New version of 1997 hit drama shown on Hunan TV
A new version of Princess Huanzhu, a smash hit that premiered in 1997, was shown on Hunan TV on July 16.
The television drama is adapted from Taiwan writer Chiung Yao’s novel about a girl’s adventure in the Forbidden City after she is mistaken for a princess.
Chiung Yao changes most of the storyline to create a new version, with newcomers playing all the lead roles. Veteran actresses Sheren Tang and Fang Qingzhuo support the cast.
The old version, for three extremely popular seasons, made almost all of its lead actors A-list stars, such as Zhao Wei, Alec Su, Ruby Lin and Fan Bingbing.
Fangshan in midst of major makeover
Beijing’s Fangshan district is in the midst of a major, four-year, upgrade of its tourist services. The project includes a world-class geological park, a hot spring recreation center and a red wine exhibition city, as well as art and performance venues and hostels.
Located in the capital’s southwestern area, Fangshan boasts rich tourist resources including both world and State-level scenic venues. Besides the famous Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian, there is the 1,300-year-old Yunju Temple and picturesque Shidu, which draw hordes of visitors and outdoor sport enthusiasts every year.
Yuxian museum to showcase paper-cut skills
A paper cutting art museum was recently opened in Hebei province’s Yuxian county. It has 300 exhibition halls and a collection of 1,200 works representing 41 paper cutting genres across the country.
Yuxian is hailed as “the birthplace of paper cutting arts” and hosts an annual paper cutting art festival. It is home to more than 30,000 paper cutting artists, whose works are sold worldwide to generate 260 million yuan ($40.2 million) annually, which is nearly 4 percent of the county’s GDP.
Forum on Tan Yunshan and Sino-Indian exchanges
A group of Chinese and Indian experts recently attended a forum in Beijing, organized by the Chinese National Academy of Arts, on “Tan Yunshan and Sino-Indian cultural exchanges in the 21st century”.
Tan (1898-1983) was a renowned Chinese Indologist, educationist, social activist and expert on Buddhism. Invited by Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, he went to teach at the renowned Santiniketan in 1928. Tan lived the rest of his life in India and was devoted to cultural exchanges between China and India.
The forum covered various topics, like Tan’s heritage, Indian and Chinese films, and India’s influence on Chinese theater.
Italian fashion labels eye Chinese market
Italian fashionwear is making steady inroads into the lucrative Chinese market.
Italian designer Camillo Bona will hold his first haute couture fashion show in the capital, at the invitation of fashion magazine Sunshine. Bona is famous for his high-end custom-made garments, whose patrons include royal wedding invitees.
Another Italian fashion sportswear label, Lotto, makes its presence felt in Theater Santuoqi’s latest plays A Journey to the East and Loveless Man’s Rhapsody. Lotto has already sponsored movies such as A Story of Lala’s Promotion and What Women Want.
Spotlight on Polish culture includes Beijing
I, CULTURE, the International Cultural Program of the Polish Presidency of the European Union, was announced in Beijing on July 13.
Hosted by Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Poland’s international cultural relations body, the program will present more than 400 events in 10 capital cities around the world, including Beijing. Other participating cities include London, Paris, and Tokyo.
The Beijing leg of the program, which will be launched officially in August, is organized jointly with the Embassy of Poland in Beijing, and brings together Poland’s most impressive and inspiring writers, composers, poets and filmmakers, past and present.
Source: China Daily