The history of Chinese cartoon making began in the 20th century. Below are some great cartoon works in Chinese history.

    Princess Iron Fan, is the first Chinese cartoon. It was directed in Shanghai by the Wan Brothers in 1942. It is the second longest cartoon film in the world following the cartoon the White Princess. The story was taken from a popular ancient Chinese story.

    Crow Black-Coated is the first Chinese cartoon in colour. Shanghai Film Studio made it in 1955. The story is about a very proud bird. He sang and danced in the forest，showing off his beautiful tail to everyone. Autumn came and the other animals were busy preparing food for the winter. The bird continued to enjoy life freely. The winter came with a heavy snow storm. The bird was homeless in the cold. To warm up，he found a wild fire in the forest. The bird burned his tail and lost his singing voice by accident. From then on，the bird becomes a black crow.

    Where's Mama is a short Chinese cartoon. Shanghai Film Studio made it in 1960. It tells about the adventures of a group of tadpoles in search of their mother. It is the first Chinese-style cartoon different from Western cartoons.

    Most people have heard of the Great Wall, but not many people outside China know about the Grand Canal. This man-made waterway is known to the Chinese as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand. Canal. It is the longest as well as one of the oldest canals in the world and a place of interest. It's 1,797 kilometres long and some parts of it are more than 2,000 years old. Starting from Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou. The Grand Canal links the Yellow River and the Yangtze River.

    It was built as a way to transport grain from the rich agricultural land in China's south to cities in the north. In fact, it's not one canal, but a system of canals and rivers linked together. It's still an important part of the transport system in China. Thousands of ships use it every day to transport grain and many other types of goods.

    The Chinese government has done new work on the Grand Canal. It has made Darts of it deeper, so bigger ships can use it. The canal also helps to move water. There is a lot of rain in the south of China, but not as much in the north. The canal can carry millions of liters (公升) of water from the south to the north.

    The Grand Canal is much less famous than the Great Wall, and not very many tourists visit it. But it's possible to go on a cruise (乘船游览) along some of the oldest parts of the canal. Passengers on these cruises can see beautiful parts of China that other visitors don't see.

    In China, the 12th month of the lunar calendar(阴历) is called layue. The month is full of interesting festivals and customs.

    Laba Festival, which falls on the eighth clay of layue, is the first festival in this month. From this day on, people begin Io get ready for the Chinese New Year. On Laba Festival, people eat hot Laba porridge.

    There are usually eight things in the porridge: rice, red beans, peas, dried lotus seeds (莲子), dates(红枣), and three dill)rent kinds of fruits and nuts. The porridge is not just good for your health, but a blessing(祝福) for the coming of Chinese New Year.

    Laha porridge is not the only tasty food in layue. Laba garlic (腊八蒜) is popular in the north. People begin to soak garlic in vinegar from that day on, and eat it with dumplings during the Chinese New Year. While in the south, people like making sausages.

    Another major celebration before Spring Festival is xiaonian. It is usually on the 23rd or 24th day of the last lunar month. Traditionally it is an important occasion when people offer sacrifices (祭品) to the Kitchen God who looks after the family.

    Don't forget to clean your home. This is also an important thing to do to prepare for the Chinese New Year.  It means sweeping away the dust of the old year and welcoming a fresh start. Now, the last thing for you to do is to wait for the coming Spring Festival.

    Different gestures (手势)mean different things in different countries. Sometimes a gesture that is polite in one country is not polite in another and should not be used. Different meanings of gestures can also cause problems in understanding what another person is trying to say. A gesture that many people do not understand is one that uses the thumb. Most westerners will sometimes show that they like something by holding out a closed hand with the thumb lifting in the air. This is called give someone or something "the thumbs up". Often, only one thumb is used, so it should be "the thumb up".

    The usual explanation (解释)for the origin of this gesture is not really correct. It says that in ancient Roman times, when people were pleased with the way a gladiator (角斗士) had fought, they showed their thumbs up. When they were not pleased, they gave the thumbs down. When a gladiator was given the thumbs up, the emperor allowed him to live. When a gladiator was given the thumbs down, the emperor ordered him to be killed.

    The truth is, however, it was translated into a wrong meaning by mistake. If people wanted to save the gladiator, they put out their hands and hid their thumbs in their hands. If they wanted the gladiator to die, they pointed their thumbs straight at him.