether it is noodles, dumplings, or flatbread. In the hands of skilled craftsman(手艺人), flour made into lovely models in people or animals brings    1    unique kind of pleasure. The art form is called dough figurine(面塑). In 2008, it    2    (include) in the list of national intangible cultural heritage.

Dongh Figatine lang is a kind of folk art. It was created by Lang Shao’an,     3    learned it from Zhao Kuoming, known as the “king of dough figurines”. The handicraft not only have strong artistic and collection value, but can also provide an important reference    4    the study of old Beijing folk customs and folk handicrafts. Most of the dough figures are animals and    5    (character) from legends, historical stories, and local operas. The    6    (finish) product is either put at the end of a thin stick, or on a table for display.

Lang Jiaziyu is the third-generation inheritor of Dough Figurine Lang. When he was 15, he created Beijing Olympic Mascot-shaped dough figures which were    7    (high) praised. However, Dough Figurine Lang does not get as much attention from the public. Many young people are unwilling to take the time    8    (master) a skill that does not make money, which has led to a decline in the number of those who    9    (committed) to the handicraft in the past decades. Good handicrafts need the    10    (devote) of artisans from one generation to another.

Yours,

Li Hua

To celebrate the birthday is important in one’s life in China. When one is young, usually he will eat noodles before his birthday,     1     the long noodles indicate the longevity in China. After middle age, his birthday will be     2     (grand) than before. On the wedding day, it is also a custom to serve various nuts as good     3     (wish) to the couple.

To most Chinese people, returning home after long     4     (absent) or departure from home is     5     (equal) important and there are dining customs     6     (associate) with this. Noodles and dumplings     7     (offer) respectively. This is especially popular in Northeast China. In Central China, when a baby is born, the happy father will send red boiled eggs to announce     8     news. Eggs with a black pointed end and dots in a number such as six or eight, indicate a boy’s birth; those without a black pointed end and dots in a number like five or seven say the baby is a girl.

In addition     9     these, fish has always been used     10     (suggest) the accumulation of prosperity and wealth with meals on New Year’s Eve.

Looking forward to your reply.

Yours,

Li Hua