1 . A small accident led to profound changes in the life of Yang Li, an artisan (手艺人), who is from the Miao ethnic group. In 201l, Yang, from Tongren city in Guizhou province, created leaf vein (脉络) embroidery (刺绣) three months after a leaf cut her hand.

The work is a perfect combination of traditional embroidery patterns and the natural textures (纹理) of the leaves. It has a unique aesthetic appeal of traditional embroidery matched with the characteristics of contemporary craftsmanship.

As a native Miao woman with an inborn love of embroidery, Yang opened a folk culture products shop with her sister in 2011. “People are becoming less familiar with traditional handicrafts, and I want to contribute all I can to change this situation,” Yang says. At first, the small shop did not earn a significant income as there were many similar products on the market. She gradually realized that it was important to establish her own brand and launch products with distinct features.

That’s when she was inspired by the cut. In July 2011, Yang accidentally cut her hand on a thorny leaf when she was hiking in Fanjing Mountain. A bold idea came into her head: “There are leaf-vein bookmarks and leaf-vein paintings. Why has nobody created leaf-vein embroider yet?”

Obviously, the reason behind this is that embroidering on leaves requires delicate skills that few possess. The biggest technical challenge Yang faced was improving the flexibility of the leaves and making them as soft as cloth. On Oct 16, a day she will never forget, Yang finally created a shiny, thin and unbreakable piece of leaf vein. Her idea of leaf-vein embroidery came to completion after hundreds of experiments.

Two years later, Yang opened an embroidery processing factory and offered jobs to more than 500 laid-off female workers, rural women and people with disabilities. “I will keep doing the leaf vein embroidery for the rest of my life because it is meaningful,” she says.

Print is a medium for mass communication, which has enabled     1     (artist) to be known and familiar     2     a wider audience.

The Prints-A Riot of Colors, an exhibition     3     (feature) some 130 prints created by generations of Chinese artists, the oldest one of     4     dates back to the 1930s, opened on Monday at the Guardian Art Center in Beijing. An online auction (拍卖) of most of the showpieces held by China Guardian Auctions is running with the exhibition.

    5     (divide) into five sections, the long-running show is aimed     6     (offer) art collectors and the general public alike an opportunity to learn about China’s modern, contemporary print art and     7     (far) explore the market value of prints, according to Liu Zehui, the person in charge of the show.

In 1931, the famous writer and social activist Lu Xun     8     (support) the New Woodcut Movement in Shanghai. He promoted the modern woodcut, which was popular in the West but still     9     essential Chinese form whose techniques reached maturity during the Tang Dynasty, as the most     10     (access) and efficient vehicle for circulating new revolutionary thought among the masses.

About 800 meters above sea level and next to the picturesque Taiping Lake, Houkeng village in Huangshan, a region in the south of Anhui province, seems     1    (bless) by nature and is home to the handmade tea variety Taiping Kowkui.

Every spring     2     foggy days moisten the emerald hillsides, villagers know their harvest will come. “    3     any of three key factors—proper location, plant variety, or processing technique—the perfect Kowkui will not be born,” Fang Jifan, the fifth-generation tea farmer says. “It’s     4     signature of our home.”

Kowkui’s exceptionally large leaves often lead to its     5    (mistake) for “vegetable” by first-time viewers, but this “king” of green tea in Fang’s eyes beats other     6    (variety) at more than just size. “Its     7    (fragrant) and flavor also stand out, thanks to the time- consuming work to process them.” Fang says.

Last November, traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China     8    (add) to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. “The tea culture not only reflects a refined taste in life, it also shows the beauty of craftsmanship     9     people’s creativity,” says Zheng Yi, deputy head of Anhui Tea Culture Research Society. “For centuries, the scent of tea leaves     10    (offer) nutrition to this land. This intangible cultural heritage of tea processing techniques is deeply rooted in people’s everyday life.”

Tea is commonly considered native to Southern China. However, in a garden in Geling village in Metog county in the Tibet autonomous region, the morning air is filled with the sweet aroma of     1     (fresh) picked tea.

Tsering Yangdron, a 25-year-old Monba, one of the ethnic groups     2     live in this region, skillfully makes her way through the garden, carefully picking tender tea leaves and tossing them into a bamboo basket tied to her waist. Tea picking     3     (become) a habit for her over the past five years. After she is done, Tsering Yangdron goes back home, where she also runs a homestay. “We have come up with       4     dish of fresh tea buds fried with eggs,” she said. A kilogram of fresh tea buds       5     (sell) for 300 yuan. Once     6     (dry) and processed to make green tea, their value increases significantly.

Geling was once inaccessible as a result of the dense forests,     7     the opening of the Metog highway in 2013 significantly improved connectivity and created opportunities for economic growth. Prior to Huang Jiabin’s appointment     8     the village’s Party secretary, the tea plantation in Geling was a neglected piece of land.

“    9     (realize) the valley was suitable for growing tea, since 2018, we have improved the management of the tea plantation, introduced advanced planting techniques and provided training for     10     (village),” Huang said.

Decorative stove artwork attracts a growing number of     1     (admire), who enjoy the memories it evokes, Yang Feiyue reports. The distinctive art form in Jiaxing     2     (list) as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

An old wooden stove,     3     (bear) rich vivid images, took center stage at a village Spring Festival gala in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, in early February. The images feature historical and legendary figures, fairy tales, animals and flowers, all of     4     are depicted in bright colors and have a way of claiming attention from viewers.

It was once common for farmhouses, especially those along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River,     5     (have) a zaotou that was painted with floral figures. Locals burned firewood and straw in it to cook     6     gas burners or microwave ovens were available. “Historical evidence shows the art has     7     history of at least 300 years,” says Zhao from Haiyan’s Tongyuan town.

Most of those engaged     8     zaotou painting were bricklayers in rural areas where they were often hired by villagers to build a mud stove in     9     (they) new home. Tools used to produce such art included a selection of brushes, rulers, and paint. As people’s aesthetic appreciation grew, watercolors were applied, mostly red, yellow and blue. “But no matter what material is used, the stove painting is always     10     (symbol) and harbors good wishes for the owners,” Zhao says.

I am writing to give you my recommendation on your activity on Chinese Culture Day.

Yours,

Li Hua

Xi’an, capital city of Shaanxi, served as the capital of 13 dynasties in Chinese history, which in total     1    (last) about 1,100 years. Consequently, the ancient history of Shaanxi is to some degree the ancient history of China. Shaanxi History Museum considers     2     a duty to be a showcase of Chinese ancient civilization.

People call Shaanxi History Museum “Bright Pearl in Ancient Capital and Precious Treasure of China”, for it is an art palace     3    (full) showing Shaanxi history and culture as well as Chinese ancient civilization. Its architectural buildings and exhibits have made it famous as a first-class museum in China     4     it was opened to the public in 1991. It covers     5     total area of 65, 000 square meters.

The basic halls in the museum are divided into three exhibition halls     6     2,000 cultural remains to display the history of ancient times in chronological (编年的) order. The first exhibition hall     7    (locate) on the ground floor while the other two are on the second floor.

While     8    (design) the buildings in Shaanxi History Museum, the great designer used     9    (tradition) palace construction of Tang Dynasty for reference. Adopting symmetry axis (轴对称) layout with main and supporting buildings in order, the complex     10    (architecture) show the unique presence of Tang Dynasty.