With the ideal time for harvesting fresh tea leaves approaching, locals celebrated the beginning of the tea-picking season with a spirited ceremony held at Jingmai Mountain in Yunnan province.

This annual event, which takes place towards the end of March, is a tradition among local minorities. Having been around for centuries, it is a perfect opportunity to show respect for the tea forest before harvesting the gifts of nature. Jingmai Mountain, renowned for its thick forests of ancient tea trees, has been an essential part of the locals’ lives for centuries. People there maintain an ancient method of tea cultivation featuring a unique multi-layered (层) ecosystem, which is regarded as the key to maintaining harmony between humans and nature.

The village has been located halfway up the mountain, close to the tea forest in the middle of the mountain, while farmland is in lower areas with abundant water sources, which can avoid disturbance to tea forests during planting.

The ancient tea forests are now refreshing as the younger generations are introducing new ideas aimed at better developing the tea industry in this area. Xian Gong, 39, started a farmers’ cooperative in 2010 in Jingmai village. Over time, she expanded the initiative by developing it into a company integrating the cooperative, a tea factory, a hostel and a shop under one roof. Today, the tea gardens cover an area of more than 600 hectares and generate an annual output of more than 200 tons, helping nearly 500 households increase their incomes.

A growing number of villagers are embracing new business opportunities by establishing cooperatives, tea factories and homestays. Many have adapted to the latest trends, such as selling tea through live streaming and sharing details of their daily lives and work on social media platforms.

The recent boom in the modern tea industry has motivated the residents to take better care of their ancient tea forests. In addition to their efforts to resist using chemicals and avoid planting other crops in the tea forests, the local government has applied over 20 rules and regulations for the protection of precious ancient tea forests. They hold a strong belief that the tea mountain is the most valuable gift left by their ancestors and it is their due responsibility to protect and make good use of it.

The world will observe International Museum Dayon May 18th. Since 1977, this day    1    (celebrate) by the International Council of Museums annually to raise awareness of the role that museums play in the development of society. The day is an excellent way of    2    (get) more of the younger generations interested in the history and culture available in museums. Every year, the organization    3    (decide) on a new theme. And the theme for 2023 is Museums, Sustainability and Well-being.

The Qinming Festival, originating from the Hanshi Day, is an opportunity for people     1    (remember) and honor their ancestors at tombs. And it became a festival in 732. Then observance (纪念) of Qingming found a firm place     2    Chinese culture and continued for over 2500 years. The Qingming Festival is a time     3     the sun shines brightly, trees and grass become green and nature is again lively. Since ancient times, people     4     (follow) the custom of Spring Outings.

What is culture shock? When he first visited the US, Mr Li was confused on a bus. He offered his seat to an elderly man, but the man seemed     1    (annoy) and refused to take the seat. Later Mr. Li’s American friends explained to him that in the US it is not advisable, and even offensive, to offer your seat to elderly people. This is very different from China, where people     2    (encourage) to do so. From the example we can see that culture shock is the feeling of confusion and anxiety when you encounter     3    (situation) where the cultural norms (标准) in your culture no longer apply.

8 . Young German Man Studies TCM in China

Wu Ming is a young German born after 1995. Wu is a big fan of Chinese culture, such as the Shaolin kung fu, a traditional Chinese martial art. He has been learning traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) since 2016, almost seven years. Now he is studying for his master’s degree at Henan University of Chinese Medicine.

As he thought some diseases can’t be treated thoroughly with Western medicine, he decided to dig into TCM. Wu came to Central China’s Henan province in 2015, where a strong TCM culture can be enjoyed. After one-year of learning Chinese language, he started to learn Chinese medicine. “TCM is one of the best-protected aspects of Chinese culture”, said Wu. He hopes to solve problems and understand Chinese culture deeply by learning TCM.

In the early stages, Wu always tasted some Chinese herbal medicine by himself, just like Shennong, a character in ancient Chinese stories, who tasted most of the herbal medicine himself. To overcome difficulties in communicating, he also learned and practiced Chinese, especially the Henan dialect (方言), as his teachers, schoolmates, and even some patients speak in Henan dialect in their daily conversations. Although sometimes he still has trouble telling the difference between Mandarin (普通话) and the dialect, he can use the Henan dialect to communicate with others.

Studying TCM also changed Wu’s mind and lifestyle. He used to be addicted to electronic devices and stay up late every night, trapped in this fast but unhealthy daily life. But now, according to the Yin-Yang principle in TCM, he lives a balanced and peaceful life, practicing good habits such as drinking tea and reading ancient books.

In Wu’s opinion, there’s no big difference between China and Western countries. “We are the same. Misunderstanding comes from being out of touch”, said Wu. He plans to run a traditional Chinese clinic (诊所) in China or Germany after graduation, which could serve as a bridge between the two countries and attract public attention to TCM and its culture.

Samantha Cristoforetti . 2022/10/12 …仰观宇宙之大，俯察品类之盛，所以游目骋怀，足以极视听之娱，信可乐也。Looking up, I see the immensity of the cosmos; bowing my head, I look at the multitude of the world. The gaze flies, the heart expands, the joy of the senses can reach its peak, & indeed, this is true happiness. ESA及另外4人

Besides ‘‘wow” and “great”, what else would you say when flying over the Earth in space? Samantha Cristoforetti, an Italian female astronaut, posted several lines of a famous ancient Chinese composition on Twitter during her mission at the International Space Station to share her joy.

She first wrote in Chinese, and then attached an accurate translation of the lines in both Italian and English to help more people understand. The text she quoted is from the Preface to Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion, a Chinese calligraphy masterpiece by Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. She also attached three photos taken in space of China’s Bohai Bay and the day-night view of Beijing.

The beauty of space and Chinese literature resonated on Cristoforetti’s Twitter account. Her post went viral on Twitter with thousands of retweets, likes and replies in a few hours. “Her quotation of the lines shows that she observed the universe with the vision of Chinese civilization while observing China from space,” one user comments. “A European astronaut in space recites Chinese ancient poetry, how romantic,” says another.

Cristoforetti has been highly praised for her Chinese language skills. The Italian speaks half a dozen languages and has previously taken part in joint training between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the China Manned Space Agency. Apart from Cristoforetti, Matthias Maurer, a German astronaut from ESA who went to China together with Cristoforetti for the joint training, can also speak fluent Chinese. Since China and Europe have had friendly cooperation in the field of manned space flight, many foreign astronauts have shown great interest in learning Chinese.

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher is positive about the unifying spirit of space exploration. He said, “Space is international. There is no way to put a boundary in space—because the space station and the satellites fly around the earth, cross boundaries, cross cultures, cross religions and different divides in terms of philosophy and history.”

While there may be many problems between nations here on Earth, in space, cooperation is strong.