Horse-face skirt, also known as “horse-faced pleated (有褶的) skirt”, is one of the main skirt     1     (style) of ancient Chinese women. It is not only a kind of clothing, but also a treasure of Chinese culture. Originating in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the horse-face skirt     2     (grow) popular during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) due to     3     (it) functionality and aesthetic (美学的) style. During the Ming Dynasty, deeply pleated versions of the skirt were     4     (extreme) popular. After the development of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the horse-face skirt has gradually become     5     unique dress style.

Today, designers skillfully combine traditional elements with modern design     6     (create) an amazing fashion work, which makes the horse-face skirt shine with new vitality. Wearing a horse-face skirt, as if stepping     7     the time tunnel of thousands of years, we can feel the ancient and mysterious charm. It carries the memory of history     8     conveys the feelings of the nation. In the eyes of experts and fashion industry insiders, traditional Chinese clothing,     9     (represent) by the horse-face skirt, is a significant symbol of Chinese civilization     10     has influenced western fashion for many years. Let’s enjoy the charm of horse-face skirt together, pass on the elegance of the treasure, and dazzle the world.

4 . In China, people call a man of great virtue a gentleman. In the world of flowers, plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemums are known as the four gentlemen in China because these plants’ natural characters have something in common with human virtues.

Plum blossoms

Plum blossoms are cold-resistant flowers that bloom in early spring and together with pines and bamboos they are considered as the “three trends in winter” “Without going through the bone-chilling cold, how can the plum blossom smell fragrant?” By praising the strong character of plum blossoms, the motto poem aims to inspire people to overcome difficulties and make achievements with firm determination.

Orchids

Orchids are one of the top ten well-known flowers in China. With delicate fragrance refreshing people’s minds, and the elegant figures swaying slightly in the wind, orchids are equal to elegance in Chinese people’s eyes. It is said that Su Shi, a famous poet in Song Dynasty, once painted orchids with some thorns between them, implying that a gentleman can put up with a mean person.

Bamboo

In traditional Chinese culture, bamboo is a metaphor of energy, elegance, plainness, longevity and perseverance. Their firm and unbeatable willpower was admired by many ancient literati (文人). Famous poet Su Shi once wrote down “Rather eat without meat than live without bamboo” in his poem to express his deep love for bamboo.

Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemum is a traditional flower loved by Chinese people. When nearly all the flowers are dried-up and bare in late autumn, only the chrysanthemums resist the heavy frost and bloom energetically in graceful shapes and bright colors. Chrysanthemums have been given more meanings under the pen of literati. The most well-known poem about chrysanthemums comes from the amous poet Tao Yuanming. Drinking, showing the leisure of Tao’s reclusive life.

What is the secret of the charm of Yunnan Province? Beautiful scenery, rare plants and flowers, local specialties? These are all part of the answer,     1    they are definitely not everything.

Yunnan boasts not only fabulous natural landscapes, but also fascinating ethnic customs. Among the 25 ethnic groups of Yunnan, the Yi people have    2    unique culture, which over thousands of years     3    (develop) into colourful customs with distinctive features.

The Yi people adore tigers, fire and the colour black. Many festivals have developed from the ceremonies for     4    (worship) these objects. The Torch Festival is the most widely celebrated, with a very strong    5    (religion) element.

The Yi people, who call    6    (they) the “fire nationality”, think fire possesses a superhuman power which can drive away evil and frighten off ghosts.

During the festival, at the entrance to the villages, a grand “torch tower”, made of pine branches and dry firewood and    7    (stand) more than 20 meters high, is decorated with fresh flowers and fruits.

After dinner, as darkness casts its shadow, young and old rush    8    (enthusiastic) to the “torch tower” square.     9    such a brilliant night, all the participants are intoxicated(陶醉的) by the grand spectacle and the atmosphere of celebration.     10     (dress) in splendid costumes, young men and women sing and dance hand in hand around the bonfire to express their gratitude for a life of plenty and good wishes for the coming year.

What is archaeology?

It’s more than just digging and putting things in museum cases.

Archaeology tells the full story of humanity. Archaeology is the study of the human past. What, then, separates it from history? The key is that     1     history primarily uses the written word, archaeologists study the human past through things. Archaeologists use the material     2     (remain) of human societies in order to reconstruct everything.

Archaeologists use every kind of material that has survived into the present day, not just the things that you might expect, such as pottery and stone tools,     3     items such as animal bones and shells and even the microscopic silica deposits (phytoliths 植物化石) that plants produce, which can survive for centuries after plants die. Every tiny piece of evidence gives us     4     insight into how the world used to be, and how people lived, ate,     5     (interact), and constructed their landscape.

Archaeology ranges     6    the splendor of well-known wonders such as Stonehenge, the Terracotta Army and Machu Picchu, to     7     (small) but no less wonderful discoveries.

Archaeology’s relevance is not only in the past, though, it is a fundamental way of understanding the current state of the world.

It takes a huge workforce     8     (understand) the ancient world, people from all backgrounds     9     (work) together in different ways to build up a     10     (comprehend) picture of our shared past. The most known are those who work as field archaeologists.

Chinese speakers tend to use “spear and shield”     1    (describe) anything that’s contradictory. Actually, now the Chinese phrase for “contradiction”     2    (call) Mao Dun or “spear and shield”.

Nearly 2, 000 years ago, there was a man living in the State of Chu. One day, he went to a market to sell spears and shields—two most common     3    (weapon) at that time. When a small crowd gathered around the seller to look at his goods, the man     4    (decide) to advertise his shields first. He said, “Please look at my shields. They are certainly the     5    (strong) ones you can ever find in the world.”

Then some of the potential buyers came closer to have a careful examination of the shields,     6     they couldn’t see anything special about them. The seller then moved on to brag about his spears. “Now please have a good look at my spears. They are the sharpest weapons     7    have ever been produced. So, no matter how firm a shield is, my spears will pierce (刺穿) through it     8    (easy).” After listening to the seller’s pitch, a man stepped forward and said, “You just told us that your shields are the strongest in the world and then you claim your spears are the sharpest. How about     9    (use)your spears on your shields?” The seller was unable to respond.

So today, instead of saying “you are contradicting yourself”, Chinese will say “you are attacking your shield     10     your own spear”.

Putian wood carving, one of the four well-known     1     (category) of the art of Chinese wood carving, originated in the Tang and Song Dynasties.     2     (serve) as a national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) item in China, it is a traditional folk carving technique of southeast China’s Fujian Province.

Zheng Chunhui, Lin Jianjun and Chen Yushu are three     3     (exception) representatives of wood carving masters. Zheng is a provincial-level inheritor (继承人) of the wood carving art,     4     not only excels in traditional wood carving technique,     5     expresses his love for his family and nation through his works. To promote the art, Zheng opened a unique wood carving gallery, which is the     6     (one) in Putian run by an individual and free to the public. The delicately made wood carving works by Lin     7     (shine) at a BRICS summit (峰会) several years ago, and meanwhile, the Chinese-style antique furniture pieces that are made by Chen     8     (show) at many international exhibitions over the past few years.

Putian city is home     9     over 2,600 wood carving companies, and the wood carving works     10     (create) there were sold to more than 20 countries and regions around the world last year.