To dye (染色) clothes by machines is very common now. But in ancient times, the whole process was completed by hands. This skill is called tie-dye (扎染). It is said that tie-dyed clothes appeared in the Qin Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, tie-dyed clothes became very popular and the most beautiful ones were sent to the emperors as gifts.

Yang Cheng, a 52-year-old man, was well-known for his tie-dye skills. He started learning tie-dye in the 1980s. Later, he went to other countries to learn different ways of tie-dye, such as Japan, India and France. He has been studying tie-dye for 35 years and he wants more people to know it. At present, he teaches tie-dye in schools, communities and companies. More than 100, 000 people have learned from him.

Tie-dye is one of Chinese intangible cultural heritages (非物质文化遗产). It has become very popular among people, even children can do it for fun. Liu Mei is a teacher at a kindergarten. She teaches kids to dye scarves. They tie a white scarf together at first, then they put the scarf into the dye. After they finish, there are some amazing pictures on it.

Tie-dye is interesting and fun. Do you want to have a try?

As the birthplace of the yearly event more than 2,000 years ago, China is not happy with the situation. "It would be a shame if another country successfully made a traditional Chinese festival part of its own cultural heritage ahead of China," said Zhou Heping, deputy (副) culture minister. The Ministry of Culture is even thinking of making its own application to UNESCO, covering all traditional Chinese festivals, including the Dragon Boat event.

It is thought that the festival is held in memory of the great poet Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), who lived in the State of Chu during the Warring States Period. Qu was known to be a patriot (爱国者) and admired by ordinary people.

He is said to have jumped into Miluo River, because he had lost hope in his country's future. When people heard about Qu's death, they sailed up and down the river searching for his body. They also beat the drums to frighten away the fish and threw Zongzi into the water to stop the fish touching Qu. Dragon boat racing is said to come from this search for the poet's body.

Over the years, the Dragon Boat Festival has spread throughout the world. In Japan and Viet Nam, as well as South Korea, the festival has mixed with and become part of the local culture.

If you think about World Heritage Sites, you probably think of places connected with ancient art and culture and historical buildings. And of course, many of these are on the World Heritage List (WHL). But the WHL contains a lot of sites that are not so obvious. Let’s look at a few of them.

Robben Island, South Africa

This island was used through the centuries as a prison, a hospital and a military base. But it’s probably most famous as a maximum security prison for political prisoners (政治犯) in the twentieth century. Nelson Mandela was one of its most famous prisoners. The WHL says it represents the victory of democracy (民主) and freedom.

Pyrenees-Mont Perdu

This is an area of great natural beauty and the mountains have many interesting geological formations. But it is also an area of small farms. People there still use a type of agriculture that used to be common in mountainous areas of Europe but that has almost completely disappeared in modern times.

The city of Brasilia, Brazil

Brasilia is the capital city that was created from nothing in 1956. The WHL calls it “a landmark in the history of town planning”. The different areas of the city and the buildings themselves were all designed at the same time carefully. Every part of the city shows the ideas of the planner and architect.

Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

The Simien Mountains National Park was one of the first sites to be listed in 1978. It is one of the highest mountainous areas in Africa, and the WHL calls it one of the most amazing landscapes in the world. It is also important for its wildlife. The number of some rare animals is getting smaller and smaller.