Tea is a healthy drink. Drinking tea in China could be considered as an art and to help people achieve a sense of calm and renewed energy. It is also     1     way to enjoy life better.

Stories     2     are about the discovery of tea are different depending on the people who you ask, but we know that Chinese people have been drinking tea since Shennong, 5,000 years ago. Usually, tea     3     (believe) to be medicinal, and is so central to     4     (day) life that an old Chinese saying includes tea in a list of seven important contents to be gathered each morning, along with firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy and vinegar.

Tea serves three primary     5     (purpose) traditionally in Chinese society: to show status, to bring people together and to improve wellness.

Drinking tea together is a sign of respect. In ancient times, “tribute tea”(贡茶) was     6     (special) kept for and presented to the Emperor. Tea still has a place in the life of the average people. It is common     7     (give) guests a cup of tea to welcome them into the home. But tea is more than a key of social customs. It is meant to act     8     a medium through which people can become much     9     (close) to nature. Drinking tea out in nature will create a spiritual connection to the environment and make people feel     10     (relax).

2 . 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.

3 . Two women in their 50s stand beholding in front of Guanyin of the South China Sea, an ancient Chinese sculpture in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Over the past 20 years, they have been visiting the museum, describing the “mother Buddha” as “beautiful and tranquil, a symbol of religious traditions in China”. Measuring 2.4 meters high, 1.68 meters wide and 1.1 meters thick, the larger-than-life sculpture was carved from the trunk of a single poplar tree, which has created a sense of calm and warmth in the hall.

Since its launch in 1933, the museum has been actively collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting works of Chinese art, ranging from ceramics to furniture, and from paintings to sculptures. And its Chinese art collection contains masterpieces in various historical stages.

An exhibition on the theme of Lively Creatures—Animals in Chinese Art was held at the museum, displaying tens of Chinese ancient paintings with images of animals in many art forms. The creatures on the paintings represented celebration, personal messages, and even political and religious agendas.

Organizers of the exhibition produced a set of cards, with images of animals on one side and their cultural meanings in Chinese artistic tradition on the other. The cards are provided for visitors for free.

“I find it very interesting, and the way that the things are drawn is very cool,” says 17-year-old high school student Camden Lombard after visiting the exhibition. “I want to go to China someday to find more,” he adds.

“It’s kind of eye-opening and we’re bringing the world together,” says Makar, an educator with the school outreach and education programs of the museum. “There are so many similarities as well as beautiful differences, and we are just trying to understand and appreciate one another.”

“We’re in a moment when it’s sometimes hard to look outside of your own personal viewpoints,” says Howard, manager of volunteer engagement at the museum. “I think having access to seeing what other cultures have created, what they valued and appreciated, and what was important to them, is really important in building that understanding about all the people we share this planet with.”

Straw patchwork (麦秆画) is a well-known Chinese art and    1    (have) a history of over 2,000 years. It traces its roots to folk art, starting as handicrafts used by local governments to show respect to emperors during the Sui Dynasty.

Straw patchwork is handmade and takes full advantage of the straw’s natural glow and    2    (it) material to describe landscapes, flowers, animals and human figures. The visual images and wonderful handicrafts are not only a good reflection of deep    3    (tradition) Chinese culture, but also a wonderful artwork used as decorations.

    4    artistic techniques used in straw patchwork draw on many other art forms such as paper cut, print, painting, etc. Each patchwork requires a process    5    includes more than ten steps long. The process    6    (clever) combines a variety of techniques to show skilled workmanship, including polishing, steaming, ironing, pressing, and cutting of materials. All these techniques bring a rich    7     (express) to the straw artwork,    8    (make) it a simple and elegant art form.

Straw patchwork owes its popularity to its bright colors which do not fade and its simple, lifelike designs. With its excellent details, the straw patchwork    9    (enjoy) and appreciated by both the Chinese and Westerners. I is used to decorate and beautify homes and offices and is often given    10    gifts.

5 . The world’s craziest festivals

Crazy festivals all over the world are out there just waiting to be celebrated. Join Cornelia Kumfert on a trip to the most unusual events taking place around the globe.

Burning Man Festival

Every year in Nevada (US) there is artwork and cunosities galore to marvel at when the Black Rock Desert changes into a mammoth art exhibition.

In August and September, some 70,00 people come here to celetrate the Burning Man Festival.

San Diego Comic Con

Surely superheroes don’t queue? Well, at San Diego’s Comic Convention they do. Each July hey open their dos to fans of Superman and other comic figures. More than 100,000 annual visitors have paid homage to their mythical heroes.

Crying Baby Festival, Tokyo

At the Crying Baby Festival in Tokyo (Japan), sumo wrestlers do what they can to bring babies to tears.

Sadists run riot? Certainly not! It’s a 400-year-old tradition based on a Japanese proverb, which says that crying babies grow fastest and parents believe the event brings good health to their children.

Palio Contest, Siena

Fame and honour await the winner of the Palio contest in Siena (Italy).

In July and August, ten inhabitants of different districts of the city jockey for first place in a spectacular horse race.

The trophy goes to the contestant whose horse crosses the finishing line first—whether he’s still in the saddle or not.

China is a great country. It has a history of more than five thousand years,     1     culture is various. Chinese people are so proud     2     their culture and many traditional arts are part of the national treasures. One of the special handwork     3     (product) is paper-cut, which is now learned by     4     (little) people than in ancient times.

Paper-cut is an extraordinary art, which just     5     (need) simple tool - scissors, but it is not easy at all. When we look at the masters to cut paper, it takes them only a few minutes     6     (finish). In fact, for a freshman, they need to practise for a long time. This art has a long history, and it reflects the     7     (wise) of Chinese people.

My grandma inherits this art, and she can cut a lot of graphics. When I was very small, she tried to teach me     8     to try this handwork, but I was addicted to     9     (play) computer games. Now I feel so regretful, because paper-cut is     10     treasure, and many foreigners love it. The inheritance of tradition needs everybody’s passion.

7 . 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.

9 . One day in elementary school, a friend asked me “What are you eating?” as she glanced at my lunchbox. “It smells,” she said, nose crinkled.

I was eating bhindi roti, my favorite Indian snack, which my mom had packed for me. But feeling embarrassed for having a “smelly” lunch and wanting to fit in, I quietly shut my lunchbox. That day, I went hungry.

Most days after that, lunchtime at school felt like a battle. If I wasn’t trying to hide my lunch or sneak quick bites when no one was looking, I’d insist on bringing in the same peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich as the other kids. My mom, who didn’t grow up eating American food, tried her best, but the sandwiches never looked, or tasted, as good as the food I devoured(津津有味地吃) at home.

I didn’t know that I wasn’t alone. Many kids with immigrant parents encounter(遭遇) what’s known as “the lunchbox moment” at school: the experience of being judged for bringing in food considered culturally different and so being made to feel like an outsider.

For this article, I talked with kids who could relate. But they also surprised me:They dealt with “the lunchbox moment” differently than I did. For example, Satya Singh, 6, who takes her mom’s Indian cooking to lunch most days, told me that one day a classmate said that her aloo, or potatoes, looked like poop. Another time, someone said that the dal, or lentils, looked like “throw up”. The next day, Satya brought enough dal to share with her entire class — and they loved it. From then on, she says, “My teacher at school made a rule: Don’t yuck someone’s yum.”

Looking back, I wish I’d had the wisdom of Satya and offered my friend a bite of my lunch, or just told her it was delicious — especially because now, as an adult, I see that Indian food is universally loved by my friends. Some even try to cook Indian lentils or chickpeas at home! And when I’m hungry, guess what? I miss my mom’s bhindi roti and her care in making it for me. Food is an expression of culture, tradition, family and love. And that’s something to celebrate, not hide.