Ancient Charm of China: Yuxian County

来源：https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-08-17/Ancient-Charm-of-China-Yuxian-County-JegV0LmJs4/index.html

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Though many famed ancient towns are located in southern and eastern China, there are still

places in the north to experience the unique historical and cultural charms.

This eposode invites you to embark on a trip to explore this hidden gem in the province right next to Beijing.

embark 上船，上飞机，从事

gem n. 宝石，珍宝，精华

Situated in Zhangjiakou, a city that is  to co-host Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics,

Yuxian County boasts more than 1400 years of history.

Home to abundant national treasures and cultural relics, it is recognized as the "museum in the ground".

situated adj 位于...的

co-host v. 搭档主持，联合主办

boast vt. 以有...而自豪，n 引以为荣的事物

abundant adj 丰富的，充裕的

relics n 遗迹，纪念物

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参考百度百科：蔚（yù）县，河北省张家口市辖县。古称蔚州，为“燕云十六州”之一。位于河北省西北部。

百度百科介绍

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The Jade Emperor Pavilion in Yuxian County , Zhangjiakou, north China's Hubei Province.

pavilion n 阁，亭子，大帐篷。 vt 搭帐篷，

The Jade Emperor Pavilion 玉皇阁

百度百科：玉皇阁

The first thing not to miss when visiting Yuxian is the elaborate paper-cutting art.

Dating back over 200 years to the Qing Dynasty(1644-1912), this art form was created

to decorate windows. That's way it's also called Chuanghua, meaning "window" flower.

elaborate adj 精心制作的，详尽的，

Yuxian craftsmen have passed down the art from its original take while keeping

its traditional essence.

The multi-colored paper-cutting are carved with special knives instead of scissors.

craftsmen n 工匠，手艺人

scissors n 剪刀，v 剪开

Yuxian paper-cutting was listed as the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

Today many visitors come here to do them and bring them home as a souvenir or for collection.

intangible adj 无形的，难以理解的

souvenir n 纪念品，礼物 vt 把...留作纪念

Nuanquan Ancient Town

Some say Nuanquan Ancient Town is the epitome of Yuxian, whitch makes it another must-visit spot.

Nuanquan literally means "warm spring" in Chinese as the river running through the town never

freezes even in the winter.

With a temperature of  around 14 degrees Celsius all year round, the water is often used for

cooking ,washing, and irrigation.

epitome n 缩影，摘要，象征

celsius adj 摄氏的 n 摄氏度

irrigation n 灌溉，冲洗

Originally built in the Yuan Dynasty(1271-1368), the old town prospered in the Ming and Qing Dynasties(1368-1912) with three fortresses serving as a defense.

It also included six alleys and 18 villages. Among them, the West Ancient Fortress is the best-preserved one.

prosper vt 繁荣，昌盛，成功

alleys n 小巷，大街小巷

fortress n 堡垒，要塞

preserve vt 保存，保护  n 保护区

Local people dwell in the fortress and retain the traditional lifestyle.

You can stroll a whole day through the narrow alleys, watching typical northern

China village life and catching all the beautiful details in the old architecture.

dwell vt 居住，存在于，细想某事

stroll v 散步，闲逛

Nuanquan is also the birthplace of a Chinese traditional performance called Dashuhua that will

definitely be the hightlight of your journey.

A spoonful of liquid iron over 1600 degree Celsius is thrwon onto the wall,

creating a shower of golden sparks and leaving the riewers marveled at the scenery.

marveled v 感到惊奇，n 令人惊异的

Traditionally it was performed during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival by those who

couldn't afford fireworks.

Nowadays, with more viewers coming to see the performance, a large square was built in

Nuanquan to organize the glistening show more frequently.

glistening adj 闪亮的，闪耀的

Poor man's fireworks: molten iron show puts spark into Spring Festival

molten adj 熔化的，铸造的

Travel tips for a visit to Nuanquan:

Transportation: Beijingers can take a long-distance bus to Yuxian County at Beijiao, Zhaogongkou or Liuliqiao Long-distance Bus Station, and then take a taxi to the site for about 50 yuan (7 U.S. dollars).

Opening hours: 9:00 a.m.—17:00 p.m.

Admission fee: 120 yuan (17 U.S. dollars) per person

admission fee： 入场费