What's new

Tiny Times for big screen

Writer Guo Jingming's directorial debut will be based on his own bestseller, Tiny Times. Angie Chai, from Taiwan, will produce the film. Chai's last film, You Are the Apple of My Eye, is one of the most successful romance films in China and grossed about $24 million with a budget of only $1.7 million. The movie was also based on a popular novel and directed by its author. Tiny Times, which is about a group of young men's lives in Shanghai, stars Ko Chen Tung, the lead actor of Apple, and mainland actress Yang Mi. Filming started in Beijing on Nov 9.

Film fights for contest win

Hong Kong director Johnnie To's latest film Drug War has entered the competition section of the 7th International Rome Film Festival, competing with 15 films from across the world, including mainlander Feng Xiaogang's Back to 1942. The cop thriller, which will be released in December, features intense gunfights and drug deals that are brought to life by actors Louis Koo and Sun Honglei. The Rome festival will end on Nov 17. A jury will decide the winners of eight awards.

Tea fest brews understanding

The First Jingzhong Mountain Tea Festival has concluded in Qianxi county of Hebei province. Scholars, entrepreneurs and tea lovers from across the Taiwan Straits gathered at the festival to discuss how to promote tea culture in a globalized world. The Forum on Cooperation of Teahouses from Beijing, Tianjin and Heibei was held during the festival, providing a platform for the development of teahouses in the area. Participants of the festival signed the Jingzhong Mountain Consensus of Tea Workers, which proclaimed that tea workers will join hands to promote tea culture.

Say no to loneliness

Chinese singer and songwriter Chang Shilei will hold a concert titled We Shouldn't Be Lonely at the Beijing Exhibition Center Theater on Dec 14. A representative of young Chinese pop musicians born in the 1980s, Chang will perform with a group of musicians of his generation. Chang has also auditioned and selected a group of singers to form a chorus, which will perform at the concert. Chang is now soliciting original lyrics from the public. At his concert, Chang will select one sample of lyrics randomly and perform it with improvised music.

Art of calligraphy promoted

The Sichuan provincial department of education says it has issued a document to most cities in the province, asking them to include calligraphy in the school curricula in primary and high schools. The document, called Suggestion on Promoting Calligraphy in Primary, Middle and High Schools, states that schools start the teaching of traditional calligraphy beginning this year. The move is aimed at preserving and promoting the traditional art form, which was a staple for young scholars in ancient times but is unfamiliar to many school children.

Doctors for charity

China Central Television (CCTV) recently launched a TV charity program called China's Most Beautiful Rural Doctors in Beijing. It's seen as a sister program of an earlier charity brand, China's Most Beautiful Rural Teachers, which aired twice and was popular. The new program focuses on rural doctors in China, whose number exceeds 1 million, who share their stories of devotion. CCTV will broadcast the award ceremony in January 2013.

Fur company's charity work

Kopenhagen Fur, one of the world's largest fur garment auction houses, recently announced its latest charity event, the Kopenhagen Fur Love Project. The project was founded to offer financial support to students who are talented in art. Xinhualu Primary School in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, was the first school selected for the project. Five students were given free stationary. Kopenhagen Fur has been active in other charity work, too. It has also supported the Smile Project and other programs to help children with cleft lips.

Swede style

Swedish high-end fashion brand J. Lindeberg recently presented its 2013 spring and summer men's collection at 798 D Park during Mercedes-Benz China International Fashion Week. "My inspiration and my understanding toward clothes came from the charm of nature. Its diverse colors, lines and textures profile a man's fashion spirit," says Jessy Heuvelink, head designer of J. Lindeberg. J. Lindeberg sells its products in 35 countries. It entered the Chinese market in 2012.

China Daily

(China Daily 11/13/2012 page20)