The village of Dafen, China was once thought to have produced the     1     (much) oil paintings in the world every year. Recognized as the “world’s art factory”, Dafen impressed visitors with its many workshops, in     2     painters copied masterpieces by Van Gogh, Monet and Warhol. But the village     3     (see) more as a production line than a place of culture. Today the future of Dafen may depend     4     whether it is able to earn respect of the art world.

Things started to change for Dafen in 2008, when the global financial crisis cut down overseas orders. With more demand coming from the native market, artists began painting     5     (difference) subjects. New customers preferred Chinese styles, says a painter in Dafen. He learnt the art of Shan Shui which     6     (involve) representing natural landscapes. In some ways Dafen reflected the broader economy. As exports starts to drop as a share of GDP, home demand plays a larger role in driving     7     (grow).

China is the world’s second-largest art market. But it is not clear where Dafen fits in. It is said that the demand for their paintings has dropped in     8     past two pandemic-stricken years. “Many people would probably be     9     (surprise) that Dafen still exists,” says Lisa Movius, a writer in Shanghai who reports art. In order to adapt to the change, perhaps it is time for Dafen     10     (make) a change.

The Sanxingdui Museum, which     1     (be) in Guanghan City, is recognized as the most important ancient site in the Sichuan area for     2     (it) large size, long lasting period and rich cultural heritage. It is known as one of the     3     (great) archaeological discoveries in the 20th century, and honoured as “the source of Yangtze River Civilization”. The unique shapes of the relics make it hard for you     4     (picture) that thousands of years ago people could make these things. Even many     5     (expert) can’t explain how the ancient people made them. It is really worth     6     visit.

Sanxingdui     7     (discover) for the first time by a farmer in 1929, when he dug a big hole in his field. Since then more than 10,000 relics, some of     8     date back to 3,000-5,000 years ago, have been unearthed. But up to now they are still a mystery because there are neither documents     9     records about it. Also, there is no mention of this culture in the record of other states.

Sanxingdui cultural relics are precious cultural heritage of human beings. Among these Shu treasures there are a variety of unique shaped bronzes (青铜制品). The Sanxingdui Ruins also serve as strong evidence that Chinese culture is     10     (color).

If you could travel back 3, 000 years     1     (see) what life was like in a capital city of the Shang Dynasty (16th—11th century BC) , what would you find? Now, you can do just that at the new building of the Yinxu Museum in Anyang, Henan Province,     2     was opened to the public on Feb 26.

    3     (cover) an area of 22,000 square meters, the museum is the first national major archaeological museum to present the Shang civilization comprehensively. About three-fourths of nearly 4,000 items or sets of cultural relics have never been     4     (public) exhibited before.

The Yinxu Ruins, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, are     5     earthshaking significance. The     6     (discovery) there have resolved long-standing misunderstandings about Chinese history and culture. Also on display     7     (be) oracle bones called “The Prince’s Diary”, recording a prince’s life in the Shang Dynasty, and through them you can see     8     (he) life is very relatable to today’s teenagers. Some cultural elements     9     (root) in daily life have remained unchanged. This cultural continuity is inherited, and the     10     (spirit) quality of a nation remains constant.

La rou, or preserved meat, is a winter season specialty(特产)in China. There are many kinds of preserved meat in China with     1     (incredible) diverse ingredients and recipes,     2     (result) in a wide range of flavors from sweet to spicy. They are usually made during la yue-the last lunar month on the     3     (tradition) Chinese calendar—when the temperature is cool but not freezing     4     (dry) and preserve these staples(主食).

La rou in general refers to pork products.     5    , other cured meat, la wei, is made across China depending on local availability by using goose, duck, rabbit, and even seafood. The preserved meat     6     (consider) to be a form of cultural heritage in many places. Similar to bacon and sausages, the Chinese preserved meat is made with large     7     (quantity) of salt, and some of them are smoked over with fire to achieve more flavor. The cured pork belly looks a lot like jerky (干肉条)but it has     8     delicious taste after smoking.

Each region’s sausage has its own seasoning and flavor. The Cantonese variation is sweet,     9     (flavor) with sugar, rice wine, and soy sauce. In Sichuan Province, the sausages tend to be spicier. It is seasoned with chili pepper and Sichuan pepper powder, both of     10     are great choices as ingredients for dishes like fried rice and vegetable stir-fry.

Yingge Dance, a traditional folk art combining dancing, Chinese martial arts, and Chinese opera, is popular in the Chaoshan area of Guangdong province in South China. Yingge, written with the characters for “hero” and “song”,     1     (mean) heroic song in Chinese and Yingge dancers, as their name implies, are the avatars (化身) of     2     (hero). The dancers each hold a pair of short sticks and strike the sticks with force     3     (create) strong beats — an     4     (art) display of masculinity (男子气概). In 2006, the Puning Yingge Dance     5     (list) among the first batch of national intangible cultural heritages in China.

However, as young people move out of the villages, so are local folk arts     6     (gradual) disappearing all around China. In Puning, Yingge is still danced during holidays such as the Lunar New Year and its performers are generally amateurs — farmers     7     have put down their tools and put on costumes. Some of the parts are passed     8     in the family, from father to son, and so far some villages have started giving performers a basic salary.

    9     (dress) in colorful clothes and wearing heavy makeup, ordinary villagers have created a song of cultural confidence. The performance,     10     must-watch for the local people, graces the village square one more time.

The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, has been officially listed as a UN floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings as from 2024.

The UN General Assembly, in resolution (决议) , acknowledges the significance of the Lunar New Year, which     1     (observe) in many UN member states and invites the UN bodies at headquarters and other duty stations to avoid holding meetings on the Lunar New Year. The resolution encourages this arrangement     2     (take) into account when future calendars of conferences and meetings are drafted.

Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said the adoption of the resolution     3     Spring Festival featuring family reunion and good wishes for the     4     (come) year has been listed as a UN floating holiday is very meaningful. It not only bears the ideas of the Chinese civilization of peace and harmony but also carries the common values of humanity like     5     (harmony) family, social inclusion (认同感) and sound relationship between man and nature.

The resolution serves     6     a showcase of the influence of Chinese civilization and aims to enhance interactions between diverse     7     (civilization) worldwide. “It also reflects the values of diversity and inclusion     8     (promote) by the United Nations,” he said.     9     listing of Spring Festival as a UN holiday was     10       (wide) welcomed among member states and staff members of the UN Secretariat, Dai added.