Last Saturday, the first Auckland East Chinese Culture and Art Festival / was celebrated by the locals at the China Town in east Auckland. The festival organized by Pakuranga Chinese Association     1     (support) by a local art organization and the local government.

Barry Hung, chairperson of the Pakuranga Chinese Association, was proud of his community members     2     have worked hard to show the Chinese culture and art at the festival. “It is the first time we do this event. Many of the     3     (performer) and artists are volunteers. And     4     Chinese performances are performed by our neighbors aged over 60,” said Hung.

Peking opera and Chinese classic dances and drum dances as well as the exhibition of photos, paintings and handicraft works     5     (be) among the highlight s of the festival which attracted a large audience from across the city.

“Chinese traditional culture is important to New Zealand Chinese. It is     6     (equal) important to get more people involved and let the mainstream New Zealand society understand the     7     (tradition) Chinese culture and art,” said Auckland councillor(议员) Paul Young.

Auckland’s east suburbs are home     8     many Chinese communities, with     9     (increase) local acknowledgement of the Chinese culture. Well-organized local Chinese associations often work with the local government and communities     10     (hold) Chinese cultural events.

The minority of Red Yao is one of the ethnic minorities in China, living in north of Guilin. Guangxi Region, especially on Longji Rice Terraces(梯田). One of the     1    (big)Yao festivals is the Clothes Drying Festival, which falls     2     the sixth day of the sixth lunar month. In practice, women lay out all their traditional costumes under the sun. This serves the double purposes of disinfection and allowing the ladies to show off     3     they have. If it rains, they will spread their costumes indoors,     4    (leave)the door open.

That day, local Yao people took their clothes outside their house to dry and seek fortune. Later,     5    (dress)in their treasured costumes, they showcased how to make traditional clothes, performed group weddings and gave other unique performances as a way     6    (attract)tourists.

Yao people in the area     7    (observe)the festival for centuries. Tradition has it that the celebration ceremony is held between the famous terraced rice     8    (field)in this area.

The celebration continues into night     9     reaches its height when the people light up their doorways under the starry sky. In addition, fireworks are set off.

The celebration varies     10    (slight)from place to place. In Guiping County nearby, Yao people stand in squares waving their hands to the sun and express their admiration at dusk.

We have something in the UK     1     (call) Boxing Day, which     2     (be) an odd name, so let us explain what Boxing Day actually is! It is celebrated on 26th December,     3     day after Christmas Day, and it’s a continuation of the Christmas festivities.

The history of the day is deeply rooted in our social class structure. In the past, servants or tradesmen that     4     (work) for wealthy families would receive a Christmas box     5     their employers which contained gifts. The box was a way of     6     (say) thanks for working throughout the year. Often the holiday was seen as Christmas Day for the working men     7     would be serving the rich on the 25th and could not celebrate Christmas with family     8     (member) until the following day. But nowadays the     9     (traditional) of the gift box no longer exists. Now it’s celebrated as a shopping holiday or one     10     (usual) spends in front of the television eating loads of leftover food. Boxing Day is a bank holiday throughout the UK, which also marks the day when the sales start.

7 . On May 17, the “Touching China” 2019 Award Ceremony went on the air on CCTV-1, and Professor William N. Brown from the School of Management of Xiamen University was awarded the honorary title “person of the year”.

The CCTV award speech says, “Open our hearts, for embracing enhances understanding; drop our biases, for nothing can separate us, even if it is the Pacific Ocean. Between the lines of your letters home, we can read your tales of China and your deep love for this country. Our dear friend from a far, China is forever a home away from home for you, and we all love you ‘cause you always feel at home in China.”

William Brown has served as a professor at the School of Management in Xiamen University since 1988. In 2002, he applied for permanent residence in China and became the first foreigner to be granted “Chinese Green Card” in Fujian Province. Having been working in China for 32 years, he knows and loves China, and has witnessed the rapid growth of China’s economy. Thanks to his introduction, cities like Xiamen and Quanzhou have earned their places on the honor roll of “International Garden Cities”. In addition, he has also been awarded the Chinese Government Friendship Award and Honorary Citizen of Xiamen.

By the end of 2018, he published a new book Off the Wall: How We Fell for China, recording and describing, from a unique global perspective, how China has changed and developed over the course of reform and opening up. In his acceptance speech at the ceremony, Brown said, “I don’t think I’ve done anything to touch China. On the contrary, China has touched me.” A bosom friend a far brings distant lands near. Charming Brown has been so charmed by China and its development. His stories of China are filed with such a deep love which has touched each and every one of us.

“Touching China” Award is a mind-nourishing brand program created by CCTV, and the year 2019 marksthe70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and this annual event is a special honor to the extraordinary builders of a new China.