Wuzhen Water Town is a typical ancient town in southern China.     1     (lie) in the northern part of Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province, it can be easily accessed through a number of express ways. On a recent business trip     2     Shanghai, a local friend invited me to Wuzhen.

It was 9:00 a.m. when we arrived there. With     3     (it) houses made of black bricks and gray tiles (瓦) against the white walls, the small town is like a     4     (tradition) Chinese ink wash painting. Wandering along the riverside, you will be,     5     (deep) impressed by the great scenery and slow lifestyle. During lunchtime, I     6     (treat) to the steamed white fish, a well-known dish served at most     7     (restaurant) in Wuzhen. It tasted so good. But I think it is the combination of culture and food that makes it so outstanding.

After lunch, we continued our walk, enjoying the sights and learning about its history, a history     8     is full of good stories and unique traits (特色).

It’s really fortunate for anybody     9     (explore) such a beautiful place. We hope there will be     10     second chance to visit this wonderful town!

Forget about “military-style travel” during which people tend to visit as many places as possible in the least amount of time. A more     1     (relax) and leisurely alternative, such as “Citywalk”, is becoming a hit among urban youngsters.

Unlike military-style travel, Citywalk is about walking around a city on foot, experiencing the atmosphere and     2     (find) unusual things that even a resident of the city might not have noticed before. It can be a special event     3     people embark (开始) on a journey led by tour guides or     4     (simple) explore the streets.

Such walks generally avoid hot tourist     5     (attract) and shopping centers, and take you to places where you can have real interactions     6     the local people, eat at small but authentic restaurants, and gain a deeper understanding of the history and culture of the city.

Various videos about Citywalk     7     (post) over Chinese multiple social media platforms in recent months. On Instagram-like Xiaohongshu, a search for “citywalk” turns up over 600,000 posts and tens of millions of views. Citywalkers have shared their carefully     8     (plan) routes on social media platforms, generating thousands of followers. Their posts usually include how long the walk is going to take, and interesting places along the way.

While Citywalk can work as     9     approach to tourism, this trend sees Gen Z seek pleasure more through connection than consumption and     10     (imply) a deep cultural curiosity.

Originally constructed around 256 BCE by the State of Qin     1     an irrigation and flood control system, Dujiangyan is a remarkable example of ancient engineering skill and is still     2     use today.

During the Warring States period, people who lived along the banks of the Min River     3     (trouble) by annual flooding. Qin governor and irrigation engineer Li Bing investigated the problem thoroughly. He led a fantastic team     4     (construct) a levee (堤坝) to redirect a part of the river’s flow. Then they decided to cut     5     channel through Mount Yulei to let the water flow through it. After the system was finished, no more floods     6     (occur). What’s more, it made Sichuan one of the most productive agricultural     7     (region) in China because the redirected water from the Min River could be used for irrigation. If you visit Dujiangyan, you will see an     8     (usual) construction that looks like a fish’s mouth. This famous attraction, Yuzui, together with two other important parts, namely, Feishayan and Baopingkou, was     9     (scientific) designed to control the water flow throughout the year.

    10     (recognize) as a UNESCO heritage site, Dujiangyan has irrigated farms while preventing floods for over 2,000 years.

This year’s winter has proven an important season for Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province, as interest    1    the icy destination greatly increased after social media posts showed many citizens from the     2     (warm) south flooding into the snowy city.

Among those highlights, the journey of 11 kids from Guangxi, who took     3    unique study tour in Harbin, has melted hearts across the Internet. Chinese netizens have been     4     (eager) following their adventures online.

They are fondly referred to as “little tangerines (柑橘)” The nickname symbolizes both their cute orange outfits and Guangxi’s well-known production.    5    they went, they were hugged and   showered with love by the    6     (local). In Harbin, they enjoyed the local delicacies, and watched   a firework display amid the snowy landscape. They also visited China’s northernmost town, Mohe,     7     they sang the national anthem. Moreover, the firefighters there prepared snow sculptures and snowmer to treat the “little tangerines”.

    8    is reported that    9     (express) gratitude for the hospitality (好客) received in Heilongjiang, a lot of tangerines from Lipu of Guangxi     10     (send) to the province last Thursday.

A journey enriched with cuisine and culture

As reported by China Tourism News, the combination of culture and tourism has inspired several cities in China to explore their cooking heritage while transforming food tours into cultural experiences.

Recently the sharp increase in popularity of Zibo barbecue is a clear proof to this effort. Zibo,     1     (locate) in East China’s Shandong province, was not     2     (wide) known as a tourist destination. However, over the past three months, the city’s delicious barbecue     3     (gain) large popularity and attracted a massive arrival of visitors.

“I never expected Zibo barbecue     4     (become) so popular all of a sudden!” said Zhang Linlin, deputy director at Shandong College of Tourism and Hospitality. “With the recent publicity, my young colleagues have rushed to try     5     out.”

Zhang is researching the Zibo barbecue craze to identify sustainable strategies     6     can promote youth tourism and support the     7     (recover) of the tourism industry.

Food plays a vital role in driving tourism spending and     8     (win) a traveler’s heart Wu Liyun, an associate professor, illustrated this point by reflecting     9     her own experience: “The attractive skewers (烤肉串) of Dujiangyan, the tasty Yimeng stir-fried chicken of Linyi and the pleasant grilled oysters (蚝) of Guangzhou were not only among the most memorable and important components of my plans, but they were the     10     (great) motivators for me to return,” Wu said.

Local     1     (official) in Beijing promised to further protect the city’s cultural heritage, in particular the narrow streets known as hutongs.

Hutongs are     2     (common) found in the cities of North China, but they are in danger. Beijing is currently believed to have fewer than 1,000 hutongs, most of     3     are near the Forbidden City. Only 60 years ago, the number of the hutongs     4     (be) 3,250.

“Every year more than 100, 000 people visit the Forbidden City during the National Day holidays. The visits put pressure on     5     protection of cultural relics,” said Huang Yan, director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning,     6     (add) that hutongs should be protected from human damage.

The government concentrated     7     how the protection plans were carried out and how the management of cultural heritage worked. Wang Shaofeng, head of the Xicheng District Government, said the area has 182 cultural relics, and many of them were built as far back as the Yuan Dynasty. The district of Xicheng has 1.28 million residents in     8     (it) 57 square kilometers of land. “The most efficient way is to decrease the local population to reduce the possibility of causing harm to the heritage,” Wang said. “Each community has been required     9     (report) the status of its cultural heritage.” No one knows for sure how many hutongs     10     (leave) in the coming 100 years.