Every year in China, a day is set aside to honour, and show respect for, the elders and senior citizens in the entire nation. As China has more than 297 million people
In the early 1980s, the Chinese government declared that the Chongyang Festival would be the day
However, respect for the elders should
Apparently, respect for the elders is the
Peking Opera is
Peking Opera comes
Speech, song, dance and combat
No China trip is complete without
3 . Nanjing Yunjin brocade is traditional Chinese silk art with a history of about 1,600 years. Its complex weaving (编织)techniques, various colors and patterns, and its particular choices of materials make it valuable and ancient people said, “An inch of brocade, an inch of gold.” Today, the traditional characteristics and unique skills of yunjin remain to be an award-winning art treasure. Its techniques are passed down from generation to generation by artisans.
Zhou Shuangxi, a national-level inheritor (继承人) of yunjin weaving techniques, is one of them. Back in 1973, he graduated from a mining school and was selected to become a student at the NanjingYunjin Research Institute along with five other students, just because he was “in good shape”. There were only several masters in their 70s and not even a loom (织布机) to use. “The old masters finally remembered a loom was stored somewhere. When I opened the door, I saw what seemed like a pile of wood,” Zhou recalled.
“Weaving was difficult, but different from mining. Mining requires heavy physical labor, but working with the soft and thin silk requires studying and practicing in front of a loom for decades until you master the technique. My hands became quite awkward due to mining, so I used to put my hands in warm water whenever I could. In this way, they could become softer and weave the silk more easily,” he said.
Out of the six or so students, Zhou is the only one who has insisted on the trade to this day. Having devoted the past five decades to yunjin production despite all the sweat and struggles, he has developed his techniques to the point where he can weave the antique dragon robes in all their small details. He also made various artworks that not only show China's intangible cultural heritage but also serve as Zhou Shuangxi's artistic creations.
“I am lucky to be in such a good era and I have the honor of being a representative inheritor,” Zhou said.
1. What was Zhou’s original impression of yunjin weaving techniques as a student?A.They faced an uncertain future. | B.They were popular among the public. |
C.They required much physical strength. | D.They were closely related to his schooling. |
A.To relieve the pain of mining. | B.To make them much more suitable for weaving. |
C.To gain an attractive appearance. | D.To rest his hands and draw inspiration. |
A.Determined and creative. | B.Awkward and hesitant. |
C.Encouraging and honest. | D.Adventurous and sociable. |
A.The ups and downs of yunjin. |
B.People’s appreciation of a traditional art treasure. |
C.Artisans’ struggle to pass down traditional techniques. |
D.A national-level inheritor of yunjin weaving techniques. |
This summer, have you been surprised by women wearing hanfu, or Han-style clothing, at subway stations, shopping malls or
In 2018, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China set the
Generally, Hanfu refers
Hanfu appears elegant and beautiful,
Hanfu
5 . The “Double Seven Festival” is a traditional Chinese festival. It has a longer history than the
The origin of this festival is related to a cowboy and a weaving girl, whose love story has become a part of the Chinese culture.
Unluckily, even such a hard life didn’t last long. His brother got rid of him and all he got was the old cow. Although they couldn’t talk to each other, they
Every day the cowboy went to work
Although the love story doesn’t end up with a happy ending, it is to be told from one
A.celebration | B.congratulation | C.inspiration | D.liberation |
A.As if | B.Even if | C.Until then | D.In case |
A.open-minded | B.absent-minded | C.narrow-minded | D.business-minded |
A.depended | B.based | C.concentrated | D.worked |
A.sleep | B.bathe | C.dance | D.play |
A.make | B.bring | C.steal | D.buy |
A.Interested | B.Frightened | C.Tired | D.Surprised |
A.while | B.as | C.before | D.after |
A.careful | B.successful | C.peaceful | D.helpful |
A.freed | B.risked | C.kept | D.prevented |
A.gentleman | B.lady | C.cow | D.couple |
A.why | B.when | C.where | D.how |
A.dynasty | B.generation | C.age | D.person |
A.shared | B.connected | C.filled | D.separated |
A.meet | B.lose | C.miss | D.see |
6 . Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated by all Chinese people. Not everyone celebrates the festival in the same way, with the biggest differences between northern and southern China.
Festival Foods
In the northern cities of China, people generally eat dumplings. They are called jiaozi in Chinese, which means the turn of a lunar new year. Additionally, because they are shaped similarly to a type of ancient money, jiaozi are also regarded as a symbol of wealth.
As compared to the north, people from some southern areas traditionally eat rice cakes (niangao in Chinese), which are made of sticky (黏的) rice flour. Niangao can be interpreted as that people move up to a higher position year after year.
Festival Decorations
It is a common tradition to put up Spring Festival couplets (对联) and “Fu” characters, but some decorations differ a bit between northern and southern China.
In the north, the red “Chinese knot (结)” is also hung, representing happiness. However, in the southern areas, people like to use kumquats, a fruit like a very small orange, for decorations. Due to their yellow colour, they are usually a sign of wealth and harvest.
Red Envelope
In northern China, people usually give red envelopes to the children of their relatives or close friends only. However, people in southern China not only give red envelopes to the children of their relatives and friends, but also to their colleagues and acquaintances. In some southern areas like Guangdong Province, a company manager or a shop owner may also give red envelops to staffs on the first working day of the New Year, wishing for a fortune and giving them a strong sense of team spirit.
1. Why are dumplings seen as a symbol of wealth?A.They look like a type of ancient money. |
B.They have the meaning of getting to a higher position. |
C.Only rich families could afford them in ancient times. |
D.The name for “dumplings” meant money in the past. |
A.Making and eating rice cakes. | B.Hanging red Chinese knots in the room. |
C.Giving red envelops to colleagues’ children. | D.Placing kumquats in the room. |
A.They want to award their staff for their good performance. |
B.They wish to encourage their staffs to work harder. |
C.They wish that they all will make a lot of money. |
D.They want to show their companies are very rich. |
As the Year of the Dragon approached, sales of products with dragon elements have seen explosive
Since January, products with dragon-themed elements, such as clothing, daily necessities and gold jewelry
Chinese consumers who buy dragon-themed goods are hoping
Spring Festival is the traditional festival Chinese people attach the most importance to, and it’s also
Featuring a dynamic design, the horse-face skirt is widely preferred by fans of traditional clothing in China. Exploring ways
The horse-face skirt
While maintaining the essential design
“This kind of skirt shows the grand
9 . When the day is dawning, the Center of Naxi Dongba Pictographs and Paintings of the old town Liliang welcomes his owner, He Runyuan, who is dressed in a traditional Naxi clothing. Every day, He explains Dongba culture to tourists and teaches them to write Dongba characters. “Dongba characters are not only the soul of Dongba culture, but also a treasure for the whole world,” said He. Enjoying a history of over 1,000 years, Dongba characters are an ancient system of pictographic glyphs (象形字形). They are praised to be the “living fossil (活化石)” in writing.
As a member of the Naxi group, He first learned Dongba characters at the age of 13. He loved them immediately when he first looked at the symbols. “These characters have pictographic drawings that look like humans, animals, plants etc.” He said. “They are usually colorful and recognizable.”
Though the characters are interesting, learning them is never easy. Dongba culture is always mastered by Dongbas, the Naxi priests (祭司). Without Dongbas in his village, He has to travel far to the Old Town, where many Dongbas are gathered. “In most cases, I need to walk for more than one day to the destination. To get more learning time, I always set off very early when the city is still in darkness,” said He.
But the love for Dongba culture keeps him going. For the past 30 years, He has been studying these characters every day. In 2016, He set up the Center of Naxi Dongba Pictographs and Paintings Where He beautified fans, glasses and even T-shirts with Dongba characters, hoping to pass down Dongba culture and let more people know about it.
“Our life is limited, but so long as everyone makes an effort, the life of a culture can exist forever,” He said.
1. What does He Runyuan do in his center every day?A.He spreads Dongba culture. | B.He writes Dongba characters. |
C.He sells his painting. | D.He learns from priests. |
A.Honest and creative. | B.Outgoing and confident. |
C.Hard-working and responsible. | D.Humorous and determined. |
A.The love for his hometown. | B.The preference for Dongba culture. |
C.The respect for priests. | D.The encouragement from his fans. |
A.They are popular with the young. | B.They are interesting and easy to learn. |
C.They are lively and easily recognized. | D.They are passed down by oral explanation. |
10 . By drawing patterns on the surface of a cup of tea, chabaixi (茶百戏), an ancient Chinese tea trick displayed in a recent TV drama, has gone viral for its apparent similarity with modern coffee art. However, ten years ago, this distinctive technique was close to disappearing. Zhang Zhifeng, a practician of chabaixi, found scenes of chabaixi in the drama aroused great interest among ordinary people.
Chabaixi can create endless patterns such as bamboos and mountains or even calligraphy. There are over a dozen steps, from grinding (碾碎) tea for fine powder, to pouring boiled water, stirring the mixture for thick froth (泡沫), and finally drawing the patterns. It is different from making coffee because people use clear water as the object to put into the cup instead of milk. But when the water touches the surface of whipped (搅打起泡的) tea, it turns into a white color and disappears in 20 minutes. The process before the drawing is known as the tea—making technique, diancha. The quality of diancha is crucial to whether patterns can be successfully produced later.
“Chabaixi is one of the countless forms of tea-making techniques in China. The importance of chabaixi is not only that this technique is unique in the world, but also it gives us a window into people’s lifestyle in the Song Dynasty, a period of time when leisure activities in some ways are similar to what we have now,” Zhang said.
Before chabaixi was discovered by TV audiences, the technique was listed as part of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, after it was recovered by Zhang Zhifeng. He started researching the origins of chabaixi in the 1980s and brought the technique back in 2009 after decades of trials and practice.
“To let this technique fade would be a shame. It must be passed on to the next generations so they can understand its history,” Zhang said.
1. What do the underlined words “gone viral” in paragraph 1 probably mean?A.Maintained highly competitive. | B.Received good protection. |
C.Started declining gradually. | D.Became popular quickly. |
A.It develops based on coffee art. | B.It involves complicated tea-making skills. |
C.It mainly describes beautiful scenery. | D.It is painted with whipped milk. |
A.The origin of chabaixi. | B.The uniqueness of chabaixi. |
C.The significance of chabaixi. | D.The development of chabaixi. |
A.Zhang Zhifeng—A Practician of Chabaixi |
B.Ancient Tea Technique Finds New Popular Recognition |
C.A China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage |
D.Chabaixi—A Famous Tea-making Technique |