In a working site near Paris, several people are busy cleaning a canvas (画布), trying to correct the pains of time: the repairing of 22 paintings of Notre-Dame (巴黎圣母院) which was damaged by a fire in April 2019, is “a race against time”.

The project of repairing these works, which must be returned to the building for its reopening in 2024, is a unique one compared to others.

“Two years may seem like a long time, but that’s the time it takes to do the job of simply one canvas like The Triumph of Job, which is behind us,” one expert Laurence said, pointing out the huge work several meters high by the Italian artist Guido Reni, which was hung behind her back.

“You do not touch a canvas without knowing its medical history”, underlines Lavit, heritage curator (馆长) at the Center of research and repair of the Museums of France.

Once this history is known, the paintings move on to cleaning. The protector-repairer Pasquali stresses that it is a team effort.

Opposite her is Hulot, an expert in repair. One object of his attention is The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew by French artist Lubin Baugin. His job is to make sure that the canvases do not break.

Meanwhile, another team takes care of the frames. “The heat of the fire dried and weaken the wood,” comments Galopin.

Once all these steps have been completed, the paintings are stored in a special room. It takes between 8 and 10 people to move them safely. They will remain there until the reopening of the church.

The Double Ninth Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. According to tradition, we should celebrate the festival by going mountain climbing. How many people today still keep this tradition?【小题1】However, they are an important part of Chinese culture, and we must protect and maintain them.

【小题2】The Dragon Boat Festival, for example, is celebrated in honour of Qu Yuan. By celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival with rice dumplings and dragon boat races, the story of Qu Yuan is passed down from generation to generation. Promoting traditional festivals helps spread knowledge about the past of our country. Moreover, traditional festivals enable us to learn more about fine Chinese values. Many festivals, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, have a family-centred message at their heart.【小题3】With the celebrations of these festivals, younger generations learn to honour fine Chinese values.

Finally, traditional festivals area source of national pride and help shape (塑造) our national identity. For example, we celebrate the Hanshi Festival and the Lab a Festival with unique customs, and these shared experiences bring us together as a people.【小题4】

Traditional festivals have been passed down to us from previous generations. It is the duty of every one of us to protect them for generations to come.【小题5】We may even lose the festivals which belong to us.

Hanfu, an ethnic dress of Chinese Han people, has a long history. While many designers have been trying to restore its authenticity(真实性），others say it's best to leave it in the past. Chu Yan, a fashion designer, is known for her work in recreating traditional Chinese garments. She also teaches at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology and runs a studio on Beijing’s outskirts.

Her work includes designing the traditional Chinese wear Tangzhuang for world leaders participating at the APEC(亚太经合组织)meeting in Beijing in 2014. “An earlier project was about Dunhuang murals(壁画).They are two dimensional. Later on, I worked with Xi’an Museum. We worked with pottery figures. They are three-dimensional, unlike the murals. We have developed a better sense of what the real items may look like,” Chu said.

Chu shared her belief in recreating these historical art pieces, and that is “to know where it comes from and to lead where it heads to.” Because of the technological advances, many contend that these new designs cannot be traditional Hanfu and only classical garments can be considered authentic. However, Chu says it's more complicated than that. “Can we recreate something exactly like it was in history? We can do that. Our                                 design, tailoring and production methods allow us to do that. But the difference is that we use distinctive techniques and materials,” she said.

In response to the claim that Hanfu should make a return, she says young Chinese designers should have a clear understanding of the art history and give what’s the past a new life. “We cannot return to the past and there is no need to dress exactly the same as ancient Chinese people,” Chu said. She believes young Chinese designers should keep this famous Chinese saying in mind. “Honoring history doesn’t mean you have to mimic(模仿) what it looked like in the past. You have to do even better, ” she added.