3 . The Spring Festival is the biggest festival for Chinese people all around the world.The celebration usually lasts for 15 days.There is a lot to do.

On the eve of the Spring Festival, family members get together and have a big meal. Their favourite dish on this day is dumplings.

Days before the Spring Festival, families will clean their houses. People think cleaning sweeps away bad luck. It makes the house ready for good luck.

The colour red is everywhere during the Spring Festival. People think red is a happy colour and will bring them a bright future. People wear red, too. They decorate their homes with pieces of red paper. Kids get a lot of “hongbao”. It is a red paper bag with money in it. Usually, older people give younger ones “hongbao”. They think it brings good luck.

The Spring Festival is the time to make everybody happy. So don’t say any bad words or do anything that will bring unhappiness to other people. For instance, you’d better not say any bad words like “death”. Don’t break anything. People think that means your luck is running out.

Also, don’t borrow or lend money on these days. If you have borrowed money, return it before the Spring Festival.

4 . Why did Chinese people have more than one name in ancient times?

In ancient China, people’s names had three parts, their family name, given name and courtesy name. Take famous poet Li Bai for example. His family name, which came from his father’s name, was Li. His given name was Bai, and his courtesy name was Taibai.

People used their given names when they were among family members. But in social life, they called each other by their courtesy names to show respect. This was mostly done among people of similar ages. If you were talking about yourself, or if your elders were talking about you, the given name would be used instead of the courtesy name.

Men would get their courtesy names when they turned 20. It was a symbol of adulthood (成年礼). Women would get their courtesy names after getting married.

One’s courtesy name often had something to do with one’s given name. For example, the name of Mencius was Meng Ke. His courtesy name was Ziyu. Both Ke and Ziyu mean “carriage (马车)”. Zhuge Liang’s given name was Liang, which means “bright”. His courtesy name was Kongming, which means “very bright”.

Sugar sculpture blowing is    1     Chinese folk art where artists blow and sculpt hot sugar to create 3D    2     (figure).The finished sculptures not only look good, but also have a good taste,    3     (make) them popular among children.

The main raw material for sugar sculpture blowing is malt sugar (麦芽糖).The malt sugar     4     (use) in sculpture blowing has to be heated to high temperatures. It can only be used after several steps,    5     include the sorting and cooking of the malt sugar followed by the firing and melting of it.

Sugar sculpture blowing is     6     (careful) made. It can be divided    7     two methods—one uses molds (模子) ; the other does not, and involves sugar figures taking shape through a combination of blowing air into the processed malt sugar and the artist's flexible hand skills.

The complex process may explain why there are fewer people making sugar sculpture. To protect and promote this     8     (tradition) craftsmanship, the government of Hebei Province founded a sugar figure art     9     (organize) in 2011.Now it     10     (consist) of over 90 artists recognized as the inheritors (继承人) of the technique.

6 . The Qingming Festival is usually celebrated with a three-day national holiday, whose name originates (起源) from the saying “Plants start to revive (复活) and prosper at Qingming in a clean and bright way.” Thus, the festival is called Qingming, which means “clean and bright”.     1    Tomb sweeping is aimed at commemorating family ancestors, while going on a spring outing allows everyone the chance to enjoy the beautiful scenery and enjoy the season.

Traditional customs

Tomb sweeping.     2     On this day, the whole family gathers in front of their ancestral tombs. They offer fruit and wine to their ancestors and clear the weeds from around the tomb. Finally, they kowtow and pray, hoping for their ancestors’ blessing for the rest of the year.

Spring outings. The time around the Qingming Festival is one of the most suitable seasons for a spring outing, as plants are thriving and flowers are blooming. People can have a great time outdoors with their friends and family.     3    

Traditional food

Qingtuan is a green rice ball tiny enough to fit into your hand.     4     It is a mixture of sticky rice powder and green vegetable juice. Stuffed (装满) with sweetened bean paste, Qingtuan tastes sweet with the fresh fragrance of Aicao, a green spring vegetable. In celebration of Qingming, people from Shaanxi make steamed buns known as Huamo, which are made into different shapes.     5     Some are for peaceful family life, while others represent (象征) the wish for health.

10 . Midi Festival

As a rock festival, the Midi Festival 2017 in Beijing presented a musical carnival for fans. It was the 18th year of the outdoor music feast. This year, a lot of rock bands from home and abroad performed on three stages. With beautiful scenery and exciting music, it was a good opportunity to enjoy rock with friends and family.

2:00-10:30 p.m., from April 29 to May 1. China Music Valley Grassland Park, Pinggu District. 400-610-3721.

Fans of Painting

Ancient Chinese calligraphers(书法家) and painters were fond of painting on the folds of fans. Their excellence has left a wealth of outstanding works. A fan painting show exhibited 990 Ming and Qing Dynasty calligraphy and painting works on folding fans.

10:00 a.m. -2:30 p.m., from April 29 to May 29. National Museum of China, 16 East Chang’an Avenue. 010-651-6400.

Poetic Portraits

Two artists held a joint exhibition with paintings featuring portraits of Chinese women in poetic poses. Wang Xiaojin, who is from Shandong Province, has been exhibiting since 1993. The other artist, Xu Zhigang, is originally from Liaoning Province, but is now in Beijing.

10:00 a.m. -8:00 p.m., from April 28 to June 20. Rong Gallery, Sheraton Pudong Hotel, 38 Pujian Road, Pudong New Area. 0137-6408-7294.

Group Show

The artist group, “island6”, worked in new media and held a show titled Body-City-Mechanism. Through interactive video, photography, oil on canvas and sculpture, the artists explore themes of man and cyberspace.

10:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m., from April 30 to June 28. Studio Rouge, 50 Moganshan Road, Putuo District. 021-5252-7856.