he Yellow River,Huang He,is 5,464 kilometers long,ranking fifth in the world.

黄河是一条长 5464 公里的大河，也是世界上第五长河。

Originating in the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau,it flows east through nine provinces and empties into the Bohai Sea.

它从青藏高原一路东去，像一条长龙穿越中国九个省区，最后注入渤海。

Sometimes Huang He is poetically called the ‘Muddy Flow’.

它是世界上泥沙含量最大的河流；

The rich silt carried by Huang He formed fertile farmland that is the birthplace of Chinese culture.

富含泥沙的河水淤积成肥沃的土壤，这片流域孕育了中国文明。

The earliest characters,villages,cities and bronzes originated here.

最早的文字，最早的村落，最早的都城，最早的青铜器均源于此。

Huang He is regarded as the ‘Mother of China’.

发展至今，黄河是中国的母亲河。

 … Read the rest

There is a saying that you have not been to China if you have not visited the terracotta warriors (bing ma yong).

有人说，不看兵马俑不算到过中国。

Located to che west of Xi’an,bing ma yong is a collection of the tomb treasures of Qin Shinhuang,the First Emperor of China.

位于西安市郊的兵马俑是秦始皇陵的殉葬品。

They were built by hundreds of thousands of men more than 2,000 years ago.

2000 多年前，由十几万人用几十年修建而成。

Bing ma yong were a copy of Qin Shihuang’s powerful army which conquered and unified the Six States.

它复制了当年为秦始皇统一六国的强大军队。

Each warrior was as big and vivid as a real soldier.

兵马俑的外形与真实的秦军士兵一样；

The facial features,expressions. And hairlines of the clay warriors were exact duplicates of real ones.

五官、发纹均按照真人塑造而成，面目表情也各不相同。

Life-sized war chariots and horses were also made.

还有战车与战马也同实物一般大小。

This army of clay statues is as effective and strong as any real-life military force.

这支陶俑做的军队气势恢宏，十分逼真。

When you visit bing ma yong it will remind you of the glorious times of the Qin Dynasty.

如今，你来到兵马俑，就能体会到当年秦军的士气以及那个辉煌的年代。… Read the rest

Located in West China,Xi’an is one of the most notable ancient Chinese cities.

在中国西部有一座历史悠久的城市，那就是西安。

More than 3,100 years have passed since it was built.

西安这座城至今已经建立 3100 多年。

Xi’an is the starting point of the Silk Road. It used to be a commercial hub connecting the west and the Orient during its prosperous period.

西安是丝绸之路的起点，在它最繁华的时候是东西方贸易的中心。

Xi’an has the largest bell tower,which was built in the Ming Dynasty.

这座城有中国最大的明代钟楼。

The largest collection of ancient stone tablets and the Terracotta Warriors with a history of 2,000 years.

收藏碑石最多的碑林，2000 多年前的秦始皇兵马俑在这里屹立。

Now it is a rapidly developing modern city.

这座现代化的城市在飞速发展。

Xi’an is an undying city in Chinese culture.

西安是华夏文明的不朽都城。

 … Read the rest

Emperors held annual ceremonies to pray to heaven for a good harvest at the Temple of Heaven,Tiantan.

天坛是中国古代皇帝祭天的场所。

It was built in Beijing in 1420. Emperors pray to heaven for good harvest.

公元 1420 年天坛在北京初建成，皇帝在这里祈求。

Ancient Chinese believed that Earth was Square and heaven was round.

中国古人认为天圆地方。

The altars and palaces were built into circles to represent heaven. The southern wall was rectangular to represent Earth.

祭坛、宫殿都为圆形，象征天圆；围墙南部为方形，象征地方。

Chinese show their respect to heaven in Tiantan.

在天坛，处处可见中国古人对天的敬重。

The Blue-glazed tiles of the imperial vault of heaven represent heaven.

皇穹宇顶部的蓝色琉璃瓦象征至高无上的青天。

The circular mound altar is surrounded by a ring of nine plates,which are also surrounded by multiples of nine plates. It represents the supremacy of heaven.

圜丘坛以九乘以九的倍数铺设，代表天无限大。

Tiantan covers an area of 2.7 million square meters,with an orderly arrangement showing Chinese regality.

天坛总面积 270 多万平方米，格局严整，尽显中国古代皇家气派。… Read the rest

Legends say that there are 10,000 rooms in the palace of the emperor in heaven.

中国神话传说天上的皇帝有一座皇宫，它由一万个房间组成。

The emperor in the real world built a palace with 9,999-and-a-half rooms to show his respect to the Heavenly Emperor.

于是人间帝王为了表示自己的谦恭，他的宫殿便减去了半间变成 9999 间半。

600 years ago,100,000 laborers were engaged in building the palace with 100 million bricks and 200 million tiles.

600 年前，为了兴建这座世界最大的皇宫，使用了十万工匠、一亿块砖和两亿块瓦。

The palace featured vermilion walls and gold-glazed tiles.

深红色的宫墙和金黄色的琉璃瓦，是这座宫殿最引人注目的特征。

The palace is open to the public and attracts crowds of tourists to experience royal life.

今天的故宫门户大开，任何人都可以徜徉在昔日皇帝的庭院里，遥想神圣帝国的辉煌与荣耀。

 … Read the rest

There is a long,stretching wall in China called the Great Wall,chang cheng.

在中国有一道长长的城墙，它的名字叫长城。

With a length of more than 5,000 kilometers,chang cheng was built continuously over more than 2,000 years by Chinese people.

长城长一万多里，是中国人用了两千多年时间陆续建造的。

The watchtowers would be lit up by torches if a watchman spotted an enemy invasion. Messages could be passed to the military center from on Watchtower to another.

古时，若有敌人进攻，烽火台会立即燃烧烟火，敌情便随着烟火一站站传向军事中心。

Chang cheng was expected to protect national peace.

中国古代修建长城是期望国家和平。

Constructing chang cheng would guard our own territory and we won’t infringe on other people’s territory.

修起一道道长长的城墙来守卫自家的土地，自己也不去侵犯别人的领地。

It is not only a brick wall,but also one of the world’s greatest historical architectural works.

长城它不仅仅是一道城墙，也是世界建筑的奇迹。… Read the rest

The layout of Beijing formed in the 15th century.

古都北京的布局形成于十五世纪。

The imperial palace is the center of the city’s symmetrical layout.

以故宫为中心对称建造。

The 77-kilometer long axis is the symbol of Beijing.

全长 7.7 公里的中轴线是北京的中心标志。

There are grand examples of Chinese architecture,such as the Imperial Palace,the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall.

北京有故宫、天坛、长城等宏大建筑。

Traditional folk arts,such as Peking Opera,and traditional foods,such as sugarcoated haws on a stick,and roast duck are famous worldwide.

同时也有京剧等丰富的传统民间艺术；糖葫芦、烤鸭等多样的饮食文化。

The Olympic Games was held here in 2008.

2008 年奥运会在这里成功举办。

While preserving its traditions,Beijing is becoming more and more open.

北京在保存传统的同时更加开放。

Welcome to Beijing!

北京欢迎您！

 … Read the rest

If you have the chance to go back to ancient China and ask an educated man what his biggest dream was.

如果你回到古代去问一个读书人，他最大的梦想是什么？

He would tell you that he wants to become a zhuang yuan,a title conferred on the scholar who came first in the highest imperial examination.

那他多半会告诉你，中状元。

In ancient China,it was not that easy to be an official.

在中国古代，想做官可不容易。

You have to take exams first. The exams are very difficult and have many procedures.

你要先参加考试，考试很难，要层层选拔。

The outcome has to be confirmed by the Emperor himself.

最后还要皇帝亲自确认。

The number one scholar with the best score in the imperial exam is called zhuang yuan.

最终成绩排在第一名的叫做状元。

Once you are selected as zhuang yuan you will be appreciated by the Emperor and appear in a parade downtown with a red robe and a tall,strong horse.

一旦考上状元可就风光啦，不仅会得到皇帝的赏识，还能穿红袍、骑大马在城里游行。

Zhuang yuan is referred to the elite scholars.

所以，状元都是读书人中的精英。

Now the imperial competitive examination has been cancelled for many years.

如今科举考试早就不存在了。

However,people still like to call the best person in their field a zhuang yuan.

但人们还是喜欢用状元来形容各行业的第一名。

An old saying goes that there are 360 trades and every trade has his master or zhuang yuan。

正如中国有句俗话：“三百六十行，行行出状元。”… Read the rest