The Duan inkstone, one of the four most famous inkstones in China,     1     (originate) in the mountains by the Duanxi River in Guangdong Province. Since the Tang Dynasty, it has been the     2     (center) region for Duan inkstone production and even today, most of the villagers still earn their living by making inkstones.

Throughout hundreds of years, villagers have developed     3     scientific production system. The process involves stone selection, material screening, shape designing, carving, and wooden box matching, among     4     stone selection and carving are the two most important steps.

Purple     5     color, Duan inkstones are glossy and as smooth as silk. They enjoy a great reputation as they never crack even when     6     (place) in low temperatures. It is a long and laborious process to handpick flawless Duan stones. Miners dig in tunnels less than one meter high at the riverside, and using tools such as dynamite (炸药)     7     (forbid).

Carving involves good conception, and highlights the fine shape of the stones     8     carving skills. In addition to natural designs, flying dragons, flowers and birds, figures, mountains and waters are common     9     (image) carved on the stones. The matching boxes are also carefully chosen and are often made of purple sandalwood and rosewood. The Duan inkstone has various styles, and new-style products are designed one after another     10     (meet) increased export demands.

This year marks the 50th anniversary (周年) of the discovery of qinghaosu,     1     is used as the main part for the most common and effective antimalarial treatment today. According to the World Health Organization, qinghaosu is     2     (benefit) to about millions of people in the world.

Until now, China     3     (train) thousands of anti-malaria workers for developing countries     4     built malaria prevention and control centers for 30 countries. During the 1940s, China was attacked by malaria, with nearly 30 million cases each year. In June 2021, the WHO announced China had finished the     5     (remove) of this disease within its borders.

Tu Youyou was excited to hear the WHO’s announcement. But a sense of responsibility quickly followed,     6     (inspire) Tu to ask her workmates how many countries had not destroyed malaria and how Chinese researchers could help.

Last month, during a meeting    7     (organize) by some officials, Tu said     8     number of cases and death rates of malaria has increased in some parts of the world. The disease     9     (remain) a serious public health challenge, and it is important for the international society to work together to achieve a malaria-free world, she added.

At the age of 92, Tu may not be able to work as hard as she did decades ago, but she reads monthly news on her team’s research and often offers her advice     10     key projects.

During the May Day holiday, many Chinese people went out for travel,     1    (show) the potential of the country’s holiday economy. Guangzhou and Chongqing were among the top domestic (国内的) cities in terms of consumer    2     (popular). In the meantime, Thailand, Japan and South Korea became some of the     3     (hot) overseas destinations during the five-day holiday.

Aside from traditional popular destinations, county tourism has developed into a new fashion and brought in new vitality (活力) into the tourism market. The tourism growth rate of small counties and towns is higher. Data from Alipay showed that many young     4     (generation) chose to go to attractions in small towns. Yili in Xinjiang, Yanbian in Jilin, Diqing and Pu’er in Yunnan have seen the largest year-on-year increase in cross-regional payments.

Tourists’ continuous enthusiasm for domestic travel is also proved by other factors, such as the number of short videos     5     (publish). During the holiday,     6     total number of posts on WeChat video accounts increased. Among them, scenic spots like West Lake     7     (become) popular destinations for video account users recently. Concerts, art exhibitions and other cultural activities have also played a significant role     8     improving cultural and tourism consumption. Cities such as Changzhou, Hefei, Beijing, and Yantai received high attention during this time period,     9     drove growth in local hotel, transportation, and dining services.

Furthermore, the inbound (入境的) tourism market is further heating up as visa-free policies and easy payment services provide     10     (convenient) for foreigners traveling to China.

Each year on July 17th, the world comes together to celebrate World Emoji Day, an annual event     1     recognizes the global phenomenon of emojis and their impact on communication.

    2     (create) in Japan in the late 1990s, emojis quickly gained popularity worldwide and have since become a universal language. The     3     (significant) of emojis lies partly in their ability to convey emotion that might get lost in text-based conversations. They add humour and personality to our messages,     4     (make) them more appealing.

Besides, emojis now include     5     wide range of skin tones (肤色) and cultural symbols, allowing individuals to express their identities and values. What’s more, emojis have also found     6     (they) way into advertising and marketing strategies, with companies using their visual appeal     7     (connect) with audiences on a deeper level.

The popularity of emojis has even led     8     the creation of the World Emoji Awards, where the best and most creative uses of emojis     9     (recognize), ranging from “Best New Emoji” to “Emoji Art of the Year.”

All in all, whether you’re sending a heart emoji to express love     10     a laughing face to share joy, take a moment on this World Emoji Day to appreciate the impact of these colorful icons in our digital world.

The Chongyang Festival     1     falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar is also known as the Double Ninth Festival.

The festival is based on the theory of Yin and Yang, the two opposing (全然不同的) principles in nature. Yin is feminine (女性的), negative principle, while Yang is masculine (男性的) and positive. The ancients believed that all     2     (nature) phenomena could be explained by this theory. The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is a day     3     the two Yang numbers meet. So it     4     (call) Chongyang. Chong means double in Chinese. It is hard     5     (say) when these customs were created. Chongyang    6     (be) an important festival since ancient times.

The Double Ninth Festival is usually perfect for outdoor     7     (activity). Many people go hiking and climbing in the country, enjoying Mother Nature’s final burst of color before she puts on her dull winter cloak. Some will carry a spray of dogwood (茱萸). But,    8     (slow), the custom of carrying a spray of dogwood during the Double Ninth Festival is     9     (die) out and many people, especially young people in the cities. The custom evolves into     10     (it) present form, when people go climbing to get some exercise as well as enjoy the autumn scenery.

A Chinese policeman familiar     1     China’s many regional dialects has helped more than 50 missing people reunite with their families in the past 11 years. His     2     (impress) language skills have allowed the 51-year-old police officer Wang Baoku from Wuhan to identify where a person is from by     3     (analyze) their accents.

Wang has used his rare talent to track down people reported as missing for years or even     4     (decade). In a case last year, a homeless old man was     5     (critical) ill in hospital, but couldn’t provide any information about his family. “He said in a weak voice that he was surnamed Xiong, with a falling tone. And he pronounced     6     last character of his given name as ‘Yuan’, with the retroflex (卷舌音) often     7     (hear) in a Chengdu accent,” Wang says. He then narrowed down the scale of his search to Chengdu and finally found the man’s daughter     8     had been looking for him for 22 years.

Wang became an expert in dialects during his 22 years of military service when he     9     (train) soldiers from different parts of China. Wang says it’s not very hard     10     (find) information about unidentified people these days with clues from accents and well-developed police data, “I am confident that I can do it as long as I spend enough time and effort,” says Wang.

A water system from more than 3,600 years ago has     1     (discover) in Central China’s Henan province. This find will improve people’s     2     (understand) of the city layout back then.

Three ditch     3     (section) were found in the ruins of a city from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan. Together these sections form the     4     (large) water system from the early period of the Shang Dynasty to be discovered thus far.

According     5     local archaeologists, one of the sections was built on a     6     (nature) river channel, while the remaining two were     7     (entire) artificial. About 540 meters of ditches were unearthed, with a     8     (wide) of about 12 meters at the widest point, and a depth of roughly four meters at its deepest point.

“    9     (base) on our study of spatial positions and cultural relics recovered from the ditches, we believe that they were interconnected and belonged to a large water system,     10     demonstrated the grandeur of a Shang capital,” said Yang Wensheng, vice director of the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology.

It is believed that Chinese knotting, also known as zhongguojie, originated for recording information and exchanging messages     1     writing was invented. Over the past thousands of years, knots     2     (play) an important part in the life of Chinese.    3     (initial), Chinese knots acted as good -luck charms to drive away evil spirits. Today, Chinese knots are widely used to decorate homes during festivities.

A major characteristic of Chinese knots is that they are often tied from a single continuous length of string. The knots are commonly named     4     the shape it takes. Chinese knots are created in a     5     (various) of colors such as gold, green, blue, or black, though the most commonly used color is red,    6     symbolizes good luck and prosperity.

Crafting the Chinese knot is a three-step process     7     (involve) tying knots, tightening them and adding the finishing touches. The knots     8     (pull) tightly together and are strong enough to be used for binding or wrapping, making them very practical.

Today, most of such knots are often mass manufactured in factories. Skilled knot artists weave complex knots that you might see     9     (sell) as souvenirs that you can take back with you. If you have time, why not try your hand at it? Perhaps these age-old charms can add     10     touch of good luck to your daily life?

Exhibition of Chinese Zodiac (生肖) Culture, which is an annual Chinese New Year cultural series exhibition at the Chongqing Three Gorges Museum,     1     (launch) on January 9,2024. This year’s theme is “Dragon Dance in China,” aiming     2     (show) the rich cultural legacy of the dragon.

Open to the public until March 10, the exhibition     3     (consist) of three sections, namely, the King of Insects, the Wisest of All Creatures, and the Purple Air Comes from the East, explaining how the dragon has become a cultural symbol representing imperial power, good fortune, power over weather and water,     4     a pioneering spirit.

The dragon, as     5     spiritual being, has evolved throughout Chinese history, reaching its peak during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The succession of dynasties sees the dragon’s     6     (expand) into various objects, including bronze, jade, copper mirrors, silk fabrics, and more.

    7     (feature) 169 pieces of exhibits related to the symbol of the dragon, the exhibition offers a wide range of artworks, such as jade objects, bronze ware, pottery, clothing, stone carvings, New Year paintings and paper cuttings, among     8     67 pieces are graded cultural relics from different dynasties.

In addition to the exhibition, the Chongqing Three Gorges Museum will continue to host a series of     9     (activity), including intangible cultural heritage experiences and cultural creative markets, making it a great choice     10     winter vacation travel.

Livestreamers help spread reach of e-commerce, intangible heritage and cultural diversions in different ways nowadays.

In the     1     (absent) of a professional setting and a fill light, a mobile phone and a mobile phone holder are     2     Du Zhanping can count on for his livestreaming efforts.

Yet it was through this basic set-up that the 46-year-old man     3     (manage) to get a traditional felt-making (毛毡制作) skill     4     (know) to viewers across the country.

Felt-making skill is on the regional intangible cultural heritage list.     5     the improvement of people’s living standards over time, however, felt has been used less and less.

Starting from scratch, Du learned by himself how to film and then edit video, and is now     6     proud owner of an account with 150,000 followers.    7     (normal), he receives three to five orders during a single livestreaming session.

“In the past few months, my number of felt orders     8     (double) thanks to social media, with those from online platforms     9     (account) for about 70 percent of the total,” he said.

By bringing intangible cultural heritages into livestreaming studios, we can introduce them to more people while preserving traditional techniques,     10     expand their markets to boost both the confidence and income of inheritors.