1 . As archaeologists (考古学家) examined ancient tombs in Turfan in western China, they discovered some surprisingly well-preserved and familiar relics. Though hardened from over 1,000 years, there sat little dumplings.

Exactly who invented dumplings remains a mystery. But some scholars suspect they were first spread by nomadic (游牧的) Turkic peoples living in western China and Central Asia. This is thought to be the case because “manti,” meaning “dumpling” or “steamed bun” in many Turkic languages, appears to be the root word for dumpling in several other languages. Ancient Turkic people probably filled their dumplings with meat. But it’s unclear when this practice began, or whether they learned the art of dumpling-making from others. However this happened, dumplings certainly gathered steam in ancient China.

Dumplings continued to take off and diversify in China over the next thousand years. Instead of the traditional meat filling, some communities chose vegetarian (素食) dumplings. People developed new cooking methods. The relationship between Chinese dumplings and those in other areas is tricky to trace, but food historians have made their best guesses based on available clues.

Besides Turkic tribes, some scholars believe that the Mongol Empire also contributed to the spread of dumplings, perhaps introducing them to parts of Eastern Europe. These dumplings could have come by way of China or directly from some of the Turkic peoples the Mongols hired to run their empire. One theory is that this gave rise to dumplings like pelmeni in Russia, pierogi in Poland and vareniki in Ukraine. The Mongol Empire also controlled Korea and might have likewise introduced dumplings there. Later, after Chinese dumpling varieties were introduced to more countries, English speakers began calling them dumplings, which means “little lumps”. During the Second World War, Chinese “jiaozi” were brought to Japan. So what about the Italian dumpling-like pasta? Some historians think it might be brought by Arab conquerors.

It’s unlikely that all dumpling dishes came from the same root tradition. However, we can appreciate the mysterious historical web that made dumplings so various.

The history of Beijing glassware dates back to the early Ming Dynasty.     1     is said   that when people smelted（ 熔 炼 ）bronze, they    2     (discover) that some waste materials could form beautiful colors. So, they began to use these materials to make handicrafts (手工艺品 ),    3     then became the earliest forms of glassware.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, glassware handicrafts were mainly used as decorations for the members of     4     (royal). Besides, in the Qing Dynasty, they were also made    5     beads（ 珠 子 ）for the hats of officials.

After the founding of the PRC, the central government invested    6     (enormous) in Beijing glassware. Old glassware workers    7     (bring) together and a Beijing glassware factory was set up to make decorative glassware handicrafts. Those handicrafts became leading export    8     (product) at the time.

However, due to various reasons, Beijing glassware    9     (make) handicrafts   gradually declined. Only a few workers today have a mastery of the skill. After more than 600 years of development,    10     handcraft of Beijing glassware has been passed down to the   seventh generation. In 2008, Beijing glassware was added to the national intangible cultural heritage list.