The Year of the Dragon comes with inspiration for creativity and the power to bring big ideas     1    life.

Designer Wang Zijian’s Dragon Out of Water, a creative tea infuser (泡茶器),shines on the wall at the exhibition of the winning works of the 2024 Global Zodiac Design Competition at the Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center.     2     (it) cute dragon design and special function are bound to appeal to young consumers. “It’s     3    unique product, and we expect a positive response from young customers,” Wang told Beijing Review.

The item belongs to China Chic, or guochao, also     4     (know) as “national wave”,    5    refers to products of all sorts including traditional Chinese cultural elements. These products    6     (embrace) by the country’s younger generations in recent years. According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, Gen Z    7     (account) for 74 percent of consumers of China Chic goods in 2022, and the search volume of China Chic products has increased five times over the past decade.

As a young designer, Wang hopes     8     (capture) young consumers with his creative interpretation of dragons. “I’ve been    9    (thorough) studying the dragon’s historical connotations (言外之意) and the     10     (psychology) characteristics of Gen Z consumers,” the 34-year-old designer told Beijing Review.

For London’s Chinese community, Chinese New Year is a huge event.     1     Chinese New Year, people make sure their houses are clean and tidy, buy new clothes and have their hair cut,     2     (bring) good luck for the new year.

London has the biggest     3     (celebrate) and festivities outside of Asia. Hundreds of thousands of people go to watch the parade from the West End to Trafalgar Square,     4     includes traditional lion and dragon dances. The exact date of Chinese New Year     5     (change) every year because it is calculated according to lunar and solar calendars.

For young Chinese people     6     (study) in the UK, web conferencing is     7     brilliant way of joining big family festivities back home. Those missing home might also cook karaoke, another popular way of celebrating. The festivities are not as noisy as back home, traditional Chinese dumplings for     8     (they) friends in Britain or organize an evening of they say, where loud firecrackers were     9     (traditional) used to frighten away a terrifying monster called the Nian, and the special red envelopes of money from relatives may have to travel farther to the UK. But as people come together to enjoy the festivities, there is still a festive atmosphere     10     (fill) with plenty of excitement, happiness and warmth.

Shadow puppetry—also called shadow play—     1     (get) its start thousands of years ago in China and India. This unique form of storytelling is the     2     (old) type of puppetry in the world so far.

    3     is placed between a light and a screen is a vividly—shaped shadow puppet. Moving it creates the illusion(错觉) of a moving image on the screen.     4     experienced puppeteer can make figures appear to walk, fight and dance.

The first shadow puppets were likely made out of animal hides (兽皮). Their strength and     5     (flexible) allowed the puppeteer to move the puppet easily to create the desired effects. Today, a wide variety of materials are accessible     6     people. You might see shadow puppets made out of paper, plastic, wood or cloth. There’s no end to how creative puppeteers can be when     7     (make) puppets.

Shadow puppets are usually constructed in     8     (whole) separate pieces that are then put together with strings or wires. The strings or wires are usually attached to long rods (杆) that the puppeteer will use     9     (control) the movement of the puppet.

Although shadow puppets can be very creative and elaborate, they also can be very simple. With little       10     no experience, a classroom can put on a simple shadow play with little expense and just a little time.

The apsaras, angel-like beings known as feitian in Chinese, are a symbol of the city of Dunhuang. Here, in     1     historic Silk Road oasis in Gansu province, feitian-themed decorations and designs are common, ranging from towering sculptures of heavenly musicians holding Chinese pipa lutes     2     complex drawings of charming beauties bearing flowers on the cups.

Dunhuang has amazed the world with its nearby Mogao Caves, one of the greatest “storerooms” of ancient Buddhist art.     3     (date) back to the 4th century, these artworks cover the     4     (gold) age of the Tang (618-907) and other influential dynasties,     5     the city played an important role as a centre of exchanges between East and West.

Today, the great impact of the murals, sculptures, scripts     6     other major objects discovered in the early 20th century at the UNESCO World Heritage Site still     7     (continue) to be felt beyond the cultural, historical and religious field.

As a major     8     (represent) of traditional Chinese culture, Dunhuang art also offers an important way     9     (distinguish) traditional Chinese culture and help spread an appreciation of     10     all over the world.