China's Winter Olympians have been welcomed home as national heroes from Vancouver, Canada. The country enjoyed its best Winter Games results, collecting 11 medals in Vancouver—including(包括) 5 gold medals.
     With flowers and national flags in hands, many people waited at Beijing Airport for hours. Every member was received by a crowd of family members and friends. Hundreds of workers and fans welcomed the athletes and coaches back with color balloons and ribbons.
     Wang Meng who won three gold medals in Vancouver Winter Olympics said, “We have shown the Olympic spirit and our Chinese sports spirit at the Vancouver Olympics. We Chinese athletes didn't fear to meet the strong opponents (对手) and had good team work.”

    Lao Men Dong (also known as East Zhonghua Gate Historical Culture Block) is a well-known place of interest in Qinhuai District, Nanjing. It is not big, but has attracted visitors of the whole city and the whole country as well.

    To the south of Confucius Temple, the block is not far from Qinhuai River. Over twenty years ago, it was only a small block full of old houses and dirty, narrow roads. There were not many shops or public services. Most of the people living there were either too old or too poor to move. Things have changed since 2010s. Because of the regulatory plan, the residence (原居民) have moved to other newly-built communities. The government has also built many clean and neat roads. A couple of old-fashioned houses have also been renewed. Both local and foreign businesses have settled down here, such as Librairie Avant-grade (先锋书店) and Starbucks. You can also try some other local snacks and pay a visit to the art museums.

    Lao Men Dong is developing so fast that it has become an outstanding landmark of Nanjing's culture.

    Many people believe that tea was first drunk nearly 5,000 years ago. It is said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong was the first to discover tea as a drink. More than 4,000 years later, Lu Yu, "the saint of tea", mentioned Shen Nong in his book Cha Jing. The book describes how tea plants were grown and used to make tea. It also discusses where the finest tea leaves were produced and what kinds of water were used.

    It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. In England, tea didn't appear until around 1660, but less than 100 years later, it had become the national drink. The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world. Even though many people now know about tea culture, the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea.

    A well—known poem by the Tang Dynasty's poet Du Mu tells a sad scene in early April, Rain falls heavily as Qingming comes, and passersby with low spirits go."

    This scene takes place on Tomb Sweeping Day, also known as the Qingming Festival. Tomb Sweeping Day is a traditional Chinese festival. It began in the Zhou Dynasty, over 2,500 years ago Chinese people celebrate it to remember and honor their ancestors(祖先). This year, it falls on April 4. Tomb Sweeping Day became a public holiday on the Chinese mainland in 2008. People have one day off for that day.

    On this day, families bring flowers, food and wine to the gravesites(墓地) of their ancestors. They place cakes, fruit in front of the graves and some may burn joss paper, as money for the dead. After that, they sweep the tombs and cherish(怀念) the memories of their dead family members

Tomb Sweeping Day gives us a chance to show respect to our ancestors and family members who have passed away and show that we miss them. This tradition shows that family values are an important part of Chinese culture.

    Tomb Sweeping Day is also the beginning of the time for gardening and outdoor active China. Families often get together for outings or to fly kites.