This Chinese New Year was more lively and fun than usual. It was my first chance to spend Chinese New Year with my friends. Look! Paper-cutting pictures cover the windows. My friends and I made them. Aren't they beautiful? We are wearing ethnic Han costumes that bring good fortune and are sitting at a table covered with delicacies. We are following our parents' instructions and making year-of-the-ox poses for a picture. We will enjoy a delicious meal after they have taken the picture.

This is a perfect day for flying kites. A refreshing warm breeze is blowing, and the trees are verdant green. I went to the park with some friends to fly kites. The kites dance ever higher into the blue sky. The sky suddenly changed into a colorful fantasy world. The site captured our attention. I felt my heart dancing into the sky as I watched the kites.

We went to inner Mongolia, in northern China, this summer. I was amazed at how the grassland seemed to stretch out forever. We rode horses with local men who guided us along a stream. Along the way, we came across ger, Mongolian huts, and herds of white sheep, and we encountered lots of nomads. Oh so many horses and sheep were grazing leisurely on the grassland. I recalled a famous poem: "Sky blue, grassland vast, no limits, wind blows, oxen and sheep on verdant grassland."

My friends and I went to the National Museum of China today. We saw a special exhibition. The atmosphere in the exhibition made the museum feel alive. I finally understood when I read the guide pamphlet. The colorful works were Zhang Figurines from a Tianjin studio that boasts a history of 180 years, and they are famous for their lifelike appearance. Zhang Figurines were the first art to receive a designation "national intangible cultural heritage" from the Chinese government.

We had a beautiful, clear autumn day. We went to climb the famous Great Wall in the early morning. The Badaling segment of the Great Wall is a symbol of China and the pride of our nation. I have heard that the Great Wall is the only human-made structure visible from space. We were sweating when we finally got up to the beacon tower. When we pulled ourselves up above the low, bumpy wall, we could see beautiful scenery. We began shouting, "We love you, Great Wall!"