Shu embroidery (蜀绣) enjoys a long history in China. As early as the Han Dynasty, Shu embroidery was already famous, enjoying a high reputation as “    1     treasure of Sichuan”. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, a     2     (relative) peaceful society and large demand provided     3     (advance) conditions for the rapid development of the Shu embroidery industry. Shu embroidery experienced its peak development in the Song Dynasty,     4     (rank) first in both production and     5     (excellent). In the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Shu embroidery industry was formed.     6     the People’s Republic of China was founded, Shu embroidery factories were set up and the craft entered a new period of development.

Shu embroidery     7     (form) its own unique characteristics, since it originated among the common people in the west of Sichuan Province. Shu embroidery has strong expression and artistic effect,     8     features are said as “fine and smooth needlework, simple and elegant colors, graceful and easy lines and the traditional Chinese paintings style”. Altogether, there are 122     9     (approach) in 12 categories for weaving. The embroidery took locally-produced colorful satin (缎子) and threads     10     its materials.

5 . Yuewen Miaobi (Great pen for online literature), China’s first Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) Large Language Model (LLM), designed particularly to assist writers in the online literature industry, was recently introduced by China Literature Limited, a pioneer of the online literature market. It also operates a leading online literature platform in China.

The new AI “pen” aims to bring improved cost-effectiveness to online literature authors’ writing process by reducing work that is “repetitive and time consuming”, Huang Yan, the vice president of China Literature Limited, told the Global Times.

Taking an author’s request to design a “treasure tool for a fantasy novel” as an example, after the writer inputs (输入) the scenario and data for the object, the AIGC tool will automatically respond with a name such as “fire dragon ball“, and tags (标签) describing its function such as ”used for regaining fiery energy“.

This smart design is ”adaptable to different settings“ and can help writers with tasks such as giving characters personalities and writing detailed descriptions of the scenery, Li Yilun, an online literature industry insider, told the Global Times.

According to Liu Dingding, an independent technology analyst, the LLM suits the online literature industry extremely well, even though it has been rarely used in the field.

“The LLM is useful in dealing with works that are logical and routine-like,” he said. Despite the professional efficiency, Liu said that the use of AI was still a “debatable” issue that might involve “copying and un-reviewed (未经审查的) sensitive content”.

“The platform should strengthen its management of the tool’s use. For example, sensitive words are required to be filtered out (过滤) in the system before they get used,” Liu noted.

6 . Like humans, dogs have tear ducts (泪腺) that well up with tears to keep their eyes clean and healthy. But tears in dogs, which tend not to fall as they do when humans cry, hadn’t been linked with emotion before.

Takefumi Kikusui, a professor at Azabu University in Japan, decided to study dog tears after watching his poodle (鬟毛狗) when she had puppies six years ago. He noticed that her eyes got teary as she nursed her puppies. So Kikusui and his team measured tear production among 18 dogs with a standard test known as the Schirmer Tear Test (STT). It involved a paper strip placed inside the eyelids (眼睑) of the dogs for a minute before and after they were reunited with their owners following five to seven hours of separation.

“Tear production was evaluated by the length of the wet part on the STT. The baseline was about 22 mm, and the reunion with the owner increased the length by 10%,” Kikusui explained. With the help of 20 dogs, researchers then compared tear production before and after reunions with their owners and people with whom the animals were familiar. Only the reunion with the owner increased tear production.

Researchers also tested if oxytocin, a hormone thought to be connected to emotional bonding in humans and dogs, could be causing the tear production. They found that dropping oxytocin in dogs’ eyes really increased tear production, while a control solution did not.

The findings suggest “dogs’ tears are associated with positive emotions, such as a reunion with the owner,” according to Takefumi Kikusui. Still, some scientists think it’s a stretch to say that dogs cry tears of joy. “It would take a lot to let me accept the evidence of this research,” said Clive Wynne, an animal behavioral specialist at Arizona State University.

7 . Educational authorities have asked schools to make sure students have 10-minute breaks between classes after hearing complaints that some school students are not allowed to leave classrooms during breaks-unless they need to go to the toilet-- to ensure their safety.

Some students said teachers often overrun by a few minutes, and that some start their classes a few minutes before the breaks are scheduled to end. In these cases students do not even have time to go to the toilet.

A mother of a primary school student in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province said her child’s school does not allow students to leave the classroom building during breaks. They are also forbidden to jump, run around or speak loudly.

The issue has caused a heated discussion on social media platforms.

“Teachers do not want to supervise students during class breaks. However, if students have accidents, some parents will still hold schools accountable,” said one netizen in a comment that received more than 10,000 likes. Another said, “Teachers are also tired, but the school makes such a requirement, and they have to follow.”

An official from the Ministry of Education said that it is important for schools to ensure students have time to rest during class breaks, which can help students relax, be healthy and avoid myopia (近视).

The ministry attaches great importance to class breaks, the official said. Apart from breaks between classes, schools should also make sure students have a 30-minute break each day for exercise. The ministry will urge local authorities and schools to implement the policies and prevent the practice of restricting class breaks in the name of “ensuring students safety”, the official said.

8 . How to Boost Your Memory

The brain might be the place where memories are stored, and its memory capacity can be enlarged.     1    Taking steps to improve your lifestyle in the following four areas will help keep your mind sharp.

●    2     Exercise helps with the activity of brain cells and also helps reduce the risk of brain diseases. It also helps brain cells repair themselves and their connections to other brain cells. Memory can improve in both brain-healthy older adults and with mild brain disorder after a 12-week exercise program.

●Getting sugar from fruits and vegetables instead of products with added sugars is healthier for body and brain. Too much sugar restricts blood flow to the brain and can even cause brain illness. The real brain foods are those called the mind diet.     3    

●Sleep is critical for memory formation, especially long-term memory formation. That’s because when you’re asleep, the brain, runs the tape of what it recorded during the day, gets rid of information that isn’t relevant and then stores other information for the long term.     4     The more you can keep a regular sleep schedule, the better off your brain and the rest of you will be.

●Challenging your brain is of great benefit, too. Maybe you’re a crazy bridge player, a crossword puzzle lover or a regular lecturer.     5     To get the most memory boost out of puzzles or intellectual activities, the key is to keep things fresh and challenging. New and challenging activities help form new pathways in the brain.