China is a country with many colorful days and festivals. The Dragon Head Raising Day (Longtaitou) is one of them.

    This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar (阴历). It stands for the start of spring and farming. This year, the day fell on March 10.

    The dragon is important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people call ourselves the "descendants(传人) of the dragon". Therefore, people celebrate the Dragon Head Raising Day with many customs(传统) about dragons.

    On the day in ancient times(古代), people put ashes (灰) in the kitchen. This was to "lead the dragon into the house". People believed that with the help of the dragon, they could have a good harvest (收成) in autumn.

    Also, people eat special foods on that day. The foods are usually named after dragons. For example, people eat "dragon whisker (细须)" noodles and dumplings called "dragon teeth".

    Today, many customs have faded away (消退). But one that has remained is the cutting of hair. It was said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the mother's brothers. So many people have their hair cut on the Dragon Head Raising Day.

    Today many people call Amsterdam "the City of Bicycles" because it is a city which is flat and convenient for bicycles.

    In the 1960s, a group of cycling fans had an idea. They believed that it would be better for everybody if only bicycles were allowed in the city centre. They hoped that this would help to save energy, reduce pollution and provide free public transport. The group painted hundreds of bicycles white and placed them in public places around Amsterdam for people to use. Anyone was allowed to use them for short journeys, whether he was a local or a foreigner. Wherever someone finished a journey, they would leave the bike there for someone else to use. The problem was that it didn't work—thieves took all the bicycles within weeks.

    However, more than thirty years later, the "white bike" is back in town—this time with a computer chip (芯片) to record its every move! To take a bicycle, you have to put a special card inside. The new "white bike" is not white any more but is an unusual design with bright colours. The bikes are parked at special parking places and people who want to use them have to take them to another place that has enough room.

    There is less traffic in central Amsterdam because both locals mad tourists have been using the white bikes. Thanks to the good ideas of lots of people, like the cycling fans in the 1960s, many people around the world have been enjoying city centre streets without cars for many years.

    Paper was first created about 2,000 years ago in China. After the invention, people started to write on paper to make books. In those days, books were only produced one at a time by hand. As a result, there were not many books, and they were expensive. So, few people had the chance to learn to read.

    Printing was invented in China during the Sui and Tang Dynasties(隋唐时期). Later, developments in printing made it possible to produce books more quickly and cheaply. A trade in books developed, and more people learnt to read. Knowledge and ideas spread (传播) faster than ever before. In a way, we can compare the invention of paper and printing to the introduction of the Internet in the twentieth century.