Start of Winter

Start of Winter is one of the 24 solar     1     (term) in the Traditional Chinese Lunar Calender. As the first solar term of winter,     2     means winter is coming. The farmers will store up (储存) the crops harvested in autumn. In ancient times, the Chinese people thought of the Start of Winter     3     the beginning of winter. Actually, due to the     4     (change) climates and vast territory, the real starting time differs from place to place in China.

There are many traditions     5     are connected to this important solar term. On this day in history, the emperor would lead his officials to the suburbs and     6     (performance) the ceremony of “welcoming the winter”. Nowadays, people usually eat traditional food to memorize this day. In most places, the dumpling is the first choice. This is a food related to “Medical Saint” Zhang Zhongjing, who used this ear-like food filled with fillings of mutton and hot hepper to protect people from     7     (hurt) by coldness. In Southeast China, people tend to eat chicken, duck, beef, mutton and fish stewed with Chinese medicine     8     (prepare) for the oncoming cold winter. In Wuxi, people have a custom of eating Tuanzi,     9     kind of traditional Chinese food made with rice. Most citizens make this food by     10     (they), while some choose to buy ready-made ones.

What is the custom of your family on this day?

Roujiamo is closely associated with the north-central city of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province. Since 210BCE, Xi’an has been both the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and the capital for 13 more-or-less Chinese     1     (dynasty).

The meat preparation used to make the filling for roujiamo traditionally     2     (date) back to the Warring States Period. The introduction into China of Central Asian-style flat breads, like the kind used in roujiamo, is often credited to Ban Chao,     3     Chinese general who spent more than 30 years     4    (battle) an association of tribes during the 1st century to regain control of the     5    (far) western reaches of China.

Every family has its own roujiamo recipe, but there are some constants (不变的事物). First comes the lazhi, which includes a list of spices: ginger, star anise, cassia and so on. A special importance     6    (place) on aged stock (陈年老汁). Once the stock is made, thick slices of pork take     7    (they) turn in the pot, simmering(炖) for hours. The flatbread bun, called baijimo, takes its name from     8     is today known as Baiji township.

To be sure, roujiamo is far     9     the perfect food. It’s risky to eat on the go. One has to use both hands     10     (eat) roujiamo; otherwise, the filling is going to launch out from both sides of the burn.

Archaeological (考古的)     1    (discover) of Changsha wares (陶器) have occurred randomly over the decades, and key findings of kiln (窑) ruins     2    (make) particularly since 2010. There were not only Tang Dynasty Changsha wares     3    (unearth), but also some celadons (青瓷) from an even     4    (early) period.

They’re key witnesses     5     the Silk Road on the sea and Sino-foreign exchanges of material culture. Archaeological findings show that Changsha wares were exported to about 30 countries,     6    (range) from East and Southeast Asian neighbors to North Africa. Craftsmen and workshop owners in Changsha participated in a wave of globalization     7     actively explored overseas markets.

    8    (consequent), shapes of Changsha wares were also influenced by foreign elements. Seeing the antiques, we can also understand     9     public aesthetics (审美) of their time. They tell     10     was viewed as traditional Chinese beauty.

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes     1    (connect) the East and the West in ancient and Medieval times. In addition to silk, varieties of other goods     2    (trade) along the Silk Road, and the network was also important for migrants and travellers, and for the spread of religion, philosophy, science, technology, and     3     (art) ideals. The Silk Road had a significant impact on the lands     4    which the routes passed, and the trade played a significant role in the development of towns and cities along the Silk Road routes.

Many merchants along the Silk Road were involved in relay trade,     5    an item would change owners many times and travel a little bit with each one of them     6    reaching its final buyer. It seems to have been     7    (high) unusual for any individual merchant to travel all the way between China and Europe or Northern Africa. Instead, various merchants specialized in transporting goods through various sections of the Silk Road.

The Silk Road established     8    (early) connection between the East and the West. It was of great significance in the promotion of world     9    (civil) and the progress of human society. Research and development of the Silk Road today continue to have     10    incredible impact.

Tea drinking has been a traditional custom among native Beijingers. Teahouses formed in the Tang Dynasty,took off in the Song Dynasty and were recorded in YuanQu    1     ( write) in the Yuan Dynasty. As society developed,private teahouses, tea bars and teahouses with diverse features    2     ( create). Teahouses often served as centers of social interaction where people came to discuss personal affairs or even    3     ( politics) issues.

There are different types of teahouses including Pure Teahouses, Teahouses for Storytelling, Chess Teouses,etc. In Pure Teahouses, people do nothing but drink tea, most of    4    are unoccupied persons or the young from the rich family. Teahouses for Storyelling,    5    ( normal) in the afternoon and night, are welcomed by people with an interest in novels, pingshu and storytelling. Chess Teahouses are popular among those interested in playing chess.In the Qing Dynasty, there were also Chess Teahouses that served scholars and    6    (official) near Shichahai.

The tea culture has regained its popularity after a long term of dcline. In recent years teahouses with local characteristics    7     ( appear) in Beijing with the performance of Beijing Opera, or the combination of tea culture, folk customs    8    arts.

Laoshe Teahouse, for example, is widely famous in and beyond China    9    a cultural symbol in Beijing, where a large number of tea fans gather,    10    (enjoy) its rich tea culture.

Chinese seal (印章) carving originated during the Shang Dynasty. In the beginning, the characters carved on seals were the same as     1     (that) used in writing, such as Xiaozhuan of the Qin Dynasty. However, with Chinese writing     2     (become) increasingly standardized and simplified, it became a tradition to use Xiaozhuan for seals.

In ancient times, seals were regarded as     3     guarantee of authenticity (真实性). Today, they are more of a sign of authority of a legal person     4     an artwork.

After the Qin Dynasty, materials for seals were     5     (strict)classified. Jade (玉) was only used for emperors, gold and silver for high-ranking     6     (office) and copper (铜) for the low ranks. Various types of stones were used from the Song Dynasty,       7     led to a boom for seal carving.

    8     (early), seal carving was accomplished only by workers. During the Song Dynasty, scholars and artists began to get involved in it. They combined seal carving with calligraphy and painting,       9     (make) this traditional art more popular in China.

To protect this artistic treasure, Chinese seal carving     10     (include) on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

8 . The Shaanxi Archaeology (考古学) Museum, China’s first archaeological museum, is to be opened to the public soon in 2022.

The museum focuses on the results of archaeological research in Shaanxi Province over the past century and the more than 200, 000 cultural relics that have been unearthed, aiming to introduce Chinese history and the spirit of the Chinese nation to the world.

A total of 4,218 of the 5,215 cultural relics in the collection are on display. Pottery figurines (小雕像) from the tomb of Emperor Wen of Han from the Western Zhou Dynasty and the epitaph (碑文) of Yan Zhenqing from the Tang Dynasty will be presented to the public for the first time, according to a report from CCTV.

Sun Zhouyong, director of the museum, told the Global Times on Saturday that the museum focuses on the development of Chinese archaeology as its main thread, so all of the displayed cultural relics are introduced alongside the background of their unearthed sites so that the public can have a deeper understanding of the field of archaeology.

Media reported that many of the displayed relics have been restored and are being protected using new techniques and advanced technology. The museum includes sample rooms, an archaeological content center, and a public archaeological center that allows visitors to excavate their own objects using ancient techniques at the hand-on archaeological sites.

With advanced equipment and technical know-how, the Science and Technology Protection Center at the museum conducts research on the protection and restoration of cultural relics mainly unearthed in Shaanxi Province. Some working areas are open to the public, and tourists can see the restoration process of cultural relics through workshops so as to deepen their understanding of the cultural relic protection work.