A Chinese ink painting exhibition,     1     (feature) paintings of Professor Vermander of Fudan University, opened on Wednesday at the university in Shanghai, aiming to promote cultural exchanges     2     China and France.

This year     3     (mark) the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic (外交的) ties between China and France. The exhibition is part of the university’s     4     (celebrate) of this special occasion and will run through till April 25.

The exhibition exhibits more than 60 ink paintings     5     (create) over the past decade by the French professor.

Through the artworks exhibited in the exhibition,     6     focus on diverse themes such as animals, natural     7     (landscape) and people, visitors are able to feel the artist’s close relationship with nature and daily life.

“    8     I like most in Chinese ink painting is the freedom it allows you. I am not skillful in Western painting as I have bad eyes, and it is not my character to be careful and plan everything as     9     (usual) needed in Western painting. With Chinese calligraphy and ink painting, I could free my inner feelings,” said Vermander.

Making his first visit to China in 1987, Vermander was attracted by Chinese calligraphy. After 1994, he changed to Chinese painting and has continued ever since. Over the three decades he has been in China, he has also been organizing and translating Chinese classics     10     (promote) cultural exchanges.

In the ancient Shuowen Dictionary, trust is defined as a combination of sincerity and reliability,     1     (emphasize) the importance of keeping one’s word. This concept was     2     (deep) valued in ancient China, with many proverbs highlighting the significance of integrity in personal and professional relationships. CaoCao, the     3     (rule) of the Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period, embodied (体现) this spirit of trustworthiness, which played a crucial role in his ability     4     (draw) numerous heroes to his side.

During the Three Kingdoms era, a time     5     (mark) by division and conflict among the states of Wei, Shu, and Wu, loyalty was a prized yet rare commodity (商品). Cao Cao’s relationship     6     Guan Yu shows his understanding of trust and respect as foundational     7     (element) of leadership. After capturing Xu Province, Cao Cao encountered Guan Yu. Guan Yu’s surrender (投降) to Cao Cao, under the condition     8     he would leave once he learned of Liu Bei’s whereabouts, presented     9     unique challenge. Cao Cao’s acceptance of these terms, and his subsequent efforts to win over Guan Yu, demonstrate a strategic approach to leadership that     10     (value) talent and honours personal loyalty.

An ancient species of great ape (猿) likely disappeared hundreds of thousands of years ago when climate change put their favourite fruits out of reach during dry seasons, scientists     1     (recent) reported.

The species is called Gigantopithecus blacki. It once lived in southern China. It stood 3 metres tall and weighed up to 295 kilogrammes. It represents the largest great ape     2     (know) to scientists.

The huge apes likely looked similar     3     the modern orangutan (猩猩). It survived for around 2 million years in the forested land of China’s Guangxi area. They ate plants that included fruits and flowers—until the environment began to change.

    4     (start) about 600, 000 years ago, Guangxi’s forests began producing fewer fruits. The area was experiencing more periods of dry weather.

As the climate changed, smaller apes may have be enable to climb trees to search for     5     (difference) food. But the researchers found that the giant apes ate more food that provided     6     (little) nutrients.

Most of     7     scientists know about the extinct great apes comes from studying their remains, or fossils. The fossilized bones they studied included     8     (tooth) and four large lower jawbones. All of the fossils were found in southern China. No complete skeletons     9     (find) so far.

It was between around 2 million and 22 million years ago     10     many species of great apes s lived in Africa, Europe, and Asia, fossil 1records show. Today, only gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and humans remain

Xu Xiake was born in 1587.     1     (he) parents were rich landowners. Yet he gave up a     2     (comfort) life, and decided to explore the mountains and rivers on foot.

China has more famous explorers. There was: Zhang Qian, who traveled into Central Asia during the second century BC, opening a trade road that became     3     is known as the Silk Road. Or Zheng He, the sailor who in the 15th century sailed as far away as Africa. Yet these explorations     4     (support) by governments. Xu was totally different.

“On the surface, Xu’s travels can neither be classified as great affairs of state     5     great adventures that changed the course of history,” writes cultural historian Cheng Pei-kai. “Xu travelled to satisfy his own     6     (curious).”

Scholar Julian Ward agrees, describing the lonely Chinese wanderer like the Middle Kingdom’s version of John Muir: “Deep in love with nature and eager to find freedom     7     worldly concerns, Xu was a man addicted to     8     (see) and describing the landscape.”

“The few coins     9     (slip) from a hole in my pocket while I was climbing a mountain in Yunnan. When I finally managed to the town, I sold all my clothes, bought myself a bottle of wine and a good dinner     10     (celebrate) my survival,” the dreamy explorer wrote in his diaries, which mix details of geology, geography and botany with such personal travel experiences.

An exhibition titled Symbiosis of the Chinese Zodiac (生肖) opened at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama on Dec 19 and would run until Jan 20.

Sally Huang,     1     Chinese Panamanian artist and a doctor of art from Beijing Normal University, presented thirteen paintings,     2     combined the freehand brushstrokes of traditional Chinese paintings with the beautiful colors of Latin America, and presented the zodiac animals. Also there were some sculptures (雕刻品) of zodiac animals     3     display, which were created by Chinese artist Zhang Yong, graduating from the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

The exhibition     4     (include) in the project Painting Our Canals (运河), which was sponsored by the Beijing Culture and Arts Fund this year. The Beijing Culture and Arts Fund is a nonprofit fund     5     (found) by the Beijing Bureau of Culture and Tourism to provide support in the three major fields of stage art, cultural exchange     6     the cultivation (培养) of art talents.

The lead institution applying for the project was Beijing Normal University,     7    (feature) a series of events themed on the canal culture in both China and Panama, also inviting artists from both countries     8     (attend) the exhibition as well as hosting academic forums.

The opening ceremony was joined by representatives from both countries, such as the Chinese ambassador to Panama and the vice-minister of culture in Panama.

The ambassador expressed some     9     (message) congratulating the artists in his speech, while emphasizing that China and Panama should work together to promote     10     (globe) peace and development.

Maxime Biou, a winner of the 2020 Yishu 8 Young French Artist Award, is holding     1     exhibition in Beijing. Biou, born in France in 1993, is based in Paris. He graduated from the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 2019 and the following year he     2     (win) the Yishu 8 Young French Artist Award. Over the past few years, he     3     (participate) in artistic residencies in cities such as Madrid, Avignon, and Nantes, showing his creations in exhibitions     4     (hold) in well-known locations like Paris, Venice, and Arles. In October, Biou began his residency in Beijing. Within a month, he toured world- famous landmarks     5     the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Beihai Park, and the Great Wall. He also explored exhibitions showcasing the works of young Chinese artists in the 798 Art Zone. Yet,     6     truly attracted him was the hutong where he chose to live. Biou     7     (skillful) pictures the essence of the hutong life on oil paintings in this exhibition. Displayed are four oil paintings     8     Biou employs his distinctive brushwork to paint the differences of time, light, scenery, and     9     (object) within the small alleys. Christine Cayol, the     10     (found) of Yishu 8, said that Biou enjoyed the nights of Beijing, where he illustrated his viewpoints and reflections on life. The exhibition runs until Dec. 10.