Patrick Sommier, a French theater director, is dovoted to passing on the true meaning of Chinese operas to the French public.

On the occasion of the     1     (celebrate) for the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in 2004, Sommier     2     (invite) to cooperate on a joint project to spread Peking Opera in France. Sommier says that when he arrived in China, like many other     3     (European), he showed great interest in Chinese operas. The beauty of Peking Opera     4    (immediate) caught his heart, he says.

Recalling his first cooperation with the Chinese team, Sommier says he was impressed by the actors’ makeups, costumes,     5     the characters of incredible strength. He was also touched by the Chinese professors’ effort     6     (pass) their acting skills to their students by acting with them. One professor explained, “In China, opera is     7     art requiring lifelong devotion and the effect of the performance largely     8     (depend) on the actors’ inner strength and acting skills.”

Sommier began exploring into different performance forms and suggested introducing Chinese operas     9     the French audience. The team then gave some     10     (origin) performances, some without makeups or costumes and some with students performing classics in a traditional way.

Rose Flower Cake, one of Yunnan’s classic snacks, is a delicious dessert in Yunnan. According to historical     1     (record), flower cakes were invented by a cake maker during the Qing Dynasty more than 300 years ago.     2     (traditional), flower cakes were eaten at breakfast and as snacks.

As Yunnan’s typical dessert, rose cakes     3     (make) using Rosa rugosa, a kind of rose native to eastern Asia. However, the best quality Rosa rugosa is grown in Yunnan. With     4     (it) spring like weather year round, Yunnan is     5     ideal environment for plants in general, and roses in particular.

Rose Flower Cake is only available for part of the year because it’s made using the petals (花瓣) of roses,     6     have a limited flowering period. April and May are the     7     (good) time of the year to pick roses. After they are picked, they are frozen and taken in refrigerated trucks to factories for processing.

There     8     (be) more than a dozen varieties of flower cakes being offered now. The shelf life of flower cakes is from 7 to 45 days, depending     9     the ingredients (原料). In April, people wait in line     10       (buy) fresh flower cakes.

If possible, have a taste for the very traditional local dessert.

As the saying goes, laughter is the best medicine. Laughing is like a super drug for your health that can lift your mood, lessen pain, and protect you from the     1     (harm) effects of stress.

Journalist, author and professor Norman Cousins was     2     well-known supporter of laughter as a form of medicine and an outstanding figure     3     the field of health and wellness. Diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (强直性脊柱炎) in the late 1960s, Cousins     4     (age) about 50, had little hope of recovery; just one in 500 chances. However, Cousins     5     (notice) that his pain decreased when he involved in laughter, according to the Newport Academy. So, he began to schedule funny movies for     6     (he) on a regular basis.     7     (remarkable), he lived another 25 years post-diagnosis and conducted in-depth research on the medical benefits of laughter, with the support of California University Hospital.

Since then, research has continuously confirmed the effectiveness of laughter in relieving pain     8     improving overall well-being. It’s been found that a hearty laugh can lessen physical tension,     9     (leave) muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes. Importantly, these physical improvements have a significant positive impact on mental health, as the mind and body     10     (connect).

Ebru is a Turkish art from Central Asia     1     began at the beginning of the 16^th century. It is thought that Ebru art first     2     (appear) in China but became popular in Turkiye during Ottoman times.

It is     3     art form where you paint directly on the surface of water in a shallow tray (托盘). Once you’ve finished your design, you need to put a sheet of paper on the surface     4     (change) the design from the water onto the paper. Historically, paper marbling (大理石纹饰) was the only form, but today, patterns can     5     (print) to all sorts of things such as leather, glass, cloth, furniture, book covers and notebooks.

The process sounds simple, and     6     (actual) it is, but the results are hard to master. An Ebru     7     (art) will paint for decades before he or she is recognized as true master of the art.

Back in the Ottoman Empire, the Ottomans used Ebru to decorate (装饰) the spines of books with     8     (colour) designs. Not only was this decorative, it was also used as a type of code. If the pattern on the spine was     9     (break), then you’d know some pages were missing from the book and someone had intercepted the message.     10     clever that is!

Jianbing is one of China’s most popular street breakfasts.    1    Chinese dumplings have spread well beyond the country’s borders, Jianbing might be China’s best-kept culinary secret. Every neighborhood has its own Jianbing vendor(摊贩) serving breakfast from dawn through mid-morning, satisfying hungry    2    (local) on their way to work.

Contrary    3    what you might think, Jianbing is no grab-and-go street breakfast.    4    (preserve)the crispness(酥脆) of the pancake, Jianbing is never cooked ahead of time, so waiting in a line is part of the culture. But     5    (basic), Jianbing is a breakfast worth waiting for.

Jianbing has a longer history than almost any other Chinese street food. Thought to have originated in Shandong Province during the Three Kingdoms Period, military strategist Zhuge Liang had his soldiers cook food on shields(盾)    6    (hold) over the fire.

Of course, if Jianbing were that easy to make, it would have taken the world by storm long before now. Part of     7    challenge in copying the dish is that the recipe for a Jianbing differs by region, and even by vendor. Many consider it     8    (possible) to make your own Jianbing without months of practice and tuition from a master. Yet a few committed foreigners have made it, who     9    (inspire) to bring Jianbing to a hungry audience after their first taste in China back in the 1980s. In the UK, twins Melissa and Oliver Fu, owners of Mei Mei’s Street Cart are bringing the joys of jianbing first to London and now Manchester despite all the difficulty they have in    10    (perfect) their technique.