China has a very long history. It has many great traditional skills that have a wide influence (影响). Here we mainly talk about kites.

    The earliest mention of a kite in ancient China dates back to the 5th century BC. It was made of wood and used as a rescue signal (求救信号).

    At the time between 770 and 221 BC, Chinese kites were actually called "muyuan". They were first invented in Shandong Province for military purposes (军事目的). The kites were used to send important messages during the Chu-Han War. During the Tang Dynasty, kites were made of lighter materials, such as bamboo, silk and paper. At that time, people began to fly kites for other purposes. It was believed that letting go of the kite could remove bad luck and illness.

    Today, kite-flying is an interesting and healthy activity in China. There are large kite-flying festivals held throughout the country, and kite makers can show off their skills during the festivals.

    What is the hardest sport in the world? Some people say it's boxing (拳击), because boxing is dangerous and boxers have to be strong and fast. Other people say the hardest sport is soccer.

    However, most people say the hardest sport is the triathlon (三项全能运动). A triathlon is a race that includes three sports. First, racers swim. After that they ride bicycles and finally they run. In the most common triathlon, racers swim 1.5kilometres, bike 40 kilometres, and run 10 kilometres. The winner is the person who finishes the race first.

    There is another kind of triathlon too. It is called the "Ironman Triathlon (铁人三项)". This triathlon is much longer. People who finish this triathlon are called "ironmen" or "ironwomen". This is because these people are so strong that their bodies are just like iron (铁).

    In the past, there were other races including three sports. However, they didn't use the word "triathlon". That word was first used to describe a race in California in 1974.

    Triathlon racers have to train very hard for their races. Many of them swim and run. A lot of people also do things like yoga (瑜伽). They have many different ways to prepare, but they all have the same goal. They want to be in perfect shape.

    To be an ironman or an ironwoman, you have to be strong and smart. You should know how to save energy during the race.

The Terracotta Warriors, one of the eight wonders of the world, have enjoyed international fame. Located in Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, they are warriors of the first-ever emperor in1China or Qin Shi Huang in Chinese, Ying Zheng.

Even though I knew they are life-sized sculptures (雕塑), I was still2 when I saw them. I was lucky enough to3 the pit (深坑) and take a close look at them for the first time.

They were made around 2, 200 years ago. When I first got down into the pit, the sculptures scared me4some of them lacked body parts.

I was told that the Terracotta Warriors are not easy to preserve (保存;保护) for over thousands of years. But to my surprise, they were actually5 in color when they were first discovered. However, the color fell off6after being exposed in the air.

The difficulty of preservation is one of the reasons why they have stopped7out other pits. Although the Terracotta Warriors are breathtaking, they are only part of the Mausoleum (陵墓) of the First Qin Emperor.

Shen Wenxi, an expert and museum librarian of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told me there's an even grander area8 man-made mountains, rivers and seas inside the emperor' s underground palace.

However, there is no plan to dig them until there are perfect9of protecting and preserving them. Experts are still busy restoring the relics (修复文物) that were10in the 1970s.

Beijing is known as a large and busy city. But if you walk down one of its main streets into a small alley （巷），you may find something different—Beijing's hutongs!

People say they live in hutongs，but in fact，they live in the buildings on one side of the hutongs. Hutongs are the alleys between houses. 

Beijing has been China's capital city for over 700 years. As the city grows，the number of its people and houses is becoming larger and larger. Now there are more than 6，000 hutongs in Beijing. If all of them were connected end to end

Among all these hutongs，there are certainly some exceptional ones. While most of them are straight，some are curved（弯曲的）. Jiuwan Hutong is the one with the most curves. It's only about 390 meters long. Its name means nine curves，the narrowest hutong in Beijing is called Qianshi Hutong. It is only 40 cm wide at its narrowest point. In this hutong，only one person can pass at a time. 

Beijing people love hutongs because they bring them a lot of fun and relaxation. In the hutongs，people can enjoy the sun，sing songs and play chess with their neighbours. They can talk with others and listen to some stories

Hutongs are not only a symbol of Beijing's culture，but also an important part of China's national culture. So people try to keep them well as historical places of interest. 

The Grand Canal(大运河), or Da Yunhe, is the world's longest man-made river. It includes three parts, and the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal is the most important one.

It is about 1,800 kilometers long from Beijing to Hangzhou. After running for more than 2,500 years, the canal has become one of the most popular places for tourists.

Last year, all of the canal's dried- up parts were refilled (重新注满) with water. The local government says the 62-kilometr e boat trip will be open to more people soon. It will offer travelers a chance to enjoy nice food and natural wonders at the same time. Moreover, travelers can learn about the culture and old stories through the tour.

The best part along the canal is a group of old buildings in Tongzhou District, Beijing. These buildings cover an area of over 15,000 square meters, including a famous Confucius temple(孔庙). Built in the Yuan Dynasty (朝代), the temple has a history of around 7 centuries. Plenty of travelers enjoy taking photos among those red walls and grey tiles(瓦片) and they feel like they go back to the old times.