ACTIVITIES

Published: 12:00am, 18 May 2001

GET SPORTY

Tai Chi Lessons: Non-Chinese speakers are welcome to learn this Chinese martial art. Classes are conducted in English. Every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday morning, 8.15am-9.15am. Garden Plaza, Hong Kong Park, Admiralty. Free. Tel the HK Tourism Board hotline: 2508 1234.

Sports Facilities: The Leisure and Cultural Services Department provides a wide range of public sports facilities throughout Hong Kong, including tennis courts, fitness classes and running tracks. Tel: 2598 4480. Bookings: 2927 8080 (8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-noon Sat). Link: www.lcsd.gov.hk

Boots - Hong Kong Women's Walking Group: Members meet every week for walks in Hong Kong's country parks, outer islands and the New Territories. Beginners welcome. Tel: 2575 1339, fax: 2893 3486.

INTERESTS

Self-help Groups: For details of various self-help groups and 12-step programmes, call the Community Advice Bureau. Tel: 2815 5444 (9.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri).

Domestic Servant Girls - The Po Leung Kuk: The Royal Asiatic Society HK Branch presents a talk by Pauline Poon Pui-ting (in English), about the work of the Po Leung Kuk charitable organisation, which helped victims of childhood domestic servitude in HK in the early 20th century. May 18, 6.15pm. Extension Activities Room, 8/F City Hall High Block, Central. Free. Tel: 2813 7500.

Are China's Arts Threatened By The World Trade Organisation?: The HK Anthropological Society and the HK Museum of History present a talk (in English) by Professor Richard Kraus of the University of Oregon, US, about issues of copyright, royalties and intellectual property rights in China. May 22, 6.30pm. HK Museum of History, 100 Chatham Road South, TST East. Free. Tel: 2788 7586.

Mercury Toxicity And Its Treatment: A dentist, a GP and a naturopath discuss (in English) how mercury enters the body, how it affects our health, and what we can do about it. Presented by the Natural Health Association. May 22, 7pm. Committee Room North, 7/F City Hall High Block. NHA members free, non-members $40. Tel: 2530 3950.

HK Philosophy Cafe (Fringe Branch): The topic for discussion (in English) is 'The Philosophy of History - Hegel, Marx and the Modern World'. May 22, 7.30pm-10pm. Alternatives, 27/F Wellington Centre, 97A Wellington Street, Central. Free. Tel Roy Butler: 2817 9224 or Pia Wong: 9483 4379.

Pottery Classes: For beginners and experienced potters. Classes for adults every day; classes for children Friday and Saturday. The Pottery Workshop, Fringe Club, Central. $1,700 for seven sessions. Tel: 2525 7949.

African Drum Workshop: Percussionist Kumi Masunaga teaches authentic African beats. No experience necessary. Thursdays until May 31, 8pm-9.30pm. HK Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai. $170 per class. Tel: 9750 4212.

Summer Courses: For details of a wide variety of adult-education and hobby courses, contact the Island School Evening Institute (tel: 2526 5884) and the YWCA English-speaking Members' Department (tel: 2524 8424).

DANCE

Salsa News: Check out www.hksalsa.com

Dancezing: Latin and ballroom dance classes every Thursday. Beginners 7pm; intermediate 8pm. $900 for 10 lessons. 19/F Cameron Commercial Centre, 468 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay. Tel Winnie: 2147 1101. Link: www.dancezing.com

Scottish Country Dancing: For adults - Mondays, 8pm-10pm. For children aged six to 12 - Thursdays, 4.30pm-5.30pm. HK Cricket Club, Wong Nei Chung Gap Road. $50 per class. Tel: 2803 1714.

Tango Tang: Authentic Argentinian tango. Thursdays 8pm-midnight. Helena May Dance Studio, 35 Garden Road, Central. $40-$60. Tel: 8106 0675. Link: www.tangotang.com

Classes With Sunshine And Keith: Sunshine and Keith teach classes in tango, cha-cha and other Latin dances. For details, tel: 9486 4984. Link: www.sunshinedancing.com

NEW AGE

Inner Child And Magical Child: Sherrie Hatfield leads several workshops on issues of healing and personal development (in English). Introductory evening - May 18, 7pm-8.15pm, free. Workshop on 'Creative Teaching for Teachers and Parents' (with Cantonese translation) - May 26, 2.30pm-5.30pm, $450. Magical Child Workshop - May 27, 10am-5pm, $900. All at Reflections Bookshop, 15/F Siki Centre, 23 Jardine's Bazaar, Causeway Bay. Tel: 2504 1333.

Shiatsu Weekend: Les McClure teaches a weekend workshop in the shiatsu massage technique (in English). May 19, 2.30pm-6pm and May 20, 10.30am-5pm. The Studio, Sai Kung. $1,170. Tel: 2566 4560 or e-mail: [email protected]

The Way Of The Wind Warrior: Canadian author John Burchell leads workshops (in English) based on his book, Two Wheels To Paradise. May 22, 7.30pm-9.30pm - business, work and money; May 29, 7.30pm-9.30pm - sacred sexuality and sensuality. The New Age Shop, 7 Old Bailey Street, Central. $200-$300. Tel: 2810 8694.

MACAU

11th Macau International Jazz Festival: May 18, 9pm, MOP120-180 - the Misako Kano Trio from Japan and the Tom Harrell Quintet from the US; May 19, 6pm, free - Volapuk from France; May 19, 8pm, MOP80-220 - the Woody Herman Orchestra; May 20, 9pm, MOP120-180 - the Bernardo Sassetti Trio from Portugal and the Macau Jazz Big Band. Macau Cultural Centre small auditorium. For further details, call the Macau Jazz Club: (853) 596 014. Bookings: (853) 555 555, or in HK tel: 7171 7171. Online bookings: www.kongseng.com.mo

International Museum Day: To celebrate International Museum Day (May 18), admission to several museums in Macau will be free of charge from May 18 to 20. Participating institutions include the Macau Museum of Art, the Maritime Museum, the Museum of Macau, the Wine Museum and the Grand Prix Museum.

Sylvia: Chung Ying Theatre Company from Hong Kong presents AR Gurney's comedy about a man's love for his mongrel dog (in Cantonese). May 24-26, 8pm. Macau Cultural Centre. MOP80-120. Tel: (853) 555 555, or in HK tel: 7171 7171.

Reflection Of The Master's Mind - Picasso's Prints: Over 100 prints by Picasso. 10am-7pm Tue-Sun. Macau Museum of Art, next to the Cultural Centre. Adults MOP5, children MOP3. Tel: (853) 700 699 ext 832. May 24-Aug 26.

Revealed Memories: Photographs of Macau people and places, dating from 1925 to 1941, by Jose Neves Catela. 10am-7pm Tue-Sun. Macau Museum of Art, next to the Cultural Centre. Adults MOP5, children MOP3. Tel: (853) 700 699 ext 832. Ends July 29.

GUANGZHOU

Art Auction: On offer are calligraphy works and paintings from the Qing dynasty, and porcelains and jades, some dating back to the Ming dynasty, according to the organisers. Previews May 25-26, 10am-6pm, and May 27, 10am-noon; auction takes place May 27, 1.30pm. Guangzhou Municipal Antique General Shop, 172 Wen De Bei Lu. Tel: (8620) 8338 3820.

Dunhuang Art: A blockbuster exhibition of antiques unearthed at the famed Dunhuang caves. The showpiece is a painting of Buddhist figures. 9am-5pm Tue-Sun. Guangdong Museum of Art, 38 Yan Yu Lu, Ersha Island. Tel: (8620) 8735 1468. Ends June 3.

Auguste Rodin And Chinese Sculptors: Nineteenth-century French sculptor Auguste Rodin is perhaps best known for his work The Thinker, which is displayed alongside works by modern Chinese sculptors. 10am-6.30pm daily. Zhong Ting Plaza, Regal Court, Long Khou Xi Lu, Tian He Bei. Tel: (8620) 8754 6888. Ends June 13.

Guangzhou listings appear courtesy of that's Guangzhou.

SHENZHEN

Shi Ji Hui Mo (A Retrospective Look At The Last Century): Traditional Chinese paintings, on loan from the Tianjin Art Museum. 10am-6pm daily. He Xiang Ning Art Gallery, Overseas Chinese Town, Shenzhen. Tel: (86755) 660 5446. Ends May 28.

Splendid China: It's billed as 'the largest miniature theme park in the world', showcasing different aspects of Chinese culture, history, art, architecture and ethnic customs. 8am-5pm daily. Overseas Chinese Town, Shenzhen. Tel: (86755) 660 0626.

Shenzhen listings appear courtesy of that's Guangzhou.

SHANGHAI

Raise High The Red Lantern: Film director Zhang Yimou has created this modern Chinese ballet drama for the National Ballet of China. May 18-21, 7.15pm. Shanghai Grand Theatre. 100-500 yuan. Tel: (8621) 6372 8701.

Talk To The Future - 2001 Shanghai Youth Art Exhibition: Over 200 works submitted by young artists - well, those aged between 14 and 40 years old - living and working in Shanghai. 9am-4pm daily. Liu Hai Su Art Centre. Tel: (8621) 6270 1015. Ends May 20.

Jin Xing Dance Theatre: Shanghai's - and China's - leading modern dance company collaborates with the Rubato Dance Group from Berlin to present several innovative works. May 24-26, 7.30pm. Shanghai Centre Theatre. Tel: (8621) 6279 8663.

Selected Works By Salvador Dali: This prolific and eccentric artist was best known for his surreal images of melting watch-faces and spindly legged elephants. 9am-4pm daily. Shanghai Art Museum, 325 Nanjing Xi Lu. Tel: (8621) 6327 4030. Ends May 30.

Shanghai listings appear courtesy of that's Shanghai.

BEIJING

Red Hot: Thought-provoking works by Chinese artists Wang Yuping, Yang Zhenzhong, Huang Yang, Zhang Tiemei, Wang Qingsong, Lu Hao, Shi Zhongying, Wang Yiwu, Liang Shuo, Wang Jinsong and Hu Xiandong. 10am-5pm Tue-Sun. Red Gate Gallery,Dongbianmen Watchtower, Chongwenmen. Tel: (8610) 6505 2266 ext 5729. Ends May 27.

Placido Domingo: One of the famed Three Tenors sings popular opera arias. May 29, 7.30pm. The Great Hall of the People, east of Tiananmen Square. Tel: (8610) 8528 2089.

The Three Tenors: Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras perform in the Forbidden City to mark International Olympic Day. The concert is aimed at boosting awareness of Beijing's bid for the 2008 Olympic Games. June 23, 8pm. US$60-$2,000. Bookings through Ticketek: www.ticketek.com.hk

Green Piece

Actors are needed for the second Community Chest Green Day (www.commchest.org) to be held on Thursday, May 31. All volunteers will be required to perform a green 'act' that will play on the main stage or to dress green for the day. Last year, 20,000 people from more than 100 organisations across Hong Kong raised more than $1 million by changing their home, office or wardrobe and by recycling their paper, using any alternative to styrofoam or wearing natural cotton. If your donation towards the Community Chest is more than $50 and is received between May 23 and May 31, you will receive a Green Day MTR commemorative ticket for unlimited environmental journeys underground on Thursday, May 31. So get on the environmental stage or catwalk.

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