Thirty Buddhist cultural relics have been returned to the Chinese mainland     1     Taiwan.

Most of the relics were believed to     2     (steal) from Shanxi province before being taken overseas. They were transferred to the National Cultural Heritage Administration on Monday,     3     (mark) the largest return of lost relics to the mainland from Taiwan in recent years.

Thirteen of the returned pieces, including the heads of broken Buddhist images and painted sculptures of Buddha,     4     (show) at the National Museum of China on Monday.

In March 2016, Hsing Yun, the     5     (found) of the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism association, and his followers escorted (护送) the lost head of a 6th-century Buddhist stat ue to Beijing and donated it back to the mainland. At the donation ceremony in 2016,     6     was also held at the National Museum of China, Hsing Yun promised     7     (bring)more lost items back.

He died about a year ago.

“Hsing Yun established     8     outstanding example for people to safeguard Chinese cultural relics,” Sun Yeli, minister of culture and tourism, said at the museum on Monday. “Again, we see his unfulfilled wish get realized.”

Sun said comprehensive studies of the relics will be soon launched. Related exhibitions will also be organized to allow people on     9     sides of the Strait to benefit from the fruits of the joint protection of cultural relics.

“Cultural communication has always played an     10     (extreme) crucial role in enhancing people-to-people connectivity across the Strait and strengthening our links,” Sun said.

China     1     (have) over 1.09 billion netizens (网民) by the end of last year, 24.8 million more than the amount in 2022, a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center said on Friday. The report showed that 2,577 websites and mobile phone applications optimized (优化) functions     2     provided barrier-free services for old and disabled users last year so that     3     (them) could benefit more from the Internet.

Digital technologies have also been     4     (wide) applied in public services, such as travel and healthcare,     5     (make) more people live better lives. The number of netizens using online car-hailing and medical services increased significantly last year, up to 90.57 million and 51.39 million respectively from December 2022. In addition, the rapid growth of the Internet has stimulated     6     (consume) and promoted the sustainable development of the digital economy.

Wang Changqing,     7     official from the center, said while introducing the report that live streaming platforms have become major channels to advance cultural and     8     (economy) development. For instance, in March last year, a large number of Internet users watched basketball matches     9     (organize) by Guizhou province through live streaming platforms, attracting more people to visit the province and contributing a lot     10     local tourism, he added.

“With your fingers crossed, inhale; then slowly lift your arms above your head.” Lu Jing, 66, is demonstrating a Ba Duan Jin exercise in a video she posted on the Douyin video app. As one of a handful of high-level professionals in China, Lu     1     (teach) Ba Duan Jin since 2005. Each morning from 7 to 8:30, she organizes offline exercise sessions, attracting many a     2     (participate) every day.

Ba Duan Jin is     3     easy-to-learn indoor exercise     4     (consist) of a sequence of eight qigong movements that strengthen the muscles, improve circulation and respiration, and boost the immune system. Such health benefits appeal     5     Lu’s followers aged 16 to 70. “Losing weight is difficult for women at my age, but my ‘love handles’ have gone!” one says. “I need to be     6     (high) concentrated on the coordination of my movements and breathing so I feel     7     (liberate) from anxiety,” says another.

Lu is keen     8     (collect) feedback from viewers and interact with experienced practitioners. In Lu’s opinion, Ba Duan Jin is not a rigid fitness regime. It’s important to listen to people’s responses, so that the traditional exercise can     9     (tailor) to meet modern people’s needs. That is     10     we truly inherit the treasure of Chinese culture.

China has been working quietly to address air pollution. In addition to observing, I also communicated with locals and foreigners     1     (learn) about China’s efforts.

According to Cui Xiaoyi, a resident of Beijing, due to serious air pollution the local administration (行政部门) sometimes warned     2     elderly not to go out in the past . But Beijing     3     (see) a great improvement in air quality over the last few years. They no longer need such emergency measures.

Muhammad Asghar, a representative of the Associated Press of Pakistan in China     4     has been living in Beijing for the past few years, said that the green transportation and energy industries that China has developed over the years have largely replaced fuel-powered (燃料驱动的) cars,     5     that the Chinese people are willing to use electric cars and public transportation.

Asghar added that China has not only done good work to address air pollution, but has also made contributions     6     promoting greener practices. The living environment has been     7     (significant) improved with the greening coverage of urban built-up areas nationwide     8     (increase) from 39.22 percent to 42.06 percent between 2012 and 2021.

The ideas     9     (share) by China in international conferences are impressive. Chinese netizens (网民) believe that rather than just talking about it, it would be     10     (effect) if we put our efforts into planting trees.

Little Women is a classic novel by American author Louisa May Alcott, published in 1868. The story follows the     1     (life) of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy—as they grow up during the Civil War era in the United States.

The March family,     2     (consist) of their mother, Marmee, and their four daughters, lives     3     modest life in a small town. Each sister has her own unique personality and dreams: Meg wants to be a lady, Jo wishes to be a writer, Beth is content     4     her simple life and loves music, and Amy strives to become a painter and a socialite (社会名流).

Throughout the story, the sisters     5     (face) with various challenges and learn     6     (value) life lessons. They support each other, grow stronger and form strong bonds of sisterhood. Jo's writing career takes off, Meg finds love, Beth contracts a serious illness and passes away     7     (fortunate), and Amy gains     8     (recognise) and popularity for her paintings.

The novel captures the essence of family, love, dreams and the persistence of the human spirit. It highlights the importance of sisterhood and the support system within a family, and inspires readers     9     (pursue) their dreams with courage and determination. Little Women remains a timeless classic,     10     appeals to readers of all ages.

Sichuanese is China’s most thrilling regional cuisine. Although it’s most famous for     1     (it) electrifying use of chilies (辣椒) and lip-tingling Sichuan Peppercorns (花椒), the heart of the local style of cooking     2     (lie) in the artful mixing of flavors.

Sichuanese     3     (cook) specialize in combining hot, numbing, sweet, sour, savory and nutty seasonings     4     (create) an astonishing variety of flavors. Some of these are     5     (incredible) hot, some dishes are mildly spicy and some are not hot at all.

While Sichuan pepper is     6     ancient Chinese spice, the chili is a relatively recent import from the Americas. It wasn’t widely cultivated in Sichuan     7     the 19th century but went on to become one of its most indispensable local seasonings.

In Sichuanese dialect, chilies     8     (know) as “sea pepper” (hai jiao) too, a reference to their foreign origins. Locals explain their preference for chilies comes from traditional Chinese medicine,     9     people are advised to eat plenty of “heating foods” to counter the damp of the local climate. People     10     (visit) Sichuan are often asked, “ni pa bu pa la” — “Are you afraid of Chili heat?”

Though Peking Opera and English don’t     1     (normal) go together, they fit together like a dream. They have made up the best     2     (moment) of my life.

After     3     (win) a prize at the age of 10, I went on to win the Silver Award for the National Children’s Peking Opera Contest on CCTV Channel 11. I delivered     4     impressive performance of qingyi, the graceful female role in     5     (tradition) Chinese drama. It was by singing Peking Opera in English     6     I won the judges over and got into the final round of the     7     (compete).

I’m proud that Peking Opera and English come together in my life,     8     brings me the dream to introduce Chinese culture to the world by performing Peking Opera in English. With this dream in my heart, singing Peking Opera in English, I     9     (participate) in the 2019 National Star of Outlook English Contest, and won the first prize.

In the coming days, I’ll keep working hard on Peking Opera and English     10     (realize)my dream of performing Peking Opera in English across the world.

Since respect for elders is very important in Chinese culture, there is a special festival     1     (call) the Qingming Festival in Chinese. The words “Qingming” literally mean “clear” and “bright” — quite a fitting     2     (describe) of the beautiful weather around this time of the year.

During the festival, Chinese families     3     (usual) visit the graves of their ancestors to sweep away dust and fallen     4     (leaf) in order to keep the family tombs clean. That’s     5     it is also known as the Tomb-Sweeping Day. After that, many families will go on a spring outing,     6     (take) full advantage of the nice weather and the opportunity to gather with family members. In Mandarin, we call this outing “taqing”,     7     refers to families gathering upon the soft green grass to play and eat. Flying kites     8     (be) also very popular with children in this festival due to the fine weather.

In Chinese culture, it’s important to respect our elders. In life, we respect them by making them     9     (pride) and taking care of them in their old age. After death, we respect them by keeping their tombs clean and remembering them. Therefore, the Qingming Festival is not meant to be a day of sadness,     10     a day for remembering one’s heritage. Celebrate this festival by taking some time to remember your heritage.

Taoism (Daoism) is one of China’s best-known religions. It’s an ancient tradition of philosophy that reflects a deep-rooted Chinese worldview. But what exactly is Tao? We visited the largest Taoist establishment in Beijing, the Baiyun Temple,     1     (find) out more.

Zhong Daosong is a Taoist master at Baiyun Temple. “The Tao, or the Way, is the approach in tune with the flow of Nature.     2     different counties and various regions have their own cultures, if we pursue harmony between humanity and nature, there will be no friction-and no     3     (violent).” said Zhong.

Taoism is China’s native religion.     4     is evident in its best-known symbol, the circle of yin and yang, it’s also a religion of unity and opposites. This represents two fundamentally opposite forces in     5     universe: light and dark, male and female, hot and cold.

“The supreme good is like water, which benefits all of creation without trying to compete     6     it” That’s a very famous sentence     7     (note) by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu in Tao Te Ching, the ancient Taoist text, over 2,000 years ago. This philosophy     8     (fascinate) and inspired people in China, as well as those in many Asian countries and more recently in the West, over the course of many centuries. “The culture of Taoism is universal without any barriers,     9     (promote) cultural exchanges and mutual learning. The reason why western people like Taoism so much is mainly because Taoism has no boundaries.” Taoism has become increasingly     10     (influence) around the world.

“YOLO”(热辣滚烫), coming out in China on the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday,     1     (direct) and starred by Jia Ling, China’s female filmmaker. She plays the role of Le Ying, an unemployed woman in her     2     (thirty) who still lives with her parents until one day, she     3     (fortune) meets a boxing coach (by Lei Jiayin).

Jia’s first feature was “Hi, Mom,” an     4     (inspire) film in which a young woman,    5     mother has been seriously injured in a car accident, travels back to the early 1980s.There, she forms an incredibly close bond with the     6     (young) version of her mother and works on giving her mother a better life than before.

    7     (release) at the China box office during the Lunar New Year holiday period three years ago, “Hi, Mom” earned a massive RMB5.41 billion. That made     8     the world’s top-grossing movie directed by a solo female     9     it was overtaken by “Barbie” last year.

Sony recently made an     10     (announce) about the English remake rights to “Hi, Mom,” which is currently in development.