The Fahai Temple, located at the southern foot of Cuiwei Mountain in the western part of Beijing, houses Ming Dynasty frescoes (湿壁画) dating back nearly 600 years.

The temple, which     1     (build) in 1439 during the time of Zhengtong in Ming Dynasty, is known as one of the three major fresco     2     (site) in China, together with Dunhuang of Gansu province and Yongle Palace in Yuncheng, Shanxi province. These impressive frescoes originating from the royal family were completed by 15artists,     3     used traditional techniques that led to the frescoes with vivid effect.

Despite the brilliance of this Ming Dynasty fresco art, it did not maintain     4     (it) splendor throughout history. With the fall of     5     dynasty, the golden time of the art came to a sudden end.

Today, a brand-new art center has been set up at the foot of the mountain, where visitors can immerse (使沉浸) themselves in a digitalized journey of discovery. “By     6     (employ) modern technology, we can bring the     7     (value) frescoes to life,” says Liu Xiaobo     8     charge of the Fahai Temple Mural Art Center.

    9     (current), the original frescoes are being protected and opened to the public in a controlled manner. Visits are arranged by appointment, with each viewing session limited to about 20 minutes. Visitors can only use cold light sources throughout the visit, allowing the original frescoes     10     (rest) more.

Recognizing the rising popularity of traditional music, the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) has launched a festival, Spring of Traditional Chinese Music.

The opening concert,     1     (hold) on April 8, 2022, saw a performance by China National Traditional Orchestra(CNTO) led by three conductors, Liu Sha, Lyu Jia and Li Xincao.

“    2     the first time, we performed with conductors who have never performed with traditional Chinese     3     (musician),” says Zhao Cong, president of CNTO. “When we discussed that idea with the NCPA, we were all very excited.” to Each of the conductors chose music pieces they’d like     4     (perform). For example, a piece from the Tang Dynasty   (618-907), titled The General’s Order,     5     (conduct) by Liu. “The sounds of traditional Chinese musical instruments are very different from Western musical instruments, which were     6     (total) new to me. However, this is the most interesting experience     7     will remain in my heart forever,” says Lyu.

“Playing works of traditional Chinese music and Western classical music     8     (be) like communicating with two people with     9     (variety) personalities,” says Li. “But music is all about emotions and expression, which is mutual (相互的).”

It’s reported that     10     festival will be held twice a year and invite more conductors of symphony orchestras (交响乐团) to work with traditional Chinese music orchestras.

Animated movie Chang’an breathes new life into Tang Dynasty’s most iconic poets, Xu Fan reports. Named after the ancient name for Xi’an in Shaanxi province, which served     1     the capital of the Tang Dynasty for over 280 years, the movie brings to life some of the most iconic     2    （figure） in Chinese literary history. With a runtime of 168 minutes —the     3    （long） of any Chinese animated movie—it is suitably epic (史诗) in scale.

In order to     4    （accurate） convey the Tang poetry and better translate the cultural context fixed in the dialogue, the production team invited Linda Jaivin, an Australian Sinologist,     5    （assist） with the translation process. Xie Junwei,     6     co-directed the movie alongside Zou Jing, explains the distinctive design approach     7    （inspire） by the dynasty’s sculptures, figurines and mural paintings showcased in museums.

The movie     8    （feature） a total of 48 poems, with Li Bai’s masterpiece, Qiang Jin Jiu （Invitation to Wine）, at the heart of the most visually stunning scene. The poem was composed in the year 744. At that time, Li Bai was forced to leave Chang’an and wandered in the mountains with     9     few close friends as a means to ease his sadness at being unappreciated despite     10    （he） great talent.

More young people are trying their hand at farming the soil. Guo Lan, 29, works in a vegetable greenhouse on his organic farm     1     (locate) in the suburban district of Hefei, East China’s Anhui province. It is the eighth time this summer that Guo has failed to grow vegetables     2    using chemicals. Despite trying various homemade pest solutions, such as plant ash and mixtures of pepper and alcohol, the vegetable     3     (leaf) were still being eaten by insects. “I will not give up     4     (try),” the 29-year-old accountant-turned-farmer says. He is determined to turn his farm into     5     organic one, cultivating fruits and vegetables with the same flavors as those from his childhood memories.

“Growing tasty and healthy food     6     (be) my dream since I was a teenager. I know     7     challenging it can be, but if you take the soil     8     (serious), I believe it will pay off,” Guo says. He adds that farming is not a business that can make quick money, but for him, it has become an uplifting activity that brings back memories of spending time on the farm with     9     (he) parents as a child. Guo’s passion for organic farming and commitment to producing healthy food will surely inspire more young people to explore     10     (sustain) agriculture.

With over 1.5 million fans on Chinese social media platforms, Rachel labels herself as a German-American vlogger (视频博主) who speaks Chinese.     1    many may not know is that she spent her childhood in Guangdong and     2     (call) China her home since the age of six.

Rachel’s journey as a     3     (create) of digital content began during her time at Xiamen University, when she started sharing videos about her everyday life and hot topics in China.     4     (film) in fluent Mandarin, occasionally with a Cantonese accent, her videos quickly captured the interest of many viewers.

Rachel’s exceptional command of the Chinese language has opened doors     5     exciting job opportunities. In 2022, she became the first regular female guest on a cultural interview program in China     6    features foreigners as the main guests.

Her popularity     7     (boost) further in 2023, thanks to My Guangdong Story,     8     six-episode documentary series that explored the lives of foreigners in Guangdong.

“I am actually a Cantonese, and Guangdong is my home,” Rachel shares     9     (warm).

With her passion, language skills, and genuine love for China, Rachel continues to inspire her vast online community,     10     (bridge) cultures and building connections across borders

The Qinglong Temple Fair, serving as an important link connecting Chaozhou communities both domestic and overseas,     1    （be）a significant part of Chaozhou’s traditional culture. Many tourists have an urge     2    （participate）in this event. But if you don’t know the local history, some customs may be beyond your     3    （comprehend）.

The Qinglong Ancient Temple was superior     4     all other local temples in some aspects. It was named after the frequently     5    （see）green snakes wandering near the temple without doing harm to people.

Annually, the Qinglong Temple Fair     6    （hold）from the 13th day to the 28th day of the first lunar month. The festival involves parading the wooden statue,     7     is known as Laoye, through the streets in a celebratory activity. The whole town would eagerly come out to witness the parade,     8    （pray）for favorable weather, family safety and business success.

This year, the parade, with     9     number of participants, started from Qinglong Ancient Temple, passed through various tourist spots and major streets in the city, and then returned to Qinglong Ancient Temple.

This temple fair is a moving museum of intangible cultural heritage. It     10    （genuine）shows Chaoshan people’s attachment to their cultural identity rooted in their hometown and their love for their home country.

Longmen Grottoes

Set on the banks of the Yi River, 12km south of the current Luoyang City, the Longmen Grottoes are ranked first of the Four Great Grotioes in China, together with Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Yungang Grottoes in Datong and Mount Maiji Grottoes in Tianshui. They were also listed in the World Cultural Heritages and Relics by UNESCO in 2000.

    1     (Locate) between the Xiangshan Mountain and the Longmen Mountain, with the YiRiver flowing below, the Longmen Grottoes are     2     (harmony) with mountains, forests and rivers displaying a peaceful atmosphere. Viewing it at a distance, it looks like     3     natural gate, which gave it the name “Yi Que (the gate of the Yi River)”. According to legend,     4     Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty climbed on Mount Mang north of Luoyang, he was very pleased and ordered the eastern capital     5     (build) here with its palace gate opposite the Yique. Thus, it came to be named, Longmen Gate.

Longmen Gate also houses     6     (rough) 2860 stele inscriptions (碑刻), making     7     a treasure for ancient calligraphy study. In total, more than 100,000 Buddhist statues and niches     8     (carve) into the cliffs by ancient Chinese people ranging from the largest one, the Vairocana Buddha with a     9     (high) of 17.14 meters,     10     the smallest one of 2 centimeters.

Wandering in the Longmen Grottoes, one is amazed by the delicate carving skills, deep Buddhist culture and great art achievements of Chinese people.

Oil paintings, prints, porcelain paintings, watercolor... Art has many different forms. For Lian Yang,     1     real name is Wu Yang, a young painter from Sichuan province, her expression of oriental beauty stands out as unique. She     2    （devote） herself to bringing mineral pigment painting（岩彩画）back to the attention of young people in China since 2018, five years after graduation from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing.

Mineral pigment painting dates back     3     over thousands of years ago, originating as the Qiuci murals（龟兹壁画） in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the Dunhuang murals in Gansu province.     4    （inspire） by this, Lian Yang created many     5    （artwork） about Bodhisattva, Buddhist scripture and Chinese culture, with lively and unique strokes. Her works gained     6    （popular）quickly, being collected by institutions and individuals globally.

To inject new vitality into traditional art, Yang also     7    （deliberate） made the females look more like modern youngsters.     8    （wear） hanfu, they display both the unique look of ancient murals as well as modern aesthetics.

The video of Lian Yang’s painting process went viral on     9     Internet, gaining over 24 million views. “A young person learning art is free from any constraints. They want to create things they like. This way, art comes from life and out of a box,” said Lian Yang. “We want to encourage more people     10    （create） and collect mineral pigment paintings.”