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Fan Bingbing is attached

Big-screen diva Fan Bingbing says she has a boyfriend now.

She told a press conference on Aug 14 that her boyfriend is like Tintin, the protagonist in Belgian artist Georges Remi's serial comic albums, who makes her feel peaceful.

It was the first time Fan has talked about her love life. The 30-year-old actress rose to stardom because of her stunning looks, but was haunted for a long time by gossip about her private life.

Fan won her first serious acting award at the 2010 Tokyo International Film Festival by playing a pub singer in female director Li Yu's Buddha Mountain. She was honored as best actress.

Her latest work is also a Li Yu film called Double Exposure, which will hit theaters on Sept 29.

Academy recognizes contribution of Li Keran

To mark the 105th anniversary of Li Keran (1907-89), an art academy under the master's name was established in Beijing on Aug 19.

Initiated by Zou Peizhou, Li's wife, 93, the Li Keran Academy of Painting contributes to the study of the mountain-and-water painting genre. It teams up established artists and art theorists and also opens a door to promising middle-aged and young artists.

Li is widely recognized as one of the most influential Chinese artists of the 20th century. He contributed all his life to renovating Chinese painting and practicing new artistic concepts; he also won respect as a devoted art educator. His works are among the most sought-after in auction rooms.

In 2009, the Li family donated Li's more than 200 Chinese paintings, calligraphic and watercolor works to the Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy.

Wei Jinying wows in debut concert at Poly

Soprano Wei Jinying gave her debut concert at Poly Theater on Aug 15. She sang more than a dozen songs to display her sweet voice, which included Chinese opera, pop and bel canto.

She was accompanied by the orchestra of China Oriental Performing Arts Group. Taiwan pop singer Chyi Chin also appeared as a guest to sing a duet with Wei.

Wei displayed a talent for singing at a young age and won a national contest for teenagers. Later she received systematical training at the China Central Conservatory of Music. Now she is a soprano with China Oriental Performing Arts Group.

Cultural lectures for overseas Chinese

The 10th phase Masters' Lectures, a cultural exchange program which began in 2007, meets audiences in San Francisco and New York in the United States and Toronto and Vancouver in Canada starting mid-August.

Masters' Lectures is an essential part of Cultural China, an event initiated by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council to help overseas Chinese understand Chinese culture and boost cultural exchanges.

The latest lectures, with the theme "Close to Peking Opera - The Beauty of Oriental Arts", will introduce the origin, development, achievement and artistic traits of Peking Opera to overseas Chinese and native citizens.

To help audiences understand the information better, the lectures will be combined with exhibitions and performances. Song Guanlin, president of China National Peking Opera Company, will be one of the lecturers.

HK crime thriller boasts a stellar cast

Some of Hong Kong's most famous stars have gathered for Cold War, a crime thriller to be released in October.

Although the two directors Longman Leung and Sunny Luk have no films to their credit, the script drew Hong Kong's biggest stars such as Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, and Tony Leung Ka Fai. The story about a battle of wits between police and gangsters also attracts promising young actors such as Aarif Lee, Andy On and Eddie Peng.

The film will compete with many domestic blockbusters, including kung fu epic Tai Chi 0 and costume drama The Assassins, starring Chow Yun-fat.

China Daily

(China Daily 08/21/2012 page20)