The erhu is a traditional Chinese musical instrument. It is the most popular of the huqin family. In the Song Dynasty, musicians began to use this type of huqin to perform different kinds of music, and it became quite a popular instrument. With the rise of some forms of folk art, the art of the erhu developed quickly during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It became an important accompanying (伴奏) instrument in different folk music. Now it is used in both traditional and modern music. It has even become a solo (独奏的) instrument. One of the most famous musical pieces played on the erhu is Erquan Yingyue by Abing.

The erhu used to be mainly played by common people, As the playing skills were passed down by oral (口传) tradition, there are few written records about the erhu that can be found. To study the history and the development of the erhu, historians usually turn to ancient paintings, sculptures and murals (雕塑和璧画). The earliest pictures of this instrument were found in Yulin Caves and Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves in Gansu Province.

Because of so many people's effort, the erhu becomes more and more popular around the world. In fact, we can hear the familiar sound of the erhu in many Hollywood productions, such as Kungfu Panda in 2012 and most recently, the Oscar nominated(提名)film Up in the Air(《在云端》). When people watch these movies, they also enjoy the special music of the erhu. The erhu is also called "Chinese violin" by many westerners, but in many ways, they are quite different.

With a habit of drinking coffee on weekends while doing schoolwork, Wu Zibo, a 17-year-old student from Beijing No. 1 High School, wanted to order a cup of Moutai-flavored latte ( 茅台味拿铁 ). "I wonder how my father's favorite Chinese strong drink would taste with my favorite coffee, " Wu told China Daily (中国日报).

Moutai-flavored latte craze shows a team-up business pattern (团队经营

模式) in China. The team-up between Kweichow Moutai and Luckin Coffee has interested many people. It sold 5. 42 million cups and made 100 million yuan just on Sept. 4, the first day it came out, China Daily reported. 

Moutai has tried many ways in recent years to be more creative, such as by bringing out Moutai ice cream and canvas bags. "This creative team-up lets Moutai make its brand（品牌) younger, "Li Honghui, a marketing director for drinks, shared with China Daily. "Through team-up, brands can make the market bigger, and bring more new things to buyers", added Li.

In 2023, China's team-up market will grow to over 100 billion yuan and may reach 300 billion yuan by 2025, according to China Quality Daily. However, wrong team-up may have undesirable results and even hurt brands. "The secret to making a team-up successful is about how good the products are. The brands should not just pay attention to getting the people excited, "said Li.

提示:

1. What is your favourite hobby?

2. When did you start the hobby?

3. How long do you spend on your hobby?

4. Why do you enjoy the hobby?

I have many(许多) teachers now and I like them all, but my favorite teacher is my English teacher, Mary. Mary is from the UK. But she likes China very much. She thinks China is great. She loves Chinese food. Do you know what she likes for breakfast? Bread and milk? No, she doesn't. She only has noodles(面条). Hot pot(火锅) is her favorite and she always eats it on Saturday and Sunday.

Mary has a daughter and a son. Her daughter's name is Ella. Her son's name is Mike. They are8 years old. They go to the same school. They like hot pot, too. They are all in Chongqing now.

We have English from Monday to Friday. So Mary is very busy. But she is always nice and happy. All my classmates like her and her classes very much. She always plays English games and sings English songs(歌曲) with us. We can play games in class, too. It's great fun!

Now I think I can do well in(擅长) English because I have the best(最好的) English teacher.

Eliza and her family took a trip to Xi' an in July. Here are their travel expense(旅行支出)

Everything on the trip was great!

Idea for next trip: Changsha, Hunan