1, Mystery of Liangzhu

This mysterious jade cylinder called cong(琮)is 5000 years old .

These instricately carved objects excavated in Liangzhu are symbolically significant as they extended the span of Chinese Civilization from 4.000 t0 5.000 years

After decades of excavation and radiocarbon dating,Liangzhu was desinated by UNESCO World heritage committee as a new world heritage Site in 2019.

The discovery of this good like figure with a feather crown riding a wild beast is found throughout Liangzhu Culture.

This indicates they worshiped the same deity (n,神; 女神; 上帝; 天主) Liangzhu is civilization on par with (與.....平分秋色/同等水平）the Ancient Egypt.

When the Egyptians were building the Pyramids along the Nile River (尼羅河) valley, the Liangzhu civilization was developing a large walled city with the earlist dated water projects including waterways,dams,canals and highlt sophisticated agriculture.

They cultivated rice on a large scale , a storage granary(n,谷倉(cāng); 糧倉(cāng)) was discovered in Liangzhu that held more than 15,000 kilos of rice.

Liangzhu was a highly organized society.

These finely crafted disks are called Bi(玉璧) the best ones are made from jade, these mysterious disks along with the Cong cylinders were placed in tombs.

The fact that only the highest quality jade objects were found in tombs of people with highly rank and importance, while commoners only had pottery or stone objects shows that Liangzhu was highly stratified (adj.社會(huì)分層的;等級(jí)分化的;v.使分層,成層) society.

Jade is extremely hard and difficult to be carved. It must be worn away with using drills or saws n.鋸; 諺語(yǔ); 格言;v.鋸; 拉鋸似地來(lái)回移動(dòng)(某物);

Jade such as this would have taken a long time to create.

How did Liangzhu peope make these exquisite (n 精致,精致的人,adj 精致的; 精美的; 劇烈的; 強(qiáng)烈的; 微妙的; 雅致的; 敏銳的; 敏感的) jade objects. it's still a mystery.

But there is no doubt that these jades carry the power and faith of Liangzhu people and occupy an extremely important position in their spirit.

The Chinese people's love for jade has lasted for thousands of years.

Jade is strong, gentle and restrained, just as the characteristics of a gentleman.

Liangzhu is the beginning of Chinese jade culture.

Liangzhu is located in 16 kilometers from Hangzhou in the northern province of Zhejiang around Taihu lake, near Shanghai.

It is said that Chinese civilization stretches back uninterrupted for 5.000 years, now in the day and age of mega-city and bullet trains (子彈頭列車; 高速火車; 子彈頭火車)

Liangzhu stands as a witness and testimonial(n,證明信; 介紹信; 推薦信; 感謝信; 紀(jì)念品; 獎(jiǎng)品; 獎(jiǎng)狀;) to that

2, Vessels of ritual

(n .儀式; 禮節(jié); 程序; 儀規(guī); (尤指)宗教儀式; 習(xí)慣; 老規(guī)矩;adj.儀式上的; 慶典的; 習(xí)慣的; 老套的; 例行公事的)

The 600-year-old Forbidden City has never been short visitors.

Behind its wall that shield the palace from the city's hustle and bustle (熙熙攘攘) is a group of culture relic (n,遺物; 遺跡; 遺風(fēng); 遺俗; 圣髑; 圣骨; 圣人遺物) "doctors".

One of them is Wang Youliang and he has been restoring historic artifacts (n,史前古器物)for over 30 years.

I was rather young when I first came here .

Being too impetuous could easily to damaging the relics, so we must be patient.

Our master taught us to have a better understanding about the relics first.

In those days, I could only grind out (磨出，創(chuàng)造出，生產(chǎn)出)one replica (n.復(fù)制品; 仿制品) each day.

You need a strong hand to be effective at polishing.

I worked on replicas for more than three years. Only once we could make the replica well , would be allowed to restore the real relics.

This is a weapon in our collection called "Yue" (axe), which is also a ritual object.

As ritual objects things made of bronze not only symbolized status and hirerarchy, they were also indispensable(adj.不可或缺的; 必不可少的;n.不可缺少的人或物) in various ceremonies, such as worshiping heaven and ancestors welcoming guests an friends and rewarding meritorious (adj.值得贊揚(yáng)的)officials.

The bronze plate is a ceremonical container used in hand washing ceremonies for worshiping heaven and earth (沃盥(guan)之禮).

This Jin Gong Plate is a beautiful example of a bronze ceremonical vessel.

It was given to Meng Ji as a wedding gift by her father Duke Chong'er of the State of Jin 2.600 years ago.

Each of the animal statues can be rotated 360 degrees, demonstrating the exquiste workmanship in ancient bronze casting (v.鑄造; 向…投以(視線、笑容等); 投射(光、影子等); 使人懷疑; 造謠中傷;n.鑄件; 角色分配; 演員挑選; 鑄造物).

The chimes (v.鳴; 敲; 報(bào)時(shí);n.鈴聲; (尤指)鐘聲)are representative of ancient bronze musical instruments 2.400 years ago, China had already formed a complete 12-tone scale.

Among ritual vessels ,the shape of this wine vessel is very special.

It is in the shape of dragon ,carved with scale patterns of a crocodile,which is rare.

These bronze objects have exquiste and rich patterns,such as the taotie pattern, the dragon pattern,the phoenix(n.鳳凰; (傳說(shuō)中的)長(zhǎng)生鳥) pattern, and the nail pattern.

This is the taotie pattern, also known as the beast face pattern.

This is a typical cast in bronze ware . It needs to be restored.

We have to polish it to see the copper(n.銅; 銅幣; 警察;adj.銅(制)的; (紫)銅色的) inside first , then the weld (v.焊接; 熔接; 鍛接; 使緊密結(jié)合; 使連成整體;n.焊接點(diǎn); 焊接處)could be more solid.

Many bronzes items also have engraved inscriptions symbolizing inheritance and eternity.

These cultural relics represent the people's reverence (n./v.尊敬; 崇敬) for their ancestors.

At the same time, they act as records of and annotations (n.注解; 評(píng)注; 注文; 釋文) to history.

Relic restorers like Wang Youliang have quitely dedicated their lives of protecting the heritage of Chinese civilization,engraving those once forgotten relics back into people's consciousness (n.清醒狀態(tài); 知覺; 覺察; 感覺; 意識(shí); 觀念; 看法 ).

Relics from the Bronze can be found all over the world, but only the ancient Chines used bronze as ritual vessels.

"Music is the harmony of heaven and earth"(樂者，天地之和也), “rite is the order of the world”(禮者，天地之序也)

Etiquette (n.禮儀; (社會(huì)或行業(yè)中的)禮節(jié); 規(guī)矩) is so important in China.

As the vessels for ritual ceremonies and musical instruments , the brozen object manifests the ideal of civility (n.禮貌; 彬彬有禮的行為; 客氣; 客套) and virtue.

3, Statue gallery of solk road

On the edge of the western deserts of China, in Gansu province along the thousand year old silk road,in th pine forests of Qinling Mountains sits an odd looking hill. Standing alone, it resembles a farmer's hey stack. And that's where it gets its name: Hey Stack Mountain.

These fogs shrounded (vt.覆蓋; 隱藏; 遮蔽; 隱瞞; 保密;n.裹尸布; 壽衣; 覆蓋物; 遮蔽物) hills have been the sanctuary(n.鳥獸保護(hù)區(qū); 禁獵區(qū); 庇護(hù); 保護(hù); 避難所; 庇護(hù)所; 圣所) of Buddhist monks since ancient times and beginning in the 4th Century. monks have been carving out caves on his cliff creating a maze of grottoes like beehive.

They've lefe behind over ten thousand statues and more than a thousand square meters of murals.

The caves survived an earthquakes in the year 734 that slip the mountain in two.

Maijishan is one of four major Buddhist cave complexes of China that were created when Buddhism came from China along the Silk Road.

Thes artistic sculptures are an important testimony to the evolution of India-style Buddhist sculpture to its own indigenous Chinese Buddhish style.

One of the most fascinating grottoes (n.洞穴; (尤指園林等中的)人工洞穴)is the one called ''Shakyamuni greets his son''.

When Shakyamuni returns home after many years, his son Rahula greets him, The Buddha hesitates his hand pauses above the boy's head as Rahua waits his father's greeting.

Thes sculptures capture a still moment but the ancient crafts skillfully infused it with such love and drama.

Hundreds of pious (adj.虔誠(chéng)的; 虔敬的; 道貌岸然的; 偽善的; 假正經(jīng)的; 可望而不可即的; 難以實(shí)現(xiàn)的) monks lived and worked these caves until the early twentieth century.

These clay statues have informed archeologists and historians worldwide, about the history and expansion of Buddhism in China .

To explore this trove (同''treasure-trove'' ,n.埋藏于地下的寶藏 )of amazing religious art, one has to climb the steep steps on suspended trestles winding your way through hundreds of grottoes cut into the cliffs.

The steps are nearly 70 degrees steep.

The tourists have such trouble climbing that they wonder how these caves were dug out from this sheer cliff 1.600 years ago.

The remnants (n.殘余物; 殘余部分; 剩余部分; (織物的)零頭，零料; 布頭;adj.剩余的;) of ancient architectures outside the caves still gave us a glimpse of their former glory.

It is like walking back in time and imaging the power of faith and last beauty of art.

Maijishan is a beautiful and graceful testament (n.證據(jù); 證明;) to the work and faith of countless monks of artisans (n.工匠; 手藝人).

It is a place of contemplation and peace of mind.

In history, mutiple cultures have blended here.

Through the changes of time, Maijishan is still standing here showing the broad and inclusive nature of Chinese Civilization .

4, The daughter of Dunhuang

I couldn't speak chinese when I came back China, after I went to primary school in Kunming, I learned to speak Chinese.

This painiting now sits in the collection of Pompidou Centre in Paris.

The girl in the picture is four-year-ild little Shana painted by her father Chang Shuhong in Paris.

A year after that, her parents finished their study and returned to China

What drew them back to China was Dunhuang

At the time, the Dunhuang caves yet unknown to most people.

The caves were dilapidated (adj.破舊的; 破爛的; 年久失修的) and living conditions in the area were extremely poor

Chang Shuhong began the most basic conservation work by building walls, clearing out sand and inspecting the grottoes.

He established the Dunhuang Research Institute there and stayed there for 50 years.and he is known as the 'Guardian of Dunhuang '

Guided by her father 12-year -pld Chang Shana copid the murals (n.壁畫) in the Mogao Caves.

At Dunhuang, inspired by my father and the Mogao Grottoes.

I indeed acquire a very important artistic foundation.

That experience became the artist's inspiration for her entire career.

In 1948, she went to study in the US, after returning to China, she taught at Tsinhua University, the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts.

We young teachers would go off to Xinjiang for three months during summer break.

We'd collect ethnic(adj.民族的; 種族的; 具有民族特色的; 異國(guó)風(fēng)味的;n.少數(shù)民族的人;)arts and crafts and we'd also go to Dunhuang.

In thoese grottoes ,they searhed for the marks of history of different civilizations.

The murals here were profoundly significant to there artistic development amd teaching in later years.

Dunhuang Grottoes preserves murals drawn(adj.(因身體不適、疲倦或憂慮)憔悴的，蒼白的;v.(用鉛筆、鋼筆或粉筆)畫，描繪，描畫; 拖(動(dòng)); 拉(動(dòng)); 牽引; 拉，拖(車); 吸引，使感興趣) from the 4th to the 14th century spanning exactly 1,000 years, 10 dynasties.

Dunhuang ha been witness to the Chineses civilization

Now nearly 90 years old, Chsng Shangna is still fit and strong.

She returned to Dunhuang, the place filled with dreams , she calls it 'coming home'

In the little garden of her childhoon, the pear tree planted by her father in lush (adj.郁郁蔥蔥; 茂盛的; 茂密的; 草木繁茂的; 華麗舒適的; 豪華的;n.酒; 酒鬼; （英）勒什;vi.喝醉) and bears(v.) plenty of fruits.

Poplar trees line the streets of today's Dunhuang the environment has improved greatly tourists flock here from (蜂擁而至)all over the world

oda (n.(南亞或東亞的)佛塔;)

The persistance of generation after generation of people like them has made Dunhuang glow with new life

Chang Shuhong would often remind his daughter ' Shana,don't forget that you are a child of Dunhuang'

The Banquet Hall of Great Hall of the people the main entrance of the Culture Palace of Nationalities the Forever Blooming Bauhinia Sculpture of Hong Kong

Throughout Chang Shana's career all of her most important designs have been influenced by the art of Dunhuang

Today she continues working to inject new vitality (n.生命力; 活力; 熱情;) into the modern life with the artistic style of Dunhuang

Since the first caves were dug in the fourth century these grottoes have observed and intergrated the magnificant essence of human civilization accross Eurasia.

This rich historical legacy shows that Chinese culture is inclusive , broad and open .

4.New scenes in YunGang

Three hundred kilometers west of Beijing lies a city called Datong. Perhaps forgotten as time passed, this city was once the political cultural center of northern China 1,600 years ago.

In 398, the Xianbei people of northeastern China established their capital here.

Out reverence (n./v.尊敬; 崇敬;)for Buddhism, they began digging grottoes.

Over a span of 60 years craftsmen from across China and Central Asia dug dozens of caves along a 1-kilometer mountain ridge (n.山脊; 山脈; 隆起; 脊; 壟; (大氣層的)高壓脊，高壓帶;vt.使隆起; 使形成脊?fàn)?) and crafted ten of thousands of Buddhist statues that constitute the main features of Yungang Grottoes.

Neither the elements nor the passage of time could erase their former glory and the Yungang Caves continue to bear witness to the cultural intergration of different civilizations in history.

As one of the world's major Buddhist stone carving art treasures, the Yungang Grottoes attract millions of tourists every year.

In recent years, people who revist Yungang are always surprised by its new additions like the gaint flower pots made from coal carriages ,cabins made from drainage pipes (n.排水; 放水; 排水系統(tǒng)) and park benches (n(通常木制的)長(zhǎng)凳，長(zhǎng)椅; 法官; 法官席位; 法官(或裁判官)的職位; (英國(guó)議會(huì)的)議員席;v.為……設(shè)置條凳；給……以席位) made from mining carts.

The new facilities bring a strong sense of the industrial age are in harmony with vistors, and provide convenience.

where do they come from ?

Datong's rich coal reserves made the city an important energy center after the founding of New China (1949).

However, since the year 2000 due to a new awareness of environmental protection ,tourism has becom a new mode of urban development.

It has made large amounts of steel and cement in Datong obsolete (adj.淘汰的; 廢棄的; 過(guò)時(shí)的;vt.淘汰; 廢棄;n.廢詞; 被廢棄的事物;) but in the eyes of Zhang Zhuo, none of these material should go to waste.

All the so-called waste materials are actually left in the wrong place.

We use industrials to transform the landscape and our retired machines are retooled for new uses .

This preserves Yungang's memories of that industrial era.

For Zhang Zhuo , these materials are treasures that can be used to shape a new environment .

He makes the designs himself and that is how the first sculpture called "Responsibity" was born .

Workers also got involved with recycling waste products with recycling waste products in this creative process .

With more and more pratice ,each project emerged with more ingenious designs.

The image of the Taihe Pagoda is copied from the relief in Yungang's Grotto No.6 .

It is made of recycled steel and recreates the classical image of the pagoda (n.(南亞或東亞的)佛塔;) from the Northern Wei dynasty .

The hude drainage pipes are combined to make a cozy snail-shaped apartment a favourite stay for students on study Tours.

History is an ever repeating cycle , Archeologistes found that when the Yungang grottoes were built , the mountains were scuplted to form the caves and statues and al the excess stones and gravel were transported and used for construction of the river dam, the mountaintop temple,and the strucures in the city, nothing is wasted.

Yungang has witnessed Datong's urban transformation while the remnants of the great industrial era ae arousing boundless imagination and creativity today.

The plain idea of sustainable development has long been a part of Chinese culture when facing limited resources on earth .

Chinese people's reverence for life and nature has stayed unchanged all the time .