Shiwan, known for its lifelike ceramic (陶瓷的) sculptures, has won the high reputation of the “Ceramic Capital of Southern China”. Shiwan is a town located in the southwest of the city of Foshan with a 5 ,000-year-long and rich history of ceramic sculptures. Shiwan ceramics were mainly produced 【小题1】response to economic and social needs and were made for both daily use and for art.

Shiwan ceramic sculptures first were uncovered in the cultural relics unearthed in the East Han Tombs of Shiwan, 【小题2】 were continuously developed before the Ming dynasty, 【小题3】(reach) a peak during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Shiwan ceramic sculptures later【小题4】(suffer) a setback during the Republican Period of China. However, after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, it continued to develop through innovation. Traditional【小题5】(work) of Shiwan pottery featured everyday motifs while those with strong personal styles 【小题6】(consider) unusual.

Made with a unique artistic style, Shiwan pottery tends to be humanistic, regional and national. One of the most remarkable achievements of Shiwan potters is their sculptures. 【小题7】 (produce) of sculptures changed from only religious sculptures to a 【小题8】(wide) variety —   including history, folklore and other popular literary works.

They are popular due to the slightly exaggerated (夸张的) expressions of the sculptures as potters aim 【小题9】 (capture) the unique character of the subject. Nowadays, they are also 【小题10】 popular idea for special gifts and home decorations.

Shanghai’s past and present meet in Xintiandi. Just twenty years ago, Xintiandi was a 【小题1】 (crowd) old community of houses known as shikumen, which means “stone gate.” Shanghai’s first shikumen 【小题2】 (build) in the mid-nineteenth century to accommodate thousands of refugees.

Construction of shikumen continued during the 1900s. Some were smaller than the 【小题3】 (origin) shikumen, while others were larger. At one point, there were almost 9,000 shikumen in Shanghai, and they filled more than half of the city’s housing area. During the 1990s, developers began to pull down aging shikumen and replace them 【小题4】 modern skyscrapers. Before long, however, Shanghai’s residents began to realize that the 【小题5】 (remain) shikumen were an important part of the city’s heritage and needed 【小题6】 (preserve) and restored.

Today, restored shikumen are among the special features of Xintiandi. Their exteriors (外部) open into restaurants, art 【小题7】 (gallery), boutiques, bars and cafes, many of 【小题8】 are open until late at night. As a result, Xintiandi is one of Shanghai’s 【小题9】 (hot) nightlife destinations and a magnet for tourists. As photographer Guo Changyao comments, “In the 21^st century, 【小题10】 you don’t go to Xintiandi, then you haven’t seen Shanghai.”

Paper-making is one of the most significant 【小题1】 (invent) in human history, and it was first developed in ancient China over 2,000 years ago. This remarkable achievement transformed the way people communicated and recorded information, 【小题2】 (pave) the way for the birth of modern civilization.

In the early days of paper-making, various materials 【小题3】 (use) to create paper, including tree bark, hemp, and silk. However, by the 2nd century BC, a more efficient method had been developed using mulberry bark (桑树皮) and other plant fibers.

As word of paper-making spread across China, it quickly became an essential part of everyday life. People used paper for everything 【小题4】 writing letters and keeping records to creating artwork and printing books. By the 7th century AD, the Chinese had even invented the world’s first movable type printing press, 【小题5】 enabled them to produce books and other printed materials on a massive scale.

Thanks to paper-making, knowledge and ideas could be shared and preserved like never before. This helped to spur advances in science, medicine, art, and literature, and laid the foundation for many of the cultural and 【小题6】 (technology) achievements that we take for granted today.

Despite 【小题7】 (it) importance, paper-making is often overlooked in discussions of China’s cultural heritage. However, efforts are being made 【小题8】 (preserve) this ancient craft, and there 【小题9】 (be) a renewed interest in traditional Chinese paper-making techniques in recent years.

Today, visitors to China can see paper-makers at work in small workshops and factories throughout the country. They can also visit museums and historical sites that showcase 【小题10】 creativity of China’s ancient paper-makers.