“On a spring night, we offer book lovers a desk and a light. You can stay here as long as you want to.” This is the slogan (宣传语) of Sanlian Taofen Bookstore in Beijing.

Earlier this month, Sanlian Taofen Bookstore became the first 24-hour bookstore in the city. It hopes to encourage more people to read books. Bookstores are the brain of a city. Although many people can now buy books online, many readers still like the feeling in bookstores. They can touch the books and smell the print.

In China, most cities are home to at least one bookstore. Some have special themes (主题). Popular Holdings (大众书局) in Shanghai is a film-themed bookstore. There are film books and posters (海报) inside. Other bookstores have colourful activities. Eslite Bookstore (诚品书店) in Taiwan has activities like talks with famous writers as well as holding gallery shows (画展). People come here not only for reading but also to communicate with others.

As a kind of traditional Chinese dress, Ma Mian Qun (horse face skirt) first appeared in the Song Dynasty and grew popular during the Ming Dynasty. The two sides of Ma Mian Qun are pleated (起褶的) , and there is a smooth part in the middle, commonly known as “Ma Mian”.

Why is it called “Ma Mian”? In fact, “Ma Mian” is a kind of structure used for protection in the city wall system. However, all the books about Ma Mian Qun only show that the smooth surface without pleats in the middle is called “Ma Mian”. But there is no further explanation of how Ma Mian Qun got its name.

Ma Mian Qun is colorful, mostly red and blue. Red means good luck and joy. According to Han customs, women usually wore red skirts during celebrations of festivals. In the Qing dynasty, blue was also common and popular, paired with black and yellow.

Ma Mian Qun has different kinds of patterns with different meanings. For example, dragon and phoenix patterns show the love between a man and a woman or a beautiful marriage. Peony (牡丹) is a symbol of wealth and honor.

Recently, Ma Mian Qun has become a popular form of skirt for Hanfu fans. More and more modern fashion designers find ideas from Ma Mian Qun. For example, some get ideas from the patterns. Some combine the styles of Ma Mian Qun with T-shirts or blouses, which are more suitable for everyday wear. Even western fashion has been influenced by Ma Mian Qun for many years.

Plastic pollution has long been a problem, but it’s getting more serious.

Microplastics(微塑料)—quite small pieces of plastic less than 5 mm in size, have been found on Mount Qomolangma as high as 8,440 meters above sea level according to a study.

Scientists collected snow and water samples(样本) from 19 different places from 4,200 meters above sea level all the way up to the top of Mount Qomolangma. They found microplastics in all the water samples and part of the snow samples. Clearly, it is climbers who bring plastic products to the mountain. Even if they don’t litter, just walking for 20 minutes or opening a bottle of water can spread microplastics into the environment.

Another worrying fact is that plastic pollution has reached even the most far-away places on Earth. A 2020 report published in Nature suggests that there are 2,000 to 17,000 plastic pieces per cubic meters(立方米) in the North Pole. Scientists think microplastics may be brought by air and then reach there through snowfall.

Then what can we do? We need to pay attention to the problem and take simple steps, like using less plastic products.