Lu Xun is one of the greatest Chinese writers of the 20th century. Besides his famous stories, he also wrote many influential articles about the living conditions of Chinese people.

Born in 1881 to a wealthy family, Lu Xun had a happy childhood. In 1893, however, his grandfather, a senior government official, was put into prison for taking money. At the same time, his father became seriously ill. From that time on, his family were no longer accepted by their relatives and friends. These early experiences greatly influenced his writing.

By the time Lu Xun arrived in Nanjing to study at university in 1899, he already believed that Chinese society had to change and become modern. In 1902 he went to study in Japan. There, he began writing articles for several Chinese student magazines. He showed a gift for writing and translating and he even wrote several books, although none was popular. He returned to China in 1909 because he was in need of money.

    The Lily Pad Inn is just a short 5-minute walk away from the center of town. The inn is in a large private(私人的) home with a nice garden. The rooms are clean and prepared for rent by the month, week or day. Great scenery can be enjoyed from our rooftop (屋顶): Erhai Lake and Cang Mountain.

◆Stay connected with excellent Internet access(接入), printing service included.

◆Enjoy hot water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

◆Ticket service, laundry service and rental(供出租的) bicycles are offered.

◆Enjoy an interesting garden party and make friends with people from different countries.

Prices for Quiet and Clean Accommodations(住处)

(Short/ Long Term Stay)

Lovely Erin, the English-speaking Chinese owner and hostess, will help make your stay in Dali pleasant.

Mobile phone number: +86 13988569807

Office number: +86 0872 2677807

Email: Chinaerin@yahoo.cn or Chinaerin@hotmail.com

Website: www.chinaerin.spaces.live.com

    Last Friday night I went to a great party. It was a birthday party for my English teacher Mrs Brown. Students in my class all went to celebrate(庆祝) her 40^th birthday. We began to prepare for(为……做准备) the party two weeks before that, but Mrs. Brown didn't know anything about it.

    We all met at a restaurant at a quarter to seven. There were about 30 people. Mrs. Brown's son took her to the restaurant and they arrived at seven o'clock. Just before seven, we all stayed in one room of the restaurant and it was dark in the room.

    When they got to the restaurant, Mrs. Brown's son asked her to go into the room first. Then we all shouted, "Surprise!"

    Mrs. Brown was really surprised. She jumped when she heard us. Then we sang "Happy Birthday to You" and she knew what was happening(发生). We all had a great dinner and then a delicious birthday cake.

    For her birthday, Mrs. Brown got a beautiful quilt. We all printed(印) our photos on it. So it was a very special quilt.

    Mrs. Brown enjoyed the party, and we enjoyed it, too.

Information Card

    Long ago, there lived a water carrier. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Unfortunately, one day, the pot hit a stone and cracked(裂开) a little. Half the water slowly spilled(溢出) outof the narrow opening as the carrier walked. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

    After two years, the pot said to the water carrier, "I'm so sorry."

    "Why?" asked the water carrier.

    "{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Lots of water spills through the crack. That means you have to make more trips to the river. I am a terrible pot!"

    The water carrier smiled. "Look at those beautiful flowers along the path. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They grow well there because of the water. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}"

    Come to meet the family. This is a picture of my family. The man is my father. He is a policeman. The woman is my mother. She is an English teacher. They have a son and a daughter. The boy is me. My name is Lin Tao. I'm eleven. I'm a student. The girl in a hat is my sister. Her name is Lin Ying. She's eleven, too. We're twins. We look the same. We're in the same class. We are good students. We like our family.