The 2023 Chinese Bridge Calligraphy and Painting Contest lasted for six months,     1     (attract) 1, 084 contestants from 86 countries     2     a total of 1, 146 calligraphy and painting works.

According to experts, the award winning calligraphy works this year mirrored many Chinese classic elements with more     3     (expressive) and creativity, compared to the winners of last year's contest,

“I feel honored to be the judge again and also     4     (delight) to find that the entries for this year have been such a breakthrough. From their progress, you can     5     (definite) see the authors must have spent a lot of time and energy learning traditional Chinese culture, ” commented one of the judges.

At the closing ceremony, Zhang Bo, professor from Beijing Language and Culture University, gave high praise of the achievement of overseas Chinese teaching,     6     played a significant role in cultural exchanges. He said the quality of the entries resulted from the contestants' years of study, as well as     7     guidance and assistance of overseas Chinese teaching behind them.

The experts suggested watching the videos about the contestants on the website. “Through these videos, we can see their daily practice and creation process,     8     we can also feel their understanding and love for Chinese culture from their introductions. The creative process of calligraphy and painting     9     (have) a visual appreciation similar to dance. It is our hope that these videos     10     (share) on social media will encourage more people to develop a love for Chinese culture.”

The medals of the 19th Asian Games were created after nearly two years of team effort.

“We     1     (have) no idea at the beginning. To be honest, it was difficult to deliver Hangzhou’s thousands of years of culture and showcase its unique features to the world in such a small medal,” Zhang recalls.

    2     more than 20 drafts, the final design of the medal features the natural landscape of Hangzhou in the style of a traditional painting--    3     (mist) hills, a rippling lake, and rolling mountains on the front,     4     the back face features the logo of the Olympic Council of Asia.

The design of the medal     5     (highlight) Hangzhou’s ecological importance, with its beautiful scenery, clear water and rolling hills. The bridge-shaped buckle (锁扣) at the top of the ribbon (带子) symbolizes     6     famous water towns of the Yangtze River Delta region.

    7     (participate) in the opening bidding (招标) for the Asian Games project, their designs stood out from more than 4,200     8     (competitor).

“Having the opportunity to participate in the design of the Games is     9     (actual) a lifelong pursuit for us as designers,” says Fang.

The team conducted a great deal of initial research     10     (select) elements that can represent Hangzhou, Zhejiang, and China.

HANGZHOU, Sept. 23 - Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the 19th Asian Games (Asiad)     1     (official) open on Saturday night at the lotus-shaped Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium. The Hangzhou Asian Games marks it is the third time that China     2     (hold) the Asiad, following Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.

Gao Zhidan, president of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC), said the organizers were ready to present a wonderful Asian Games. “Let’s honor the Olympic spirit, fight for new records of Asian sports,     3     write together a new chapter of an Asian community (共同体) with a     4     (share) future,” he noted.

With the theme “Tides Surging in Asia”, water played a     5     (center) role throughout the cultural performance. It symbolized (象征) the     6     (memory) of the Qiantang River, the excitement of sports, Zhejiang’s spirit, and the pulse of the times, showing     7     connection between China, Asia, and the world.

During the performance, some famous buildings from Asian countries and areas     8     (show) on the LED screens. Another key part of the performance was     9     there were no real fireworks. Instead, with 3D animation and augmented reality (增强现实), electronic smokeless fireworks were on display.

From September 23     10     October 8, the Hangzhou Asian Games will feature 40 sports, 61 disciplines, and 481 events.

One of the world’s    1    (big) multi-sports events took place in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China.    2     (celebrate) the 19th Asian Games, the mascots(吉祥物) of the grand sporting event - Lianlian, Congcong, and Chenchen — have made    3     (they) first appearance. And the torch (火炬) for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games was named “Eternal Flame” and its design    4     (come) from the Liangzhu Culture, which was a testament to the 5000-year-old Chinese civilization.

Since the opening ceremony on September 23, 11,830    5    (athlete) from 45 countries and regions have gathered in Zhejiang to compete in 481 events in Hangzhou and neighboring cities including Ningbo, Wenzhou and Jinhua.    6     (interesting), the 19th Asian Games have introduced E-sports as a medal event,    7     (give) global recognition to this new form of sport alongside more familiar physical activities.

The first Asian Games were organized in 1951 in New Delhi, India. So far, 17 Asian Games    8    (organize). The Asian Games,    9    symbolizes (象征) the mutual equality and unity of Asian countries, is a multinational sport event organized at the gap of every 4 years by members of the Asian Games Federation. Only Asian players can take part     10    this event.

CCTV’s Sports Channel uses the slogan “sport is power”, and these words proved true when China     1    (host) the FISU World University Games in Chengdu, Sichuan province, from July 28 to Aug 8.

Nothing is     2    (powerful) than letting thousands of foreign athletes, team members and visitors from around the world     3    (witness)and experience the energy of China. The games successfully showed China’s achievements to the world.

Chinese media should capitalize on the success of the games by producing more     4    (video) that highlight the amazing and touching aspects of the games     5    sharing them on social media platforms. This will help spread China’s success stories around the world.

For China the games will facilitate the     6    (grow) of university sports in the nation,     7     is crucial for improving the physical health of its students. It is most fitting that China     8    (take) Aug 8 as National Sports Day ever since.

It is only natural     9     the nation to work hard to host more international sports events, as these provide the perfect platform to showcase China’s successes. There are already other upcoming opportunities. China might also aim to host a FIFA World Cup,     10    (regard) as the most spectacular international sporting event.

Swimmer Zhang Yufei     1    (become) a household name in China ever since her 200m butterfly gold at the Tokyo Olympics. At the just     2    (cơnclude) FISU World UniversityGames in Chengdu, the 25-year-old not only expanded her medal collection but also set a new women’s 50m freestyle FISU Games record.

For her,     3     (better) her own record is     4     meaningful than winning gold medals.“Before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, I was chasing the     5     (world) top swimmers and top podiums(领奖台). But after the Tokyo Games     6     I reached the highest podium, I became the one being chased by others, the target of others. Now the     7    (big) rival(对手), sometimes, is me,”she told China Daily.

With such     8     mindset, the young swimming star is now more determined than ever. As for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhang said she     9     looking forward to hearing the cheers of the home crowd and was aiming to win the event’s Most Valuable Player award and break the 100mbutterfly world record.“I set a goal     10     each competition. As long as I reach that goal and gain experience, I can accept whatever result I get,”she added.

The torch relay for the Hangzhou Asian Games     1    (launch) on Sep.8 near the iconic West Lake, as     2    (announce) during a press conference on Wednesday at the Hangzhou Asian Games Main Media Center.

The torch journeyed through 11 cities in Zhejiang province,    3     included Huzhou, Jiaxing, Shaoxing, Ningbo, Zhoushan, Taizhou, Wenzhou, Lishui, Jinhua, and Quzhou, before it returned to Hangzhou on Sept 20 to complete     4    (it) final leg. A total of 2,022 torch bearers took part in the relay,     5    (range) from|14 to 84 years old.

In line with the games’ spirit of being “green, smart, economical, and ethical,” the planning for the Hangzhou Asian Games torch relay route     6    (stress) simplicity and a fitting scale. The design of the relay routes in each location emphasized the unique characteristics, historical and     7    (culture) significance, and natural beauty of the respective cities, ensuring a     8    (diverse) of visually breath-taking journey.

Furthermore,     9     torch relay combined both online and offline elements. Following the Asian Games Flame Collection Ceremony on June 15, the “Digital Torch bearer” online relay activity started. Up to now, over 760 million people     10    (participate) in the Asian Games online torch relay, with the count of “Digital Torch bearers” over 84 million.

Fall marks cricket fighting season in China, a sport     1     (believe) to date back more than a millennium. In recent years, it’s gained     2     (popular) with new generations.

Here’s     3     the game works. Two crickets ——always males     are weighed to the closest hundredth of a gram     4     then paired off by weight class. They     5    (place) in a clear plastic ring nearly the size of a dinner plate, with a dividing wall     6     (separate) the two insects. A referee signals go time, then slides out the ring divider to let the bugs face off.

The owners poke a special reed (芦苇) in to brush their crickets, which drives them to fight. A referee closely monitors the tiny fighters, noting     7     number of attacks and retreats.Cricket enthusiasts w ax poetic about a certain province because of the fierceness of its six-legged fighters. Ningyang county in Shandong produces especially desired bugs, the sale of which brings     8     about 600 million yuan in revenue a year.

Zhao Jiuling is a     9     (commit) cricket competitor. Each night, he cooks a nutritious meal of grain and bean powder for crickets.“They’re very     10     (pick) about both their food and mates,” he said. “Sometimes they don't like each other. Domestic violence happens both ways. Sometimes the females eat the males,” he added.

The opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games    1     (take) place at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province    2     Saturday evening.

The ceremony    3     (theme) “Memories of Jiangnan” used the element of water    4     (showcase) the region’s natural beauty and cultural charm,     5     was a feast for the senses with stunning visuals.

During the parade, images of West Lake were projected (投射) onto the floor screen,     6     (allow) athletes and spectators to enjoy the city’s picturesque scenery in an immersive way. The     7     (enter) of the Chinese team was accompanied by a breathtaking visual representation of the motherland’s mountains and rivers. Also, netizens     8     (fascinate) by the display of oriental东方的aesthetics美学, strength of technology and warmth of art.

The opening ceremony    9     (definite) boasted many historic firsts. Not only did it break new ground in terms of technology using digital ignition (点火) for the first time, but also drew inspiration from    10     (tradition) culture, combining Hangzhou charm and Chinese elements.

(CHINADAILY Sep.19.2023 Tuesday) Hangzhou, along with five other cities in Zhejiang province,     1    (be) ready to host a smart and safe Asian Games, which will officially open on Saturday, said Chen Weiqiang, chief spokesman for the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

“The Hangzhou Asian Games — the third Asiad (亚运会)     2     (host) in China — is an Asian Games held in     3     new era. Many high-tech applications     4    (install) already to deliver a smart and safe Games,” said Chen, who is also executive secretary-general of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee.

“We have overcome a lot of challenges     5     are now fully equipped to successfully hold the Games. All competition     6    (equip) and support and operations teams are in place,” he added.

For the     7     (one) time, “online torchbearers” from around the world will together light the flame of the Games during the opening ceremony, Chen said.

The digital torch relay was launched on June 15, in sync (同步) with the physical one. More than 100 million people online,     8     passed on the torch by shaking their mobile phones, had participated in the digital relay as of Wednesday.

“We’ve opened a new era in our preparations for the Asiad; it is the era of digitalization,” Chen said,    9     (add) that smart control systems, enabled     10     5G technology, internet of things, big data and artificial intelligence, among other technologies, have been installed at major competition venues.