Temples used to play a key role in hutong community life in Beijing. Many people may be surprised     1     (learn)that there were about 1,500 temples in Beijing from 1740 to 1950. During this time, there were two to three temples in every hutong. In the 1930s, visitors to Beijing,     2     (lead)by tour guides, in most cases, visited some temples during their stay.

Besides prayer, temples had many functions at that time. For example, Fayuan Temple, known     3     its lilac (丁香) blossoms, functioned as parks, where the public could enjoy the nature. Local residents’ lives were closely involved with the temples. For instance, when children were ill, their parents might take them to a temple and turned to masters in the temples for help,     4     had medical skills. And children reaching school age would     5     (usual)go to temples for lessons. When people failed to make ends meet, they might become a temple monk, which then was viewed as a good     6     (choose). In downtown Beijing, Guanyin Temple acted as a small public square for people     7     (live)in the nearby hutong. For a long time, it functioned as a nursing home for     8     elderly and provided accommodations for the homeless.

Temples, by providing a place where local groups could gather,     9     (be)one of the best and most unforgettable     10     (memory)for the local residents in the 20th century.

4 . Dunhuang, an oasis of culture surrounded by the vast sands of the Gobi Desert, served as a shelter for ancient weary Silk Road travelers 1,000 years ago. Carved into the cliffs high above the Dachuan River, the Mogao Grottoes in Gansu Province consist of the largest, richest and longest-used treasure house of traditional art in the world, inspiring young artists to this very day.

Inside the grottoes, murals (壁画) painted with minerals have stood the test of time, still shining bright and brilliant. To carry forward this painting technique, Lian Yang, an artist in her 30s, decided to make the traditional art increasingly known among younger generations. She once worked only on ink and digital painting, but soon felt creatively stuck. Then she learned about mineral color painting and made it the focus of her career.

The traditional Chinese painting technique was commonly used before the Tang Dynasty. However, the skill gradually faded from the central Chinese artistic landscape after the Song Dynasty when literati (文人) ink painting grew.

“I want to pour more of my own ideas into creations and find an artistic expression that cannot be easily replaced with modern technologies, although the costs of handmade art are higher and it requires more time than digital creation,” Lian Yang said.

As a modern artist, Lian Yang does not limit herself by strictly following tradition. She has cooperated with the operator of mobile game King of Glory, creating works in Dunhuang fresco style. She also frequently posts short videos covering the creative process of mineral color artworks across different Chinese social media, attracting many young people.

Riding the China Chic tide, a term referring to the rise of China’s native fashion trends, traditional art needs commercialization to further develop. Lian Yang hopes mineral art can be integrated into movies, online games and even the metaverse, an integrated network of 3D virtual worlds.

In China, most people think that having large eyes, double eyelids, a thin waist and white skin     1     (be) beautiful. But that’s just the     2     (appear). Many other things make people beautiful.

My father said that the beauty of the Chinese people is in being gentle and implicit (含蓄的), like an ink painting. My grandma told me that, while dancing in the square, it is beautiful     3     (wear) colorful headscarves and smile     4     (bright) at everyone. My teacher said China is     5     ancient country of etiquette (礼节), and our beauty lies     6     elegance and dignity. My classmate believed that beauty is being simple and     7     (nature). Now image editing software makes everyone look the same, but she thought everyone should show their own characters.

    8     (compare) with the Chinese, who see softness and consideration as beautiful, Western people may prefer being strong and confident. Their standards for beautiful skin color and body shape are also very broad.     9    , people’s aesthetics (审美) are always changing, and the exchange of cultures will influence each other. No one can describe beauty for a country or a social group. The world     10     (become) beautiful only if we accept all kinds of ideas about beauty.

A 4D Chinese shadow puppet show (also called Piying Show or Piying Xi in Chinese language), staged at a shadow puppetry theater on its first day of business in Tengchong city, southwest China’s Yunnan Province,     1     (impress) the audience with a brand new immersive (沉浸式的) viewing experience on Oct. 3, 2022.

“It’s a novel show. I didn’t know shadow puppet shows could be enjoyed in such     2     amazing way. The     3     (combine) of Chinese culture and modern technologies is really eye-opening,” an audience member said after     4     (watch) the show.

    5     traditional Chinese shadow puppet shows, during     6     puppeteers control shadow puppets to create the illusion of moving images on a cloth screen from behind, the innovative 4D show combined traditional Chinese shadow puppet performance with modern technologies including holographic projection (全息投影) technology and modern scene simulation technology.

“I want     7     (surround) the audience with the shadow puppets and let them feel they are a part of the show,” Liu Chaokan, a 30-year-old inheritor (继承人) of Chinese shadow puppetry and the brain behind the 4D Chinese shadow puppet show, told reporters.

Inspired by 4D movies, he came up with the idea of 4D shadow puppet show     8     has been making preparations for the show for nearly four years.

Born into a family with     9     (generation) of shadow play artists, as the sixth-generation inheritor of the shadow puppet performance skills of his family, Liu     10     (influence) by his family’s determination to carry forward the skills since he was young.

The Laba Festival stands for the beginning of conventional celebrations of the Chinese New Year.     1     (celebrate) on the eighth day of the last lunar month. La in Chinese means the 12th lunar month and Ba means the eighth day of the month.

There are     2     (differ) tales about the origin of this festival and we can not tell which one is true. However, we agree this festival started as a sacrificial offering to ancestors. It was also a day     3     the ancient Chinese prayed that there would be a     4     (good) harvest than ever.

Laba porridge is a kind of     5     (tradition) food for the festival and it     6     (make) of eight ingredients, including sweet rice, red beans, peas, sorghum, etc.     7     this special day, people are eager     8     (eat) the porridge believing it will bring peace and good health in the coming year.

Another custom is to soak Laba garlic. The practice is very simple. Put the garlic into     9     jar, pour vinegar into it and then seal it. We’ll find it will turn green,     10    (watch) the color of the garlic carefully. By the time of the Spring Festival, we can taste it when eating dumplings.