3 . Mogao Caves

Regarded as the largest Buddhist cave site with the greatest amount of cultural relics in the world, the Mogao Caves, also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, is a large palace of art combining different ancient architectures, incredible painted sculptures and extraordinary varied wall paintings.    1    .

Most caves found in the Mogao Caves are examples of rock-cut architecture of different styles in terms of building and function.     2    . Many of the caves originally had wooden porches, but only five remains.    3    .

Dating back to over one thousand years ago, the wall paintings in the Mogao Caves, with an area of 450,000 square feet, are valued for their size and richness of content as well as their art techniques.     4     They display the history and folk customs of ancient China and illustrate a variety of stories, natural scenery and daily life of ancient people.

There are around 2,400 painted sculptures in the Mogao Caves.     5    . The early sculptures feature Indian and Central Asian styles, and later they show more Chinese elements.

4 . I am a product of mixed cultures (dad is Arab, mom is American), and I have grown up with cultural differences all my life. This has made me very conscious of watching what people do in different cultures around the world. Cross cultural understanding is really necessary if you want to get along with people from other places.

It is very common, and not considered rude to ask a person's age in Japan when you meet them for the first time. The Japanese language is a rich and complex language that has different words to use depending on the age or status of the person you are talking to. Therefore, it's important for people to know your age range so as not to offend (冒犯) you by showing you less respect than you are due.

Hand gestures and signals are always better to use only in your home country where you understand what they mean, In Turkey, for example, allowing your thumb to protrude (突出) between your first and second finger in a fist is extremely rude. Also, don t make an "OK" gesture, unless you mean to call someone a fool.

Don't touch anyone's head in Malaysia, especially babies. Pointing is also considered rude in Malaysia, where directions are normally given with an open hand.

Giving gifts in China can get you into trouble. Certain gifts in China can cause great offence, such as giving cut flowers, which is only done at funerals (葬礼). Giving a clock is seen as bad luck since the words “giving a clock” sound just like the words “attending a funeral”. A gift of shoes would be interpreted as giving a gift of evil (邪恶). Nothing is expected to be associated with the word "four" because it sounds like the word “death”.

The cultural and creative industry refers to the part of the modern economy     1     culture is produced and distributed through     2     (industry) means.It applies the creativity     3     the generation of original cultural products, which may have commercial value either through direct sale     4     as intellectual property. The industry     5     (typical) brings together the arts, media, and design sectors, with a focus upon digital technologies and opportunities of globalization.

While discussion of the industry can be traced back to the 1940s, it was in the 2010s     6     they caught mass public attention. Policy strategies to develop the industry are associated with expanding markets for cultural goods and services. They seek     7     (develop) the industry by promoting creativity,     8     (lead) to the development of original forms of intellectual property. Besides, supporting industries     9    (base) around culture and entertainment also develop. It serves as an alternative to traditional manufacturing industry.

Over the past years, interest in the industry     10     (range) across communication, media and cultural studies, performing arts, and applied cultural economics.

9 . Chinese and Western eating habits are different. In China, the dishes are placed on the table and everybody shares. It is always polite to let guests or elderly people at the table taste every dish first. But in the West, everyone has his or her own plate of food.

Although there are no strict rules on how to set chopsticks and spoons, there are some things you should never do during a Chinese banquet.

Firstly and most importantly, don’t put your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason for this is that when people die, family members give them a bowl full of rice with a pair of chopsticks sticking out upright in it. So if you stick your chopsticks into rice bowl, it appears that you want someone at the table to die.

Make sure the spout of the teapot is not facing anyone, as this is impolite. The spout should always be directed to where nobody is sitting, usually just outward from the table.

Don’t tap on your bowl with your chopsticks. Beggars tap on their bowls, so this is not polite. Also, when the food is coming too slow in a restaurant, you should not tap on your bowl. If you are in someone’s home, it is like insulting the cook.

10 . Celebrating the holidays can mean different things to different people. Some choose to leave for a trip, while others choose to stay at home with family. Whichever type of person you are, here are some advantages and disadvantages to both decisions.

Staying at Home for the Holidays

Staying at home for the holidays usually means spending time with your family or close friends. You get to do holiday traditions with your family. When you choose to stay at home for the holidays, you can also have more time to catch up on sleep and relaxation. What's more, choosing to stay at home might be cheaper in the long-run, causing you to be somewhat more stress-free. You can also get to those things you have been meaning to get to and make appointments to get your hair, nails, or whatever else you would like done. Some disadvantages may be that you have to deal with some family members that you may not get along well with, or the boredom when you have nothing else to do. You may also not get the luxury of having your bed made for you, like if you were staying at a hotel out of town.

Travelling for the Holidays

Travelling for the holidays can be an amazing experience wherever you go. Theme parks like Disney World enable people, especially children, to see cartoon characters and fantastic castles. Big cities such as Shanghai usually offer lots of sightseeing, various types of cuisine and exciting activities. People also like travelling to places where there is stuff they can't really do at home. For example, people who live in the southern part of China may travel to colder places during Spring Festival, like Harbin, because there is snow and they can enjoy activities such as skiing and snowboarding. One disadvantage is that travelling during holidays can be a little more expensive than usual. You might also run into a little stress, depending on how smoothly your flight goes and whether your travelling arrangement is satisfying.

Overall, no matter how you choose to spend your holidays, make sure it is filled with the people that are closest to you and with lots of love.