The well-known children's character "Big Head Son" will have a new sister in the new book Little Biscuit and Apron Mom, which is coming out next month.

    Zheng Chunhua, the author of the book Big Head Son and Small Head Dad, has announced the news in Xiamen. The new book series has 10 volumes (册).

    The book Big Head was a bestseller among children's books, and when the book came out in 1995, it was a big hit. Almost every child at the time watched the program and could sing the theme song.

    Big Head Son and Small Head Dad was inspired by the author's own family. "My son really has a big head," Zheng Chunhua said. "When my son was little, I never bought T-shirts or hats for him, as they always didn't fit him."

    Zheng has two children, her son is almost 30 years old now, and her little daughter, who is a teenager. "My daughter has been jealous（嫉妒）of her brother for many years, as I have written many stories about him, but none about her yet," Zheng said, and this is the reason leading to her creation of the new book.

    This book is so popular with the readers and one of them said, "The book is not only interesting but also I have learnt a lot from it."

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    According to the traditional Chinese custom, 2018 is just the year of Dog. Ranking as the eleventh animal in the Chinese zodiac -- the Shengxiao, Dog is a symbol of loyalty (忠诚) and honesty.

    ●Self-mocker (自嘲)

    Words and phrases including dogs (Gou in Chinese) are commonly used by young people when telling jokes about themselves. For example, you can say “Valentine's Day has nothing to do with me since I am a single dog.” It is believed that dog-related words and phrases usually have good humour.

    ●Close relationship

    Among some young people, adding “dog” to a friend's name has the meaning of a close relationship. One of the most famous examples in China is that the actor Lin Gengxin is called Lin Gou by his close friends and beloved fans.

    ●Easy to raise

    Kids with pleasant names are easy to bring up, according to an ancient Chinese saying. Parents in the countryside prefer to give nicknames including Gou Sheng and Gou Dan to their kids in the hope that they are as easy to be raised as dogs.

    ●Metaphor (隐喻)

    Since dogs are considered to have many good qualities ( 品 质 ), the word is included in more than 10 Chinese metaphors. For example, “serve like a dog or a horse,” is used to describe someone who is ready to work hard for the people who have powers.

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    Did you know that tea, the most popular drink in the world (after water), was invented by accident? Many people believe that tea was first drunk nearly 5,000 years ago. It is said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong first discovered tea as a drink. One day Shen Nong was boiling drinking water over an open fire. Some leaves from a tea plant fell into the water and remained there for some time. It produced a nice smell so he tasted the brown water anyway. It was quite delicious. In this way, one of the world's favorite drinks was invented.

    More than 4,000 years later, Lu Yu, "the saint of tea", mentioned Shen Nong in his book Cha Jing. The book describes how tea plants were grown and used to make tea. It also discusses where the finest tea leaves were produced and what kinds of water were used.

    It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. In England, tea didn't appear until around 1660, but less than 100 years later, it had become the national drink. The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world. Even though many people now know about tea culture, the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea.

    Fire was discovered many thousands of years ago. The first time humans saw fire was probably when a tree was destroyed by lightning(闪电).Humans soon learned how to make a fire. They probably made the first fire by rubbing (摩擦)two sticks together. Fire was very important to humans. They needed fire to keep warm at night. They used fire to cook food. ⑶They used fire to keep enemies and wild animals away. In some parts of the world fire was used to send messages. The Indians in America, for example, used fire to make smoke as a message. In some other countries people lit fires to warn their friends of danger. ⑷Fire was also used to give light. Before the invention of the oil lamp(灯), humans burned sticks to get light. One man even used fire to tell the time. He invented a candle clock. He made a candle that took exactly twelve hours to burn. Then he marked this candle in twelve equal(相等的) parts. He lit the candle and could tell the time by counting the number of parts left of the burning candle. But the candle clock did not always work well. If there was a wind blowing on the candle, it burned too quickly.