Chinese acrobatic (杂技) dates back to the Neolithic, when ancient people developed it from daily life for enjoyment and celebration. The use of daily items such as tables, chairs, bowls and plates 【小题1】 (be) common in their performances. By the time of the Han Dynasty, the art of acrobatics 【小题2】 (achieve) great progress in both content and variety. There were wonderful acrobatic performances 【小题3】 background music on the stage. During the Tang Dynasty, the number of acrobats greatly increased and their skills improved a great deal.

【小题4】 (regard) as part of the national heritage, Chinese acrobatics features the ability 【小题5】 (maintain) balance in performance movements. For example, 【小题6】 experienced acrobat can walk on 3-meter-high poles while juggling 7 bowls. Acrobats can act like fish swimming 【小题7】 (smooth) in the water, birds flying through trees and butterflies dancing among flowers, showcasing wonderful skills 【小题8】 require years of hard training. And the performances reflect humans’spirit of braving hardships and dangers while seeking 【小题9】 (perfect).

Modern Chinese acrobatics has set up a designing and directing system. It is aimed at creating beautiful stage images and 【小题10】 (harmony) effects of music, clothing, props, and lighting to bring about a fully developed stage art.

Traditional Chinese culture is beginning to attract the attention of the world. Kung fu, 【小题1】 (especial), has had a great effect 【小题2】 the millions of people who first learned about China through it. Sometimes, they may come to China and learn about some other 【小题3】 (aspect) of this culture. Other Asian nations have long known about the 【小题4】 (great) of ancient Chinese culture. Their own cultures are 【小题5】 mix of native ones and those Chinese characteristics. Korea and Japan long ago adopted Confucianism, something that continues today even as it 【小题6】 (challenge) by pop culture. This strength comes from the ideas 【小题7】 (give) in the Four Books of Confucianism, which were built upon the idea of an even 【小题8】 (much) ancient period included in the Five Classics. From them, the West learns 【小题9】 is uniquely Chinese, for example, feng shui.

So far China has taken steps 【小题10】 (increase) this spread of its culture byestablishing Chinese Cultural Centers in such places as the United States and Europe.

The heritage hidden in shadows

Have you ever experienced a shadow play (皮影戏)? In ancient China, it 【小题1】 (feature) numerous and vivid characters, underwent rapid transformations in the blink of an eye, and even included special effects, music and performances, without using computers.

Merely 【小题2】 (rely) on hands, the ancient Chinese art of shadow play is a tradition with a history that 【小题3】 (date) back 2,000 years, and it’s also a representative of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity recognized by UNESCO.

Dang, 【小题4】 identity is the fifth-generation inheritor of Wang’s Shadow, a family troupe (剧团) in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, is famous for making shadow puppets off 【小题5】 beaten track. Not only does he 【小题6】 (skillful) combine the traditional with the contemporary in his creations, he also pioneers approaches 【小题7】 enhancing the presentation and 【小题8】 (preserve) of this cultural heritage.

During the China-Central Asia Summit in May, Dang and his team used the puppets to illustrate female heroes from films, along with many colorful scenes and maps introducing the countries 【小题9】 (involve) in the Belt and Road Initiative. “We aim to demonstrate the excellence of our traditional culture, 【小题10】 its ability to produce remarkable creations. Once people are aware that shadow puppets can be cool, their natural desire will be to participate,” Dang says.