The Fashionable Tang-style Costume

    Located^① in Changle Road on the side of Shanghai Jinjiang Hotel, the “Tang-style Costume Street” has been enjoying high popularity for its traditional Chinese attire^② following the costume pattern of Tang Dynasty (618-907) . Its fame^③ soared^④ higher after the APEC^⑤ meeting in Shanghai at which Tang-style costumes were offered for APEC leaders.

    On the street are custume shops of various grades and features. Some sell modern costumes with traditional touch, such as cloth-knotted^⑥ buttons and round flower patterns. Others offer 100 percent traditional attire.

    Most shops sell costumes, so you can enjoy the Chinese costumes. Why are the Chinese costumes so popular now? It's in touch with the high development of our country. The getting-in-fashion was also owned to APEC leaders. They all wore Tang-style costumes at Shanghai meeting. This has proved an old saying that only things of a national touch can prevail^⑦ in the world.

    What is Chinatown? Is it a town in China? Of course not! It is in foreign countries. It is a 1 where many overseas (海外的)  Chinese  live together.

    There are lots of Chinatowns in America2the biggest one is in New York. There are about 150,000 people in it. It is also a 3place to visit. It is attractive in the following ways. 4 in Chinatown is fun.  You can find5 things there. Most of them are made in6  Mott Street is the best place to shop because the things there are very cheap.

    Chinatown has more than 200 7. You can enjoy traditional Chinese food there. New Silver Palace Restaurant is one of the best restaurants. You can also eat some Shanghai food in Evergreen Restaurant.

    Living in Chinatown is 8. You can find hospitals, schools, banks, libraries and supermarkets in it. In some schools, students must learn Chinese. Many overseas Chinese 9 their children to these schools. They want their 10to learn more about China and its culture.

    In the eyes of many foreigners, Chinese are the best hosts and the worst guests in the world. They're not really bad guests, but because the guest­host relationship in China is much different than in some Western countries, it appears they are not nice guests. And Western hosts sometimes look rude in the eyes of Chinese guests.

In China, guests are almost like gods. Whenever I enter a Chinese person's home, there is always fruit on the table for me, and someone is quick to bring me a cup of tea or water. In the West, generally the guest is not a god. Acting according to the host's way of doing things is usual behavior for a guest.

    My wife's mother, a very kind elderly Chinese lady, doesn't smoke. When I see some of her guests smoking in her house, as a non­smoker, I feel unhappy. Usually I want to stop them directly, but I must realize that in China, to be a good host, she must not do that. In most North American homes, if you are a guest, and the hosts are not smokers, you should not smoke in their house. At the very least, you could ask, "Is it OK if I smoke?" But, don't be surprised if they say, "No, you can't smoke." In our culture, if you smoke in their home, you are a bad guest, but if they do not allow you to smoke in their house, they are not a rude host.

    Guests in China also have special habits. Some Western people may not adapt to these habits very soon. Thankfully my wife is Chinese, so whenever we visit a Chinese family she tells me to buy them a gift. However, giving a gift to a host is not always necessary in my country. So, if you invite international guests to your house, don't be too surprised if they don't bring you a gift.

    In China, you probably won't need to change the guest­host relationship very much because you will probably only be the host, and Chinese are naturally very good hosts. If Western hosts invite you to their house, try not to be too surprised if their style of treating you is not what you have expected.

    Although Tokyo is one of the most expensive cities in the world, you will be surprised that there are still some free activities in Tokyo.

Free temples

    There are many temples in Tokyo. The most famous one is Meiji Jingu. This is the most important temple in Tokyo. If you visit it, you can know more about Japanese history. Of course, it's free.

Free museums

    If you go to Kanto Earthquake Museum, you can see the exhibitions and the memorial for the people who died in the 1923 earthquake disaster.

Free parks

    There are two famous parks in Japan. They are Yoyogi Park and Ueno Park. Yoyogi Park is one of the largest parks in Tokyo. It is now a great place to see street performances. Ueno Park is popular with many Japanese people and foreign visitors.

Free snacks

    Japanese food is delicious and healthy. You can try different kinds of snacks, before spending money on them. You don't need to pay for them when you try them.

    Here I want to tell you some information about water.

    Water covers most of our planet. People can find it in oceans, lakes and rivers, and under the ground. Water moves in the environment by evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. The warm Sun helps water change into vapour and rise up into the sky. It is evaporation. The vapour in the air forms clouds in the sky. It is condensation. When the clouds get heavy enough, the water falls back to the ground as rain or snow. This is precipitation.

    Ocean water has too much salt in it. Much of the water travels far over the land. When it travels over the land, the water picks up salt from the rocks and soil. About 97.5% of the Earth's water is salty water. It is expensive to take salt out of the water.

    All people need clean water. They need it for drinking, for cooking, and for bathing. Some people in a village in South America did not have clean water. Their water was full of oil and dirty things. People there got sick when they drank the water. Other people heard about the problem. They sent empty water tanks (储水池) to the village. Rainwater fell into the tanks. Now the people in that village have the clean water.

The kites in Weifang never disappoint. Every year the Weifang International Kite Festival amazes visitors with creative kites, as "paper birds" of varied designs keep appearing in the sky.

Kites in China can originate from the Warring States Period when Mozi made the first "wooden kite". Kites didn't actually become popular until the Ming Dynasty. By the middle of the Qing Dynasty, artists who were good at kite making began to appear in Weifang. In 1984, the first Weifang International Kite Festival was held.

Kites were used in China during the wars at the very beginning. For example, they can be used to record wind readings, similar to ship flags at sea. Over time, kites became connected with relaxing activities, and were often flown during festivals and holidays.

Today, kite-flying is a popular activity in China, and the Weifang International Kite Festival is one of the largest kite festivals in the world. In 2024, 622 kite artists from 59 countries and areas took part in the event. Zhang Xiaodong,74, has attended all the festivals. In the early days, he only brought traditional kites to take part in the competitions, but this time, he used sound and light to make the story of Chang'e flying to the moon come "alive".

The festival is a great platform to share kite-making skills. It also brings the people of China and other countries closer. As one citizen put it, "No matter how far away kite lovers go, there is always a 'thread' in their heart that can pull them together."