Sichuan cuisine, one of the eight major cuisines in China, is now popular all over the world. In February 2010, Chengdu     1     (award) the honorary title of “City of Gastronomy” (美食之都) by UNESCO. To experience comprehensive Sichuan cuisine culture, you should definitely visit Sichuan Cuisine Museum (also Chuancais Museum), the first museum     2     (display) a regional cooking culture in the world.

    3     (cover) an area of more than 40 mu, the museum forms     4     unique cultural landscape of ancient Kingdom of Shu in Chinese history. In this AAA national museum, you can appreciate more than 6,000 pieces of antique and cultural relics related to Sichuan cuisine culture, as well as     5     (catch) a glimpse of new style classic garden scenery and traditional western Sichuan style folk houses. Sichuan Cuisine Museum is the only “EATABLE MUSEUM”,     6     you can not only learn Sichuan cuisine culture by using eyes and ears, but also enjoy it by using mouth and nose. Interesting, meaningful and featured activities are     7     (special) designed from the moment you stepped into the museum to the time you leave. The highlighted experience for your visit should be cooking the typical Sichuan dishes     8     the guidance of the professional chef. There is arguably no better way to know more about a cuisine     9     learning how to cook it yourself.

Start your     10     (explore) from Sichuan Cuisine Museum, enjoy different aspects of Sichuan cuisine, satisfy your curiosity and taste buds and experience all fun for “Playing with Chuancais”.

China Post recently issued a special collection of stamps featuring Pingyao, an ancient city in Shanxi Province, to mark its 26th anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The special stamp collection, which     1     (comprise) of three distinct stamps and a souvenir (纪念品) sheet, displays overall scenes and representative architecture of     2     ancient city.

Each stamp in the collection is a window into the world of Pingyao,     3     (offer) a visual journey through its well-preserved streets and structures     4     (combine) in a collage (拼贴画) style. The complex designs on the stamps highlight the narrow streets winding through the city, the traditional buildings with distinctive architectural features of Han era,     5     the historical walls, which stand as silent witnesses     6     centuries of history.

The souvenir sheet accompanying the stamps is a masterpiece in     7     (it). It provides a bird’s-eye view of the city, emphasizing the     8     (harmony) combination of architecture and urban design as well as     9     (constant) reminding us of the significance of promoting cultural heritage.

As stamp collectors and history enthusiasts explore these stamps, they are invited to appreciate the architectural wonders and urban planning,     10     have made Pingyao a timeless diamond in the crown (皇冠) of Chinese heritage.

Known for its beautiful scenery, Mount Wuyi is the only place in the country     1     is home to Wuyi rock tea.

With tea farming dating back over 1,000 years, the mountain’s tea industry has a rich history. The area     2     (provide) tea for people at home and abroad since the first century CE, and in the     3     (eighteen) century, Wuyi rock tea was the most popular tea in Europe. However, its     4     (popular) was gained at the cost of the local environment. Illegal land reclamation (开垦) of tea mountains and the destruction (破坏) of plant resources have occurred frequently,     5     (damage) the environment in the area around Mount Wuyi.

The need to strike a balance between farmers’ livelihoods and the local environment has appeared as     6     unique challenge for the Wuyishan National Park, which covers 1,280 square kilometers as it straddles (横跨) the eastern provinces of Fujian and Jiangxi.     7     (found) in 2021, it was among the first batch of China’s national parks.

The park has a tea farming area of 34.54 square kilometers, accounting     8     2.7 percent of its total expanse. The     9     (authority) have cooperated with tea experts to develop measures for the protection and improvement of the Mount Wuyi tea industry and biodiversity, ensuring the sector’s sustainability for generations     10     (come).

In the 12th century, the Southern Song Dynasty moved its capital to Lin’an. Near Lin’an, on the banks of Lake Tai is the city of Suzhou. Given its location near the capital and its     1     (nature) beauty, Suzhou became a preferred place     2     (live). Thus, there were over 300 gardens     3     (build) here, and more than 60 are still in     4     (exist).

Among these gardens, the Humble Administrator’s Garden (Zhuozheng Yuan) is the largest and the most famous, and water pools take up     5     third of its area.     6     (surround) the water pools is a luxuriant (繁茂的) group of flowers, plants, and trees, all carefully chosen according to the way their seasonal colors reflect off the sparkling water below. As is typical of Suzhou gardens, this garden     7     (separate) into different sections, offering various kinds of spaces     8     diverse shapes and sizes that represent different moods and feelings.

Since it is such a large garden, no simple description of the garden will do.     9     you have to do is to walk among the water and plants, enjoy every moment,     10     find your own treasures depending on your mood that day.

Mount Danxia National Geopark, located in the south of China, shares many     1    (similarity) with Monument Valley and Canyonlands National Park in the USA. However,     2    (it) unique landscape of red rock in the surroundings of the subtropical (亚热带的) forest creates a distinct environment.

Inside Mount Danxia, it is well-organized, and tourist buses transport visitors     3     every point of interest. My first     4    (choose) place to visit was one of the landmarks of the park, Yangyuanshi or Male Stone. Then, the bus took me to another landmark of the park, Zhanglaofeng or Elder Peak, where I     5    (board) a cable car (缆车) to the top of the peak. Afterward, I took a river tour on Jinjiang River,     6     offered breathtaking views that I highly recommend.

Based on my experience, Mount Danxia is     7    easily accessible and enjoyable destination. However, I only visited a small part of the park, and there are still many nice spots for me     8    (explore), along with numerous activities available for tourists, such as bamboo rafting (竹筏漂流). In conclusion, Mount Danxia, a World Heritage Site in China, is a(n)     9    (undoubted) remarkable spot that is well worth     10    (visit).

China has a unique and time-honored architectural tradition, dating back to the Zhou Dynasty. Since ancient times, several types of architecture have been     1    (traditional) built by the Chinese. Each of these kinds of construction has different features.

The wooden architecture has distinctive features     2    changed little from the Zhou Dynasty. The buildings     3     (construct) strong enough to survive natural disasters and were easier to rebuild. A     4    (notice) feature of the wooden buildings was roofs with wide eaves (屋檐) and slightly upturned corners. The builders considered     5    important to cover wooden buildings with     6    (overhang) roofs. This was to protect the building from weathering since wood got damaged much     7    (fast) when it was wet.

Another feature is the south facing orientation (方向). When courtyards were built with taller buildings in the north     8    shorter walls facing east and west in the south, it allowed the maximum amount of sunlight     9     (warm) the building during the winter months. This was     10     the door and windows of the main building faced southwards and opened over the inner courtyard.