阅读理解。Dear Belinda,
I like my life in Hangzhou, the capital city of East China's Zhejiang Province, though it is very different from that in Britain. Now I'm very excited because I'm leaving for the Banshan neighbourhood (社区) with my classmates to celebrate the Beginning of Summer in an hour.
My Chinese teacher Mrs Hu tells me the Beginning of Summer is one of the Chinese 24 solar terms (节气), and it is usually on a day between May 5th and 7th every year. It means the end of spring and the start of summer.
Two days ago, Mrs Hu asked us to look for some information about how people in the Banshan neighbourhood celebrate the Beginning of Summer. Let me show you.
Having a parade(游行) ▲ People in the parade usually wear Hanfu, a kind of traditional Chinese clothing. After the parade, local people and visitors often have folk activities (民俗活动) in the square.
Cooking wild rice According to tradition, on that day, children will go out into the wild in groups to pick beans, catch fish in rivers and ask for rice and meat from other families. Then they cook a rice meal by themselves in some corners of a wild field. This fun activity is known as "cooking wild rice".
Eating black rice Several days before the Beginning of Summer, people in the Banshan neighbourhood begin cooking black rice by using rice and the juice of fresh- picked sea bilberry leaves (刚摘的海越桔叶). People in Hangzhou also believe their kids will be strong and healthy all summer if they eat black rice at the start of summer.
That's all. I must go. Looking forward to your reply!
Yours,
Kate
