Tang Dynasty poets sang for about three centuries in different tones. There were many famous poets living in the Tang period such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi and Li Shangyin. Poems of the Tang Dynasty edited in the Qing Dynasty is a collection of more than 48,900 poem that were written by over 2,200 poets. But it didn't cover all the poems of the Tang Dynasty.

    During the Tang Dynasty, poems were recited when lovers walked under the moonlight. Poems were also recited when soldiers fought on the battlefield. People recited them in the open air or at temple fairs.

    Tang Dynasty poets wrote poems to win fame and also to develop their temperament(性情). They poured out deep feelings for their friends and criticized in injustice in the world through poems.

    In the Tang Dynasty scholars had to be poets. Their readers were not only people of high social position but also common people. Poets recited poems, women singers sang poems and other ranks of people, including old women and children, read Tang poems. This atmosphere affected foreigners who visited the country at that time. As a result, Tang poetry was introduced to some adjacent countries, like Japan and Vietnam.

    Tang poetry is a most brilliant page in the history of ancient Chinese literature. It's a miracle in the cultural history of mankind. The Tang Dynasty was a powerful empire with a vast territory. It inherited(继承)Chinese civilization that went back to ancient times, was combined with the best of other cultures and adopted the benefits of other nations in the world. Tang poetry wasn't the only spiritual wealth created by the Tang Dynasty people. Philosophy and religion, handwriting and painting and music and dance all gained new peaks of development. Tang poetry, however, was the jewel in the crown and its greatest achievement.

    The audiences of the UK will have an opportunity to enjoy a feast of Chinese culture when the China National Peking Opera Company returns to the country for the fourth time for a series of workshops and performances. Events will be held at the British Library, Oxford's Ashmolean Museum and the world-famous dance theater of Sadler's Wells, featuring artists including Lisa Lu, Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu.

    On Thursday at the British Library, Lisa Lu, who also played a role in recent cinema hit Crazy Rich Asians, will lead a group of artists from China, the US and the UK to discuss their experiences of working across a variety of artistic fields in different cultures over many decades.

    The series of activities also include interactive workshops, which explain the intricacies（错综复杂）of the attractive art of Peking Opera. The secrets behind a great opera, from music to instruments, from make-up to martial arts, will be revealed at the British Library workshops on Saturday and Sunday.

    Events end on Oct 19 and 20 at Sadler's Wells in North London, with two performances of The Emperor and the Concubine, one of the most celebrated operas, as well as The Crossroads Inn and The Monkey King and The Leopard.

    Li Shengsu, who led the cast of The Emperor and the Concubine, explained that the show is the beautiful love story championed by Peking Opera Master Mei Lanfang, and it is one of the very few works from the Master Mei's that had been handed down since 1920s.

    The productions are being presented in partnership with London-based Sinolink Productions, a company that promotes Chinese art, culture and performance to British audiences.

    Zhang Kewei, producer and director of Sinolink, said, “It is delightful to see that the China National Peking Opera Company returns to London for the fourth time with another two masterpieces this year. The performances so far have received very positive comments from audiences and the United Kingdom's media and we are looking forward to further expanding our program.”

    I was asked by a reader recently why so many animals seem to have pink ears, when their bodies are all different colours? The truth is that most animals actually don't have pink ears. Let us explain.

    Near the equator (赤道), where the climate is hot, animals are likely to have darker skin, including on their ears. Think of the African elephant, which has quite dark ears. In colder climates, skin colour is usually lighter and often pink.

    Why is skin colour different in different climates？Skin pigmentation, which is what gives skin its colour, can protect against sunburn and skin cancer (癌症). When animals live in colder parts of the world, they don't need it as much to survive. Light-coloured skin also helps animals stay warmer because it reduces heat loss, which is useful if you're in a colder climate.

    For most animals, the colour of their fur or other body covering has generally developed as camouflage. That allows animals to mix into the background and avoid being eaten, or for predators (捕食者) to remain hidden during hunting. One example is the sandy-coloured coat of the desert fennec fox, which uses camouflage for both hunting and hiding.

    By the way, in many animals, ears come in many different shapes and sizes. For example, in bats, the serval (a type of African wildcat) and the fennec fox, the ears are large compared to their body size—this helps them hear better because it allows them to sense more sound waves. Naked mole-rats have tiny ears because they need to dig a lot. Big ears would get in the way. The other downside of big ears is that you can lose a lot of body heat. That's why animals that live in really cold places, like the Arctic fox, have quite small ears.

    As the old saying goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover." And neither should we judge movie stars by their ages. At just 21, Elle Fanning made history by becoming the youngest jury (评审团) member at the Cannes Film Festival. This year it lasted from May 14th to May 25th. "I was in complete shock when I got that phone call and that question if I wanted to be a member of the Cannes Jury," Fanning said during a press conference.

    As it turned out, it not only shocked the US actress, but also brought criticism from those who believed Fanning was too young compared to other veterans in the industry. But Fanning's acting experience was in fact a good argument for her jury membership. In fact, Fanning has been a Hollywood fixture for longer than you realize.

    The 21­year­old has been in many big productions. She began acting in I Am Sam at age 2. With lead roles in movies like Super 8, We Bought a Zoo and Maleficent under her belt (取得成功), she's appeared in 60 projects and is one of Hollywood's hottest young stars. Fanning's devotion to work numbers her among the few former child stars who continue to act as adults.

    In her latest movie Teen Spirit, which hit US cinemas last month, Fanning plays a pop singer. Since she had no singing experience, Fanning had to work with Grammy­winning music producer Marius de Vries for three months before the filming started. "I would go to his apartment and sing through all the songs every day," she said. "He videoed me and recorded me singing everything and made me watch it back again and again to improve my skills."

    With such rich acting experience and devotion to her art, "Fanning certainly was able to represent a new class in film" at the Cannes Film Festival.

    When French students go to school, they have to leave one of their most prized possessions at home — their smartphones. French lawmakers passed a law on July 31, 2018, banning students 15 and under from bringing smartphones and tablets to school, or at least requiring they be turned off at school. Officials in support of the new rule described the policy as a way to protect children from addictive habits and to safeguard the sanctity of the classroom.

    "We know there is a phenomenon of screen addiction," education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said. "Our main role is to protect students. It is a fundamental role of education, and this law allows it."

    The law, however, makes exceptions for educational use, after-school activities and for students with disabilities. French high schools can choose to force a less-strict ban on Internet- connected devices.

    Even before the new policy was voted in, French law carried out in 2010 prohibited students from using their phones while class was in session. But during the 2017 French presidential election, Emmanuel Macron promised to force a school ban on phones entirely.

    This isn't the first French law designed to beat back the influences of digital technology in everyday life. In 2017 the government passed a law requiring French companies to draft rules that limited work emails and work-related technology outside the office. Referred to as the "right to disconnect," French officials said the law aimed to reduce job-related stress and prevent employee burnout.

    "Employees physically leave the office, but they do not leave their work. They remain attached by a kind of electronic tie," said Benoît Hamon, former French education minister. "The texts, the messages, the emails: they control the life of the individual to the point where he or she eventually breaks down."

Norwegians would perhaps highlight their custom of "gå på tur"— going on a journey on foot or on skis. In Denmark, everyone knows what "hygge" is — to freely enjoy the good life with the people you love. They're the issues of "intangible cultural heritage", things that cannot be physically touched such as traditions, stories, music, dance and craft skills.

In 2003, UNESCO, the education, science and culture organization of the United Nations, adopted an agreement to "preserve the intangible" and many developing-world countries were quick to get their traditions included on the official list. But it would take almost 10 years for "Agreement for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage" to be approved by the Scandinavian countries.

Annika Sjöberg is responsible for managing the work of the agency in Sweden. She has been, and continues to be, flooded with suggestions of intangible cultural heritage worthy of protection, submitted by committed citizens and organizations wanting to see their particular traditions included on the list that should be ready sometime in the next couple of years.

Suggestions have also been received concerning various maritime traditions: old shipwright skills such as the building of wooden hulled vessels, are in decline and at risk of being lost forever.

"Our work has attracted considerable attention as it is regarded as being a little out in left field," says Sjöberg. "In addition, it's also opened people's eyes to the fact that the things we can't physically touch indeed have a major bearing on the way in which we live. Even in an urbanized society, there is knowledge we carry with us that we've inherited from previous generations-knowledge that's important to preserve and take care of."

Sjöberg explains that the point is not to preserve this cultural heritage in a stony rigid form, as traditions must be allowed to change and evolve. She also emphasizes that her work should not be interpreted as a nationalistic project, rather as a means of multicultural spreading.

It's actually a matter of documenting the knowledge that exists in the various traditions. What is most exciting is the diversity that now exists and the ways in which different cultures interact with each other.