Do you know Dunhuang? Dunhuang is home to the Mogao Grottoes,     1     UNESCO World Heritage Site, elements of which are     2     display in an ongoing exhibition at the National Base for International Cultural Trade, Beijing. Painted sculptures and other items of cultural heritage have been reproduced, while the caves     3     are now closed have been reproduced in digital form.

The exhibition area,     4     (cover) some 1,600 square meters, features the results of research on nearly 50 sets of cultural relics from the Dunhuang Academy.     5     the real grotto in Dunhuang is no longer open to the public, the digitally     6     (restore) grotto can be protected forever in the digital space.

The exhibition will last for three years. It is the first time that the Dunhuang Academy     7     (hold) such a long exhibition in Beijing. By the end of 2021, the “digital Dunhuang project” had completed the digital     8     (collect)of 268 grottoes. Such projects have provided a means of protecting China’s cultural heritage for future generations, while making it more     9     (wide)available both at home and abroad. It is hoped that the “digital Dunhuang” will not only allow more audiences     10     (experience)the artistic charm of Dunhuang, but also promote exchanges between cultures along the Belt and Road under new historical conditions.

The Naadam Festival was an     1     experience to me. It     2     on the 4th day of the 6th month of the lunar calendar,     3     by 3 events: horse racing, wrestling, and archery. The games are all     4     to watch. People attend the festival wearing fancy Mongolian robes. They come from near and far. Mongolian wrestling is different from that in the Olympic Games. The     5     loses with any part of his body above his knee     6     the ground. The horse races are     7     very popular among visitors. The     8     are boys and girls. That is because children are     9     and the horses can run faster and farther. Mongolians ride horses all their lives, so horses hold an important    10     in their heart.

Customs play a significant role in festivals, but sometimes they can change     1     time. With the development of modern society and the spread of new ideas, some traditions may     2     away and others may be established. One example is the     3     Chinese Spring Festival custom of lighting firecrackers to drive away the evil     4     and celebrate the new year.     5    , many big cities have given up this custom in order to     6     air pollution. Another example is Halloween, which slowly became an exciting festival for children, in spite of its     7     origins.

Festivals are becoming more and more commercial, with business     8     advantage of the celebrations. Online shopping websites and     9     media apps have made it much easier for the public to spend more on gifts for their     10     ones. Although some believe festivals should not be commercialized, others believe the increase in spending is good for the economy and public happiness.

7 . Top Music Festivals

The festival season is just kicking off, and there is a lot to look forward to in the upcoming months.

The Pitchfork Music Festival

Anyone who likes indie (独立的) music and up-and-coming artists will have an amazing time at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago’s Union Park. It is an indie rock heaven where you can explore more underground and lesser-known bands than at the other big Chicago summer festival, Lollapalooza.

Date: July 14—16

Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Music Type: Indie rock

Price:$126—$2,700

The Essence Music Festival

No matter what time of the year it is, New Orleans is an amazing place if you love live music. The Essence Music Festival is a celebration of well-known artists like Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, and Mary J. Blige.

Date: June 29—July 2

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Music Type: R&B, soul, rock

Price: $75—$365

The Sziget Festival

Budapest knows how to hold a party, and the Sziget Festival is one of the biggest celebrations of music and culture in all of Europe. You can expect to find favorite artists like Bad Religion and Mac DeMarco playing here during this three-day festival.

Date: August 9—11

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Music Type: Eclectic, Indie rock

Price: $70—$296

The Flow Festival

The Flow Festival is a great excuse to explore the city of Helsinki. Artists including Lana Del Rey and The XX will be playing, among many others. Come to this festival to enjoy yourselves with an earth-friendly belief.

Date: August 11—13

Location: Helsinki, Finland

Music Type: Rock, soul, jazz

Price: $106—$199

Of all the t    1     festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every c    2    . This important agricultural festival t    3     place after all the crops have been gathered in. People celebrate to show that they are g    4     for the year’s s    5     of food. In ancient Egypt, the harvest festival was celebrated during the springtime- the Egyptian harvest s    6    . It featured a p    7     and a great feast with music, dancing, and s    8    . Today, in some European countries, people decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit, and get together to celebrate over a m    9    . During the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, f    10     gather to admire the shining moon and enjoy delicious mooncakes.

I, a high school student in a western country, once thought Western Opera was the     1     (good) in the world, but this view was     2     (complete) changed when I saw The Revenge of Prince Zidan—the Peking Opera version of Hamlet. In the play, the     3     (tradition) Chinese instruments brought     4     new sound to my Western ears. The     5     (costume) and masks were amazing. The music, exaggerated movements and mime could help get the meanings     6     to the audience. The voices     7     (sound) unique.     8     (use) some simple techniques, the opera had transformed a small stage into the whole universe. And the performers were so energetic     9     they could do backflips like athletes on the stage. Peking Opera,     10     (date) back to the 18th century, combines music, singing, drama, poetry and costume design together. I think 1 have fallen in love with it.

10 . Robert Adolf, a 24-year-old vlogger from Germany, filmed the celebration activities of the Miao ethnic group at the Guzang Festival on Nov. 25, 2021. This marked the completion of he and his friends’ task of filming all seven of Guizhou’s native ethnic groups for a documentary (纪录片) project.

The Guzang Festival is an important celebration for the Miao ethnic group, and married women from Yegai village, Leishan county’s Langde town, will travel together back to their parents’ homes in the village during the festival. Crowds of Miao women dressed in traditional clothing have become a popular scene at the Guzang Festival, which attracts tourists from all over the world each year.

That’s one of the reasons why Adolf attended the festival. He became interested in China’s history and culture due to the Disney movie Mulan when he was a child. He said that he came to China in 2017 to work for a German company in Central China’s Hunan Province, and then moved to Lianyungang in East China’s Jiangsu Province to work in foreign trade.

Adolf speaks fluent Chinese and is commonly known as “德国的包子” on Chinese social media platforms. During a trip to China’s rural areas, Adolf was impressed by China’s ethnic cultures and decided to shoot documentaries of China’s 56 ethnic groups.

In July 2021, Adolf and his three Chinese friends initiated their documentary project by taking a car and taking road trips to record the real lives of different Chinese ethnic groups. Adolf and his friends set out from Lianyungang and filmed the customs and cultures of Tujia, Miao, Dong, Buyi, Yao and Sui ethnic groups in Hubei Province, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Guizhou Province.

When asked about Guizhou specifically, Adolf said that “I want to share Guizhou and China’s ethnic culture with the world to allow more people to learn about Guizhou and learn about China.”