Do you know the Tantou New Year Picture? It’s a famous traditional art form in Shaoyang. It is used for the Spring Festival.

The Tantou New Year Picture appeared in the Tang Dynasty first and it has a long history—more than 1,300 years. Since the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Tantou New Year Picture has got its special features (特点)—bright colors, old and exaggerated images (夸张的图像), ordinary materials and special skills. There are more than 20 steps to make the Tantou New Year Picture. All these steps, from making paper by hand to producing the New Year Picture, are finished in one place. This is not usual in our country.

In 1994, the Tantou New Year Picture won the silver medal at the folk arts fair. However, fewer people know the skill well now and most young people are not interested in it. The Tantou New Year Picture is in danger of disappearing in the world. Luckily, the government has taken action to protect and save it.

Martial arts are called Wushu in Chinese. It’s not only a traditional (传统的) Chinese sport, ①____ also a kind of Chinese culture. It gets more and more popular in both China and some other countries. Turkey is one of them.

Why does Wushu become popular around the world? That’s because people need some quick, powerful (有力量的) and relaxing sports because of COVID-19. Wushu is such a good sport for people to keep healthy.

There are many kinds of Chinese martial arts that both little kids and old people can do. Tai Chi, for example, can help people stay in health. “We need it in our life, especially (尤其) when we have to fight with COVID-19,” a Wushu teacher and player says. “In fact, we are very interested in Wushu.”

Beyzanur Karakaya, a 22-year-old young girl, is studying sports in a college in Turkey. She started learning Wushu ten years ago. She said she wanted to go to China to learn Wushu.

Wushu is also good for people’s minds. 13-year-old Fatma Ikra Ulukok was very shy before and she was afraid to talk with others. However, she becomes more ②____ after practicing Wushu. Ulukok also says that she likes the Chinese culture and would like to see it for herself in the future.

Xu Xiujuan was born in Zhalong, Heilongjiang Province in 1964. Her father’s job was to look after red-crowned cranes. Xiujuan started helping her father when she was young. She soon showed a great love for these white birds. She became good at raising them.

When Xiujuan was 21, she got a job at a nature reserve in Jiangsu Province. She enjoyed taking care of the baby cranes. If a bird became sick, she took good care of it and stayed with it every day until it was strong enough to fly again.

In September 1987, one of the birds went missing. The workers in the nature reserve looked everywhere, but no one could find it. Xiujuan was very worried. She looked for it day and night for two days. On the second night, while she was looking for the missing bird, she fell into a river and died. She was only 23.

Later, the song “The story of the red-crowned crane” was written in memory of Xiujuan. Though Xiujuan died young, people always remember her when they hear the song or see a red-crowned crane.