1 . The Chong Yang Festival has a history of over 2,000 years. It comes on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, so it is called the Double Ninth Festival.

There are many kinds of activities on the Chong Yang Festival. It is a time when it’s getting cold, so Chinese people make the festival a time for sending winter clothes for the dead family members. Because autumn has a clear sky and fresh air, it is a very good time to climb a mountain. Climbing a mountain has been the tradition of the Chong Yang Festival since the Western Han Dynasty. Also, it is good for our health. On the Chong Yang Festival, people also eat Chong Yang cakes, enjoy chrysanthemum(菊花) flowers, and drink chrysanthemum wine.

Today, the Chong Yang Festival has got its new meaning —a day for showing respect to the old. On the festival day, people show their respect, care and love to old people, and they also do lots of things to help the old. Many parks, communities and organizations plan the activities for old people, such as an autumn trip, singing songs or sending presents to them. We hope the old are happy and stay healthy by taking part in these activities. Many young people accompany(陪伴) the old on outings, or make some delicious food for them.

3 . A Taste of Chinese Tea Culture

China’s traditional tea-making practices have been added to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage items.    1    

The origins of tea

Tea is believed to have originated in China. Ancient Chinese people first chewed on raw tea leaves for medicinal purposes, then added them to soups or greens, and brewed tea to drink.

The functions of tea

Ancient books recorded tea’s positive health effects, such as curing indigestion and improving brain function.     2     . For example, Myoan Eisai, a Japanese Buddhist priest, praised the value of tea as a medicine in his book.

    3    

Tea has gained widespread popularity since the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty. especially in literary circles, including with the famous Chinese poets Bai Juyi, Su Shi, and Lu You, who all wrote poems about tea.

Tea making crafts

Since ancient times, Chinese people have been planting, picking, making and drinking tea. Traditional tea processing techniques are mainly found in four major regions for tea production in China. Associated social practices, however, are spread throughout the country and shared by multiple ethnic groups.    4    

Tea’s role in building cultural bridges

    5    . going back to when it was important produce on the ancient Silk Road and the ancient Tea Horse Road.

4 . The Rise of “China-chic”

Over past years, guochao, or “China-chic” has been gaining popularity among Chinese consumers. Guochao conveys the cultural heritage and values of China.     1    . “China-chic” is rising, but what is it?

The idea of guochao was first borrowed from some international brands, and began to win over Chinese consumers in 2015.     2    . In 2018, Chinese sportswear band Li-Ning presented its Wu Dao (the principles of Taoism) collection at the New York Fashion Week. It featured bright red color and Chinese characters. More brands have since followed, heralding (预示) the early period of guochao.

    3    . This was a period when applications of big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and 5G technology hit the market one after another. Domestic tech companies such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and DJI made headlines.

In its third stage, guochao became more common in everyday life. Over the past decade, guochao has expanded from consumer goods to experiential products. As consumers are showing greater interest in cultural identity and creativity, productions like the TV program National Treasure, and the dance show Night Banquet in Tang Dynasty Palace integrate cultural and historical elements with the latest audio-visual technologies.     4    .

Nowadays, guochao is moving to the next stage. No matter how the trend evolves, Chinese people’s positive attitude toward the country’s development and their recognition of and growing confidence in national culture won’t change.     5    . Seen from a broader perspective, guochao mirrors the rise of China, a country eager to make its presence felt globally. Guochao is a style, but more importantly, it transmits culture and values.

6 . 24 Solar Terms: 8 things you may not know about Frost’s Descent

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Frost’s Descent (霜降), the 18th solar term of the year, begins this year on Oct 23 and ends on Nov 6.     1    , during which time the weather becomes much colder than before and frost begins to appear. Here are four things you should know about Frost’s Descent.

Frosty autumn

    2    . During Frost’s Descent, frost begins to appear. But in the lower reaches of the Yellow River region, frost first appears in late October or early November. As Frost’s Descent comes, the world is filled with the atmosphere of late autumn.

Eating fruit

Eating persimmons during Frost’s Descent can help people resist the cold and protect their bones. In the countryside, people believe that their lips will crack if they don’t eat persimmons during this period. The apple is one kind of recommended fruit during Frost’s Descent. Apples can moisten the lungs, quench one’s thirst and help one’s digestion.    3    . It can promote the secretion of body liquids, clear away heat and reduce sputum.

Eating duck

It’s a custom to eat duck on the first day of Frost’s Descent in south Fujian province. There is a saying in Fujian which goes, “Even nourishing all year is not as good as nourishing the human body on the first day of Frost’s Descent.”    4    .

    5    

People in areas such as Daxin county in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region celebrate the first day of Frost’s Descent. In the Frost’s Descent Festival, the Zhuang people offer sacrifices, dance and sing folk songs. With a history of more than 360 years, the festival is to commemorate Cen Yuyin, a heroine in battles against foreign aggression.

7 . During my stay at the University of Michigan, one of the senior professors asked me to join a seminar on culture and emotion. In a general________of self-introductions, I introduced myself in a(n)________Dutch way as one of those who are “interested in culture and emotion”. The professor supplemented (补充) my self-introduction to________American standards, saying I was one of the world’s experts on the________. In response, I looked down in________, and thought that “expert” was a big word.

When I lived in North Carolina, my new friends came over to ________. Conversations were full of interest and energy, and there was a lot of ________. At the end of the evening, when my guests left, they thanked me for the dinner. My heart________, because I was born and raised in the Netherlands, where “thanking for dinner” means the relationship is ________. Emotions are different enough to feel out of________when you move from one culture to another. The professor at the University of Michigan meant to make me feel________, but instead made me uncomfortable. My friends meant to show ________, but they made me think they were distancing themselves from me.

We think about emotions as feelings deep inside us, but in________, our emotions happen in interactions with others. In my own culture, it was hard to observe the________emotions of others, but I was able to see them when I moved to the US—a different________from where I was raised.

The Art of Chinese Xinjiang Uyghur Muqam (新疆维吾尔木卡姆艺术) is a     1    (represent) name of various kinds of Muqam in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (自治区),     2     was declared one of the UNESCO Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005.

Muqam,     3    (recognise) as the mother of Uyghur music, is not only     4     artistic creation with a long history, but also a record of     5    (communicate) between China and the regions to the west of it in history. It can be found in 19 countries and regions in Central, South, and West Asia, and North Africa, which is     6    (particular) due to Xinjiang’s central location along the Silk Road.

In Muqam ensembles (乐团), the lead instruments, called satar, are made from local materials and vary in form. The dancing skills involve unique steps, rhythms, and formations as well as     7    (figure) such as flower-picking-by-mouth, bowl-carrying-on-head, and imitation of animals in solo dances.

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, every possible means     8    (use) to preserve the Twelve Muqam by the Chinese government. About 20 study centres have been set up     9    (train) professional researchers on Muqam. Moreover, the government has introduced Muqam     10     the national artistic education system.