Years ago, a documentary series titled Masters in the Forbidden City 【小题1】 (release) in China and soon became a hot topic, bringing the profession of cultural relic (文物) restoration into the public spotlight. Given China's long history and rich collections, 【小题2】 takes years of experience and a deep understanding of history to become a qualified restorer. 【小题3】 backstage heroes, many of them have devoted their lives to protecting cultural relics.

In the Hubei Provincial Museum, Fang Guorong, 62, and Fang Chen, 32, jointly lift a 12-kilogram bronze object, 【小题4】 attempt to restore a huge and ancient chime bell (编钟). They both work as relic restorers at the museum. The chime bell they are taking care of is the 【小题5】 (heavy) one ever preserved there.

Fang Guorong has been engaged in restoration work for over 40 years. He enjoys it, 【小题6】 (treasure) every touch of the bells. According to Fang Guorong, some chime bells were thought too damaged to be restored. But 【小题7】 (fortunate), digital technologies like 3D scanning have been used 【小题8】 (preserve) them. “That’s something the older generation couldn’t even dream of,” he says.

Fang Chen began working in the museum in 2014. He has acquired new technologies his elder workmates may find quite 【小题9】 (challenge). “The restoration work should also keep pace with advances in technology,” says Fang Chen. “This doesn’t mean overturning traditional methods. It’s about the 【小题10】 (combine) of old and new methods.”

As early as a thousand years ago in Kaifeng, China, there were a group of people presenting art and beauty in a delicate manner. Such craft is known 【小题1】 Bian embroidery (汴绣). It is now recognized as a state-level intangible cultural heritage. Bian embroidery is characterized by simplicity and serenity. It 【小题2】 (consider) a unique form of artistic 【小题3】 (express) of the Song Dynasty. The purest natural colors and delicate stitches (针法) make the embroidery look vivid like a 【小题4】 (paint) if not bring it to life. For each piece of work, embroiderers would integrate many elements into it 【小题5】 (include) fine art, literature and philosophy. The re-creation of the first volume of the work Along the River during the Qingming Festival is the work of 【小题6】 (experience) Bian embroiderers who have long observed the 【小题7】 (origin) work Qingming Festival and objects. 【小题8】 took over 20 embroiderers a year working around the clock 【小题9】 (complete) such a masterpiece. The millennium-old craft still has its charm today. It goes beyond the time, bringing out the fine texture of painting 【小题10】 it can also be a treasure that one holds dear.

In Southwest China, 【小题1】 group of grandmothers sit in front of a traditional-style house, 【小题2】 (skillful) sewing coloured thread into a piece of blue cloth and occasionally bursting into waves of laughter.

Such is the scene in Hejiayan village, Youyang Tujia and Miao autonomous county, Chongqing. These women learned the craft (手艺) as children, but they never expected that it would bring them together in old age, injecting some fun into 【小题3】 (they) twilight years.

This local 【小题4】 (recover) of the craft started in 2013 when Chen Guotao, 48, considered 【小题5】 (open) a Miao embroidery (刺绣) shop in Youyang. 【小题6】 (raise) in a rural area, Chen was keen to help fuel China’s rural prosperity, and in 2016, she set up the first of several embroidery workshops. They offered job opportunities to unemployed female villagers who had stayed behind 【小题7】 (care) for the family while relatives sought higher salaries elsewhere.

But the workshops are more 【小题8】 just workplaces. They are also social clubs for local senior citizens, most of 【小题9】 would lead rather dull lives otherwise, sitting at home with little social interaction. Sitting in the warm sunshine and enjoying the peace of embroidery, these senior citizens are now an 【小题10】 (establish) feature in the village.