In 2017, a Chinese antique bowl fetched $ 38 million at auction (拍卖)—a new record for Chinese porcelain (瓷器). Though it was described as “a highly important and     1    (extreme) rare” piece of art, it was a shallow bowl that was used in ancient China     2    (clean) calligraphy and paint brushes. Why is Chinese porcelain so expensive? The answer lies     3     the European obsession (痴迷) with Chinese porcelain.

Lars Tharp, a Chinese porcelain specialist, set out to explore why Chinese porcelain was so     4    (value). He traveled to the mountainside in which almost every single Chinese export vase, plate and cup began life in the 18th century—a mountain known as Mount Gaolin, from     5     name we get the word kaolin, or china clay. He saw how the china clay     6    (combine) with another substance, mica, that would turn it into porcelain.

    7    (carry) his own newly-acquired vase, Lars uncovered some secrets of China’s porcelain capital, Jingdezhen. He saw how     8     trade between China and Europe not only changed our idea of what was beautiful but also affected the whole tradition of Chinese aesthetics too.

The porcelain fever has driven high     9    (consume) in the past ten years. Today China’s rising millionaire class are buying back the export china once shipped to Europe. The bowl     10    (sell) at auction shows that the appeal of Chinese porcelain is as strong as ever.

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.

Ancient books from the Song (960 — 1279) and Yuan (1271 — 1368) dynasties are now     1     show at a new exhibition at the Shanghai Museum and about half of the exhibits     2    (list) as “treasured ancient books” in China.

Pages Through the Ages: A Selection of the Song and Yuan Rare Books of the Shanghai Museum is set to run through Aug 13,     3    (feature) 66 precious books from the 10th to the 14th centuries. It is the first large showcase of ancient books from the     4    (collect) of the museum.

There is a saying among the archaeological circles in China     5     goes, “A page from a book of the Song Dynasty is worth a tael of gold”, which refers to the importance     6     high value of these ancient books.

The Song and Yuan dynasties saw     7     peak in the development of Chinese culture, and this coincided with the     8    (gold) age of ancient books in China, says Chu Xiaobo, director of the Shanghai Museum.

This period also saw vast improvements     9    (make) to paper-making, ink manufacturing and block printing techniques, and their rapid development     10    (lead) to the creation of diversified binding formats that ranged from scrolls to butterfly to concertina and wrapped-back bindings.

A total of 16 Chinese and Italian volunteers, wearing Hanfu, an ancient clothing     1    (traditional) worn by ethnic-majority Han Chinese,    2     (participate) in a parade launched in Venice on Feb. 17, 2023.

The clothing, transported from the Suzhou Silk Museum, was themed of Han, Tang, Song and Ming     3     (dynasty) respectively and well displayed Jiangnan culture and world-known Suzhou silk.

The show attracted lots of young people, most of     4     decided to participate in this initiative, thinking it could be a way to get even     5     (close) to Chinese culture.

The 24-year-old Irene Di Maio,     6     (major) in Chinese in Venice, went to Suzhou to attend a dragon boat festival five years ago. “The event was amazing, especially the part from Suzhou, a city I loved very much. This time I would like     7    (know) more about Hanfu.”

In addition to the clothing show, visitors can also enjoy a series of Chinese cultural activities, including the performance of guzheng,    8     traditional Chinese musical instrument, Hanfu try-ons and calligraphy demonstrations.

Suzhou, considered by the Italian explorer Marco Polo in the 13th century     9    “the Venice of the East”, became a sister city to Venice in 1980, and since then multiple activities of mutual historical and cultural exchange     10     (carry) forward.

Based on the Chinese zodiac (十二生肖), 2023 is the year of the rabbit. The Chinese zodiac has     1     continuous cycle of 12 years. Each year is represented by a zodiac animal. It     2     (base) on astrology (占星术) and was used as a way to count years in the Chinese lunar calendar in ancient times. The rabbit ranks fourth in this 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac animals. The 12 zodiac animals are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

According to Chinese astrology, each zodiac year is associated     3     one of the five     4    (element): metal, wood, water, fire or earth. 2023 is the year of the water rabbit. A water rabbit year     5    (arise) every 60 years. The year of the rabbit 2023 is a very peaceful year     6     (welcome) with open arms. We need to retreat to a quiet and peaceful place     7    (heal) our wounds and wind down after all we had to endure in the previous year. It is a time     8     we have to keep ourselves in check and not become lazy.

The Chinese horoscope (星象) tells us that the year of the rabbit will be calm and at peace. In Chinese culture, the rabbit is thought to be the     9    (lucky) animal of the 12 animals of the zodiac. It signifies     10    (forgive), grace and beauty.

The Museum of Chinese Australian History in the heart of Melbourne's Chinatown is not only a landmark but also a place     1     Chinese from near and far can know about their heritage and perhaps even their ancestry.

The museum, a kilometer or so north of the Yara River, has a collection of more than 8, 000 exhibits     2    (reflect) Chinese Australian heritage, including an English phrase book dating back to 1857. The phrase book,     3    (translate) into Mandarin and Cantonese, shows how to communicate in a range of situations across     4     language divide, helping immigrants find their way in Australia, says Mark Wang, CEO of the museum.

Wang, one of those who     5     (attend) the museum's opening ceremony in 1985, is a descendant of Chinese gold rush     6     (prospector) who came to Australia to seek their fortune between 1851 and the late 1860s. “The core value of the museum is to build a     7     (harmony) society for all the people who have Chinese ancestry in their lineage (血脉) or anyone hoping to be a part of the society,” Wang says.

Many of the museum's visitors take part in conferences held     8     (regular), trying to find out something about their ancestors, he says.

One visitor says: “I'm Vietnamese Australian     9     have a Chinese lineage from my grandfather's side. I've never been to China, so whenever a traditional festival comes, I join in those traditional practices. It makes me feel closer     10     my grandfather.”