Chinese calligraphy (书法) is an art form that    1    (involve) the skilled and deliberate use of brush and ink to create beautiful and expressive characters.

The origins of Chinese calligraphy can be traced back thousands of years to the Shang Dynasty, making it one of the     2     (old) continuous artistic traditions in the world. Its evolution is accompanied with the development of the Chinese writing system,     3     consists of thousands of characters, each with its own artistic structure and stroke order (笔顺).

Calligraphy in China    4    (regard) as one of the highest forms of artistic expression. It is not only a means of communication     5     a way to develop one’s character, discipline, and spirituality. The practice of calligraphy requires     6    (patient), concentration, and a deep understanding of the balance between empty space and solid forms.

Different styles of calligraphy have emerged throughout history, each with its own distinct characteristics and artistic conventions. The most famous    7    (style) include regular script (kaishu), running script (xingshu), cursive script (caoshu), and seal script (zhuanshu).

Chinese calligraphy has a profound influence     8     other art forms, such as     9    (paint), poetry, and seal carving. It is often considered as an important part of the Chinese traditional culture, where scholars and artists would gather in a     10    (culture) salon to appreciate and discuss calligraphic works.

Written during the Period of Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period (ca. 479 BC-221 BC), the book, the Analects (论语)    1    (consider) among the most representative works of Confucian thoughts, and still has     2     great influence on Chinese culture and East Asia.

The Analects was     3    (probable) written over a period of 30-50 years.     4    (start) during the Spring and Autumn Period, the work of     5    (collect) and organization of Confucian teachings was possibly completed during the Warring States Period.     6    , the exact date of publication     7     the complete work is unknown. In China, the work has been by many believed to have been written by Confucius     8    (he), but it has so far been unable to find a     9    (rely) source, partly because of the disastrous book burnt by the First Emperor Qin Shi-Huang in 213 BC.

The chapters are grouped by     10    (theme) of the Analects, but do not develop a structured discussion. Some scholars concluded’ that the book was not written by a single author, but is the collective work of several people.

A 50-minute drive northwest of downtown, Beijing, a village pops up. It    1    (house) a shadow puppetry troupe (皮影戏剧团) and Beijing Long zaitian Shadow Puppet Theater.

Shadow puppetry is seen    2    the prequel (先行篇) to film and animation in China. Besides performances    3     (create) by light and shadow, performers must master a    4    (vary) skill set as the plays combine painting, carving, opera and literature. But due to low revenue and a small market, young people are unwilling     5    (learn) shadow puppetry.

    6    , this particular troupe stands out from the crowd. Average performer age is only 25. Moreover, of the 300 performers    7    has trained over the years, many are under 1.4 m in    8    (high). In 2021, the team created Winter Olympics-themed shadow pupets. The troupe also staged different plays    9    (introduce) ice and snow sports through fairy tales.

“    10    (fortunate), we have these people. They have been devoted to the inheritance of shadow puppetry for over a decade,”said Wang Xi, inheritor of Beijing Western School Shadow Puppetry.

After graduating     1    college, Wang Kun and Wang Wei decided     2    (take) a trip along the entire Mekong River by bicycle. It was Wang Wei     3    first came up     4    the idea. They had dreamed about the trip ever since middle school, and they bought mountain bikes two years ago. Wang Kun was fond     5     his sister although she could be stubborn at times. She insisted that she     6    (organize) the trip     7    (proper). There was a     8    (determine) look on her face, which suggested once she had made     9     her mind, nothing could change it. Finally, Wang Kun had to give     10    to his sister.