2 . The Mogao Grottoes were a center of Buddhist life and some of the world’s great cultures for hundreds of years. However, by the late Qing Dynasty they had been abandoned and nearly forgotten and many of the caves had become damaged by the elements. Around 1900, with the discovery of a library of thousands of ancient documents, the caves received new interest from Chinese and foreign researchers. Unfortunately, this resulted in tens of thousands of items from the caves being taken to foreign museums

In the 1940s, many researchers and artists visited the area to study traditional Chinese art. Copies of some of the artwork painted by respected artists such as Zhang Daqian and GuanShanyue helped people all over the country learn about Dunhuang. These artists were also inspired by the artwork they saw in the caves and it began to influence their painting styles. Others staved in the desert for much longer, Chang Shuhong stayed for the rest of his life — struggling to record the cultural treasures and protect them from the weather. As a result of their efforts the Dunhuang Academy was formed to protect and study the Mogao Grottoes.

In 1987, the Mogao Grottoes were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the caves are open to the public, access is now limited in order to protect the artwork. However, the caves can be seen online in digital form so that people around the world can study and enjoy them.

Despite its remoteness, the Mogao Grottoes continue to draw visitors. And just as the sand and desert have survived largely unchanged through the centuries, this small art gallery in the desert has also survived largely unchanged providing an amazing look at a world long ago past.

3 . Living in a different country can be a culture shock for many people, so make sure you know about the food, customs and culture of the place you are planning on moving to.     1    . Here is some of my experience of moving from Spain to the UK.

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The first thing that I did when I got out of the airport was to cross the road, but I looked the wrong way! In the UK the cars drive on the lefthand side of the road whereas in Spain they drive on the right. I almost got run over because I was still thinking I was in Spain. You have to be very careful when you move to another place.

Drink water

    3    . In the UK the filtering (过滤) of the water means that you can drink straight from the tap. On my first night back I forgot that I could drink water from the taps and spent the night wishing I had a bottle of water. When I woke up, I realized how silly I had been.

Time is different

If we are going for a proper night out at the weekend in Spain we might not meet until 10 or 11 pm at night or even later sometimes. This means we might not actually get home until 5 or 6 o’clock the following morning.     4    !

Greet everyone with a kiss

In the UK most men use a handshake to greet other men.     5    . Women may be greeted with a handshake, a hug or a kiss on the cheek, depending on the situation. In Spain, among my friends, everyone is greeted with a kiss on both cheeks and maybe a quick hug.

Some people love to read books. They can’t get enough of the    1     (print) word. Others have a big appetite for making and eating food. Well, if you are both an    2     (enthusiasm)   reader and eater, you may want to take part in an edible book festival,     3     you can have your book and eat it, too!

In such festivals, people create projects and present    4     to judges. There are two rules: the project must be made of food, and it must be based    5     a book. For example, someone might make the chocolate factory from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with chocolate bars.

Sometimes, judges award prizes for the best projects like “Best Pun.” A pun is a funny play on words that sound similar but have different    6     (meaning), like tale and tail. A possible    7     (win) for “Best Pun” might show Peter Rabbit, the character from The Tale of Peter Rabbit, with a tail made of marshmallow fluff (棉花糖).     8     (make) a pun, the project could be called “The Tail of Peter Rabbit”,    9     title punny enough to make the judges laugh!

Given the fun and often silly nature, it’s not surprising that many of these festivals    10     (hold) on April Fool’s Day!

9 . Besides “wow” and “great”, what else would you say when flying over the Earth in space? Samantha Cristoforetti, the first Italian female astronaut in space, posted several lines of a famous ancient Chinese composition on Twitter 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. “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, and indeed, this is true happiness,” it says. Two days before she landed on Earth, the beauty of space and Chinese literature resonated on her Twitter account. Before long, her posts went viral on Twitter with thousands of retweets, likes and replies.

The text she quoted is from the Preface to Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion,a Chinese calligraphy masterpiece by Wang Xizhi (303-361) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420). She also attached three photos taken in space of China’s Bohai Bay and the day-night view of Beijing. “The poem and views are both magnificent as well as healing. If everyone could enjoy the same sight, a lot of pain in the world would be ‘dissipated’,” one user comments.

As the first Italian female astronaut in space, Cristoforetti carried out her first space mission on Nov 23, 2014. In 2022, she started the second mission in April and returned to Earth on Friday night after a 127-day stay in orbit.

Cristoforetti has also been active in Sino-European cooperation in the field of manned spaceflight. She was a working group member with Chinese counterparts to define and implement cooperation in the field of astronaut operations. When not traveling for work, she is an eager reader and has a great passion for languages. Speaking clear Chinese, Cristoforetti once told the media that the teams from China and Europe were working very well together in the field of astronaut training.

10 . Culture often refers to things like food, holidays, clothing, and music, but it also goes much deeper than that.     1     So when we meet people from different backgrounds, we can sometimes find that there are big differences in how we see the world, even if we speak the same language.     

One of the best ways to understand others’ cultures is to first examine your own. Do you take your shoes off when you go inside?     2     In Japan, you would never go inside without swapping your outdoor shoes for slippers, whereas in the US, many people don’t bother taking their shoes off when they come in. Therefore, it’s so important to understand your place in the world, which will help you understand other people better too.

    3     When you meet people from a different culture, you can politely ask them about their lives. Seek out books or watch movies by and about people who’re different from you. Additionally, you can immerse (沉浸)yourself in a different culture through travel to understand how different other lifestyles can be.

However, sometimes, learning a lot about a different culture can lead you into a trap. You may think you know much about a culture, which may lead you to show off your knowledge when you meet someone from that background. But it’s a problem to assume that everyone from one particular culture has the same attitudes and experiences. Your assumptions that lead you to pre-judge against others can be harmful.     4    

Differences between us are what make life so interesting. So accept the differences between yourself and your friends from different cultures.     5     In detail, ask questions if your friends are open to it, but also learn how to just silently observe and appreciate the differences that make us unique.