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Art

Calligraphy works

Veteran artists Su Shishu from Beijing and Liu Yi from Taiwan are holding a group show at Gallery of the Auditorium for the National People's Political Consultative Conference.

On show are more than 100 of their latest calligraphy works, as well as their inscriptions on top-quality imitations of ancient ink works, such as the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion and the Scroll of the Upper River during the Qingming Festival, reproduced by the Rong Bao Zhai Art Studio in Beijing.

At the opening of the exhibition on March 27, the two artists donated 3 million yuan ($475,467) to representatives from the Truku tribes in Wenlan village, Sioulin township of Hualien county in the eastern part of Taiwan, for the construction, furnishing and equipment of a library for primary school students.

10 am-5 pm, March 30. 23 Taipingqiao Dajie, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6619-3674.

A master of ink

Shanghai master ink painter Zhu Qizhan (1892-1996) is holding a show until April 11 at the Museum of the Beijing Fine Art Academy.

Co-organized by Shanghai Chinese Painting Institute, Zhu Qizhan's Memorial and China Guardian International Auctions, the exhibition presents more than 80 signature works Zhu created from the 1940s to the 1990s.

"Zhu's art bears a strong personal style that incorporates Chinese aesthetics and Western elements," curator Guo Tong says. "His art began winning recognition among collectors worldwide from the 1970s."

9 am-5 pm, until April 11. Museum of the Beijing Fine Art Academy, 1 Liulitun Beili, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-6507-1285.

Campus art works

Meld: Studio115 Jewelry and Metals gives an overview of eight years of artistic innovation from the jewelry studio at the Fine Arts College of Shanghai University. The collaborative exhibition features more than 50 handmade works, ranging from wearable art to functional tableware, from the department's faculty, established graduates and current graduate students.

Until April 29. STUDIO 115, 2/F, Building 0, 50 Moganshan Lu, Shanghai. 021-5252-1518.

Poems from the farm

The White Box Art Museum hosts Yan Bing's solo exhibition Farming Poems.

On view are 16 installations and a dozen oil works that explore the tensions among modernization, urbanization and rural life.

10 am-6 pm, until April 16. 798 Art Zone, 2 Jiu Xianqiao Lu, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-5978-4801.

A Realistic artist

Xu Beihong is widely recognized as the father of modern Chinese painting, both for his innovative ink works that did much to revitalize the traditional Chinese form and for his willingness to embrace Western techniques, particularly French Realism.

More than 90 of Xu's works are displayed at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee to commemorate his immense influence on the development of Chinese painting in the 20th century. Liao Jingwen, Xu's wife, who is 90 years old, opened the exhibition. The director of Xu Beihong Museum, Liao also contributed paintings of Xu to the event.

Until April 30. 100 Dayouzhuang, Haidian district, Beijing. 010-6280-5955.

Bulls on parade

Biblioteca Miguel de Cervantes Library, the cultural section of the Consulate General of Spain in Shanghai, is presenting the Watching the Bullfight Outside the Fence exhibition. It features bullfighting photos and two film series - one about bullfighting and the other about flamenco. Activities will also be held.

Until June 30. 198-208 Anfu Lu, Shanghai. 021-5467-0098.

Drama

What the Dickens?

Briton's TNT Theater is bringing its latest version of David Copperfield to Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou.

Literary magnate Charles Dickens described David Copperfield as his "favorite child" because the growing pains of the child protagonist are reminiscent of Dickens' own early life.

The critical realistic writer displayed the tragedies of broken families and pierced the social problems in the Victorian Age, such as urban and rural disparities.

TNT Theater will stick to its tradition of using live music performances in the Guangzhou show.

8 pm, April 6 and 7. Concert Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall, 33 Qingbo Lu, Er-sha Island, Yuexiu district, Guangzhou. 020-8735-2222.

Dance

Disabled dancers

Candoco Dance Company, a contemporary dance company of disabled and non-disabled dancers from the UK, will bring their dynamic performance Unlimited to Shanghai.

The performance is a project celebrating disability, art, culture and sports on an unprecedented scale as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. It contains two parts - Parallel Lines and Set and Reset - which showcase the artistry of some of the leading artists with disabilities working in contemporary dance.

7:30 pm, April 17. Lyceum Theater, 57 Maoming Nanlu, Shanghai. 021-6217-8530.

Concert

Conducting marvels

Lorin Varencove Maazel will lead the Phiharmonia Orchestra for a fabulous performance at NCPA next Thursday.

Maazel was born to a musical family. He took his first conducting lesson at age 7 and made his debut a year later. At 11, he guest conducted the NBC Symphony Orchestra on the radio. The year after, he toured the United States to conduct major orchestras. He made his violin debut at age 15 and later studied at the University of Pittsburgh.

He was depicted conducting Vienna's New Year concert on a 2005 Austrian postage stamp.

Beijing cello player Zhao Jing will join the lineup to add a local element to the performance. The program includes Mahler: Symphony No 5 and Cello Concerto No 1 in C Major.

7:30 pm, April 5. 200-980 yuan. NCPA, 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-2208/2218.

Top tenor

Jose Carreras, one of the world's top three tenors, will have his debut in Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou. Over the past five decades, the lyrical tenor has shone onstage for various opera classics - La Traviata, Turandot and Madame Butterfly, to name just a few.

Carreras is planning to surprise Chinese audiences by singing a Chinese folk song solo.

While Luciano Pavarotti died in 2007 and Pacido Domingo has recently reduced his performances, Carreras has remained active on the stage after surviving blood cancer. The experience has made his velvet voice more emotional and touching.

8 pm, April 7. Opera Hall of Guangzhou Opera House, Exit B1 of Zhujiang New Town subway station, the interchange of subway lines 3 and line 5, Guangzhou. 020-3839-2888.

All that jazz

Fairmont Peace Hotel's historic Jazz Bar has returned to the Shanghai music scene, bringing the groove back to the heart of Shanghai. Six veteran musicians of the Old Jazz Band, an icon at the hotel since the 1980s, kick off the night with nostalgic classics, while the Theo Croker Collective concludes the evening with innovative and artistic jazz experimentations.

Every night has a theme. It's bebop and beyond on Tuesdays, fusion jazz on Wednesdays, modern jazz on Thursdays, New Orleans swing on Fridays and R&B, soul and blues on Saturdays. Jazz Bar will also regularly feature various Chinese jazz musicians, creating a platform to nurture and support homegrown artists.

10 pm-late, daily. 20 Nanjing Donglu, Shanghai. 021-6321-6888.

Opera

Love and marriage

Zhao Shuli (1906-70), a famous writer whose works depict the lives of rural farmers in the 1940s, created the opera Marriage of Xiao Erhei in 1952. It tells of the defiance of a pair of young rural lovers against feudalistic arranged marriages and their pursuit of the freedom to choose their spouses.

Next week, the Arts School of Jingcheng Institute of Technology from Shanxi province, where the playwright was born, will perform the opera in Beijing.

The music, which borrows from Shanxi traditions, is noted for its portrayals of different characters.

7:30 pm April 5. National Center for the Performing Arts; April 6-8.Tianqiao Theater, 30 Beiweilu Lu, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000 (NCPA), 010-5166-1145 (Tianqiao Theater).

Workshop/Seminar

Polish picks

Polish movie director Krzysztof Zanussi will share his insights about the evolution of movies in Poland and around the world at a two-day lecture in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province.

Zanussi's movies are solemn and quiet, and probe such philosophical issues as life and death. They have won many grand prizes at international film festivals. A Year of the Quiet Sun was awarded the Golden Lion at 1984's Venice Film Festival.

During the two-day lecture, audiences will also be able to watch two of Zanussi's movies - The Illumination and Non Grata. The director will openly discuss the two films.

3 pm-7 pm, April 6. 10 am-6 pm, April 7. EMG Art Center, C5, Redtory, 128 Yuancun Siheng Lu (Exit B,Yuancun metro station),Tianhe district, Guangzhou. 020-3866-3122.

[Provided to China Daily]

Quick pick

Cadillac classics

An exhibition entitled Stylish Journey of Century 2012 Cadillac Design Art Exhibition will feature nine representative Cadillac classics, conceptual and mass-produced cars, as well as artworks from renowned American and Chinese contemporary artists.

Intended to demonstrate US and Chinese cultural changes over the past 110 years, the exhibition gathers big names like Ashcan School artist Stuart Davis, Pop Art master Andy Warhol, and leading Chinese contemporary figures, such as Zhang Xiaogang, Fang Lijun and Yue Minjun.

Art and cultural influences from different time periods during the 110 years can also be traced in the classic design of exhibited Cadillac car models.

April 21-May 15, East Square of China National Convention Center, 7 Tianchen Donglu, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 400-820-1902.

China Daily