ninth sounds like longevity (jiuiiu in Chinese), the Double Ninth Festival nowadays has been given a new meaning — Seniors’ Day.
每年农历九月初九，人们会庆祝重阳节( the Double Ninth Festival)。《易经》（The Book of Changes）认为数字“九”是阳数，故“重九”也叫“重阳”。登高是最受欢迎的重阳节传统之一。九月天空高远，空气新鲜，在这样的日子登高有助于保持身体健康。吃重阳糕( double-ninth cake)跟登高等有关。作为节日食品，重阳糕最初用来庆祝秋收，后来发展成登高、吃重阳糕的习俗，寓意是我们的生活将越来越好。由于“九九”谐音“久久”，重阳节如今已被赋予新的涵义——老人节。
14. Gongfu tea is not one kind of tea or the name of tea, but a skill of making tea. People call it Gongfu tea for the reason of its exquisite process. The operational procedures require certain techniques, knowledge and skill of brewing and tasting tea. Gongfu tea originated in the Song Dynasty and prevailed mostly in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province (Now: Chaoshan Area). It later became popular around the nation. Gongfu tea is famous for its high concentration. Oolong tea is mainly used in making the Gongfu tea because it can meet the requirements of color, flavor and taste of the Gongfu tea.
功夫茶(Gongfu tea)不是一种茶叶或茶的名字，而是一种冲泡的手艺。人们叫它功夫茶，
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是因为这种泡茶方式十分讲究：它的操作过程需要一定的技术，以及泡茶和品茶的知识和技能。功夫茶起源于宋朝，在广东的潮州府（今潮汕地区）一带最为盛行，后来在全国各地流行，功夫茶以浓度( concentration )高而著称。制作功夫茶主要使用的茶叶是乌龙茶( Oolong tea)，因为它能满足功夫茶色、香、味的要求。
15. Auspicious patterns play an important role in almost all the festivals or wedding ceremonies. During the Spring Festival, weddings or other holidays, people like sticking some auspicious patterns in their rooms, which is a way to express the expectation of happy life. The auspicious patterns in China have a long history of nearly three thousand years and are still an important part of Chinese people’s life. Auspicious patterns have a variety of types and a wide range of contents, and they mainly express expectation to bless, emolument, longevity and happiness. The most popular patterns are double happiness ( two Chinese characters meaning happiness). People generally use it when they hold a wedding.
吉祥图案( auspicious patterns)几乎在所有节日或婚礼上都扮演着重要角色：中国的春节、婚礼或其他节日期间，人们喜欢在房间里贴一些吉祥图案，这是表达对幸福生活期望的一种方式。吉祥图案在中国拥有近三千年的历史，至今仍然是中国人生活中一个重要的部分。吉祥图案有多种类型且内容广泛，主要表达对象有：福、禄、寿、禧。最流行的图案是双喜（囍）(double happiness)，举行婚礼时人们一般都会用到它。
16. The Dragon Boat Festival is a grand
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festival celebrated on the 5th day of 5th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. This is the source of the alternative name of Double Fifth Festival. According to a widely stated story, the festival developed to commemorate the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan of Chu State in Warring States Period. If that is true, Dragon Boat Festival has a history of about 2, 500 years. The most popular activities of Dragon Boat festival are racing dragon boats and eating rice dumplings. Since 2008, Dragon Boat Festival has been celebrated not only as a festival but also a public holiday in China.
农历五月初五端午爷（the Dragon Boat Festival）是个盛大的节日。它的另一名称——“重五节”就来源于这个日期。这个节日根据一个广为流传的故事，演变为纪念战国时期(the Warring States Period)楚国伟大爱国诗人屈原的日子。如果事实果真如此，那么端午节已有大约2500年的历史了）。端午节最盛行的活动是赛龙舟和吃粽子（rice dumpling）。自2008年以来，端午节在中国已不仅仅是一个传统节日，还是公共假期。
17. The Chinese chess is one of the valuable cultural heritages of China. It is the fruit of Chinese ancient wisdom and playing chess is also a helpful exercise for tempering one’s character and cultivating one’s taste.
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Among various kinds of board games, both Chinese chess and go game were invented by ancient people in the Song Dynasty, and now enjoy great popularity over the country. Chinese chess is a strategic board game between two players. The game represents a battle between two armies; its object is to capture the enemy’s general. Although it has its origin in Asia, the Chinese chess clubs spread all over the world today.
中国象棋( Chinese chess)是中国宝贵的文化遗产之一，它是中国古代智慧的结晶，下象棋也是一种有助于磨练性格、培养品味的运动。在各种棋盘游戏中，象棋和围棋(go game)都由古时的宋朝人发明，如今在全国都广受欢迎：，象棋一种双人对弈的战略性棋盘游戏。游戏代表了两军之间的战斗，目标是捕捉敌人的将军。虽然它起源于亚洲，但今天在全球都有中国象棋俱乐部。
18. Drinking white spirit has been taking an important role in Chinese people’s life from emperors to ordinary people for a long time. Drinking white spirit is a part of Chinese culture. Chinese ancestors enjoyed drinking white spirit while writing poems or proses and they also toasted their relatives and friends at the feast. But drinking white spirit is not only for scholars, it is also an
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indispensable part of Chinese ordinary people’s life. People drink white spirit on various occasions, such as the birthday party, farewell dinner, wedding banquet. Etc. When someone moves into a new house or starts doing business, he/she will invite people for dinner and drinking white spirit.
长期以来，饮酒（white spirit）在中国人的生活中一直扮演着重要的角色，无论是帝王还是百姓。饮酒是中国文化的一部分。中国人的祖先在作诗、写散文时喜欢饮酒，在宴会上还会向亲戚朋友敬酒。但饮酒不仅属于文化人，也是普通人生活中不可缺少的一部分。人们在各种场合饮酒，如生日宴会、饯行宴会、婚礼宴会(wedding banquet)等。搬进新房或生意开业时，也会邀请人们来吃饭、饮酒。
19. Chopsticks originated in ancient China and have been an important part of Chinese food culture. Our ancestors liked to have steamed or boiled food, but it was difficult for them to spoon out vegetables from the soup. So they invented chopsticks. Thus chopsticks have become the most convenient tableware in their life and marked the coming of food civilization. Nowadays, chopsticks are added many new functions besides being used as one kind of tableware. Skillful craftsman paint
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