Virtue, by definition, is the moral excellence of a person    1     Morally excellent people have a character made up of virtues valued as good. They are honest, respectful, courageous, forgiving and kind, for example. They do the right thing, and don't bend to impulses, urges or desires, but act according to values and principles    2     Some might say good qualities are inborn. Actually, virtues need to be cultivated. With the habit of being virtuous, we can take control of our lives and move them in the direction of greater happiness and fulfillment.

Virtues are universal and recognized by all cultures as basic qualities of well-being. However, practicing virtues is not easy. So often we know that it takes perseverance to reach our goals, and we still never get there    3    We know if we forgive, we'll be less angry. We know it takes courage to accomplish great things. So why then, if we know what to do, are we still stuck?

Because we have not yet consciously applied a virtue to a given situation so as to change its outcome such as in these examples: kindness towards someone who is having a bad day can make him or her smile and build rapport; trust in a relationship creates valuable, meaningful relationships; gratitude in a job loss can shift our focus from feeling low to how we can have a new, more fulfilling career;    4    service to others can change lives, better neighborhoods and create stronger nations.

We know we are becoming more virtuous people, not only because of the results above but also because of the way other people respond to us. Our friends, families, co-workers, and neighbors will trust and rely on us. They will come to us for guidance and help. They will want to be around us because we inspire them to be better people. Practicing virtues allows us to develop our potential, and live a more purposeful, better life    5    

7 . If it had not been for Fan Jinshi and her team, the world cultural heritage at Dunhuang Mogao Caves in a remote Chinese desert might have long been destroyed by sand, weather or humans.

Born and raised in Shanghai, Fan has spent half a century fighting an uphill battle to preserve the ancient Buddhist wall paintings at Dunhuang, in Northwest China’s Gansu Province. The 1,600-year-old Dunhuang Mogao Caves are a huge collection of Buddhist art—more than 2,000 Buddha figures and 45,000 square metres of paintings spread among 735 caves. It is China s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Archaeologist Fan was sent to Dunhuang after graduating from Peking University in 1963. While in Dunhuang, a remote village in the desert then, Fan lived in an abandoned temple. At first, she did not even dare to go out to the toilet at night. To protect the treasures from sand and dampness, Fan and other workers put doors on the caves,planted trees and started monitoring temperature and humidity(湿度) in the caves. They also control the number of visitors.

In the late 1990s, with tourism booming nationwide since national holidays were extended, the local government planned to go public with Dunhuang Mogao Caves, but found Fan firmly in their way. “The heritage would have been destroyed if it had been listed,” she said.

Dunhuang academy has now photographed and catalogued online all the sculptures and paintings. “Despite our efforts to minimize damage, we can’t completely stop them from being eroded(腐蚀). But the digital database will last.”

Fan was grateful when her husband joined her in Dunhuang in 1986 after 19 years of separation. Her two sons grew up in Shanghai with their aunt. “I have not been a good mother or wife. With regard to my family, I’m full of guilt,” she said. Fan, retired as the director of Dunhuang Academy but continues her efforts.