1 . You might think of martial arts movies when you see people performing graceful moves down the river, all standing on a bamboo strip, but actually it is a form of intangible cultural heritage: bamboo drifting (漂流).

Over 2,000 years ago, the high-quality wood, nanmu, in Guizhou was in great demand by the royal court more than 2,000 kilometers to the north. With no better transportation, people had to stand on one log (原木) to drift down the river. Later, local people began to compete along the way and the game of wood drifting was born. In the Qing Dynasty, wood drifting became bamboo drifting because of bamboo’s lower price. Due to the skills it takes for one to master this act, bamboo drifting was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list last year.

Yang Liu, a 24-year-old inheritor of bamboo drifting, learned it at 7. “Usually, the bamboo under your feet is about 9 meters long, and the bamboo in your hands is about 5 meters. If the length or diameter (直径) of the bamboo is not long enough, it will not float. Keeping our feet firmly positioned on the narrow bamboo pole is the key, so we should fight against the current by constantly changing the angle. I lost my balance and fell in the water many times while practicing. Once I fell, I gave it another try until I knew how to handle the most difficult part, ” she said.

The love for the ancient skill keeps Yang going. In the past 17 years, she has drifted all year round, in winter cold and summer heat. A hanfu culture has been on the rise, Yang started wearing hanfu while performing, creating a more beautiful feel. In 2020, Yang began to post her videos on social media. “I’m extremely proud to get responses from viewers that bamboo drifting makes the line between what is possible and impossible unclear. It’s my mission to keep it alive and known to more people,” Yang Liu told China Daily.

Yours,

Li Hua

4 . Every superhero, no matter how small, needs a cape (披风). That was Rose Smith’s motivation when she started sewing superhero capes for kids with cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases.

It all began when Rose heard of a girl named Anna. Anna was fighting against a potentially deadly skin condition called harlequin ichthyosis (丑角鱼鳞廯). What she was going through was really tough, but she faced it bravely. “I had a happy moment,” Rose says. “Anna was a superhero! She needed a cape.”

So, Rose sent her one, and Anna’s mother was delighted. After that, Rose found ten more kids online and sent out ten more capes. Before long, she quit her job at a software company and work full time for the website-www.tinysuperheroes.com, where people can buy handmade capes for brave kids facing illness and disability.

Since 2013, Rose and her small paid staff have sent more than 12,000 handmade capes to kids in all 50 states and 15 other countries. The capes can be made in different colors and can be decorated with the child’s initials (姓氏首字母) or specialized patches, including a heart or a rocket.

One was five-year-old Gary. He was born with heart defects. Rose sent him a red cape with a bright yellow G in the center. It was a hit. Gary, who is now a frequenter on the company’s social media posts, becomes a very well-known kid. In fact, two years later, “We still bring Gary’s cape with us to every hospital appointment, as it brings him much power to face his disease,” said Gary’s mom.

5 . Friendship is important in our lives. Friends often affect our health and energy. More and more people are increasingly turning towards their friends for support. We may have a very unclear understanding of what makes a friend but we all want to have many good friends around us. There are certain steps that can win you friends or at least help you get close to those whom you want to make friends with.

The first step to make friends with someone is to make him like you. If they don’t like you in the first place, it is unlikely that they’ll be eager to become your friends. To let someone know that you are interested in him, simple gestures like a little smile and calling him by his name can help. To make the other person feel important, you need to be a good listener and encourage the other person to talk. Give your honest and real opinions but do not make fun of him or her.

The second step is to develop a full consideration between each other. You need to share his or her opinions. So, it is necessary for you to develop a habit of seeing things from the other person’s point of view. To become a best friend, you must show concern and consideration for your friend’s desires and opinions.

The third and final step is to show your support and encouragement towards your friend. Moreover, you also need to be very clear about your expectations from your friend. If what you expect from the person you want to make friends with matches with what that person can and want to do in friendship, the developing friendship between you and your friend is sure to be easy and successful.

6 . The day before yesterday, when Peter’s family were having dinner, Father raised an interesting question, “Was there anything in our past that we feel ashamed of, guilty about, or regretted? Maybe we can find ways to say sorry, or take some action to right any wrongdoing.” This seemed like a very private matter, but Peter thought about it carefully the whole night.

Peter remembered an incident from middle school. In his school, there was a worker, Neil Stone, who none of the kids liked. One night, Peter and two of his classmates decided to play a trick on him. They found a can of red paint, and wrote on the school main road in bright red: Neil Stone is a fool! The next day, the whole school saw these words. Within two hours, Neil had Peter and his two classmates in his office. His classmates said that they had done it but Peter lied and denied the truth.

This morning, Peter went back to his middle school. Neil Stone is still working there. “Sorry, Neil. Do you still remember what happened ten years ago? I want you to know that I did it.” “I knew it!’ Neil laughed. They had a good laugh and a lively discussion. Neil’s closing words were: “Peter, I always felt bad for you because your classmates got it off their mind, and I knew you were carrying it around all these years. I want to thank you for visiting me… for your sake.”

Peter knows that no matter how difficult the situation is, it is never too late to clear up the past and make a fresh start.

8 . Smart devices have become an everyday part of our lives. A smart refrigerator can go above and beyond simply keeping our food cool.

A smart refrigerator is any refrigerator that’s equipped with a Wi-Fi connection. It can share information about itself, be a real-time camera that lets users see what’s inside while at the supermarket, or act as a digital command center for the home. Some other things smart fridges are able to do include raising or lowering the temperature at the sound of your voice or with your phone, or helping you track the contents of your fridge so you don’t run into a milk shortage emergency.

Smart fridges can be particularly good at keeping food cool. It’s easier to adjust the temperature if it is higher than it should be because the door is left slightly open. This can make a difference in your energy bills and the quality and lifespan(寿命) of your food.

Many of the smart fridge’s features can also save you time when you’re rushing to get ready in the morning. The people who will benefit most from a smart fridge are probably those who have children who might be using the fridge while parents are at work. It’s another way you can keep an eye on what’s going on at home when you’re not there. However, prices do tend to run higher than traditional fridges.

If you already have a food organizational system that’s working very well for you, and you are cool with the way your fridge is handling your food, then a smart fridge may not be worth it. However, if the smart fridge’s features mentioned above sound like they would make your life easier, then one could be worth the extra money.

It was the day of the big cross-country run. Students from seven different primary schools in and around the small town were warming up and walking the route(路线)through thick evergreen forest.

I looked around and finally spotted David, who was standing by himself off to the side by a fence. He was small for ten years old. His usual big toothy smile was absent today. I walked over and asked him why he wasn’t with the other children. He hesitated and then said he had decided not to run.

What was wrong? He had worked so hard for this event!

I quickly searched the crowd for the school’s coach and asked him what had happened. “I was afraid that kids from other schools would laugh at him,” he explained uncomfortably. “I gave him the choice to run or not, and let him decide.”

I bit back my frustration(懊恼). I knew the coach meant well—he thought he was doing the right thing. After making sure that David could run if he wanted, I turned to find him coming towards me, his small body rocking from side to side as he swung his feet forward.

David had a brain disease which prevented him from walking or running like other children, but at school his classmates thought of him as a regular kid. He always participated to the best of his ability in whatever they were doing. That was why none of the children thought it unusual that David had decided to join the cross-country team. It just took him longer—that’s all. David had not missed a single practice, and although he always finished his run long after the other children, he did always finish. As a special education teacher at the school, I was familiar with the challenges David faced and was proud of his strong determination.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua