Have you ever been to Egypt? It is known for Ancient Egypt, one of the four ancient civilizations (四大文明古国) in the world. It has great culture and history. Let’s take a look at some wonderful places in the country.

The Arabian Desert

Do you think it might be fun to ride a camel (骆驼) in the desert? If so, you should go to the Arabian Desert. It is also known as the Eastern Desert. It takes up nearly one-fourth of Egypt’s land. Riding a camel is fun. Camels kneel down (跪下) to let you sit on them.

Luxor

If you want to see ancient palaces and buildings, Luxor is a great place to visit. People there call it the “open-air museum of ancient Egypt”. Many people visit Luxor every year. Some famous places there include the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens.

The Sphinx

The Sphinx is a statue (雕像) of a lion with a man’s head. It’s very large. The Sphinx is about 240 feet (about 73 m) long and 66 feet (about 20 m) high. For many years, the Sphinx has protected the Pyramid of Khufu.

Photographer Zhang Zhongzeng has taken a series of photos showing people's lives around 40 years ago in Beijing. Born in 1957, Zhang has witnessed (目睹) China's changes since the reform and opening-up period began in 1978.

Playing with birds

Date: 1983

Location: Deshengmen

During the 1980s, there were many elderly men who loved playing with birds. In the early morning, you could always see them holding bird cages, walking in the park or hutongs, on the road or under a tree. The hobby of playing with birds became popular during the Tang Dynasty and reached its heyday during the Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty.

Now there are fewer Beijingers with birds, as elderly citizens' lives get richer and hutongs disappear from the city.

Carriages (马车) in the city

Date: 1989

Location: Hepingli

In the 1980s, the trolley bus (无轨电车) and bus ran across empty roads, while carriages carrying goods or vegetables kept pace. During that time, traffic in Beijing was quite smooth, and three—wheeled motor vehicles, walking tractors and auto trucks could make use of the streets. The most commonly seen transportation was the bicycles, with different brands (品牌), styles and functions.

Sugar—coated haws on a stick

Date: 1988

Location: Qian men Watchtower

Among well-known Beijing snacks, bingtanghulu (sugar - coated haws on a stick) is probably the most famous, a city trademark.

For children living in the 1980s in Beijing, when there were no Me Donald's or KFC's. bingtanghulu was their favorite snack. Now, for them a bite of bingtanghulu brings reminiscence and nostalgia (怀旧).

Have you ever read the novel (小说) The Adventures (奇遇) of Tom Sawyer? Every July, visitors from all over the world come to Hannibal, Missouri, for a special event (活动) —National Tom Sawyer Days. The event celebrates the great writer who was named Mark Twain. Mark Twain spent his childhood in Hannibal, living there for about 10 years, and his creation was a little naughty (顽皮的) boy — Tom Sawyer.   

The event is great fun. Among the many interesting contests (比赛), the most famous one is the national Fence (篱笆) Painting Contest. It comes from the famous story “Tom Sawyer Paints the Fence”.   

Many states in the USA hold the fence painting contests throughout the year and send their winners to Hannibal for the national Fence Painting Contest. The contest is divided into three parts: first, the clothes they wear; second, how fast they paint the fence; third, how well they paint.   

Besides the fence painting contest, there is another interesting event —the Tom and Becky Contest. The contest is open only for middle school students. The students must pass two exams.   

The story of from Sawyer brings a lot of fun. If you go to Hannibal, you’ll see the white fence which still stands in front of Twain’s boyhood home.