https://www.scmp.com/rss/273921/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In 1986, while studying at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, Li Liuyi travelled back to his hometown in Sichuan during a break to direct，his first play, The Young Guo Moruo. It was a sensation. Not only was his choice of subject unconventional – Guo was an important but controversial cultural figure in 20th century China who penned a number of influential poems before recanting his literary career by destroying his works on the eve of the Cultural Revolution – so was his approach to... https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2028751/chinese-dramatists-hong-kong-show-turns-greek-tragedy https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2028751/chinese-dramatists-hong-kong-show-turns-greek-tragedy Mon, 17 Oct 2016 09:17:12 +0000 Life would have turned out quite differently for Sang Jijia  had he stayed in his hometown in Gansu province, northwestern China, instead of going to Beijing to study dance when he was 12. The  ethnic Tibetan  would probably have become a monk and spent his life at the Labrang Buddhist Monastery  not far from his home. “I am the eldest son in the family. The tradition is that families send one of their sons to the monastery as a way to collect karma. My parents were thinking about this when I... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1862421/loneliness-long-distance-dancer-sang-jijia-chinese https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1862421/loneliness-long-distance-dancer-sang-jijia-chinese Tue, 29 Sep 2015 13:00:00 +0000 Liu Wei is best known for using dog chews, discarded books and found materials for his sculptural and installation works, but the Beijing-based artist says he is no stranger to curating. "When I create, I think about the theme and my approach. It's no different from curating an art exhibition. I always see myself as an artist and a curator at the same time," says the 43-year-old. However, Liu hasn't actually curated for a commercial art gallery until now. "Nocturnal Friendships", for Lehmann... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48-hours/article/1839046/young-chinese-artists-hong-kong-show-explores-friendship https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48-hours/article/1839046/young-chinese-artists-hong-kong-show-explores-friendship Wed, 15 Jul 2015 11:05:19 +0000 Shaking its shaggy head from side to side, the black lion follows the ball in his commander's hand to the centre of the stage. Then, with a sudden swish of its tail, the fierce-looking creature hops onto a platform. The long-haired lion, accompanied by a drum, brass cymbals and gongs, executes a routine of powerful kung fu moves, bounces up and down, spins around, lies down, yawns, gnaws its hind paw and then lowers its head to pick up the ball with its mouth. The audience at the National... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1710026/why-lion-dancing-baizhifang-dying-art https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1710026/why-lion-dancing-baizhifang-dying-art Sat, 14 Feb 2015 14:30:00 +0000 In many of the world’s cities, inhabitants can step back in time by visiting an often well-preserved old quarter. Residents of Beijing, however, have few places to go for such nostalgia – rapid development over recent decades has seen great swathes of the ancient city flattened and built on anew. However, thanks to Shen Jiguang, a passionate photographer of old Beijing, locals can at least visualise how the capital once looked, through a series of black and white images. “It’s sad to see our... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1643782/keeper-memories https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1643782/keeper-memories Sat, 22 Nov 2014 14:00:15 +0000 Sunflowers are all Chinese artist Xu Jiang paints these days. But unlike Vincent Van Gogh's blooms, Xu's sunflowers stand on autumn fields with their parched leaves curled up and heads drooping. Despite their upright stems, they convey an overall sense of loss and sadness. "In these sunflowers, I see images of our generation, memories of our youth, and of what we have experienced collectively," says the 59-year-old artist. "We used to wear the same clothes, sing the same songs, walk the same... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1618465/xu-jiangs-sunflowers-are-symbol-lost-generation https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1618465/xu-jiangs-sunflowers-are-symbol-lost-generation Sat, 18 Oct 2014 15:53:34 +0000 Each morning at Righteous Path Farm, young men and women assemble outside their dormitories at 5.30am and, as in the days of Mao Zedong's people's communes, are assigned work by a team leader. They then line up and jog in synchronised steps to the fields. "During the slack season, we begin our day by reciting passages from Mao's teachings and works of classical Chinese literature," says team leader Li Zhe, a 29-year-old spacecraft-design graduate from Beijing Aeronautics and Astronautics... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1545520/young-mao-devotees-lead-agricultural-revolution-righteous https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1545520/young-mao-devotees-lead-agricultural-revolution-righteous Sat, 05 Jul 2014 15:30:15 +0000 T AKEN FOR A CAMEL RIDE I was born in 1945, in Adelaide. My father was a primary school teacher. He travelled around rural South Australia teaching in small schools. The family followed him. Because the schoolteacher only came into town for a short period, anything unusual happening with the schoolteacher and the family was noticed and commented upon. When I was very young, a camel was brought into our small country town. It was the first one I had ever seen. My father put me on it and took me... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1536034/my-life-david-walker https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1536034/my-life-david-walker Sat, 21 Jun 2014 15:51:47 +0000 Having written soundtracks to films that include Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern and Farewell, My Concubine, Zhao Jiping accepts that he is widely known for his film scores. But the 69-year-old composer says his orchestral works are a better vehicle of his thoughts and emotions. "Film scores tend to travel fast and reach millions of households overnight. But they are attached to films and are subject to conditions. Orchestra music is a complete set of work in its own," says Zhao. He will... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1505105/my-true-colours https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1505105/my-true-colours Tue, 06 May 2014 03:59:51 +0000 It may be the top cinema event in the capital of the world's second-largest film market, but the four-year-old Beijing International Film Festival is still trying to find its feet. The 2014 edition offered screenings of more than 280 films from close to 80 territories at 30 venues across the capital between April 16 and 23. Restored classics such as Underground, Anthony Asquith's 1928 British silent film, and Rebel Without a Cause (1955), starring James Dean, were shown, along with films made in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1502518/postcard-beijing https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1502518/postcard-beijing Sun, 04 May 2014 05:55:51 +0000 He deprecatingly calls himself a tuhao - the Putonghua term for nouveau riche with barely the culture to match the wealth. But billionaire Liu Yiqian's huge collection of Chinese art suggests a finer taste than he lets on. At a Sotheby's auction early this month, the Shanghai collector paid HK$281.24 million for a palm-sized Ming dynasty (1368-1644) cup. Showing a garden scene of a rooster and hen tending to their chicks, the "chicken cup" is one of just 16 known to exist. "Though Liu likes to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1494278/uncultured-multibillionaire-chinas-biggest-fine-art-collector https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1494278/uncultured-multibillionaire-chinas-biggest-fine-art-collector Tue, 22 Apr 2014 06:00:30 +0000 Zhu Dan is grateful to those who have mentored him - from his first violin teacher in China to some of the world's top violin pedagogues, including Lucie Robert, Ivry Gitlis, Gerard Poulet and Aaron Rosand. But it is his father's early guidance and persistence for which he feels most thankful. "My father guided me to start the violin. Without his push, help and guidance, I don't think I could be who I am today," says the violinist, who will be in town for The Intimacy of Creativity music... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1486886/fathers-love-powers-violinists-ascent-greatness https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1486886/fathers-love-powers-violinists-ascent-greatness Sun, 20 Apr 2014 04:35:57 +0000 The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing is an institution in a hurry. Opened in 2007, the centre was initially better known for a slew of controversy: the design of its futuristic egg-shaped building by architect Paul Andreu, delayed completion and huge construction and maintenance bills. Since then, however, the centre, also known as the National Grand Theatre, has set off on an ambitious programme to develop a repertoire that would position it as the premiere cultural... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1459400/china-invests-hi-definition-opera-movies https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1459400/china-invests-hi-definition-opera-movies Mon, 31 Mar 2014 02:00:15 +0000 Zhang Er, 35, spent his childhood in the centre of Beijing hunting frogs, catching dragonflies and fishing in the moat that runs next to the demolished city walls. When he grew up, his passion for nature and wildlife led him to become a vet at Beijing Zoo and later a documentary maker filming wild birds around the capital. He has spent 10 years visiting all the wetland parks in the suburbs to document wild bird species. He feels many people living in the city have lost interest in the wildlife... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1460523/birdman-beijing-spreads-word-about-feathered-friends https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1460523/birdman-beijing-spreads-word-about-feathered-friends Sat, 29 Mar 2014 21:51:18 +0000 A German teacher stood before a classroom reading loudly from a projection screen. Thirty students repeated after him, in unison. Herr. Frau. Dame. It was the first week of an eight-month German-language course in the coastal city of Weihai in Shandong province, and the students - Chinese nurses and nurse trainees - will jet to Germany later this year, where most already have job offers to work at residential care centres for the elderly. "The morning I received the job offer, I felt my world... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1455592/chinese-nurses-enter-training-opportunities-abroad https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1455592/chinese-nurses-enter-training-opportunities-abroad Sun, 23 Mar 2014 21:00:30 +0000 A group of private collectors from Hunan has secured the purchase of a 3,000-year-old Chinese wine vessel - just a day before the ornate bronze relic was expected to go on the auction block in New York. The sale will reunite the Min Fanglei with its lid for the first time since the two pieces were separated soon after their discovery in Hunan in the 1920s. The ritual vessel will be donated to the Hunan Provincial Museum, where the lid has been housed since 1956. "After close consultation with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1454400/private-buyers-hunan-recover-ancient-bronze-vessel-min-fanglei https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1454400/private-buyers-hunan-recover-ancient-bronze-vessel-min-fanglei Fri, 21 Mar 2014 20:30:45 +0000 The auction of an antique Chinese bronze ritual wine vessel at Christie’s Asian Art Week in New York next week has caught the attention of well-heeled collectors across China. “It’s an iconic bronze masterpiece and extremely rare in the market. We are very interested in it. I believe aside from high-profile collectors, museums from China such as the National Museum of China and Shanghai Museum will also send representatives to the auction,” said Ji Chongjian, a Shanghai-based bronze expert and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1449076/chinese-museums-collectors-set-fierce-bidding-iconic-bronze https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1449076/chinese-museums-collectors-set-fierce-bidding-iconic-bronze Fri, 14 Mar 2014 21:15:15 +0000 THE THEME OF LOVE runs through many of Tian Qinxin's stage adaptations of Chinese literary classics, not least Eileen Chang Ai-ling's Red Rose, White Rose and Lee Bi-wah's Green Snake. So it's only natural that the Beijing theatre director should choose to stage Romeo and Juliet to mark William Shakespeare's 450th birthday this year. But, of course, there is a twist. As part of the 42nd Hong Kong Arts Festival, which kicks off on February 18, this National Theatre of China production sets one... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1416692/hong-kong-arts-festival-play-features-modern-chinese-setting-juliet https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1416692/hong-kong-arts-festival-play-features-modern-chinese-setting-juliet Wed, 05 Feb 2014 14:26:45 +0000 Blizzards across large swathes of central and eastern China have marked the start of the lunar year, threatening to disrupt the plans of millions of holiday travellers, but completely bypassing Beijing amid one of its longest snow-free winters yet. The national forecaster yesterday upgraded its blizzard alert to yellow - the third highest of a four-tier warning system - for Shaanxi , Shanxi , Henan , Hubei , Shandong , Anhui and Jiangsu provinces. The bad weather was expected to last until this... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1421307/blizzards-hit-northeast-and-centre-skip-still-grey-beijing https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1421307/blizzards-hit-northeast-and-centre-skip-still-grey-beijing Wed, 05 Feb 2014 04:30:15 +0000 Standing confidently in front of the class, a teenage girl starts singing in a pretty voice: “High on a hill was a lonely goatherd/lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo.” Before long, the rest join her in yodelling the chorus to The Lonely Goatherd.  Generations of children have learned the song from The Sound of Music. But in this rented room at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing   the students are teenagers with autism and other intellectual disabilities.  Every Sunday morning, they... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1404617/music-therapy-class-strikes-chord-autistic-children https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1404617/music-therapy-class-strikes-chord-autistic-children Mon, 13 Jan 2014 14:30:00 +0000 Shen Shen was never much interested in numbers, but like a lot of Asian students living in Canada she opted for a vocational degree, studying finance and management at the University of Toronto. After graduating she took a job in finance, but after an unhappy year she quit and returned to China to pursue her dream of working in the film industry. She has now made one short independent film and is in the process of finishing another.   When did you move to Canada with your family? I was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1397721/finance-student-follows-her-passion-film https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1397721/finance-student-follows-her-passion-film Sat, 04 Jan 2014 21:15:02 +0000 Architects designing the venue for the Apec summit in Beijing next year say developers in the capital are increasingly keen on putting up buildings inspired by Chinese culture rather than international designs that may be out of character in the city. The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation leaders forum will be held at Yanqi Lake to the north of Beijing and organisers wanted buildings that are contemporary, but also distinctly Chinese, the architects said. "In the past decade, because we were... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1397725/apec-conference-centre-architects-draw-chinese-influences https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1397725/apec-conference-centre-architects-draw-chinese-influences Sat, 04 Jan 2014 21:15:00 +0000 In the three months since China announced it would host this year's Apec summit in Beijing, preparations have been well under way at Yanqi Lake, a popular tourist destination in the outskirts of the capital. On an islet in the lake in Huairou district, an hour's drive northeast of the city centre, construction of a retreat is nearing completion. The retreat will include a conference centre, a waterfront luxury hotel and 12 VIP villas. The overall conference- centre project, which began in 2009,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1397723/beijing-site-next-apec-summit-designed-impress https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1397723/beijing-site-next-apec-summit-designed-impress Sat, 04 Jan 2014 21:15:00 +0000 A new play that glorifies the love of Mao Zedong for his eldest son, Mao Anying , who was killed while serving with the PLA in the Korean war, premiered this week in Beijing. It is expected that the 2½-hour play, which opened yesterday at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, will be another highlight in the celebrations leading up to the 120th anniversary of the late chairman's birth date on December 26. "Chairman Mao tried to shape his son in line with the standards and beliefs of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1360045/play-about-maos-relationship-son-he-lost-korean-war-opens https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1360045/play-about-maos-relationship-son-he-lost-korean-war-opens Tue, 19 Nov 2013 02:40:16 +0000 Moroccan-Flemish choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui 's latest work, Genesis, is inspired by the sprawling and chaotic megacity that is Beijing today. "When I see China growing and it's always growing, I feel like this is crazy," says the Antwerp-based Cherkaoui who has been flying in and out of the Chinese capital for this project since 2012. "There are so many people in Beijing and the cars and the pollution. All of this made me think. Good things happen because we grow; bad things also happen... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1353468/beijings-urban-sprawl-inspires-dance-about-human-cost https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1353468/beijings-urban-sprawl-inspires-dance-about-human-cost Mon, 11 Nov 2013 10:00:45 +0000 Zhou Qi is well aware of the unflattering things people have said about the office tower he designed for People's Daily, which is now rising over Beijing's central business district. Since the 32-storey structure first took shape last spring, countless internet users have taken great glee in the fact that the would-be offices of the Communist Party's top propaganda organ appears - at least during construction - to resemble a male sex organ. But Zhou says he does not take the sniggering... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1345294/architect-zhou-qi-defends-phallic-design-his-peoples-daily-tower https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1345294/architect-zhou-qi-defends-phallic-design-his-peoples-daily-tower Sat, 02 Nov 2013 22:41:46 +0000 New York architect Jeffrey Johnson first visited China in the spring of 2006 with a group of students he was teaching at the graduate school of architecture, planning and preservation (GSAPP) at Columbia University. The trip took them to Shanghai and then a small town with historic buildings on the outskirts of Ningbo. Since that first and entirely new experience of China, Johnson has kept coming back each year, bringing students during the summer to conduct research on the nation's rapid... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1330540/chinas-urban-landscapes-take-new-meaning-new-york-architect https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1330540/chinas-urban-landscapes-take-new-meaning-new-york-architect Sat, 12 Oct 2013 16:00:00 +0000 As far as Xia Zuhai is concerned, Mao Zedong is more than a desperately missed, great leader. The Henan province school principal thinks of the late chairman as a Buddha-like figure. When the rain eases on the morning of September 9, the 37th anniversary of Mao's death, Xia, 49, leads a Buddhist ceremony in honour of the Great Helmsman at his village school, on the outskirts of Sitong town, in Zhoukou city, 900 kilometres south of Beijing. In front of a huge painting of Mao on a tiled wall in... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1317465/mao-101 https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1317465/mao-101 Sat, 28 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The State Council has released a public consultation paper about moving Teachers' Day to September 28 to coincide with the birthday of Confucius. Educators and parents supporting the move hope aligning the day with the nation's greatest scholar will add pride and credibility to a profession battered in recent years by sexual assault claims and corruption. "This will help to remind teachers that we should always set an exemplary model for pupils at school and observe virtuous ethics like... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1305911/state-council-plans-move-teachers-day-confucius-birthday https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1305911/state-council-plans-move-teachers-day-confucius-birthday Sat, 07 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A recent order curtailing the activities of the PLA's pampered entertainers is widely seen as a move to ease discontent among regular soldiers and to shore up support for President Xi Jinping's drive to cut extravagance in the military. Military entertainers, many of whom enjoy high honorary ranks and are stars in their own right, will need approval before taking part in non-military performances, according to the document released last week by the General Political Department of the People's... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1302161/questions-arise-over-need-pla-song-and-dance-troupes https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1302161/questions-arise-over-need-pla-song-and-dance-troupes Mon, 02 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Mid-Autumn Festival promotions mean mooncakes, big business and fierce competition for bakeries. This year, the competition will be even harder - as the new administration under Xi Jinping continues to push its frugality campaign, leading to a loss of big orders. It also means bakeries are being more creative and cost-conscious to win over new customers. In Beijing, Daoxiangcun, a 120-year-old bakery, launched its first mooncakes on August 7. This is the beginning of autumn in the lunar calendar... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/1300374/bakeries-step-mooncake-sales-hit-hard https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/1300374/bakeries-step-mooncake-sales-hit-hard Thu, 29 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The Li brothers' tragedy began one fine April afternoon with a bit of play-acting. When 10-year-old Shun Shun ran into eight-year-old Li Haoran and his little brother Li Hao, four, just outside their village of Mawang, near Lianyungang in Jiangsu province, the three friends decided to play a game. They would act out the big wolf roasting the lamb - an idea the boys later said they got from the popular children's television series Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf. My kids enjoy watching the TV... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1299505/cartoon-violence-has-near-fatal-consequences-real-world https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1299505/cartoon-violence-has-near-fatal-consequences-real-world Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 In the final day of his feisty defence against corruption and other charges, Bo Xilai told the court he had no interest in clothing, his long johns were 50 years old, and his suits were all made in Dalian, where he was mayor from 1993 to 2000. "I can tell you, the jacket that I'm wearing and the suits in my wardrobe were produced by a township business in Xinjin county of Dalian. I have no interest in what I wear. The long johns that I'm wearing now were bought by my mother in the 1960s," he... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1299647/bos-modesty-over-his-home-town-suits-belies-their-appeal-among-rich-and https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1299647/bos-modesty-over-his-home-town-suits-belies-their-appeal-among-rich-and Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Before Liu Heung-shing became a photojournalist in China, he encountered many different versions of what kind of country China was. He had read the autobiographical accounts of Han Suyin, a strong supporter of the Chinese communist revolution, and the favourable portrait of the People's Republic given in the early writings of Ross Terrill. But none of the portraits fit the memories of the country from his childhood. So when his professor at Hunter College in New York introduced him to an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1297646/liu-heung-shing-witness-chinese-dream https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1297646/liu-heung-shing-witness-chinese-dream Sun, 18 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 With Hong Kong's M+ Museum due to open in 2017, it was widely believed the city would enter an intense rivalry with Beijing as a new centre for art and culture in Asia. Now, such ideas seem premature. While Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron was picked in June to design a grand 75,000-square-metre arts museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District, it remains unclear when - if at all - Beijing will proceed with its own mega-sized art museum on the capital's northern outskirts. It has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1294166/huge-national-art-museum-china-still-not-approved https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1294166/huge-national-art-museum-china-still-not-approved Sat, 03 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 ''You are all surrounded," heard Wen Yanzhao, with a start. He had just finished lunch and was sitting on the roof of a farmhouse, in the shade of a large tree, playing with his mobile phone. He watched in amazement as dozens of police officers in plain clothes, each wielding a baton, broke into the courtyard. "All the Christian brothers were taking a nap inside. They were dragged by their hair, one by one, out of their beds and were made to squat at the centre of the courtyard," he recalls,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1275196/shouted-down https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1275196/shouted-down Sat, 06 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Ai Weiwei has long been known for his unrelenting criticism of the government through works ranging from sculptures to art installations. Now, he is bringing this candid approach to his newfound passion for singing. Ai, 55, yesterday released his first heavy-metal album in Beijing, featuring six tracks with lyrics and vocals by him. The release date coincided with the second anniversary of his release from detention after 81 days. Video: Ai Weiwei tells the Post how the song Chaoyang Park came... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1266701/chinese-activist-ai-weiwei-releases-protest-album https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1266701/chinese-activist-ai-weiwei-releases-protest-album Sat, 22 Jun 2013 10:22:31 +0000 Rat meat is passed off as mutton, ginger is laced with pesticide and, more recently, rice products are found to contain high levels of cadmium, a heavy metal that causes kidney failure, osteoporosis, cancer and other conditions when ingested. On the mainland, how can you be sure that anything you put on the dinner table is safe these days? Constant rounds of food scandals in recent years have made consumers across China suspicious and fearful of the groceries and produce that they're getting.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/1249792/how-food-scandals-are-forcing-beijingers-search-out-organic https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/1249792/how-food-scandals-are-forcing-beijingers-search-out-organic Thu, 30 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Compared with recent Hollywood blockbusters such as Django Unchained and Cloud Atlas, which did not escape the snips of Chinese censors, Iron Man 3 is much luckier. Since the superhero movie's release in mainland cinemas on May 1, local audiences have been treated not only to an uncut version of the film but one that's actually longer than the one being shown in the rest of the world, including Hong Kong. The 134-minute version of Iron Man 3, produced for the mainland market, contains four... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1236880/film-mainlanders-dont-take-shine-iron-man-3-bonus-feature https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1236880/film-mainlanders-dont-take-shine-iron-man-3-bonus-feature Mon, 13 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Where is it? The Grand Hyatt is located on Changan Avenue, Beijing's main thoroughfare, at the entrance to Wangfujing, the city's premier shopping street - and you can't get much closer to the heart of the Chinese capital than that. Part of the Oriental Plaza, which is among Li Ka-shing's stable of properties, the five-star hotel is an easy walk from the Palace Museum and Tiananmen Square. Two metro lines converge under the hotel, making ventures farther afield that much easier. What about the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1210805/hot-spots-grand-hyatt-beijing https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1210805/hot-spots-grand-hyatt-beijing Sat, 13 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 During the week of Lunar New Year, Xidan Bookstore in the city centre was a hive of activity. There was scarcely room to move in its second-floor children's section, where youngsters crowded into narrow aisles and parents stood with armfuls of books, and a long queue snaked up to the checkout counter. Ten-year-old Wang Jingjing and her mother were among them, taking a three-hour bus ride from Sanhe town in eastern Beijing to pick up new material. "My daughter likes reading and we'll spend a few... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1210025/new-chapter-childrens-book-authors-china https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1210025/new-chapter-childrens-book-authors-china Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 At 36, Huang Doudou is today one of the most accomplished Chinese classical dancers on the mainland - a surprise, perhaps, given the Wenzhou native had not always wanted to pursue dance as a career, and was once considered not to have the right physique for it. Encouraged by his art-loving parents who were members of workers' propaganda performance teams, Huang started dancing before his teens, even though his dream was to join the army or become a chef. He failed the auditions for the high... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1210038/full-stretch https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1210038/full-stretch Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Some of the world's finest chocolatiers have set up shop on the mainland in recent years, hoping to capitalise on the country's hunger for luxury goods. But to what extent sweet-toothed mainlanders will be tempted by premium chocolate, and how big the market will be, remains to be seen. In September, Belgian luxury chocolatier Godiva opened its flagship store at Sanlitun Village, an upmarket shopping centre in Beijing. The 130-square-metre boutique with a cafe on the second floor was Godiva's... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/1196366/chocolatiers-raise-sweet-stakes-china https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/1196366/chocolatiers-raise-sweet-stakes-china Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Most Chinese are familiar with the Song dynasty classic The Legend of the White Snake, a romantic tale about a young man named Xu Xian and a snake spirit-turned-human called Bai Suzhen. An edifying tale, it speaks of fidelity, loyalty and eternal love. Less well known is Green Snake, an edgy, more contemporary version of the story, written by local novelist Lillian Lee Pik-wah. But it's this version - filled with hatred, jealousy and lust - that has captured the imagination of Beijing director... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1193767/green-snake-hits-hong-kong https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1193767/green-snake-hits-hong-kong Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Thick smog that blanketed Beijing and surrounding regions for a record 21 days last month returned yesterday, causing travel chaos as many businesses reopened and people returned after the Lunar New Year holiday. Highways were forced to temporarily close and airline traffic was disrupted as visibility near Beijing International Airport fell, delaying some early morning flights, Xinhua reported. At 7.45am, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau issued a "yellow" fog alert, indicating that visibility... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1152715/flights-cancelled-beijing-blighted-smog-yet-again https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1152715/flights-cancelled-beijing-blighted-smog-yet-again Sun, 17 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A group of prominent leftists on the mainland posted a letter congratulating North Korea on Tuesday's nuclear test - in defiance of China's opposition and international condemnation of the blast. The 1,700-word letter, posted online by the leftist group Utopia, addressed the North Korean leader as "respected comrade Kim Jong-un", claimed the successful test had gained North Korea the respect of the Chinese people and "people of conscience from around the world". "The successful test, which was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1150499/leftist-group-utopia-congratulates-north-korea-nuclear-blast https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1150499/leftist-group-utopia-congratulates-north-korea-nuclear-blast Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000 On the eve of Valentine's Day, as businesses in big cities across the mainland geared up to cash in on the romantic occasion, the Communist Party's mouthpiece newspaper warned yesterday that in recent years it had turned into a "breeding-ground" of corruption and debauchery for a minority of party members. A four-paragraph story in People's Daily said Valentine's Day had become a hatchery of decadent ideology, indulgent lifestyle, fraud and corruption for some party members who squandered money... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1149676/peoples-daily-denounces-valentines-day-debauchery-decadent-cadres https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1149676/peoples-daily-denounces-valentines-day-debauchery-decadent-cadres Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000 One week after Zhang Qiaofeng launches the school that he runs from home, he hosts an open day. A dozen families turn up with their children at his rented flat in Beijing's northern suburbs. The visitors include Zhang Wujun, his wife and their seven-year-old son Yuyang. They took a train all the way from Qinhuangdao, a port city 420 kilometres away, to be here. "We admire his teaching philosophy, especially the way he encourages his son to read extensively outside class," says Zhang Wujun. While... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1049487/home-schooling-mainland https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1049487/home-schooling-mainland Sat, 29 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000