As the temperature continues to drop, the golden autumn seems to be coming to an end, indicating the     1    (arrive) of the Cold Dew period. Cold Dew, known as “Hanlu” in Chinese,    2     (fall) on October 8 and ends on October 23 this year.

During Cold Dew, temperatures drop     3    (significant) and the sun cannot reach the deep waters thoroughly. Therefore, fish swim in shallow waters,     4    the water temperature is relatively high, making Cold Dew the best season to cast a net or throw a line.

Chrysanthemums (菊花) are the symbolic flower of Cold Dew.     5    (prevent) autumn dryness, many regions in China have the custom of drinking chrysanthemum wine. In ancient times, drinking wine made with chrysanthemums    6    (think) to allow people long-lasting youth.

Other traditions to mark the season include hiking and climbing. With maple (枫树) leaves     7     (turn) red, the splendour of color welcomes nature lovers. On the day of the Double Ninth Festival, which often is around Cold Dew, people often climb hills with cornels (茱萸),    8     kind of plant. This custom, dating    9    the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220), aims to drive bad things away.

Cold Dew allows us to say goodbye to golden autumn with delicate design, and also gives us a chance to know     10     (much) about the culture behind the solar terms.

Mencius said there are three things in life     1     bring great happiness. The first is that our parents, brothers and sisters are fine; the second is having a pure and open heart so as not to feel ashamed before people; the third is to have     2     opportunity to teach talented people. But the     3     (much) important thing to him is to honor and respect parents.

During the annual Spring Festival travel rush, no matter whether it’s windy     4     rainy, we all return to hometowns just to see our parents, brothers and sisters. Chinese culture, to put it simply,     5     (revolve)around the importance of settling our hearts.

In ancient times, there was such a custom that due to food shortages, some elderly people     6     (abandon) in the deep mountains. Once there was a son who was carrying his mother to the mountains. Along the way, the mother kept breaking pine branches and throwing them on the ground. The son felt very     7     (confuse) and asked why. The mother said, “I’m afraid you won’t find your way home.” Hearing this, the son felt guilty. Thinking to     8     (he), “My mom raises me with hardship, I can’t do that.” Tears in eyes, he carried his mother back home.

There is a Chinese saying, “Don’t harm the spring birds in the nests, for they are waiting for their mothers     9     (return).” It’s true that a mother and her children are     10     (tight) tied throughout the life.

6 . Besides “wow” and “great”, what else would you say when flying over the Earth in space? Samantha Cristoforetti, the first Italian female astronaut in space, posted several lines of a famous ancient Chinese composition on Twitter to share her joy.

She first wrote in Chinese, and then attached an accurate translation of the lines in both Italian and English to help more people understand. “Looking up, I see the immensity of the cosmos; bowing my head, I look at the multitude of the world. The gaze flies, the heart expands, the joy of the senses can reach its peak, and indeed, this is true happiness,” it says. Two days before she landed on Earth, the beauty of space and Chinese literature resonated on her Twitter account. Before long, her posts went viral on Twitter with thousands of retweets, likes and replies.

The text she quoted is from the Preface to Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion,a Chinese calligraphy masterpiece by Wang Xizhi (303-361) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420). She also attached three photos taken in space of China’s Bohai Bay and the day-night view of Beijing. “The poem and views are both magnificent as well as healing. If everyone could enjoy the same sight, a lot of pain in the world would be ‘dissipated’,” one user comments.

As the first Italian female astronaut in space, Cristoforetti carried out her first space mission on Nov 23, 2014. In 2022, she started the second mission in April and returned to Earth on Friday night after a 127-day stay in orbit.

Cristoforetti has also been active in Sino-European cooperation in the field of manned spaceflight. She was a working group member with Chinese counterparts to define and implement cooperation in the field of astronaut operations. When not traveling for work, she is an eager reader and has a great passion for languages. Speaking clear Chinese, Cristoforetti once told the media that the teams from China and Europe were working very well together in the field of astronaut training.

Chinese paper cutting or jianzhi is the first paper-cutting design,     1     (date) back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. Due to its unique     2     (art) appeal, after hundreds of years’ development, the paper-cuts have become a means of decorations     3     is popular both home and abroad.

    4     (general) , the paper-cuts are used to decorate doors and windows, thus sometimes they     5     (refer) to as ―chuanghua (Window Flower). They are also used for religious and ceremonial purposes, buried with the dead and burned at funerals.

Chinese people believe the red paper-cuts on the door can bring good fortune and happiness     6     the whole family. As a result, paper-cuts are more often seen during traditional Chinese festivals, the Spring Festival in particular.

People find hope and comfort in expressing best     7     (wish) with paper-cuttings. For instance: for a wedding ceremony, red paper-cuttings are a traditional decoration on the tea set, the dressing table glass, and other furniture.     8     big red paper character ―Xi(happiness) is a traditional must on the newly-wed’s (新婚夫妇) door. With its popularity     9     (increase) , we may never fail     10     (feel) the existence of Chinese paper-cutting all over the world.

With a history of more than 6,000 years, Chinese painting, originally     1     (pursue) by wealthy people, developed around 221 BC during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Then, it became popular around 581 AD as more and more people began to show     2     (appreciate) of its beauty.

Basic tools and materials for Chinese painting involve writing brushes, ink and paper. The Chinese painting brush is mostly made of goat, wolf or fox hair,     3     is suitable for producing brushes that are both soft and stringy (有韧性).

The ink stick is produced with a mixture of pine soot (松烟) and animal glue. It’s used in combination with an ink stone. The painter wets the ink stone and then grinds (研磨) the ink stick on the stone,     4     (make) the ink run so that it can be used for painting.

Many Chinese ancient artworks     5     (create) on silk. However, silk was     6     expensive that only very important paintings would use it. By the first century, when the early form of paper was invented, it had become a lot     7     (cheap) to paint.

Traditional Chinese painting enjoys worldwide fame     8     its original style, distinctive features and special techniques. It emphasizes harmony between man and nature. When looking at a Chinese painting, you may not     9     (initial) realize its complex concept. In fact, much remains     10     (learn) about traditional Chinese painting and its elements. Through appreciating Chinese painting, you will have a better understanding of traditional Chinese culture and Chinese people.