丝绸之路，是指西汉（the Western Han Dynasty）时，由张骞出使西域（the Western Regions）开辟的以长安为起点，经甘肃、新疆，到中亚、西亚，并联结地中海（Mediterranean）各国的陆上通道。因为由这条路西运的货物中以丝绸制品的影响最大，故得此名。丝绸之路的开辟，有力地促进了东西方的经济文化交流，对促成汉朝（the Han Dynasty）的兴盛产生了积极的作用。
The Silk Road refers to the land passage way opened up by Zhang Qian, who was dispatched for a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions during the Western Han Dynasty. The Road starts from Chang’an and reaches the Central and West Asia via Gansu and Xinjiang, connecting Mediterranean countries. It gains the name because silk products have made the greatest impact among the goods transported westward. The opening up of the Road has effectively promoted the economic and cultural exchange between the eastern and western countries and has played a positive part in the prosperity of the Han Dynasty.
在古代中国，人们都用循环法（cyclic method）来计时。民间流行的十二动物属相（Twelve Animal Signs）就是这种循环计时法的典型代表。每个动物代表一个年份，十二年后就开始新的循环，所以每十二年同样的动物生肖会再次出现。有人相信可以根据属相来描述一个人的性格并且预测他的命运。例如，属鼠的人比较友好、细心，属猴的人很精明，会赚钱。
In ancient China, people used cyclic method to keep track of time. The popular folk method of Twelve Animal Signs is one typical example. Each animal represents a year, and after twelve years, a new cycle will start. Therefore, every twelve years, the same animal name or “sign”will reappear. Some people believe they can describe a person’s character and foretell his fortune according to his animal sign. For example, people born in the Year of the Rat are friendly and careful, while those born in the Year of the Monkey are smart and good at making money.
中国各地的古典园林，风景优美，建筑奇特，为各国众多游人向往。中国古典园林的最大特点是讲究人与自然的和谐。古代的园林设计家巧妙地将人造景观和自然风景融于一体，使人能从中欣赏到大自然的奇峰(grotesque peaks)、异石(exotic rocks)、流水、静湖、名花、芳草，感觉就像在画中游览。中国古典园林还有景致惊奇、布局善变、曲折复杂的设计特点。
Classical gardens throughout China, with their beautiful scenery and unique structures, attract many tourists all over the world. The most prominent feature of classical Chinese gardens is the emphasis on the harmony between nature and human. Ancient garden architects successfully integrated man-made scenes into the natural landscape, creating the feeling of traveling in a picture of grotesque peaks, exotic rocks, flowing currents, tranquil lakes, fragrant flowers and rare plants. Chinese classical gardens are often full of surprises in terms of scenes. They are variable in composition and complicated in design.
“你要茶还是咖啡？”是用餐人常被问到的问题，许多西方人会选咖啡，而中国人则会选茶。相传，中国的一位帝王于五千年前发现了茶，并用来治病。在明清（the Qing dynasties）期间，茶馆遍布全国。饮茶在六世纪传到日本，但直到18世纪才传到欧美。如今，茶是世界上最流行的饮料（beverage）之一。茶是中国的瑰宝。也是中国传统和文化的重要组成部分。
“Tea or coffee?” is a question frequently asked at dinner. Many westerners would choose coffee, while Chinese prefer tea. Legend has it that an emperor of China discovered tea 5000 years ago and used it to cure disease. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, tea houses spread throughout the country. In the 6th century tea drinking was introduced to Japan, but it’s not until the 18th century that it came to the Europe and the America. Up to the present, tea has become one of the most popular beverages around the globe. Tea is the treasure of China and is also one essential part of Chinese tradition and culture.
在指南针发明以前，人们在大海上航行，只能靠太阳和星星的位置辨认方向，如果遇上阴雨天，就会迷失方向。是中国人发明的指南针，帮助人们解决了这个难题。指南针的发明为世界航运史（navigation）翻开了新的一页。明朝（the Ming Dynasty）初期郑和率领船队（fleets）七下西洋，15世纪哥伦布（Columbus）发现新大陆等壮举，都是指南针用于航海事业的成果。
Before the compass was invented, most people depended on the position of the sun and stars to identify the direction at sea. If it was cloudy or rainy, people would get lost. It was the compass, invented by the Chinese people, that solved this problem. Its invention opened up a new era in the history of international navigation. The seven voyages of Zheng He’s fleets in the early Ming Dynasty and the discovery of the New World by Columbus in the 15th century can both be attributed to the application of the compass to navigation,
武术，也称为功夫或中华武术，是中华民族宝贵的文化遗产，是一项具有民族特色的传统民间竞技技术。武术历史悠久，习武者众多。根据武术中使用的不同动作，可形成不同套路的徒手或持器械的动作组合。武术形式可以是单打、双打或多人打斗。习武者在或攻击或防御、或快或慢、或强或弱的动作中，相互打斗较量，试图打败对方。习武有助于人们强劲体魄，锻炼意志、培养人格、保护生命。
Wushu, also known as gongfu or martial arts, a valuable cultural heritage of the Chinese nation, is a traditional Chinese sport with a unique national characteristic. It enjoys a long history and a large number of practitioners. Based on movements employed in fighting, wushu is practiced in various types of set exercises, either barehanded or with weapons. They can be practiced singly, in pairs or collectively. Offensive or defensive, quick or slow, hard or soft, the practitioners wrestle with each other and try to outwit each other. Wushu helps people build their physique, heighten their will, cultivate themselves and preserve their lives.
普通话(mandarin)是现代标准汉语，在香港、台湾地区被称为“国语”（guoyu），新加坡、马来西亚（Malaysia）等地称“华语”（huayu）。普通话主要是以中国北方话(northern dialect)为基础方言,语法是以鲁迅、茅盾、冰心等作家的著名现代白话文（vernacular）作品为规范。因为普通话有利于不同民族(ethnic groups)、不同地区人们的文化交流和信息传播，中国政府非常重视普通话的普及，鼓励人们学说普通话。
Mandarin is the modern standard language of Chinese, known as “guoyu” in Hong Kong and Taiwan regions. It is called “huayu” in Singapore, Malaysia and other places. Mandarin is mainly based on China’s northern dialect and its grammar is regulated according to the famous modern vernacular works by authors such as LuXun, Mao Dun, Bing Xin, etc. Since it is beneficial for cultural exchange and information transmission between ethnic groups and people in different places, the Chinese Government attaches great importance to popularizing mandarin and encourages people to learn it.
中国经济发展水平的地区差异较大，东部沿海地区比较发达，经济和科学技术发展水平较高，工业、农业、交通运输业和通讯业设施基础较好，西部地区相对落后。但是，从长远来看，西部地区资源丰富，有发展工农业的广阔空间。中国正在进行西部大开发（Western Region Development Strategy），以加快西部地区经济发展的步伐。
Regional difference in China’s economic development is considerably large. The coastal areas in the east are relatively more prosperous, having a higher level of economic and technological development and a better foundation of industry, agriculture, transportation and communication facilities. The western areas comparatively lag behind. But in the long run, the western areas have a vast space to develop its industry and agriculture, thanks to rich resources in these areas. China is implementing Western Region Development Strategy, with a view to speed up the economic progress in this region.
中国是一个统一的多民族国家，由汉、蒙古（Mongolian）、回、藏（Tibetan）、维吾尔（Uygur）、苗、彝、壮、布依（Buyi）、朝鲜（Korean）、满（Manchu）等56个民族组成，实行民族平等的政策。在各个民族中，汉族人口最多，约占全国总人口的91.59％。少数民族人口数量虽少，但地区分布（disperse）很广，主要分布在西北、西南和东北等地。千百年来，中国各族人民在不同的自然和社会历史条件下，形成了不同特色的风俗习惯。
China is a unified multi-ethnic country, comprising 56 nationalities such as Han, Mongolian, Hui, Tibetan, Uygur, Miao, Yi, Zhuang, Buyi, Korean, and Manchu, etc. The policy that all of the nationalities are equal has become a national practice. The Han people comprise the largest population among all of the nationalities, making up 91.59 percent of the country’s total population. Although the ethnic minorities are small in population, they are widely dispersed across the country, mainly in the Northwest, Southwest and Northeast. For thousands of years, Chinese people of various nationalities experienced different natural, historical and social conditions, which formed their own distinct customs.
西安是我国黄河流域（the Yellow River Basin）古代文明的重要发源地之一，与雅典（Athens）、罗马、开罗（Cairo）并称为世界四大古都。西安古称长安，距今已有3,000多年的历史。自西周（the Western Zhou Dynasty）时起直到唐代，先后有12个王朝在这里建都，历经2,000余年。汉、唐两代是西安的鼎盛时期。当时的西安居住人口达百万，是世界上规模最大最繁华的城市。
Xi’an is one of the important centers for the origin of the ancient civilization in the Yellow River Basin. Xi’an, together with Athens, Rome and Cairo, are called the world’s four great ancient capitals. Named Chang’an in the ancient times, Xi’an has a re corded history of more than 3,000 years. From the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, Xi’an was made the capital of 12 dynasties, lasting for over 2,000 years. Xi’an went through the period of full bloom in Han and Tang dynasties. With over one milli on residents, Xi’an was the largest and most prosperous city in the world then.