Costume TV drama

The shooting of "The Brothers" (Jiangnan jinghua meng), a 30-part costume TV drama series, got underway in mid-December at the Songjiang TV and Film Production Base in Shanghai.

Produced by the Beijing-based Joy Media Art & Culture Co Ltd and directed by Shen Tao, the costume television drama series, a combination of kungfu and a love story, is set in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and stars Hong Kong pop idols Benny Chan (Chen Haomin) and Charmaine Sheh See Man (She Shiman), Taiwan pop singer Yuki Hsu (Xu Huaiyu) and rising mainland actor Jia Yiping, who starred in the film "Silent River" for which he won the Best New Actor Huabiao Film Award in 2000 and TV drama series as the hero, Lu Buwei and Qing Emperor, Qianlong. The TV drama series is expected to be screened on most Chinese provincial TV channels next summer, according to the production team.

Recital tour

Li Yundi, the 20-year-old prize-winning pianist, will hold his first piano recital tour from March 5 to 18, 2003 in China's eight major cities - Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Changsha, Xiamen, Beijing, Chengdu and his hometown of Chongqing.

At a press conference on Christmas Day to announce the tour, Li donated 200,000 yuan (US$24,000) to the Chongqing division of the Children's Foundation of China.

In early December, Li released his second CD, "Yundi Li: Liszt," in the Chinese mainland. His first CD "Yundi Li: Chopin" came out a year ago.

With his superb skills and deep understanding of music, 18-year-old Li won the first place that had been vacant for 15 years in the 14th Chopin International Piano Competition in October 2000.

SHENZHEN

Remarkable show

The China Disabled People's Performing Arts Troupe will perform at the "Window of the World" in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province on Saturday.

The troupe, established 16 years ago, has visited nearly 30 countries. Their repertoire includes instrumental performances, dancing by those suffering from various handicaps, an orchestra conducted by Zhou Zhou, a boy who is mentally retarded, but a gifted conductor.

The performance will combine art, love and human values.

The dance routine entitled "The Wings of Life," features the beauty of life, a theme for not only the disabled, but all human beings. "In the dance, we try to present our beauty, not our disability to the audience," said Li Si, one of the five dancers in "Wings of Life."

Li and the four other dancers in performing the piece range in age from 23 to 37. Apart from a shared love of music and dance they all have shared suffering- the loss of their right legs in childhood accidents.

"Dance is the most striking of the special art forms of disabled people," said Pi Hongjun, another dancer in "Wings of Life."

Another group dance work to be presented is "Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva," which features 12 dancers with impaired hearing.

Audiences are amazed at the way the 12 performers co-ordinate their movements without being able to hear the music.

A special hand language signals the beat to the dancers. When they perform, their hand language teacher Wang Jing stands in the wings signing the rhythm for them.

CHENGDU

Commemorative museum

As part of the activities celebrating the 110th anniversary of the birth of Wang Guangqi (1892-1936), founder of contemporary Chinese musicology and comparative musicology, a new commemorative museum has been opened to the public in this capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Located in picturesque Wenjiang Park, the museum houses a statue of Wang, his photos and books on musicology.

A native of Chengdu, Wang studied musicology at Berlin University in Germany in 1927 and seven years later obtained his doctorate, becoming the first contemporary Chinese to obtain a PhD in musicology in Europe.

Wang wrote 17 books on musicology, including "History of Chinese Music" and "Brief History of Western Music."

SHANGHAI

Book club

Two local book and media product distributors have reached agreements with Bertelsmann Book Club, the first joint venture book club in China, to act as agents for Bertelsmann Club Centers.

The 21st Century Book Chain Company will take charge of Bertelsmann Club Center in Cyber Square, while Jingwen Records will be responsible for one in Oriental Square, both of which are in Beijing.

The move has been viewed as Bertelsmann's attempt to expand its business outside Shanghai.

The centers display new books, offer convenient purchase channels which save on delivery fees, and create a comfortable environment specifically geared to its members.

(China Daily January 2, 2003)