Chinese chime bells are an ancient Chinese musical instrument consisting of a set of bronze bells,     1     (play) melodically. They are also called bianzhong. These sets of chime bells were used     2     polyphonic (多音的) musical instruments and some of these bells have been dated at between 2, 000 to 3, 600 years old. They were hung in a wooden frame and struck with a wooden hammer.

They have     3     lens-shaped section, the bell mouth has a distinctive profile, and the outer surfaces of the large bells feature studs. The sound of this musical instrument is heard by     4     (hit) the bell. The one produced depends on     5     you hit the bell. The center is the source of the primary tone. The right and left corners give the secondary tone in a     6     (high) pitch. Chime bells in ancient China     7     (reserve) for the nobles and symbolized power and wealth. In the Song Dynasty, musicians used this instrument for grand     8     (performance). In modern times, the standardized bianzhong are used by music and dance groups. A great example of the range of tones produced by these ancient instruments     9     (be) the bells of Marquis Yi, which were unearthed in 1978. These bells are still fully playable after long years and thanks to     10     (they) twin-tone capability, they can sound a complete 12-tone scale.

During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 — 476 BC), there was a musician,     1     lived alone in a forest where he played the guqin, and his name was Yu Boya. One day, a passing woodcutter     2    (name) Zhong Ziqi was intrigued (陶醉于) by the sounds of the musical instrument, and Mr. Zhong Ziqi     3    (he) listened with full attention. Yu     4    (sincere) played the guqin, causing various pictures in Zhong’s imagination, such as flowing clouds and plunging waterfalls. Such was the     5    (connect) between performing and listening. They became bosom friends (挚友). After many years, when the woodcutter died, Yu decided     6    (smash) his instrument and never to play again since he was sure that he would never again have someone like Zhong to so intuitively understand his music.

Indeed, the guqin — the favored instrument of Confucius — was     7     essential musical instrument of ancient China’s educated elite (精英). It     8    (add) to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2008.

In April, when President Xi Jinping     9    (meet) with French President Emmanuel Macron, a classic guqin piece, High Mountain and Flowing Water, was played to celebrate the friendship and mutual understanding     10     the two countries.

Yang Liping became known as the “peacock princess” after her 1986 award-winning dance piece, Spirit of the Peacock, a work    1    (inspire) by the graceful hand movements of the bird-related dance of the ethnic Bai people. Born in a Bai family in Dali, Yunnan, she never received formal dance training but displayed a talent    2    dancing since she was a child. Later, she left her hometown and    3    (perform) at grand theaters and festivals in China and overseas, as well as winning a number of     4    (award). Dynamic Yunnan is her significant work, which    5     (stage) more than 7,000 times so far.

On April 27, two days before International Dance Day, Yang appeared in Beijing    6    (attend) a public event marking her career.    7    (wear) a long pink dress with a hand-embroidered tiger in the front, Yang released her new work, a 12-minute dance film, The Tiger’s Roar. It is the second project Yang has done based on animals. In 2021, she produced a dance piece, Spring Ox Picture. The ox symbolizes hard work, a    8    (tradition) virtue.

Yang is not foreign to films. In 1995, she played    9    role in the film, Warrior Lanling, directed by Hu Xuehua. Last year, with a heavy heart, she shared news of breaking up the team, because of the COVID-19 pandemic,    10    has affected the performing arts scene.

At 8 pm on Friday, pop legend Lo Ta-you sat in front of his piano and played a piece based on his hit song, Red Dust. This opened Lo’s first virtual concert.

“It’s been over two years since I performed live.” said the 68-year-old Lo, whose tours     1     (postpone) since the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtual concert,     2     was streamed on Chinese social media, attracted more than 40 million viewers. And Lo was the first person     3     (hold) the virtual concert in Taipei. Nostalgic (怀旧的) fans left     4     (comment) while watching the concert, expressing their excitement and their love for Lo. “I am very    5     (touch) tonight,” commented a fan. “His music had a big impact    6     my life.”

Born in Taipei, Lo learned to play     7     piano at the age of 5. He planned to become a doctor and studied in medical school. However, he     8     (launch) a music career in 1972 while still at university.

His first album, Zhi Hu Zhe Ye, released in 1982, was a great success. Featuring his     9     (origin) pop hits, such as Childhood, and The Story of Time, the album was considered pioneering.

Lo ended the virtual concert with his song, Tomorrow Will Be Better,     10     (hope) to provide a sense of comfort to people during the pandemic.