California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday signed legislation that makes Chinese Lunar New Year a state holiday. The move recognizes the diversity of cultures which Asian Americans have brought to California, the third     1     (large) state in the US.

The legislation lets any state employee take eight hours of vacation, annual leave or compensatory leave     2     (celebrate) Chinese New Year.

In a     3     (sign) letter, Newsom emphasized the diversity and cultural significance that Asian Americans represented in California and     4     (encourage) all Californians to participate in the festival.

Lunar New Year is celebrated by thousands of Asian and Pacific Islander Californians at community events that illustrate     5     state’s rich cultural history and commitment to racial, religious, and cultural diversity. Many jurisdictions (辖区) in California have already made Lunar New Year an     6     (office) school holiday.

Also on Friday, a ceremony     7     (hold) in San Francisco’s city hall to raise China’s national flag in celebration of the 73rd anniversary of the     8     (found) of the People’s Republic of China.

Zhang Jianmin, China’s consul general in San Francisco, raised the flag with Meron Foster, a senior officer at the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Protocol. Zhang expressed his gratitude     9     San Francisco’s “very genuine gesture of friendship” toward China,     10     he spoke to an audience of us elected representatives, business figures and community members.

May 21st this year marks the first International Tea Day, which was named officially     1     the United Nations on November 27th, 2019. To celebrate     2     festival, a number of events took place at the Chinese Businessman Museum in Beijing on Thursday.

The chairman of the China Culture Promotion Society     3     (address) the opening ceremony. “As a main promoter of the International Tea Day, the birthplace of tea and the     4     (large) tea­producing country, China has a     5     (responsible) to work with other countries to promote the healthy development of the tea industry. It can help to build a community with a     6     (share) future for mankind,” he said.

The “First International Tea Day Tea Road Cooperative Initiative” issued (发布) at the ceremony calls for people working in the tea industry to come together to promote international cooperation     7     cultural exchanges. A four­year tea promotion — Tea Road Cooperative Plan — was also issued in accordance with the initiative.

    8     (strengthen) the connection with young people, the event included a number of public promotional activities on social media,    9    (invite) twenty­nine tea professionals from around the world to have thirty­six hours of uninterrupted live broadcasts.

The Chinese Ancient Tea Museum was officially unveiled (揭幕) at the ceremony, opening     10     (it) first exhibition: The Avenue of Truth—A Special Exhibition of Pu’er Tea.

Qingdao International Beer Festival has become a major event in the beautiful city. The first festival took place in 1991. It is now held once a year from the end of July to the end of August,     1     (last) for about one month. Qingdao is the     2     (large) beer production base in China and the festival provides a great chance     3     (show) the city’s unique characteristics.     4     a history of over 30 years, Qingdao International Beer Festival is a nationally     5     (recognize) event, and combines together tourism, culture and sports. As one of the most important     6     (festival) of China, it has a worldwide reputation and attracts millions of people to take part every year. More than 100 brands from all over the world     7     (join) in the event over the past 16 years successfully. Every year daily performances are given at the Beer Town’s Center Theatre,     8     colorful fountains, hi-tech laser shows and dramatic audio effects excite audiences. Whether walking on the roads, shopping in the local stores     9     even catching a ride in a taxi, you will constantly hear people talking about the festival.     10     (obvious), after 16 years of development, the festival has become part of local people’s daily lives.

World Environment Day (WED) is held on June 5th every year. It isn’t a public holiday, but it is    1     environmental awareness day, run by the United Nations. The aim of the Day is    2    (raise) awareness of the environment and specific environmental issues.

World Environment Day     3     (found) in 1972 but first held in 1974,     4    shows the concern about the environment. More than 150 countries take part in WED, and the day focuses     5     environmental concerns ranging from pollution to     6     (globe) warming and sustainable food production to protection of wildlife.

Participants of WED include governments, communities,     7     (individual), charities, organizations and celebrities and together they raise awareness of environmental issues. Each year a country or nation hosts WED    8     (annual). This year the theme is “Time for Nature ”. WED has had     9     (it) own song since 2013.

WED can be celebrated in many ways, such as concerts, parades, and tree planting. Posters for the day tend to be created wonderfully     10     (use) natural environmental colors.

With his wrinkled fingers, Wang Qiming put traditional makeup on the faces of young performers before dawn, making final preparations for the shehuo parade (游行庆祝).

The shehuo parade, a time-honored performance enjoying widespread    1    (popular) in rural areas across China,    2    (date) back to about 2, 000 years ago when sacrificial (祭祀的) activities were performed to pray for a good harvest. Later on, as dancing and singing became part of the parade, it developed into a folk custom    3    (stage) during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival    4    (remove) bad luck and bring a fresh start in the new year.

Wangmazui is in Longxian county,    5    (previous) known as Long Zhou, which is famous for shehuo parades    6    (feature) authentic performances and simple yet delicate facial makeup. The county was named the hometown of shehuo performances by the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association in 2013.

More than 100 shehuo festivities are held in Longxian every year, each of    7     involves dozens or hundreds of villagers. Participants usually perform on horses     8    pickup trucks, showing different performances including stilt (高跷) dances and land boats.

Wang, 65, has clear    9    (memory) of the annual performances when he was a child. “My family has been engaged in shehuo performances     10    generations, ” he said. “I started to watch the show in my childhood, and now I joined them by making face-painting. ”