Flags have existed for over 3,000 years. The earliest flags were wooden or metal poles with a carving. About 2,000 years ago pieces of fabric were added to some poles for decoration. Over the next 500 years the free-flying part of the flag became more important.

    If you were in Xi'an in Shanxi Province on April 18, you might feel like you were back in ancient China. There were catwalk shows and traditional music concerts held by people wearing traditional Chinese clothing, or huafu. Huafu fans from across the country got together there to take pictures and post them online for a huafu photo competition, which will last for a month. People were doing these to celebrate a new national holiday — the first China Huafu Day. It wants to encourage young Chinese to be proud of traditional clothing, as well as classic Chinese culture.

    The government chose the third day of the third month of the Chinese lunar calendar(农历) as China Huafu Day. This day is said to be the birthday of the. Yellow Emperor. This year, the China Huafu Day fell on April 18.

    Huafu includes the traditional clothing of all ethnic (民族的) groups in China. Among them, hanfu, the traditional clothing of the Han ethnic group, has the most fans in recent years. Hanfu is the traditional clothing of the Han people who lived in China before the Qing Dynasty. It has been around for about 3,000 years and changed greatly across different dynasties. It is hard to count the number of people who wear hanfu today. But hanfu clubs may be found almost in every university and city. Many young people wear hanfu to look like characters from comics and games. This really brings us back to the ancient fashion.

    "China is becoming a leading power in the world, and the Chinese feel more confident about its traditional culture," Chen Chuyu, leader of a Beijing-based hanfu institution (学院), told People's Daily Online. "Wearing traditional clothing might be an interesting way of showing how they feel about this."

    The homestay(寄宿家庭) provides English language students with the good chance to speak English outside the classroom and the experience of being part of an American home.

    What to Expect

    The host will provide places to live in and meals. Rooms will be cleaned every day. And the host is there to offer help and advice on your physical and mental(精神的) health.

    Living Area

    Host families are mainly in Zones 2, 3 and 4. Most hosts don't live in Zone 1 because much of central New York is the trading centre. Zones 3 and 4 often offer larger houses in uncrowded areas. But it's very convenient to travel to the centre of New York by subway.

    Meal Plans

    It's important to know that few American families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast. Your breakfast mainly includes fruit juice, bread and coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold neat are not part of the breakfast. Dinners are usually made up of meat or fish with vegetables followed by desserts, fruit and coffee.

    Friends

    If you wish to invite a friend to visit you, you must ask your host for permission(许可)fir because some families feel uncomfortable when there are strangers at their home.