Keeping a tradition alive

In Beijing’s Dongcheng District lies a small house surrounded by a noisy neighborhood. It is the place【小题1】Wang Yifeng produces the traditional Chinese music instrument, guqin. Wang came to Beijing in 2017 to learn how to play it. But later, he became interested in how the instrument【小题2】(produce).

At first, Wang, who had his own job, considered his interest in the instrument【小题3】a hobby. As he began to study it, he was【小题4】(amaze) at the traditional way of making guqin and became curious about how to make it today.【小题5】(gradual), he fell in love with it more deeply and decided to become a full-time guqin maker.

Wang【小题6】 (make) only four instruments in the past two and a half years. But this is because he makes the instruments all by【小题7】(he). For Wang, it takes about 7 months【小题8】(make) a piece of wood into an instrument. All materials are carefully chosen, and the making process is according to【小题9】highest standards of the Tang Dynasty (618 -907).

His instruments are very popular with【小题10】(collector) at home and abroad. He loves everything that records history, and he hopes to keep a tradition alive.

Do you know National Novel Writing Month？It's an annual，Internet-based writing project，【小题1】 usually takes place during the month of November. National Novel Writing Month is often shortened to NaNoWriMo.

It challenges participants【小题2】 （write） 50，000 words（their minimum number of words for a novel）within a month. It's a creative writing project aimed at getting people to write，keeping them motivated and encouraging【小题3】（creative） worldwide throughout the process. Through the website，participants can       【小题4】（provide）with some tips for writing.

NaNoWriMo focuses【小题5】the length of a work rather than the quality，encouraging writers to finish their first draft so that【小题6】can later be edited at the writer's discretion（自行决定权）. The project was started in July 1999 with 21 participants，but 【小题7】（amazing），the number of the participants 【小题8】（reach）more than 200，000sofar. Writers【小题9】（wish）to participate should first register on the project's website so that they can post profiles and information about their novels. Government leaders and some forums（论坛）also offer to connect local writers，which is very 【小题10】（help）to the whole event.

I felt butterflies in my stomach when I started calligraphy class ten years ago. I wondered what I was doing there. At that moment, I couldn’t have known that I’d just made one of the best 【小题1】 (choose) of my life.

I sat down and listened to the teacher 【小题2】 (introduce) the tools of the craft. Then it was time for me to try my hand. I took up the brush, using the correct gesture, 【小题3】 (dip) it in the ink, and carefully wrote “one” 【小题4】 Chinese.

After nearly five years of practicing, I started to make versions of well-known poems. Calligraphy seemed like a bridge, 【小题5】 connected me to authors from centuries past. Stroke(笔画) by stroke, word by word，I could feel their emotions, cherished my own peace and learned 【小题6】 (appreciate) my daily life.

Now, calligraphy is not just 【小题7】 hobby, but 【小题8】 a way to remove myself from the worries of life. Rolling out the paper, I can write for a whole day. Calligraphy 【小题9】 (enable) me to balance my busy schedule and live【小题10】 (peace).