As one of the major schools of opera in China, the Sichuan Opera has a long history. It 【小题1】 (date) back to the end of the Ming Dynasty, 【小题2】 there were several different forms of popular theatre in the Sichuan area which gradually developed and combined to emerge as the present Sichuan Opera.

Today’s Sichuan opera is a 【小题3】 (relative) recent combination of 5 historic theatre styles. It is characterized by solo singing, skillful acting and incredibly funny 【小题4】 (comedy). Performers wear brightly colored costumes 【小题5】 move to quick and dramatic music. They move their heads up and down or back and forth in an instant, 【小题6】 (change) the thin painted masks over their faces. Their movement is so quick and frequent that you will be left amazed at how they could control the masks so skillfully.

【小题7】 (attract) the audience, Sichuan Opera uses vivid, humorous narration, singing, and actions. Its 【小题8】 (perform) is always full of wit, humor, lively dialogues, and 【小题9】 (pronounce) local flavors.

Most Sichuan Opera repertoires (轮演剧目) are adapted from the Chinese classical novels, mythologies, legends, and folk tales. Statistics show that 【小题10】 total number of Sichuan Opera plays is over 2,000.

Believe it or not, a group of US teens could perform The Mermaid, a classical Chinese play for children, fully in Chinese. The 15 US teens, 【小题1】 (age) between 12 and 17, stood out from more than 200 children and spent almost two years 【小题2】 (practise), according to Chen Suhan, director and producer of the play’s US version. The show’s success is thanks 【小题3】 the China-US Youth Theater Exchange Program. The program combines theater and Chinese language learning to promote language education and youth 【小题4】 (exchange) between China and the US. “All the kids 【小题5】 (work) so hard over the last two years, and I feel so proud to see their amazing performance,” Chen said. For American teens, coming to China to perform a Chinese play is 【小题6】 unforgettable experience. “Theater for children and young people 【小题7】 (be) a ‘world language’ that enables children of different countries and race 【小题8】 (communicate) without words. Theater for children and young people is the seed of innocence,   【小题9】 (kind) and beauty. It is also the seed of love, culture and friendship 【小题10】 brings beauty,” remarked Feng Li, president of China National Theater for Children.

Animated movie Chang’an breathes new life into Tang Dynasty’s most iconic poets, Xu Fan reports. Named after the ancient name for Xi’an in Shaanxi province, which served 【小题1】 the capital of the Tang Dynasty for over 280 years, the movie brings to life some of the most iconic 【小题2】（figure） in Chinese literary history. With a runtime of 168 minutes —the 【小题3】（long） of any Chinese animated movie—it is suitably epic (史诗) in scale.

In order to 【小题4】（accurate） convey the Tang poetry and better translate the cultural context fixed in the dialogue, the production team invited Linda Jaivin, an Australian Sinologist, 【小题5】（assist） with the translation process. Xie Junwei, 【小题6】 co-directed the movie alongside Zou Jing, explains the distinctive design approach 【小题7】（inspire） by the dynasty’s sculptures, figurines and mural paintings showcased in museums.

The movie 【小题8】（feature） a total of 48 poems, with Li Bai’s masterpiece, Qiang Jin Jiu （Invitation to Wine）, at the heart of the most visually stunning scene. The poem was composed in the year 744. At that time, Li Bai was forced to leave Chang’an and wandered in the mountains with 【小题9】 few close friends as a means to ease his sadness at being unappreciated despite 【小题10】（he） great talent.