ART ARTS & CULTURE - the Beijinger · the Adidas slogan. Nonetheless, expect interesting works by Xu Zhen, the founder of the director of Biz art (Shanghai), famous for his piece

that’smags www. thatsbj.com Sept. 20054141

AR

T

www.thebeijinger.com November 2008 / the Beijinger

P42 ART

P48 IN PRINT

P52 CINEMA

P56 STAGE

ARTS & CULTURE

Hovering Child by American artist Fran Forman. See Preview, p46; photo courtesy of Common Ground

42that’smagsSept. 2005 www. thatsbj.com 42

AR

T

the Beijinger / November 2008 www.thebeijinger.com

Last month’s Sotheby’s fall auction of Chinese contemporary art in Hong Kong ended with rather poor sales, prompting questions about whether the Chinese contemporary art market

was entering a recession and grumbling over a perceived Chinese art “bubble.” Such pessimism had previously been dismissed as crying wolf, but recent events have people pondering the very distinct pos-sibility that all is not well in the Chinese art scene. Observers have said the downturn in Chinese art sales is a direct result of the recent worldwide financial meltdown, which has sent shockwaves through the international art market. This would make perfect sense, of course, were it not for the fact that in another Sotheby’s auction last month, 223 pieces by YBA Damien Hirst were auctioned at prices higher than anticipated (the final tally was a mind-blowing 111.5 million pounds, or USD 199 million) – and this was even after the markets began to dive. What this says about the status of Chinese art in these shaky, post-Olympic times is anyone’s guess.

Meanwhile, the richest man in France, Bernard Arnault, LVMH's chief executive officer, is planning a USD 140 million art foundation in Paris, according to Bloomberg, and the largest auction house in Korea, Seoul Auction, has landed in Hong Kong, the world’s third largest art market. Both developments offer reassurance, perhaps, that the international art market may have life in it yet, though it is clear that the large corporations that often patronize the art market will need to readjust their expenditures in response to the current crisis. As for the Chinese art scene, this too begs the question as to whether certain larger-than-life Chinese artists will still be able to rake in the astronomical amounts of cash they’ve seen in recent years for their works. For them, perhaps, the glory days are over.

The new Saatchi Gallery has re-opened in the 70,000 sq ft Duke of York Headquarters building in London’s Chelsea District with an inaugural show “The Revolution Continues: New Chinese Art,” featuring the work of 30 Chinese artists, including Fang Lijun, Wang Guangyi and Yue Minjun. Unfortunately for the organizers, the show was criticized for the perceived low quality of the art and relative obscurity of some of the participating artists. This may not be a bad thing – after all, there’s only so much we can take of kitschy cynical realism and paintings that have already been displayed thou-sands of times.

People have been buzzing about Shanghai-based artist Zhang Huan’s opera, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of G.F. Handel’s death and is expected to premiere some time late next year and will be shown at the Shanghai World Expo in 2010. How Zhang, who is known for performance art pieces, including one in which he walked the streets of New York with raw meat hung all over his body, will connect his aesthetic sense with the German-born Baroque composer remains to be seen. Venus Lau

Nov 8-30Wang JieBy eliminating human figures in his paintings, Wang Jie’s emphasis is on clothes – our “second skin.” New Age Gallery (5978 9282)Nov 8-Dec 21Chinese Contemporary Art Awards 2008Founded in 1997 by Uli Siggs, CCAA has awarded Liu Wei this year as its pick for “Best Artist” and Tseng Yu-chin as “Best Young Artist” (see Feature, p44). Ai Weiwei has also been given a lifetime achievement award. The works of these three artists will be exhibited at the larg-est art space in 798. Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (6438 6576) Yang Xinguang: Consumed by FormHunan-born young sculptor Yang Xinguang explores the meaning of form itself by using wood, earth and stones in his pieces. Boers-Li Gallery (6432 2620)Nov 8-Dec 24Chen Wenbo: Asian Rays The Chongqing native’s solo show consists of 23 new paintings featur-ing his signature photorealist style. See photo, p43. PKM Gallery (8456 7429) Nov 9-19Common Ground The environmentally themed dig-ital media show pulls artists from around the world together to pull for the world, giving an artistic face to the green movement. See Reviews, p46. Huan Tie Times Art Museum (6435 0952) Nov 11-30 GABOThis photo exhibition documents parts of seminal Latin American writer Gabriel Marcía Márquez’s life. Visual records allow observers to trace the literary processes of the 1982 Nobel Prize winner. Instituto Cervantes (5879 9666)Nov 13-Dec 30Wang QingsongWang presents new installations, photos and video works of poign-ant cultural jokes. See photo, p43. Marella Gallery (6433 4055) All Month Xu Zhen: Impossible is Nothing The organizers have been tight-lipped about the contents of this exhibit, which takes its title from the Adidas slogan. Nonetheless, expect interesting works by Xu Zhen, the founder of the director of Biz art (Shanghai), famous for his piece 8848-1.86, in which he displayed a series of videos and photos claiming that he actually cut 1.86m (the height of the artist) off the top of the Mount Qomolangma (Everest). Long March Space (6438 7107)Until Nov 2Tibetan Contemporary For people who think Tibetan art begins and ends with thanka paint-ings, the works of various media in this show, which include digital photography, rock pigments and oil paintings, will bring a new per-spective on Himalayan art. Featur-ing works by Gade, Nortse, Tsering Nyandak and Tsewang Tashi. 798 Red Gate Gallery (6438 1005)Until Nov 4Moving Horizons: UBS Art CollectionCurated by London-based curator Joanne Bernstein, the show exhib-

its over 150 art pieces of contem-porary art around the world from the 1960s to the present day. The curatorial approach of the show is basically chronological, showing the historical development of the world of contemporary art that parallels the trajectory of the Swiss bank’s tastes throughout the dec-ades. Expect big names including Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Lucien Freud, Jasper Johns, as well as emerging Chinese artists including Cao Fei, Qiu Anxiong and Xu Zhen. National Art Museum of China (6401 2252/7076) Until Nov 12Coats! Beijing is the third stop – after Berlin and Tokyo – for this exhibi-tion by Italian brand Max Mara. As the title of the show suggests, you’ll see designs of coats from throughout the history of the brand (founded by Achille Mara-motti in 1951). The show highlights the designers behind the designs – including Emmanuelle Kahn, Anne Marie Beretta, Nanni Strada and Karl Lagerfeld. National Art Museum of China (6401 2252/7076) Until Nov 13Group Show: Undefined ErrorAn exhibition of the works of six new media artist: Jin Jiangbo, WAZA, Wan Xin, Robinson, Xu Zhe and Hannah Kay in this new media art gallery. Yuan Fen New Media Art Space (5978 9896)Manolo Valdés In collaboration with Malborough Gallery New York, NAMOC brings the Spanish artist’s important paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints to Beijing. The 1942-born artist reconstructs human figures with influences from Rubens, Matisse and Ribera. National Art Museum of China (6401 2252/7076)Until Nov 15Yan Cong: PeppermintJust like the peppermint flavor in the candy canes, Yan Cong (which literally translates as “Chimney”) makes cartoon-like paintings filled with crisp and vivid colors. Taikang Top Space, 798 Hall (6438 8443)Ni Haifeng: Para-Production Curated by researcher/curator Pauline Yao, who won the 2008 CCAA (Chinese Contemporary Art Awards) prize for Independent criticism, the show explores the relationship between the produc-tion of goods and cultures. See Reviews, p46. Joy Art (5978 9788). Until Nov 15LibraryThe pensive space of the library has been a muse for many philoso-phers, artists and writers through-out the ages. Hong Hao, Song Dong, Leng Lin, Liu Jianhua and Xiao Yu show works inspired by the concept of the library. Beijing Commune (8456 2862)Until Nov 16Huang Rui: Chinese History in Animal Time The DIAF founder’s show exhibits recycled bricks covered with carv-ings of Chinese astrological animals that were collected in the ruins of hutong demolitions. Beijing Angle Modern Art (6561 8327)Ouka Leele: Between Two WorldsSpanish female photographer Ouka Leele draws comparisons to American female photographer Cindy Sherman. Born in 1957, she started out as a painter, and her

Until Jan 10: Edward Burtynsky’s China

A fresh take on manufacturing art. See listing, p43.

rtA All event listings are accurate at time of press and subject to change

For venue details, see directories, p43Send events to [email protected] by Nov 10


AR

T


photographic works straddle the line between reality and dreams (or nightmares). Iberia Center for Contemporary Art (6437 0593)Until Nov 16Zhou Jirong: Fantastic CityThe 1962-born artist’s latest works have a recurring theme of sunset in Beijing. Zhou depicts his urban landscapes in a haziness that veils the images with uncertainty. The works materialize the painter’s opinion that Beijing is losing its identity under the rapid pace of urbanization. Red Gate Gallery (6525 1005)Until Nov 19Barbara Piatti: Beijing Short Cuts An exhibition of the Franco-Swiss artist’s oil paintings – a plane of colors interrupted by textual folds on the canvas. Imagine Gallery (6438 5747) Until Dec 27Kim Sooja: Mumbai – A Laundry Field

Nov 13-Dec 30: Wang Qingsong

Public transport goes postmodern. See listing, p42.

Nov 8-Dec 24: Chen Wenbo: Asian Rays

Photorealism gets fenced in. See listing, p42.

[email protected]) 朝阳区草场地艺术东区B区249-3

Beijing 9 Art Space Daily 10am-6pm. 2,3818 Cool, Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6736 7781, fax 6736 8490, [email protected]) www.62art.com 北京9艺术空间, 朝阳区大山子798艺术区3818库2号

Beijing Angle Modern Art 4/F, Bldg 1, China View (Zhongguo Hongjie), A2 Gongti Donglu, Chaoyang District. (6561 8327) 北京角度画廊, 朝阳区工体东路甲二号中国红阶一座4层

Beijing Art Now Gallery (BANG) Daily noon-6pm. Bldg E,Red Yard No.1, Cao Chang Di, Cui Ge Zhuang, Chaoyang Dis-trict. (5127 3292) www.beijingartnow.com 现在画廊, 朝阳区崔各庄草场地红1号院E座

Beijing Center for the Arts Daily 10am-10pm. 23, Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District. (6559 8008) 天安时间当代艺术中心, 东城区前门东大街23号

Beijing Central Art Gallery & Cultural Venue 1) Daily 10am-8pm. 1/F, Kempinski Hotel, 50 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6465 1396, [email protected]); 2) Daily 8.30am-6pm. 2 Riverville Square, 1 District 1, Tianzhu Development Zone (take the Yang Lin exit from the Airport Expressway), Shunyi District. (6450 8483/8646, [email protected]) www.bjcagallery.com 硕华画廊, 1) 朝阳区亮马桥路50号凯宾斯基饭店1层; 2) 顺义区天竺丽来花园一区1号温榆广场2号(机场高速杨林大道出口第六个出口）

Beijing Commune Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8456 2862, [email protected]) www.beijingcom-mune.com 北京公社, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子798艺术区

Beijing East Gallery Tue-Sun 9am-5.30pm. Deshengmen Watchtower, Beierhuan Zhonglu, Xicheng District. (8201 4962, [email protected]) www.bj-eastgal-lery.com 北京艺森画廊, 西城区北二环中路德胜门箭楼

Beijing MoCa Mon-Fri by appointment, Sat-Sun 1-6pm. Rm 301, 798 Hong Yuan Apartments, Chaoyang District. (8457 4759) 朝艺堂, 朝阳区798宏源公寓301室

Beijing Murano Culture & Art Mon-Fri 9am-6.30pm. 3/F, Loftel Bldg, 1 Huguang Zhongjie, Wangjing, Chaoyang District. (6475 6249, [email protected]) www.dsfglassartstudio.com 北京莫拉诺文化艺术传播有限公司, 朝阳区望京湖光中街1号Loftel三层305室

Beijing New Art Projects Tue-Sun 10.30am-7pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8456 6660) www.gaobrothers.com 北京新锐艺术计划, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Beijing Tokyo Art Projects Tue-Sun 10am-6.30pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxian-qiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8457 3245) www.tokyo-gallery.com 北京东京艺术工程, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Being 3 Gallery Daily 10am- 6.30pm. 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (5137 4006) 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号

Directories continued on p45

GALLERIES3+3 Space Mon-Sun 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district (southern section), 4 Jiuxian-qiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6437 9942) www.3plus3.com.cn 3+3 空间, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区南边

3/4 Gallery Tue-Sun 10am-7pm. B-102, Landmark Crystal, 9 Jiuxianqiao Nanlu, Chaoyang District. (6433 7401) 四分之三画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥南路9号亮马水晶 B-102

3818 Cool Gallery Showing mainly contemporary oils in a converted ware-house gallery, it shares its roof with several other galleries and a coffee shop. Daily 10.30am-6.30pm. Dashanzi art district, 3818 Warehouse, 2 Jiuxian-qiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8688 2525) www.3818coolgallery.cn 3818 库, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号798大山子艺术区(706厂对面)

798 Photo Gallery The best place in Beijing to find a wide selection of ethnographic and artistic photographic editions. Month-ly rotating shows of Chinese and interna-tional photographers. Daily 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6438 1784, 6437 5284) www.798photogallery.cn 百年印象摄影画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

798/Red Gate Gallery The eminent Red Gate Gallery’s tiny project and exhibition space in the 798 area. Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu (op-posite the hall from White Space Beijing), Chaoyang District. (6438 1005) www.redgategallery.com 798/红门画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号（空白空间对面）

798 Space The namesake of the 798 area and a factory space that once produced weapons, now you can catch an occa-sional exhibit in between high couture product launches that draw crowds at night. Daily 10am-7pm. Dashanzi art dis-trict, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6438 4862, 6437 6248) www.798space.

She’s not quite as famous as Nam June Paik, but keep an eye on this other Korean contemporary multimedia artist. The theme of laundry in this exhibition resonates with Kim’s earlier works, which use an extensive range of materials ranging from fabric to video to kendo masks. Galleria Continua (6436 1005) Until Dec 31Zhu WeiThe artist interprets the modernity of China with Chinese ink. Xin Dong Cheng Space for Contempo-rary Art (6433 4579)Until Jan 10Edward Burtynsky: China Although Edward Burtynsky’s panoramic photographs on manu-factured landscapes are similar to the work of Andreas Gursky, he still manages to create an aura of beautiful individuality flattened by environments ruled by unitary pre-cision. See photo, p42. Paris-Beijing Photo Gallery (8459 9263)

com 798 时态空间, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

88 Art Documentary Storehouse Daily 10am-7pm. Opposite Tongda Shengtaiy-uan, Laiguangying Donglu, Chaoyang District. (8470 1780, 6435 9824) www.tongzhengang.com.cn 8八艺术文献仓库, 朝阳区来广营东路同达生态园对面

9x9 Gallery Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. Dashanzi art district (50m north of the Long March Space), 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang Dis-trict. (133 1129 4683, [email protected]) 玖×玖画廊, 朝阳区大山子艺术区798工厂院内（长征空间西门向北50米）

A3 Gallery Fri-Sun noon-6pm, Thu by ap-pointment only. 2/F, Gongmei Building, Dashanzi Art District, 2, Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. ([email protected]) www.a3gallery.com 阿立方画廊

Ahead Gallery 10am - 6pm. 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6438 4911) 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号

Amelie Gallery and Creative Studio Tue-Sun 10am-7pm. 797 East Street,Dashanzi Art District, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (5978 9698, [email protected]) 龙艺榜, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号798艺术区797东街

Apothiki Art Center Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. 319-1 East End Art (Zone A), Caochangdi Village (Take the Airport Service road one exit past Wuhuan Lu, take the first right and turn north on the road opposite the Chang Jian Driving School), Chaoyang District. (6431 4502) www.apothiki.com 朝阳区草场地村319-1 艺术东区A区内 (机场辅路由南往北五环外第一个路口路东, 长建驾校对面路口)

Arario Beijing Korean-owned gallery ex-hibiting its vast collection of international powerhouses such as Jorg Immendorf alongside local artists. Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Inside Chaoyang Liquor Factory, Beihuqu, Anwaibeiyuan, Chaoyang District. (5202

3800) www.arariobeijing.com 朝阳区安外北苑北湖渠朝阳酒艺术园

Arrow Factory 38 Jian Chang Hutong (Off Guozijian Jie), Dongcheng District. 箭厂空间, 东城区箭厂胡同38号（国子监街内）

Art Channel Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. East End Art (Zone B), 249-3 Caochangdi Village, Chaoyang District. (6433 5080, 135 2171 4691) 艺术通道, 朝阳区草场地村艺术东区B区249－3

Artists Village Gallery In the dusty east-ern village of Songzhuang live many bohemian painters and a few big names too – find their art and lots of chuan’r. Daily 8am-midnight. 1 Renzhuangcun Bei, Songzhuang, Tongzhou District. (6959 8343, [email protected]) www.artistsvil-lagegallery.com 画家村画廊, 通州区宋庄任庄村北1号

& Art Lab Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6433 3438, [email protected]) 案艺术实验室, 朝阳区酒仙路4号798大山子艺术区D-10

Art Plus Beijing Tue-Sun 11am-7pm. Bldg D, D-Park, Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxian-qiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9614) 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区北京时尚设计广场D座

Art Scene Beijing Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6431 6962, [email protected]) www.art-scenebeijing.com 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号798大山子艺术区

Aspace Tue-Sun 10am-7pm. Pingod 3B—503, Chaoyang District. (59712048) www.aspace.net.cn 全示艺术中心, 朝阳区苹果社区3B—503

Aye Gallery Tue-Sun10am-6pm. Rm 601, Yonghe Jiayuan Phase 2, Courtyard 3, Dongbinhe Lu, Andingmen, Dongcheng District. (8422 1726, [email protected]) www.ayegallery.com 也云, 东城区安定门东滨河路3号院雍和家园二期3单元601室

BB Gallery Tue-Sun 10.30am-6pm. 249-3,East End Art Zone B,Caochangdi, Chaoyang District. (6432 2619,


AR

T


Five children stand on screen, awaiting a sudden splash of yogurt on their faces. A mother gives her child a long 20-minute kiss. A girl sits passively as a man covers her entirely

with white stickers. Through a series of bizarre clips buzzing with a quiet tension brought just barely to the surface, Taiwan-born film and video artist Tseng Yu-chin’s Who is Listening (2003-2004) seeks to strip bare that palpable, yet largely indefinable kinetic energy that runs through so much of life.

Violence, power and tension dominate the 30-year-old artist’s video works, most explicitly in Projections at That Times (2000), in which he smashes seven fish and a bug to death (perhaps to the dismay of animal-rights activists). In Tseng’s other two pieces, I Really Shouldn’t Won-der How Those People With Stronger Common Sense Lead Their Lives and Ahead ... or Back … Which is the Main Melody?, he blurs images with violence and darkness, resulting in a “visual noise” that imposes a hazy mask of intrigue upon his works. The darkness of the clips in Tseng’s works blots out the images of the people in the film, leaving mere traces of their subject’s body to provide a mere outline, inviting the viewer to fill in the shadows with their own imagination. Though relatively simple in their composition, the results are as thought-provoking as they are visually striking.

The Taipei-based Tseng was introduced to the art world by cu-rator Roger M. Buergel at the highly touted art exhibition “Docu-menta” (2007), making him the second Taiwan-based artist (after Richard Lin in 1964) to ever be invited to the prestigious event.

This year, Tseng continues on his trajectory towards celebrity, winning the Best Young Artist of CCAA (the Chinese Contempo-rary Art Awards), and having his works placed on display at Shang-hai’s Bund 18 in September. This month, his works are on display in Beijing at Dashanzi’s Ullens Center for Contemporary Art.

Tseng often uses child actors as a primary mode of expression, describing them as his “avatars.” The multitude of young faces

seen in his work mirrors his own identity and emotional states – a possible reflection on a troubled childhood, or, from a less personal angle, the diversity in subjects contains senti-ments of the psychoanalytic notion of the “self” as defined by others.

In the video clip Jia Ting Chang Jing, Tseng recalls the trivial matters and rivalries in his

own family and successfully depicts his own personal feelings of alienation. The artist’s own parents act as the “father” and “mother” in the clip, and he describes the tension presented therein as one in which “a father is not like a father, and a mother is not like a mother.” Through the visual austerity employed in his works, Tseng cloaks the alienated tension and violence in subtle mediums (i.e. stickers, yogurt and white cotton undershirts), creating a subjective work that is as much an introspective lens into the viewer’s own life as it is a depiction of his own experience.

Tseng Yu-chin’s works will be shown alongside works by Ai Weiwei and Liu Wei at Ullens Center for Contemporary Art from Nov 8-Dec 21. See listing, p42.

With visual austerity, Tseng disguises tension and violence beneath

gentle textures

PHO

TO: CO

UR

TESY O

F THE A

RTIST

FEATURE

SOFT VIOLENCE CCAA’s Best Young Artist throws a punch … with yogurt

by Venus Lau

Scenes from I Really Shouldn’t Wonder How Those People With Stronger Common Sense Lead Their Lives and Ahead ... or Back … Which is the Main Melody?


AR

T


Besuo Art Gallery Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, Area D, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (132 6191 0732, [email protected]) 碧索画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区D区

Bianyuan Gallery Daily 9am-7pm. 98 Songzhuangcun Dongjie, Songzhuang Zhen (inside Qingyuan Zhai), Tongzhou District. (6959 2416, 137 1768 4281, [email protected]) 边远画廊, 通州区宋庄镇宋庄村东街98号（清远斋内）

Boers-Li Gallery Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. Compound 8A, Airport Service Road, Cao-changdi, Chaoyang District. (6432 2620, [email protected]) http://www.boersligallery.com/ 朝阳区机场辅路草场地甲8号院

The Bronze Age Gallery Tue-Sun 1.30-6.30pm. 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Dashanzi art district, Chaoyang District. (8165 3686) 青铜时代画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区

C5 Art Tue-Sun 10am-7pm. Courtyard 5, Sanlitun Xiwujie, Chaoyang District. (6460 3950) www.c5art.com 西五画廊, 朝阳区三里屯西五街5号院内

Cao Yong Hebei native and Los Angeles County Honorary Volunteer Fireman Cao Yong’s Lucky Street gallery is a lucky find for those interested in adorning the lair with machine-made reproductions of the master oil painter’s finest works – each of which promises to celebrate the “haling of beauty.” Daily 9am-10pm. 25 Haoyun Jie, Chaoyang District. (5867 0229) www.caoyong.cc 北京曹勇国际艺术馆, 朝阳区好运街25号

Central Academy of Fine Arts Gallery Tue-Sun 9.30am-4pm. Shuaifuyuan, Wang-fujing, 5 Xiaowei Hutong, Dongcheng District. (6527 7991) 中央美术学院美术馆, 东城区校尉胡同5号王府井帅府园

Chambers Fine Art Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Red No.1-D, Caochangdi, Chaoyang Dis-trict. (5127 3298) www.chambersfineart.com.cn 前波画廊, 朝阳区草场地红一号D座

Chen Changfen Art Center Daily 10am-7pm. 12 Sunhe, Jingshun Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 0382) 陈长芬艺术中心, 朝阳区京顺路孙河12号

Chen Ling Hui Contemporary Space Tue-Sun 11am-7pm. 1) A1, Beigao, Cuigezhuang Xiang, Chaoyang District. (6431 8830, [email protected]); 2) Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6435 9665, [email protected]) www.chenling-hui.com 陈绫蕙当代艺术中心, 1) 朝阳区崔各庄乡北皋甲1号; 2) 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区

China Art Archives and Warehouse Wed-Sun 1-6pm, or by appointment. Opposite the Nangao Police Station, Caochangdi, (take the Airport Service road one exit past Wuhuan Lu, take the first right past the Chang Jian Driving School), Chaoyang District. (8456 5152/5153, [email protected]) www.archivesandwarehouse.com 艺术文化仓库, 朝阳区机场辅路草场地村南皋派出所对面(机场辅路由南往北五环外第一个路口)

China Art Seasons Tue-Sun 11am-7pm. Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6431 1900, fax 6431 1990) www.artseasons.com.sg 北京季节, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号798大山子艺术区

China Blue Gallery Daily 9.30am-5.30pm. 2-3/F, Bldg 7, Ego Center, 16A Baiziwan Lu (just south of Dawanglu subway sta-tion), Chaoyang District. (8774 6332/6339, [email protected]) www.chinabluegallery.com 环碧堂画廊, 朝阳区百子湾路甲16号易构空间7号楼2-3层

China Millennium Monument World Art Museum Apr15-Oct 7: Mon-Thu 8am-6pm, Fri-Sun 8am-9pm. Oct 8-Apr 14: Daily 8.30am-5.30pm. 9A Fuxing Lu, Haidian District. (6852 7108) www.bj2000.org.cn 中华世纪坛艺术馆, 海淀区复兴路甲9号

China Visual Arts Center Tue-Sun 10am- 6pm. Zone D, Artistic Area,1,Hegezhuang Village,Cuigezhuang, Chaoyang District. (137 0107 8774, [email protected]) www.chinavarts.com 威诺里萨艺术中心, 朝阳区崔各庄乡何各庄村一号地艺术园区D区

Chinese Contemporary Beijing Daily

11am-7pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxi-anqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8456 2421, [email protected]) www.chinesecontemporary.com 中国当代, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Color of Joy Dashanzi Art District, 2 Jiuxi-anqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. 喜神艺术, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区

Contrasts Gallery Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6432 1369) 对比窗艺廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区

CourtYard Annex Tue-Sun noon-7pm. 155 Caochangdi Village, Nangao Xiang, Chaoyang District. www.courtyard-gallery.com 四合苑艺术空间, 朝阳区南皋乡草场地村155号

CourtYard Gallery Tue-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun noon-7pm. B1/F, 95 Donghuamen Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6526 8882, fax 6526 8880, [email protected]) www.court-yard-gallery.com 四合苑, 东城区东华门大街95号地下一层

Creation Gallery Daily 10am-7pm. North end of Ritan Donglu, Chaoyang District. (8561 7570, [email protected]) www.creationgallery.com.cn 可创艺苑, 朝阳区日坛东路北口

Creativity Square Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. 创意广场, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Creek Art Tue-Sun 10.30am-6.30pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9217, [email protected] ) www.creekart.cn 苏河艺术中心, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子798艺术区

C-Space Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. C1 and C2, Red No.1,Caochangdi, Chaoyang District. (5127 3248, [email protected]) www.c-spacebeijing.com C-空间, 朝阳区草场地艺术区红1号C1，C2座

Currents – Art and Music Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. Dongbajianfang, Shuangbao Xiaoqu 2, Huantie Art District, Chaoyang District. (5205 3805/07, [email protected]) www.currents.cc 朝阳区环铁艺术区东八间房双宝小区2号

Dafeng Art Gallery Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. 1) Dashanzi art district (just past Dimensions Art Center and 3+3 Gallery), 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6433 7317); 2) 241 Beijie, Xiaopu Cun, Songzhuang Artists Village, Tongzhou District. 大风画廊, 1) 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区南边; 2) 通州区宋庄画家村小堡村北街241号

Dashan Art Gallery Tue-Sun 10 am-9pm. B2/F, China World Hotel, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District. (6505 2988, fax 6505 3988) www.dashan-art.com 大山美术馆, 朝阳区建国门外大街1号中国大饭店地下2层

Dimensions Art Center Tue-Sun 11am-7 pm. Dashanzi art district (southern sec-tion), 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6435 9665) www.dimensions-art.com 帝门艺术中心, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区南边

doArt China Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. 261 Cao-changdi, Chaoyang District. (8457 4550) www.doartchina.com 都亚特画廊, 朝阳区草场地261号

East Gallery Tue-Sun 9am-5.30pm. 3/F, Deshengmen Watchtower, Beierhuan Zhonglu, Xicheng District. (8201 4962) www.bj-eastgallery.com 艺森画廊, 西城区北二环中路德胜门箭楼三层

Expol-Sources Art Space Tue - Sun 10.30am-6.30pm. Dashanzi Art District, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6477 3728) 奕源庄艺术空间, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子798艺术区

F2 Daily 10.30am-6pm. Guanghantang Nangao, East Dashanzi Lu, Chaoyang District. (134 8870 9596) www.f2gallery.com F2画廊, 朝阳区大山子路东机场辅路南皋广汉堂院内

Fa Fa Gallery Daily 10.30am-8pm. 4, Yuyang Lu, Houshayu Town, Shunyi Dis-trict. (84302587, [email protected], [email protected]) www. fafagal-lery.com 发发画廊, 顺义区后沙峪镇榆阳路4号(优山美地俱乐部)

形铁道内(中国电影博物馆旁)

Imagine Gallery Daily 10.30am-5.30pm. Feijiacun Donglu, Cuigezhuang, Laiguangying Donglu, Chaoyang District. (6438 5747) www.imagine-gallery.com 想象画廊, 朝阳区来广营东路崔各庄费家村香格里拉附近同达饭店对面

Institute of Chinese Traditional Paintings Daily 9am-4pm. 54 Xisanhuan Beilu, Haid-ian District. (6841 1369) 中国国画研究院展览馆, 海淀区西三环北路54号 (300 路紫竹院站)

Instituto Cervantes 1A Gongti Nanlu, Chaoyang District. (5879 9666) http://pe-kin.cervantes.es 北京塞万提斯学院, 朝阳区工体南路甲1号

Inter Art Center and Gallery Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxi-anqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6437 0593, [email protected]) www.intergallery.cn 映艺术中心, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区

J.F. Art Gallery Tue-Sun 10am-7pm. Jings-hun Lu (head 200m west from the Beigao exit, beyond North Fifth Ring Road), Chaoyang District. (6438 2161/5276, [email protected]) 杰孚画廊, 朝阳区京顺路,北五环外第二个红绿灯, 北皋出口向西200米

Jiucaixuan Gallery Daily 8.30am-10pm. 1/F, Beijing Hotel, Xicheng District. (6513 7766 ext 1853) 九彩轩画廊, 西城区北京饭店一层

Joy Art Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 2, Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang Dis-trict. (5978 9788) 卓越艺术, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区

Keumsan Gallery Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. B-0024 Dashanzi Huantienei art dis-trict, Chaoyang District. (6436 6176, [email protected]) www.chinakeumsan.com 琴山画廊, 朝阳区大山子环铁内艺术城B0024

L.A. Gallery Beijing Tue-Sun 10.30am-6pm. 319-1 East End Art (Zone A), Caochangdi Village, Chaoyang District (Take the Air-port Service road one exit past Wuhuan Lu, take the first right and turn north on the road opposite the Chang Jian Driving School), Chaoyang District. (6432 5093) www.la-gallery-beijing.com 紫禁轩, 朝阳区草场地村319-1 艺术东区A区内 (机场辅路由南往北五环外第一个路口路东, 长建驾校对面路口)

Liana Art Space Daily 10.30am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8166 7933) 青藤子艺术空间, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Linda Gallery Daily 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district,2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9235, [email protected]) 林大798当代艺术馆, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区

Loft 3 Gallery Tue-Sun 9am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 2, Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9653) 红三房画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区

Long March Space Tue-Sun 11am-7pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6438 7107, [email protected]) www.long-marchspace.com 长征空间, 朝阳区大山子艺术区

March Art/Felix Ringel Gallery Beijing Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8096 9200) www.march-art.com 三月空间, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区

Marella Gallery Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6433 4055) www.marellart.com 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Melodic Gallery Daily 10am-4.30pm. 14 Jianguomenwai Dajie, opposite Friendship Store, Chaoyang District. (6515 8123) 墨岚画馆, 朝阳区建外大街14号, 友谊商店对面

Memo Wall Gallery Daily 11am-7pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (5129 0798) 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号，798-大山子艺术区

Morain Studio Daily 10am-6.30pm. Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxiuqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (139 1092 3743) 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子798艺术区

Fake Space Rm 111, Bldg 3B, Pingod (North Zone), 32, Baiziwan Lu (next to Today Art Museum), Chaoyang District. (5826 3132) 朝阳区百子湾32号苹果社区北区3B-0111（今日美术馆旁）

Faurschou Gallery Beijing Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Dashanzi Art District, 4, Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9316/14) 林冠画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区

Ferry Art Center Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. F8-1003 Jiuchang Art Factory, Anwai Beiyuan Beihuqu, Chaoyang District. (5202 3955/56) 渡那国际艺术中心, 朝阳区安外北苑北湖渠酒厂ART艺术园F8-1003

The First Sound Gallery Tue-Sun 9.30am-6.30pm. Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxian-qiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (5978 9888, [email protected]) www.thefirstsound.com 先声画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号798艺术区

Front Line Contemporary Only by ap-pointment. Rm 2710, Embassy House, 18 Dongzhimenwai Xiaojie, Chaoyang District. (8449 9716, [email protected]) www.frontlinecontem-porary.com 朝阳区东直门外小街18号万国公寓2710室

Funart Space Tue -Sun11am-7pm. 2 Jiuxi-anqiao Lu, Dashanzi art district, Chaoyang District. (8459 9257, [email protected]) www.funartspace.com 方音空间, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号入口300米

Galerie Urs Meile, Lucerne-Beijing Tue-Sun 11am-6.30pm. 104 Caochangdi Village (take the airport service road north past the 5th Ring Road, turn right at the “China Film Museum” billboard and con-tinue to the traffic light. At the light, veer right onto a slanted road and continue heading right. The gallery is the two-story gray building on the left), Chaoyang District. (6433 3393, fax 6433 0203) www.galerieursmeile.com 麦勒画廊, 朝阳区草场地村104号

Galleria Continua Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6436 1005) www. galleriacontinua.com 常青画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Gallery Artside Tue-Sun 10am-7pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9335/9336, [email protected]) www.artside.org 北京阿特塞帝画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区

Gallery Beijing Space Tue-Sun 10am-6.30pm. 3818 Warehouse, Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9304, [email protected]) 北京空间画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号3818库内

Gallery Perif Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (135 8185 9097(Eng), 134 2606 3725 (Chi)) www.perif.net 另辟蹊径, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号, 798 大山子艺术区

Gallery Soemo-Fine-Arts 2 Daily 10am-6pm. 66 Xiaopunan Jie, Songzhuang, Tongzhou District. (8957 9113, [email protected]) www.soemo-fine-arts.com 苏蒙画廊空间二, 通州区宋庄小堡南街66号

Gallery TN Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxian-qiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9550) www.mookgallery.com 天画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区

Gao Brothers’ Art Centre Dashanzi art dis-trict, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9577) 高氏兄弟艺术中心, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Gong Gallery Tue- Sun 10am-7pm. 6 Fangyuan Xilu,Lidu Park, Chaoyang Dis-trict. (8457 2422/ 4060, [email protected]) www. gonggallery.com.cn 孔画廊, 朝阳区芳园西路六号丽都公园内圆形写字楼

Hanmo Arts Gallery Daily 10.30am-6.30pm. Dashanzi art district, 3818 Ku, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6435 8922) www.hanmoart.com 北京世纪翰墨画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号院内3818库798大山子艺术区

Huan Tie Times Art Dashanzi Ring Railway, Chaoyang District. (6435 0952) www.hts-dart.com 环铁时代美术馆, 朝阳区大山子环


AR

T


REVIEWS Q&A

After working for HK art organizations such as Para/Site and Videotage, 26-year-old American Samantha Culp came to Beijing earlier this year. As the project manager of

RMB City – an online art community created by China Tracy (the avatar of Chinese artist Cao Fei) in the popular 3-D virtual world Second Life, Culp talked to the Beijinger about metaverses, the media and the state of Chinese art. the Beijinger: RMB City is a new-media art piece. Innovations in media are often “driven by the desire to overcome mediation” – does RMB City work towards that end?Samantha Culp: RMB City engages many forms of media at once. It exists in Second Life, which could be called the primary “medium” for the piece, but also encompasses video, writings, performance, social interaction and research. It acts as a bridge between “First” and “Second” lives, and is very much about confusing/connecting these divides. Obviously virtual worlds or metaverses like Second Life are a fairly new medium for art and cultural production, but I think they have a particularly inter-esting potential to challenge the typical “mediation” of more standard media.

tbj: What interested you in the RMB City project? SC: From the first time I heard about the project, I thought it was fascinating – it touched on so many things that interest me, from film and architecture to the blurred line between fiction and real-ity. It’s probably safe to say that no artist has ever done a project quite like this before, and therefore it seemed like a uniquely chal-lenging yet exciting process to be a part of. It’s not every day you get the chance to help build a city in the clouds, so it seemed too rare an opportunity to pass up. tbj: How would you describe the Chinese art world? SC: DIY energy with an establishment twist.

tbj: Are there any conditions in Beijing that you have to con-sider before making curatorial decisions? SC: RMB City is a very international project, with partners and networks spanning from Asia to Europe, and [more] importantly, the nature of Second Life hopefully creates conditions to skip over national boundaries. So in a way, it has its own distinct cura-torial approach that is influenced by the various cultural contexts it touches, but doesn’t really belong to any one in particular.

Metaversal CityRMBCity.com curator Samantha Culp

interviewed by Venus Lau

Fe w a r t ex h ib i t ions h ave such overt socia l focus as “Common Ground,” which

br ings together environmental ly themed digital media by artists from across the globe. Driven by neither gallery nor artist nor even monetary concerns, the show is pure in intent and noble in ambition. This interna-tional touring exhibition takes place every two years, always in the Olympic host city. Over 100 artists from 40 countries are selected for the exhibi-tion by a panel of judges, with works ranging from computer-generated art

to videos and digitally manipulated photographs. The common ground in question is, of course, dear Mother Gaia

herself. The best of the collection breaks away from the maudlin depictions of doves and clouds and flowers, and instead take advan-tage of their digital format to comment on the peculiar problems that modern man has brought to the earth. Marte Newcombe’s “Robotman3” threatens a pale planet with robotic faces and a grid-like array seemingly stretching endlessly into space. Aditi Kulkarni’s “Computer Keystroke,” imposed over fractured lakes and cracked earth, questions our culpability and inaction. Yang Yi’s “Uprooted” series is particularly striking – it captures the final days of his home-town, Kaixian, before the Three Gorges Dam submerges it in 2009. His digitally rendered photographs already cast the crumbling city as lost to water and memory, its residents ephemeral but suspended beneath the waves. Shelley Jiang“Common Ground,” sponsored by the Beijinger, runs from Nov 9-19 at Huan Tie Times Art Museum. See listing, p42.

“Common Ground” Various Artists

The worn themes of “produc-tion” and “capital” are nothing new in contemporary Chinese

art. From the factory studios of artists like Zhang Huan to exhibitions titled “Made in China,” the path between industry and society is well-worn.

But never has the product itself been as absent as it is in Ni Haifeng’s solo show at Joy Art Gallery, “Para-Production.” The exhibit ion con-sists mainly of two installations – in the gallery’s cavernous main hall, a mountain of dark shredded fabric lies discarded under a sweeping skylight,

with stagnant sewing machines standing nearby. The walls of the gallery’s side room are covered in a display called the “Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System” that consists of the product classification codes used to categorize all international cargo.

The works contain a palpable sense of being haunted by a miss-ing presence: Who left this debris and what were they making? The absence of the actual product itself is a blunt articulation of the artist’s fascination with the concept of negation and uselessness – it begs the questions of the utility of these un-sellable shreds and how their positioning as a work of art complicates that idea.

Ultimately, these works are Ni’s attempt to challenge existing systems of production and capital, as made explicit by the artist’s inclusion of a photograph of a page from Karl Marx’s Das Kapital. The weather-beaten page is on the concept of money and suggests that the ideas themselves have become stale and brittle. Angie BaeckerPara-Production runs to Nov 15 at the Joy Art Gallery. See listing, p42.

“Para-Production” Ni Haifeng

“It’s not every day you get the chance to help build a city in the clouds”


AR

T


National Agricultural Exhibition Centre Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District. (6502 1727) 中国农业展览馆, 朝阳区东三环北路

New Age Gallery Dashanzi Art District, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9282) 新时代画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区

New Art Centre Daily 9am-5.30pm. 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6528 9103) 牛氏经典文化艺术中心, 东城区南池子大街136号

New Beijing Gallery No 1-3, Nanxincang, 22 Dongsishitiao, Dongcheng District. (6409 6382) 东城区东四十条南新仓1-3号

New Millennium Art Gallery Daily 10am-7pm. 3818 Warehouse, Dashanzi art dis-trict, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6432 4122) www.2000gallery.com 千年时间画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号3818库

Nike 706 Gallery Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. www.nike706.com 706 展览馆, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Nine-tripods Shenzhou Art Museum Daily 8am-late. North of Beiguan Huandao, Tongzhou District. (8088 6131) 北京九鼎神州艺术馆, 通州区北关环岛北侧

NY Arts Beijing Daily 10am-4pm. 318 Art Park, He Ge Zhuang, Chaoyang District. (8457 3298, 134 3951 8846, [email protected]) www.nyartsbei-jing.com 纽约艺术空间 · 北京, 朝阳区何各庄318艺术园

offiCina Tue-Sun noon-7pm. Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (5978 9462) www.officinaltd.com 意中艺术工作室, 朝阳区酒仙路2号大山子艺术区

Onemoon Contemporary Art Tue-Sun, 10am-6pm. Inside Ditan Gongyuan (enter from the south gate), Dongcheng District. (6427 7748) www.onemoonart.com 一月当代, 东城区安定门外地坛公园

The Open Gallery Sun-Thu 7.30am-8pm, Fri-Sat 7.30am-8.30pm. 5 Kaifa Jie, Xibaixin Cun (next to Mrs. Shanen’s Cafe), Shunyi District. (8046 4302) 贞的画廊, 顺义区西白新庄村开发街5号

Pace Beijing Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxi-anqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区

Parcour2galerie Wed-Sun 1-7pm. 11 Fux-iang Hutong, Dongcheng District. (8403 5830, [email protected]) 驿游云画廊, 东城区福祥胡同11 号

Paris Beijing Photo Gallery Daily 10am-7pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9263, [email protected]) www.paris-beijingphotogallery.com 巴黎北京摄影空间, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Passage Gallery Daily 9am-6pm. 36B Liuli-chang Xijie, Xuanwu District. (6303 4259) 正品斋, 宣武区琉璃厂西街乙36号

Pata Gallery Tue-Sun 1-6.30pm. 5, 3818 Warehouse, Dashanzi art district, 2, Jiuxi-anqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6433 5120) 八大画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号3818库5号

Peace Art Co Daily 9.30am-midnight. 17D Guanghua Lu, west of the south gate of Ritan Gongyuan, Chaoyang District. (8562 2680) 和平艺苑, 朝阳区日坛南门西侧光华路丁17号

Pekin Fine Arts Wed-Sun 10am-6pm. 241, Cuige Zhuang, Caochangdi, Chaoyang Dis-trict. (5127 3220) www.pekinfinearts.com 艺门画廊, 朝阳区崔各庄乡草场地村241号

Pickled Art Centre Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. Fei-jiacun, Laiguangying Donglu, Chaoyang District. (6432 7590) www.pickleart.com 酱艺术中心, 朝阳区来广营东路费家村

PKM Gallery Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. 46-C Caochangdi, Chaoyang District. (8456 7429) www.pkmgallery.com 北京朴敬美画廊, 朝阳区草场地46号C

Platform China Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. 1) Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6438 8451); 2) 319-1 East End Art (Zone A), Caochangdi Village, Chaoyang District (Take the Airport Serv-ice road one exit past Wuhuan Lu, take

the first right and turn north on the road opposite the Chang Jian Driving School), Chaoyang District. (6432 0169/0091) www.platformchina.org 站台中国当代艺术机构, 1) 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区; 2) 朝阳区草场地村319-1 艺术东区A区内 (机场辅路由南往北五环外第一个路口路东, 长建驾校对面路口)

Potential Gallery Daily 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu (op-posite to 798 Red Gate Gallery), Chaoyang District. (6433 7416 13911195654, [email protected]) 潜空间, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号798大山子艺术区2号院（红门画廊对面）

PYO Gallery Beijing Daily 9.30am-6.30pm. Liquor Factory, Beihuqu Lu, Anwaibeiy-uan, Chaoyang District. (5202 3814) www.pyoart.com 表画廊, 朝阳区安外北苑北湖渠酒厂艺术区

Pyongyang Art Studio Call for appoint-ment. Inside Youyi Youth Hostel, 43 Sanli-tun Houjie, Chaoyang District. (6416 7544) www.pyongyangartstudio.com 朝阳区三里屯后街43号友谊青年旅店内

Qian Jing Gallery Daily 9am-10pm. Feijia-cun, Lai Guang Ying, Chaoyang District. (8456 1373, 139 0106 2126) 千景, 朝阳区来广营费家村

Qin Gallery Tue- Sun 9.30am-6pm. Rm 1E, Bldg 1, Enjoy Paradise, Huaweili (north of Beijing Curio City), Chaoyang District. (8779 0461) www.qingallery.com 秦昊画廊, 朝阳区华威里翌景嘉园1座1E室(北京古玩城北)

Rain Gallery Daily 10.30am-6.30pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6432 3274) www.rain-gallery798.net 雨画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子798艺术区

Red Gate Gallery Daily 10am-5pm. Levels 1 and 4, Dongbianmen Watchtower Chong-wenmen, Chongwen District. (6525 1005) www.redgategallery.com 红门画廊, 崇文区东便门角楼

Red Star Gallery Tue-Sun 10am-7pm. Dashanzi art district, 2, Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6437 0781, [email protected]) www.chinaredstargal-lery.com 红星画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区

Russian Art Gallery Daily 10am-5.30pm. Inside the Sanyu Hotel, Dabeiyao, Dong-sanhuan Zhonglu (500m south of Guomao Qiao), Chaoyang District. (6776 8593, [email protected]) www.bjrussia-art.com 北京俄罗斯艺术画廊, 朝阳区东三环中路大北窑三宇宾馆内国贸桥往南500米路东

San Ban Studio Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6437 3432) www.tzhart.com/sanban 三版工坊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Sanshang Art Beijing Space Tue-Sun 9.30am- 6pm. 46 Caochangdi, art district D, Cuigezhuang, Chaoyang District. (6431 0085/38, [email protected]) 三尚艺术北京空间, 朝阳区崔各庄草场地46号(艺术D区)

Shang Elements Contemporary Art Mu-seum Tue- Sun 9am-5pm. Yihaodi Interna-tional Artbase, Hegezhuang, Chaoyang District. (64051082) 尚元素艺术馆, 朝阳区何各庄村崔各庄乡一号地国际艺术区

ShanghART Beijing Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. 261 Caochangdi, Chaoyang District. (6432 3202) www.shanghartgallery.com 香格纳北京, 朝阳区草场地261号

Siheyuan Project Tue-Sun 10.30am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8656 3396) www.litou.jp 四合院项目空间, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号

Soemo Fine Arts Daily 10am-5pm. No 66, Xiaopu Nanjie, Songzhuang, Tongzhou District. (8957 9113, 8092 3038, [email protected]) www.soemo-fine-arts.com 西蒙画廊, 通州区宋庄小堡南街66号

Soka Art Centre/ Soka Modern Tue-Sun 10am-9pm. Rm 101, Bldg B, Tianhai Shangwu Dasha, 107 Dongsi Beidajie, Dongcheng District. (8401 2377) www.soka-art.com 索卡(北京)艺术中心, 东城区东四北大街107号天海商务大厦B座101房

South Stream Studio Mon-Fri by ap-pointment, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm. Inside Chaoyang Liquor Factory (near Arario Gallery), Beihuqu Lu, Anwaibeiyuan Jie, Chaoyang District. (5202 3828) www.southstreamstudio.com 南溪美术空间, 朝阳区安外北苑北湖渠酒厂国际艺术园

Space Noon Dashanzi art district, 4, Jiuxi-anqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6438 3551, [email protected]) 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区

Star Gallery Tue-Sun 11am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu (inside 3818 Cool Gallery warehouse), Chaoyang District. (8456 0591) www.stargallery.cn 星空间艺术中心, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号院内,3818库

SZ Art Center Dashanzi art district, 4, Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6438 1088/6435 7838) http://www.szartcenter.com/ 圣之空间艺术中心, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区

Taikang Top Space Call for hours. 11/F, Taikang Life Bldg.156, Fuxingmennei Dajie, Chaoyang District. (6642 9988 ext 8302, 138 0132 6510) www.taikangtop-space.com 泰康顶层空间, 朝阳区复兴门内大街156号，泰康人寿大厦11层

Tang Contemporary Gallery Tue-Sun 10.30am-6.30pm. Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District. (6436 3518/3658, [email protected]) www.tangcontemporary.com 当代唐人艺术中心, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号, 大山子艺术区

Tanling Gallery & Workshop Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 1) Workshop 53, Dashanzi art district, Chaoyang District. (8169 5730, 137 0138 7083); 2) Gallery, east of Xiaobao Vil-lage Nanlu, Songzhuang Zhen, Tongzhou District. (8169 5730, 137 0138 7083) www.tanlinggallery.com 探岭画廊, 1) 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区工作室53; 2) 通州区宋庄镇小堡村南路东

The Fifth Element Gallery Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district. 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District. (6432 1338, [email protected]) www.798gallery.net 第五元素画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路四号大山子艺术区

Thinking Hands Tue-Sun 10.30am-6.30pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (5978 9189) www.thinkinghands.org 思想手, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Three Shadows Photography Art Centre Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. 155 East End Art, Cao-changdi Village (Next to Platform China), Chaoyang District. (6432 2663) www.threeshadows.cn 三影堂摄影艺术中心, 朝阳区草场地艺术东区155号(站台中国旁)

Timezone 8 Daily 10am-8pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang Dis-trict. (8456 0336) timezone8.com 现代书店北京艺术书屋, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Today Art Museum Daily 9am-5pm. Pingod Space, 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang District. (5862 1100) www.todayartmuseum.com 今日美术馆, 朝阳区百子湾路32号

Topredart Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxian-qiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9633, [email protected]) www.topr-edart.com 红鼎艺术, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号口内10米大山子艺术区

TRA Gallery Rm C 2006, Jiu Chang Art Garden,Beihu Qu,Beiyuan Anwai, Chaoyang District. (5202 3883) www.tra-gallery.com.cn TRA 画廊, 朝阳区安外北苑北湖渠酒厂国际艺术园C2006室

TS1 Gallery Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6433 1588, mailto:[email protected]) www.ts1.com.cn 壹空间画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区

Two Lines Gallery Daily 10am-5.30pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (139 1011 8792) 平行线画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号艺术区内

Vanessa Art Link Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. 46B Caochangdi Art Centre, Chaoyang District. (8456 7260/4273) 朝阳区草场地村艺术东区46乙

Wall Art Museum 10am- 7pm. 6/F, Bldg B

Fulllink Plaza, Chaowai Dajie, Chaoyang District. (8618 4138, [email protected]) www.artron.net/ad/sjq 墙美术馆, 朝阳区朝外大街丰联广场大厦B座6层

Wan Fung Art Gallery Mon noon-6pm, Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng District. (8523 3320) www.wanfung.com.cn 云峰画苑, 东城区南池子大街136号

Wenzheng Gallery Daily 9am-7pm. 1/F, Area 3, Fengyayuan, Huilongguan, Chang-ping District. (136 1127 4444) 闻正画廊, 昌平区回龙观风雅园三区底商

White Space Beijing Tue-Sun noon-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8456 2054) www.alex-anderochs-galleries.de 空白空间, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Xin Dong Cheng Space For Contemporary Art 1) Daily 10am-5pm. Dashanzi art dis-trict, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6433 4579); 2) Chaoyang Liquor Factory, Beihuqu Jie, Anwaibeiyuan, Chaoyang District. (5202 3868) www.chengxindong.com 程昕东国际当代艺术空间, 1) 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区; 2) 朝阳区安外北苑北湖渠朝阳区酿酒厂内

XwhyZ Space Call for opening hours. A5 Chaoyangmennei Dajie, Cangnan Hutong, Chaoyang District. (6403 8851 ext 112, [email protected]) 朝阳区A5朝阳门内大街，仓南胡同

XYZ Gallery Daily 10.30am- 6.30pm. Dashanzi Art District, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9299) 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区

Yan Club Arts Centre Daily 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (5978 9172) www.yan-club.com 仁画廊, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Yimeicang Gallery Daily 9am-6pm. 837 Kangyingcun, Sunhexiang (800m south east of the terminus of the 405 and 415 bus route), Chaoyang District. (8456 8415/1884, [email protected]) www.art-it.cn 艺美仓画廊, 朝阳区孙河乡康营村837号(405和415总站东南800米)

Yuanfen New Media Art Space Wed-Sun 11am-7pm, and by appointment. Qixing Dongjie, Dashanzi art district, Chaoyang District. (5978 9896, [email protected]) 缘分新媒体艺术空间, 朝阳区大山子艺术区七星东街

Zenith Gallery Tie-Sun 10am-7pm. (6525 6932/6631, [email protected]) 盛世今来画廊, 东城区南池子大街7号

MUSEUMSBeijing World Art Museum Daily 9am- 6pm. 9A Fuxing Lu, Haidian District. (5980 2222) www.worldartmuseum.cn 中华世纪坛世界艺术馆, 海淀区复兴路甲9号

Capital Museum Daily 9am-5pm. 16 Fux-ingmenwai Dajie, Xicheng District. (6337 0491/2) www.capitalmuseum.org.cn 首都博物馆, 西城区复兴门外大街 16号

Iberia Center for Contemporary Art Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Dashanzi art district, 4, Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8459 9640) www.iberiart.org 伊比利亚当代艺术中心, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区

National Art Museum of China RMB 20. Daily 9am-4pm. 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6401 2252/7076) www.namoc.org 中国美术馆, 东城区五四大街1号

The Palace Museum RMB 60. Daily 8.30am-4pm. Forbidden City, 4 Jingshan Qianjie, Xicheng District. (6513 2255, 8511 7099) www.dpm.org.cn 故宫博物院, 西城区景山前街4号

Sackler Museum Daily 9am-5pm, last ticket 4.30pm.. 75 Haidian Lu, inside the west gate of Peking University, Haidian District. (6275 1667) 北京赛克勒考古与艺术博物馆, 海淀区海淀路75号北京大学西门内

Ullens Center for Contemporary Art Tue- Sun 10am-6pm. Dashanzi Art District, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6438 6576) www.ucca.org.cn 尤伦斯当代艺术中心, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号大山子艺术区


AR

T


PrintOct 31Book Talk: What Next? with Lord Chris PattenWith the 21st century off to a tumultuous start, Lord Chris Pat-ten (see Feature, p50), politician, bestselling author and former Governor of Hong Kong discusses his latest book and how human-ity can work together to face modern challenges. Tickets must be purchased in advance. RMB 100-220. 7.30pm. The Bookworm (6586 9507) Nov 1Book Talk: What Next? with Lord Chris PattenLord Chris Patten discusses What Next? at the European Union Chamber of Commerce’s Satur-day Breakfast. See Oct 31 listing. Advance registration is highly recommended. For more info, go to the EUCCC website at www.eu-ropeanchamber.com.cn. RMB 200 (members), RMB 400 (non-mem-bers). 9.30am. Grand Millennium Beijing (8587 6888)Book Swap and Board GamesAt this lively monthly gathering, expatriates and locals alike come to swap English-language titles and play board games. Free. 2-6pm. Sequoia Café (6501 5503)Nov 4Book Talk: Socialism is Great! with Zhang LijiaHow Jane Eyre saved her from going mad is just one of the stories that journalist and former factory worker Zhang Lijia shares in her memoir about the glory days of the iron rice bowl. RMB 20-30. 7.30pm. The Bookworm (6586 9507)Nov 5Book Talk: A Most Immoral Woman with Linda JaivinIn what will undoubtedly be an entertaining and hilarious evening, The Bookworm’s Asialink Writer in Residence gives her final performance with a reading from her upcoming novel on George “Chinese” Morrison, a legendary China correspondent from the early days of the 20th century. RMB 20-30. 7.30pm. The Bookworm (6586 9507) Nov 7Book Launch: China Witness with XinranThe acclaimed author of the bestselling The Good Women of China, Sky Burial and What the Chinese Don’t Eat, British journalist Xinran launches her new book, a collection of interviews with Chi-na’s older generation. See photo, above. RMB 20-30. 7.30pm. The Bookworm (6586 9507) Nov 10Book Club: Beijing Playhouse Drama Club A cross between an acting work-shop and a book club, this group meets monthly to read popular Broadway comedies or dramas. This month, the club will read Art Control and other ten-minute plays to decide on Beijing Playhouse’s entry into the Ten Minute Festival. RMB 10. 7.30pm. Jiangjingjiu (8405 0124) See Bars & Clubs directory.Nov 18Book Talk: China – Open Hearts Open Doors with Elizabeth Gill LuiThe challenge of balancing growth and development with preserva-tion of the past is the subject of Lui’s book, which features a series

of photographs shot in China between 1995 and 2007. A fine arts photographer and educator, Lui speaks on the relationship Chinese residents have with their changing landscape. RMB 20-30. 7.30pm. The Bookworm (6586 9507) Nov 19Book Club: Red China Blues by Jan WongThe China Culture Center’s monthly book club reads a memoir from an idealistic Chinese-Canadian who first comes to Beijing in 1972, and gets much more than she bargained for as she participates firsthand in China’s rapid transfor-mation. Reservations are required. Free. 10.30am-noon. China Culture Center (6432 9341)Nov 22Kids Event: Riley and the Sleeping Dragon with Tania McCartneyLocal writer Tania McCartney launches her new picture book, the story of a boy, his little red airplane, and their adventures in Beijing as they seek a mysterious sleeping dragon. RSVP at 137 1885 2232 or [email protected]. Free. 10am. The BookMark (8049-9175) Nov 22, 23Beijing By Foot Walking Tour of Nanluogu Xiang and HouhaiLed by author of Beijing By Foot Eric Abrahamsen, explore sites like Chiang Kai-shek's old military headquarters, the Wanqing pawn shop, Wanning Bridge and more. Tour includes cake, coffee and lunch, plus a free voucher for a foot massage. Walks last 2-2.5hrs and are limited to 20 people. RSVP. RMB 200. 10am. For more info, call Kathy at 5820 7700 ext 855 or e-mail [email protected] 23Kids Event: Riley and the Sleeping Dragon with Tania McCartneySee Nov 22 listing. 11am. The Book-worm (6586 9507) Nov 25Book Talk: Evanescent Isles with Xu XiAuthor Xu Xi, who splits her time between Hong Kong and New York, reads from her latest book, a collection of quirky and insightful essays on Hong Kong’s disappear-ing cultures. RMB 20-30. 7.30pm. The Bookworm (6586 9507) Date TBABook Talk: Smoke and Mirrors with Pallavi AiyarDiscussing her recently released book, the Hindu Times’ Beijing correspondent speaks on her own experiences in China and delves into the intriguing relationship be-tween India and China. Free. Time TBA. Garden Books (6585 1435)Every SaturdayKids Event: StorytimeThe lively hour is led by teachers and includes a story reading, songs and craft activities. Free for mem-bers. 10am-11am. The BookMark (8049-9175) Every Sunday Kids Event: Kids Club at The BookwormChildren’s books are selected and read from every week in a fun and encouraging environment to promote a love of reading outside the classroom. Ages 4 and up. RMB 20. 11am-noon. The Bookworm (6586 9507)

November is shaping up to be an unofficial festival of women in literature. Over at The Bookworm, the line-up includes a trio of prominent Chinese writers. Kicking things off on

Nov 4 is Zhang Lijia, the former rocket-factory-worker-turned-journalist, discussing her popular memoir, Socialism is Great! Xinran, the doyenne of female Chinese writers abroad and the bestselling author of The Good Women of China, will be in town on November 7 to discuss her newest book. Finally, on Nov 25, Hong Kong/New York-based writer Xu Xi speaks on Evanescent Isles, her new collection of autobiographical essays. Like Wong Kar-wai, Xu explores Hong Kong’s shifting spaces and its enduring lack of a cohesive identity.

Journalist Pallavi Aiyar, the Beijing correspondent for the Hindu Times, will also be appearing at Garden Books to promote Smoke and Mirrors: An Experience of China. Her insightful book – part memoir, part travelogue – offers an unusual perspective on China’s historic changes, which often mirror India’s own.

As we mentioned last month, Lord Chris Patten (see Feature, p50) will be appearing around town, with an appearance at The Bookworm on Oct 31 and a breakfast seminar with the European Union Chamber of Commerce on Nov 1 (see listing, this page). Both events are sure to be a hot ticket, so advance registration is advised.

This time of year also brings several prestigious literary prizes. The biggest one of them all, the Nobel Prize for Literature, went to the novelist Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, the first French writer to win since Chinese-born Frenchman Gao Xingjian.

The inaugural Newman Prize for Chinese Literature was awarded to Mo Yan for his satirical novel Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, a book that has been compared to Kafka’s Metamorphosis. The first major American award for Chinese literature, the Newman Prize will be “awarded biennially in recognition of outstanding achievement in prose or poetry that best captures the human condition.” Along with a commemorative plaque, winners will receive USD 10,000.

Keep your eyes peeled for the Nov 13 announcement of the win-ner of the Man Asian Literary Prize, which is awarded to the best Asian novel not published in English. Last year’s award went to Jiang Rong’s Wolf Totem. Chinese authors and titles in the running this year include: Han Dong’s earthy Banished!, Murong Xuecun’s tragic-comic Leave Me Alone, Chengdu, and Yu Hua’s surreal Brothers.

Who says history is dead? Some books make their authors rich, but other books get their authors slapped. According to the Beijing News, Beijing Academy of Social Sciences director and historian Yan Chong-nian was assaulted twice at a book signing at a Wuxi Xinhua bookstore. While promoting his most recent title, The Kangxi Emperor, the guest host of CCTV-10’s “Lecture Room” apparently ticked off a reader who didn’t agree with Yan’s historical views. The attacker has since been fined RMB 1,000 and sentenced to ten days in jail. Fiona Lee

Nov 7: China Witness

Xinran gives voice to the Silent Generation. See listing, this page.

All event listings are accurate at time of press and subject to change

For venue details, see directories, p51Send events to [email protected] by Nov 10In

48

IN P

RIN

T



AR

T


REVIEWS

The Corpse Walker is a compilation of the oral histories of over

two-dozen ordinary people who lived through the ex-traordinary times of modern China. Interviewed with sym-pathy and respect by poet, novelist, screenwriter and musician Liao Yiwu, these accounts tap into the vivid memories of a wide spec-trum of people, including a Buddhist abbot, a mortician, a former landowner, a dis-trict official’s wife, a village teacher, a street singer and the corpse walker of the title. Each of them has a compel-ling story, and a distinctive

voice. Having lived through immense suffering, they now bear witness to their diverse experiences in gripping anecdotes that are often pitted with a dark, earthy humor.

Through their eyes, we see rare and disturbing glimpses of what really happened during the tumultuous 1950s and ‘60s. Appropriately subtitled “Real Life Stories: China from the Bottom Up,” this book offers a kaleidoscopic view of a modern China, not as recorded by some official historian from “the top down,” but from the bottom up. It is a testament to the true proletariat spirit of China today, that these stories can now be voiced and heard, as the voices contained within offer an important glimpse into a slice of China’s collective history that is seldom seen but was widely experienced. Minfong Ho

The Corpse Walker Liao Yiwu

Di An’s latest publica-tion is no small feat – the talented young

author has put out a poignant collection of three novellas named Huainian Xiaolongnü. The titular drama, which references a popular kung fu heroine, centers around the tortuous lives of two teenage girls, one of whom describes herself as “a selfish and cruel girl” while claiming her best friend to be “innocent and bright, whom I want to be-come but can’t.” Their na-tures may be polar opposites, yet the girls are inextricably linked together, and their characters paint an insightful

portrait of the good and evil sides of the human heart. The oldest story in the collection, “Sister’s Jungle”(“Jiejie de conglin”), is a ground-breaking work that delicately explores the complexity of Sapphic love, but the crown jewel of the trio is “Lili” – a touching fairy tale about a wild lioness raised by humans; it’s a parable about the struggles girls undergo as they cross the shaky bridge into womanhood.

Di’s calm, elegant prose is perhaps due to the influence of her parents, the celebrated writer-couple of Li Rui and Jiang Yun. Since publishing her first work (“Jiejie de conglin”) in China’s influential lit-erature magazine Shouhuo in 2002 at the tender age of 19, Di An has displayed a sensitive understanding of the complex, discordant nature of humanity – and a talent for spinning compelling plots played out by characters who are as believable as they are tormented. Her writing in this collection continues to shine, breaking below the surface of simple storytelling to shed light on issues that lie at the very root of the human experience. Alice Wang

Huainian Xiaolongnü (怀念小龙女) Di An

What’s China Reading: Comics and Humorcompiled by Cecily Huang

1. UNCOCORO: For Natural Unco Life, (大便书), by Yorifuji Bunpei and

Fujita Koichiro, Chinese translation by Wu Qianghuang吴锵煌

Japanese Fujita “Dr. Parasite” Koichiro conspire with famous illustrator

Yorifuji Bunpei to vividly and humorously explain the call of nature, and

tells how leading a healthy life starts by understanding stool.

2. Living Alone in the Fifth Year, (一个人住第5年), by Hokusoem 高木直子,

Chinese translation by Hong Yujun (洪俞君)

Hokusoem, regarded as a “little Japanese illustration queen,” portrays the

freedom, worries, loneliness and happiness of her five years of single life.

Her simple drawings of daily activities like watering flowers and cooking

offer a calm, colorful portrait of her solitary life.

3. 30 Cent Mother (30分老妈), Hokusoem 高木直子, Chinese translation

by Dou Jingnan窦静男

Based on the illustrator’s childhood memories, this book portrays a warm

and harmonious family life held together by a clumsy but loving mother

who is good at neither housework nor cooking. Hokusoem’s slightly

exaggerated drawings and funny captions will hit home with any reader

with a chaotic but nurturing mother.

4. Vater und Sohn (父与子, Father and Son), by E.O. Plauen

Since its first appearance in the German newspaper Berliner Illustrirte

in 1943, the comic strip Father and Son has became popular around the

world. In his book, Plauen presents vividly portrays deep love, happiness

and wisdom in each humorous story about himself and his son.

Cecelia Ahern, the Irish modern fairy tale writ-er and best-selling au-

thor of P.S. I Love You, which spawned last year’s tearjerker film starring Hilary Swank, has created another story that teeters on the unbelievable and packs a big punch of the predictable.

When Joyce Conway awakes after undergoing a blood transfusion, she sud-denly has flashbacks from a different life, spouts knowl-edge about wine, art, and architecture, and understands Latin. The book then cuts to Justin Hitchcock, a cynical American art history profes-

sor and wine connoisseur who donates blood near Joyce’s home. As the novel switches back and forth from the minds of each of the protagonists, it’s clear from the beginning how this is going to play out – Joyce wants to find the man who saved her life and embarks on a quest to give Justin secret gifts, yet every time he comes close to identifying her, she inexplicably runs away – a cheap shot to cre-ate tension.

As far as chick-lit goes, this example is almost offensive in its bla-tant symbolism (the blood Justin donates is the “first thing to come from his heart in a long time”). Thanks for the Memories is best read as a romantic comedy screenplay – it’s rife with chance encounters, far-fetched schemes, and misunderstandings that make the novel drag on and on.

The only genuine passages occur when Joyce contemplates the future of her existence after a miscarriage, separating from her hus-band and moving back home. Skip the book and wait for the B-movie version. Jessica Pan

Thanks for the Memories Cecelia Ahern

49

IN P

RIN

T


http://www.amazon.cn/mn/searchApp?searchWord=%E7%AA%A6%E9%9D%99%E7%94%B7


AR

T


NOT QUITE THE END OF THE WORLDChina is a microcosm of 21st century challenges that Patten outlines in What Next?by Fiona Lee

PHO

TO: H

AR

RY BO

AR

DEN

FEATURE

Lord Chris Patten has never eaten a Big Mac.Yet, while avoiding McDonald’s (and the fast food industry

in general) is standard practice for legions of left-wing war-riors, Patten is hardly an opponent of globalization. Instead, he is a staunch supporter of the free market system.

Globalization is just one of the subjects that Patten takes on in his newest title, What Next? Surviving the 21st Century. Dubbed “the best foreign secretary Britain never had” by The Independent, Patten takes a clear and engaging look at the multiple issues that demand the attention of international governments and their people.

This turbulent year alone has seen terrorism, war, global food shortages and economic turmoil, but that’s hardly the end to the challenges that people will face in the 21st century. According to Patten, the world can also anticipate having to grapple with energy security, climate change, migration, international drug traffi cking, terrorism, water shortages and epidemic disease.

To research the issues covered in What Next?, Patten drew on h is vast exper ience as former EU Commissioner for External Affairs, a one-time Cabinet member and member of the British Parliament and, most famously, the last British governor of Hong Kong. His dec-ades of experience have given him a unique insider’s perspective on Asia in general, and China in particular.

“Dealing with Asia, I’ve gained an appreciation of the dynamics – and the consequences – at work here,” he says. “As China has become one of the largest economies with increasing political clout, it plays an important part in how global power will realign in this new geopolitical landscape.”

While many Western commentators have worried about China’s rise – a concern that he dismisses as “overblown” – he observes that China has been the world’s largest economy for 18 of the last 20 centuries. Instead of thinking of China as a threat, he believes that what the West and China need is more cooperation and dialogue at the highest levels. In particular, one 20th century presumption that will have to go is the idea that China and the United States will face a “clash of civilizations.”

As a clear benefi ciary in the liberalization of markets, China has made great strides over the past 25 years, lifting 400 million people out of poverty and cementing its place as an economic powerhouse. At the same time, China is in many ways a microcosm of the 21st century challenges Patten elegantly outlines in What Next?

China’s re-emergence naturally poses multiple questions for its government and its people. “China’s three biggest challenges are the environment, water shortage and its growing economic gap between the cities and the countryside,” says Patten. “All of these will have to be addressed in the next few years.”

Where will the solutions come from? Patten wrote What Next? before the current meltdown in the global economy, but even after recent events he remains a fi rm believer in free markets, especially in their ability to redistribute capital and lift developing countries out of poverty. “What’s going on is a failure of regulations in the market system and poor government,” he says. Nor is the malaise across oceans and continents a fault of modern late capitalism. “Globaliza-

tion is as old as time, driven by technologi-cal advances,” he says, citing as an example the progress of the Industrial Revolution after the invention of the steamship.

No stranger to confl ict, Patten is also an optimistic believer in the spirit of the hu-

man race, especially as expressed through international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the European Union. Although these organizations have all come under heavy criticism, Patten believes that high-level partnerships will ultimately prevail over national differences and create solutions for what ails us.

So why does this proud fl ag-bearer for internationalism avoid the Big Mac? An advocate of the Slow Food movement, Patten admits that he simply appreciates a real beef burger. As he writes in What Next?, “Globalization is ultimately about choices exercised on a glo-bal level: economic choices, lifestyle choices and identity choices.”

Lord Chris Patten will be appearing at The Bookworm on Oct 31 and at the European Union Chamber of Commerce Saturday Breakfast on Nov 1 to discuss What Next? Surviving the 21st Century. See listing, p48.

“China has been the world’s largest economy for 18 of the last 20 centuries”

50

IN P

RIN

T



AR

T


do stock a good range of travel, kids, health and coffee table books. 1) Daily 10.30am-7.30pm. River Garden Clubhouse, 7 Yuyang Lu, Houshayu, Shunyi District. (8046 6211, [email protected]); 2) Daily 10am-10pm. Shop B107, The Place, 9 Guanghua Lu (Dongda-qiao Lu), Chaoyang District. (6587 1328, [email protected]) 1) 顺义区后沙峪乡榆阳路7号; 2) 朝阳区光华路9号世贸天阶中心地库B107

China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation A wealth of foreign-language books, periodicals and multimedia products are available at this little-known store. 2/F, 16 Gongti Donglu, Chaoyang District. (6508 2324) www.cnpeak.com 中国图书进出口公司, 朝阳区工体东路16号

Cuckoo Bookstore Although small, this pricey store has an impressive selection of foreign magazines. Daily 9.30am-8pm. NBS4, B1/F, China World Shopping Mall (next to the Bank of China), 1 Jian-guomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District. (6505 9286) 布谷鸟书店, 朝阳区建国门外大街1号国贸商城地下1层NBS4 (中国银行旁)

Designer Books They stock all you could want in terms of domestic and interna-tional design books. 9am- 6pm. Bldg 2, 3 Desheng Xiezilou, Babukou Hutong, Gu-lou Xidajie, Xicheng District. (6406 7653, [email protected]) www.designer-books.net 北京迪塞纳图书, 西城区鼓楼西大街八步口胡同3号德胜写字楼2号楼

Disanji Bookstore This gigantic store is billed as the biggest Chinese-language bookstore in the world. They sell various kinds of Chinese-language books, CDs, DVDs and have a great selection of origi-nal editions from Taiwan and Hong Kong. Daily 9am-10pm. 66 Beisihuan Lu (oppo-site the south gate of Peking University), Haidian District. (5128 2300, fax 6253 4396) www.d3j.com.cn 第三极书局, 海淀区北四环西路66号

Foreign Languages Bookstore This cavern-ous shop offers Beijing’s most extensive line of English language fiction, art books, travel books, magazines, maps, dictionaries, kids’ books (Dr. Seuss!) and more. Daily 9am-9pm. 235 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6512 6903, [email protected]) www.bpiec.com.cn 外文书店, 东城区王府井大街235号

Garden Books This English-language bookstore above Sequoia Cafe (in the former location of Tim’s Texas Bar-B-Q) is the Beijing branch of a Shanghai favorite. 8am-8pm. 44 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District. (6585 1435, [email protected]) 朝阳区光华路44号

Guo Lin Feng Bookstore Located in the basement of Haidian Book City, and a little hard to find, this store has a decent selection of English and other foreign lan-guage books. Daily 9am-9pm. B1/F, Haohai Lou, Haidian Book City (south of Haidian Qiao), Haidian District. (6253 4371) 国林风书店, 海淀区中关村海淀图书城昊海楼地下一层(北四环海淀桥南)

Haidian Book City Haidian Book City gets props for its enormous size alone – its four stories house nearly 200 shops that sell the biggest and most up-to-date col-lection of publications you can find in the city. Books available cover a range of topics, including literature, sociology, economics, science and technology, plus a limited selection of English fiction in the basement. Daily 9am-6pm. 36 Haidian Xidajie, Haidian District. (6257 3167) 海淀图书城, 海淀区海淀西大街36号

Hanfen Lou Bookstore Supported by Com-mercial Press, this store holds regular weekend lectures featuring local authors and academics. Most of the books and all of the lectures are in Chinese. You can find out more about upcoming events by calling 6525 8899 ext 544. Daily 9am-9pm. 36 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6559 5282) www.cp.com.cn/hf/ 涵芬楼书店, 东城区王府井大街36号

Ivy Kids Book Club The Ivy Kids Book Club offers the best selection of English chil-dren’s books in Beijing, with over 1,400 titles suitable for children between 0 and 6 years-old. The book club is open to the

general public, although students of Ivy Academy and Ivy Bilingual have priority in joining. Membership RMB 400/year for individuals and RMB 600/year for families. Tue-Fri 10am-12.30pm, 1.30-6pm; Sat 10am-6pm. Bldg E, Ocean Express, 2 Dongsanhuan Beilu (behind Silver Tower), Chaoyang District. (8446 7286, [email protected]) www.ivybookclub.cn 朝阳区东三环北路2号远洋新干线E座（南银大厦后面）

Le Petit Gourmand A lending library/French bar and restaurant that has a great selection of secondhand English and other foreign language books. Membership is RMB 150 for 6 months or RMB 250 a year, this entitles you to borrow 3 books at a time. Daily 9.30am-midnight. bar open until 2am. 3/F, Tongli Studios, Sanlitun Houjie, Chaoyang District. (6417 6095, fax 6413 0765) www.lepetitigourmand.com.cn 小美食家, 朝阳区三里屯后街同里3层

O2SUN Bookstore This Macanese chain’s Beijing flagship attracts the student crowds in Wudaokou with its wide selec-tion of Chinese-language learning books. It also houses a few shelves of English-lan-guage books, a wide array of magazines and a great cafe on the second floor. The second branch also stocks some classic English-language works. 1) Daily 9am-mid-night. Bldg 1, Huaqing Jiayuan, Chengfu Lu (across from Wudaokou light-rail sta-tion), Haidian District. (8286 3032/33); 2) Daily 10am-10pm. B1083, Shin Kong Place, 87 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District. (6533 1369); 3) Daily 9am-midnight. S3001, Bldg B, Soho New Town, 88 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District. (8580 2786/2789) www.o2sun.com 光合作用, 1) 海淀区五道口华清嘉园 1 号楼; 2) 朝阳区建国路87号新光天地地下1层1083号; 3) 朝阳区建国路88号Soho现代城B座S3001

One Way Street Library Though hard to find and with a limited selection of English-language books, this bookstore is still worth visiting thanks to the interest-ing events organized on a regular basis and its peaceful atmosphere. 1) Daily 9am-8.30pm. East Gate of Yuanmingyuan, enter the parking lot and keep heading north past the entrance to the park and then turn left (next to Mima Cafe, Haidian District. (6257 0357, fax 6257 0357, [email protected]); 2) Daily 10am-11pm. Rm 1314, Bldg 19, Wanda Plaza, 93 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District. (5820 5369, 5820 6125, [email protected]); 3) Daily 9.30am-10pm. Blue Rock Club, Area B, China Millennium Monu-ment, 9A Fuxing Lu, Haidian District. (6857 3382, [email protected]) www.onewaystreet.cn 单向街图书馆, 1) 海淀区圆明园东门内停车场北侧(在左右间旁边); 2) 朝阳区建国路93号万达广场19座1314; 3) 海淀区复兴路甲9号中华世纪坛B区蓝石俱乐部内

Peekabook House A library for kids, Peekabook House offers a wide range of English titles and also video and audio materials for rental. Based on similar stores in the US, the library organizes plenty of activities including reading clubs, story time, arts and crafts and more. They can also help readers to purchase books from abroad. Tue-Sun 9.30am-8.30pm. 1) 2/F, Huatengyuan Club, Jinsong Qiao, 54 Dongsanhuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District. (8773 8382/5884, [email protected]); 2) 2/F, Wanliu Shequ Shenghuo Guan, 15 Wanliu Zhonglu, Haidian District. (8256 7276, 8256 6324, [email protected]) www.peekabook.com.cn 皮卡书屋, 1) 朝阳区东三环南路54号花藤园俱乐部二层(劲松桥); 2) 海淀区万柳中路15号万柳社区生活馆二层

Poplar Kids Republic Bookstore One of the most extensive children’s bookstores in Beijing. The unique design encourages children and their parents to stop by, read together and enjoy the in-store facilities, which include a comfortable play area. Daily 10am-7.30pm. Rm 1362, Bldg 13, Jianwai Soho, 39 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang District. (5869 3032) www.pop-lar.com.cn 蒲蒲兰绘本馆, 朝阳区东三环中路39号建外Soho13号楼1362

Sanlian Taofen Bookstore Filled with qual-ity philosophy and art books. Head up to the second floor to find a large range

BOOKSTORESAll Sages Bookstore Although it doesn’t have many English-language titles, the range and quality of All Sages’ Chinese titles and the stylish cafe on the second floor make it one of the best bookstores in Beijing. It has a great selection of Chinese translations of the latest aca-demic releases as well as a large range of social and political science texts. Daily 10am-10pm. 1) Bldg 10, Fangcaodi Xijie, Chaoyang District. (8561 4331, 8563 1710); 2) 123 Lanqiying, Chengfu Lu, Haidian District. (6276 8748) www.allsagesbooks.com 北京万圣书园, 1) 朝阳区芳草地西街10号楼; 2) 海淀区蓝旗营成府路123号

Beijing Book Building Take the escalator to the basement to find a large but eclectic range of English-language books. The staff is fluent in English and happy to help you search for a particular title. Dictionar-ies and books related to learning Chinese language can also be found on the third floor. Daily 8.30am-9pm. 17 Xichang’an Jie, (right near Xidan subway station), Xicheng District. (6607 8477) www.bjbb.com 北京图书大厦, 西城区西长安大街17号

Beijing International Book Store This huge bookstore in Beijing’s far west stocks a large range of English-language titles. 9am- 9pm. 117 Xisihuan Beilu, Haidian District. (8849 9030, [email protected]) 北京国际书店, 海淀区西四环北路117号(四季青桥西南)

Big and Little Books Specializes in im-ported English language children’s books, including a range of books in creative formats that are great for younger read-ers. 1) Shop 4001N, 5/F, Golden Resource Mall, 1 Yuanda Road, Haidian District. (6436 5197); 2) Daily 9am-9pm. 7A-02, Disanji Bookstore, 66 Beisihuan Xilu, Haid-ian District. (8248 6283); 3) Daily 10am-10pm. F4, Wangjing Mall, 33 Guangshun Beidajie, Wangjing, Chaoyang District. (8478 0428); 4) Mon-Fri, 9.30am-8.30pm, Sat-Sun, 9.30am-9.30pm. 102A,Beiing Lido Holiday Inn, Jiangtai Lu, Airport Express-way, Chaoyang District. (6437 6338) 小逗号儿童书店, 1) 海淀区远大路1号金源新燕莎五层4001N; 2) 海淀区北四环西路66号第三极书局7A-02区; 3) 朝阳区望京广顺北大街33号嘉茂（望京华联）购物中心四层; 4) 朝阳区首都机场路将台路丽都假日饭店102A

Blue Goat Books & Cafe The walls of this tiny store are plastered with movie post-ers and the shelves are filled with quality film art books – though the majority of them are Chinese-language editions. They also have a good range of hard-to-find Chinese movies. There is now also a small cafe in the courtyard. Daily 12.30am-mid-night. 3 Shuimo Xinqu (200m north of west gate of Tsinghua University), Haidian District. (6265 5069) 蓝羊书坊, 海淀区水磨新区3号（清华西门向北200米）

The BookMark Beijing’s largest multilingual lending library provides a wide range of English and other foreign language books for the whole family, including an impres-sive selection of children’s titles, fiction (both classic and contemporary) and a small selection of foreign language books. Story time for young readers with integrat-ed arts activities held on Sat morning at 10am. Wed-Sun 10am-6pm. 1 Kaifa Jie (be-tween Ms. Shanen’s Bagels and Smallville Café), Xibaixinzhuang, Houshayu, Shunyi District. (8049 9175, [email protected]) www.bookmarkbeijing.com 顺义区后沙峪西白辛庄开发街1号

The Bookworm This sleek lending library and bookshop has the best selection of English language books and magazines in town and is often cheaper than Amazon et al. The bibliophile manager arranges a fabulous lecture series that features both local and international authors. Other draw cards include the rooftop terrace, comfy couches and a kitchen that serves European fare. Daily 9am-2am. Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District. (6586 9507, [email protected], [email protected]) www.beijingbookworm.com 书虫书吧, 朝阳区工体北路4号院

Chaterhouse Booktrader Prices are generally a bit higher than those at the Foreign Language Bookstore, but they

of English-language editions and a small cafe. The store also organizes occasional lectures and has a good magazine selec-tion. Daily 9am-9pm. Meishuguan Dongjie (East of National Art Museum of China), Dongcheng District. (6407 1664, 6400 1122) www.sdxjpc.com 北京三联韬奋图书中心, 东城区北京美术馆东街 (中国美术馆东侧)

San Wei Bookstore This small bookstore stocks artsy and literary titles. After mak-ing your purchases, join the hipsters in the upstairs teahouse for live jazz or tradi-tional Chinese music performances. Daily 9.30am-10.30pm. 60 Fuxingmennei Dajie, Xicheng District. (6601 3204) 三味书屋, 西城区复兴门内大街60号

Shunyi Bookstore Daily 9am-6pm. 606 Pinnacle Plaza, South of Hualikan Cun, Tianzhu Town, Shunyi District. (8046 1276) 顺义书店, 顺义区天笠镇花梨坎村南荣祥广场606.

Timezone 8 This shop sells an amaz-ing selection of fashion and art books from both local and foreign publishers. They also offer Chinese teas, fresh fruit smoothies and selection of healthy and light cuisine. On Saturdays they play host to regular book talks. Daily 10am-8pm. Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (8456 0336) timezone8.com 现代书店北京艺术书屋, 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798大山子艺术区

Trends Lounge A bookstore-cafe with an expansive layout yielding plenty of comfy nooks for face time over coffee or an afternoon of reading. Impressive range of magazines and books includes a decent English-language selection. Daily 10am-10pm. L214, 2/F, Trends Bldg (connected to The Place’s north building), 9 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District. (6587 1998) 时尚廊, 朝阳区光华路9号时尚大厦2层L214

Wangfujing Bookstore One of the city’s biggest and most comprehensive book-stores. Struggle through the crowds to reach the third floor, where you’ll find a smattering of original English editions and a good range of Chinese language learning materials. Lectures are held on the sixth floor on weekends, usually in Chinese. Daily 8am-5pm. 218 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6513 2842, 6525 2592) www.wfjsd.com 王府井书店, 东城区王府井大街218号

Zhongguancun Bookstore Located in the university district, this store is up there with Xidan and Wangfujing in terms of range of English-language titles. Head to the third floor for English books, which can be found alongside a broad selec-tion of textbooks for Chinese-language study. Daily 9am-9pm. 68 Beisihuan Xilu, Haidian District. (8267 6696/97/98) www.zgcbb.com 中关村图书大厦, 海淀区北四环西路68号

51

IN P

RIN

T



AR

T


Nov 3-8CILECT CongressThe International Association of Film and Television Schools or CILECT (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision) will hold its annual conference at the Beijing Film Academy. Entrance is by registra-tion only. See www.cilect2008.com for more information. Beijing Film Academy (8204 1955)Nov 5, 7Napoleon Dynamite Napoleon Dynamite is a quirky, unpopular high schooler who just wants to fit in. One day, Pedro suddenly shows up, the new kid in town. He’s from Mexico, he has an awesome bike, and he’s the only kid in school with a mustache. When Napoleon befriends Pedro, he finally gets the chance to show his stuff and prove that he’s got … nothing to prove. Presented in English with Chinese subtitles. 8pm. Free. Obiwan (6617 3231)Nov 6The Elephant ManA documentary film about the friendship between a Harley- Davidson biker and a bull elephant. Salvation and friendship come in many different forms, but few as strange and beautiful as that of Timbo the African bull elephant and Chris Gallucci, the Elephant Man - their partnership endures for almost 30 years. Free. 7pm. Channel Zero Salon (8855 0623)Black Duplex (Nero Bifamiliare)Marina and Victor want to make a breakthrough in their lives by buying a house in an elegant area, “Valle Serena.” Marina is radiantly happy, and Vittorio is excited to leave their jobs to embark on promising multimedia activities. But their idyllic future is threat-ened when mysterious neighbors burst into their lives. Free. 7pm. Italian Embassy Cultural Office (6532 2187)Nov 7, 8Simon of the Desert (Simón del desierto)A satire by Luis Buñuel on religion, partially based on the tale of Saint Simeon Stylites, who lived atop a pillar for 36 years. Simon is a deeply religious man of the fourth century who wants to be nearer to God, yet the Devil is intent on seducing him. Free. 7pm. Instituto Cervantes (5879 9666) Nov 8My Final SecretOn an ancient Suzhou street with traditional white walls and black tiles, an old lady from a prestigious family lives with her caretaker. She attracts the atten-tion of her neighbors, who are all hoping for access to her cash. Free. 3.30pm. Space for Imagination (6279 1280) www.cnex.org.cnDuckweedA documentary about rich people in Shenzhen, whose paths to wealth consisted of nothing more than smuggling, stock market and real estate speculation. Among them is Wu Yu, who followed a similar path and struck it rich in the property industry, and now yearns for higher literary and artistic pursuits. Free. 7pm. Space for Imagination (6279 1280) www.cnex.org.cn

Nov 9UmbrellaA documentary about migrant workers in Zhongshan, Guang-dong province, who work day and night manufacturing umbrellas of various colors and styles. They have no idea how much that umbrella earns for others. Free. 3.30pm. Space for Imagination (6279 1280) www.cnex.org.cnTaxiThis documentary compares the lives of cab drivers in various cities. Chengdu is well-known for its relaxing and cozy atmosphere, but for taxi drivers, hardship cannot be avoided. In Taipei, the Blue-Green political divide can even be found between taxi drivers. In Hong Kong, many taxi drivers also volunteer as traffic controllers. Between controlling and being controlled, what is the satisfaction for them? Free. 9pm. Space for Imagination (6279 1280) www.cnex.org.cnNov 9-15International Student Film Festival of the Beijing Film AcademyStudent filmmakers and famous faces will come to the Beijing Film Academy for a week of film show-ings, Q&A, and lavish opening and closing events. See Feature, p56. RMB 3. Beijing Film Academy (8204 1955)Nov 9, 23 Queer As Folk Beijing Documentary SeriesWith topics such as “Revealing the Taiwan Rainbow,” “Love at a Distance,” and “Lesbian Toy Story,” QAF Beijing is a chance to see China’s gay culture in this Ford Foundation-funded independent documentary series by filmmaker Xiao Gang. Free. 9pm. The Boat (5191 6192)Nov 12Forum or Against ‘emThe Forum team’s fifth snow-board feature film has its Beijing premiere, including riders such as Eddie Wall, Travis Kennedy and Peter Line. Watch as they shred everything from back country to urban rails, with all the expected shenanigans in between. See photo, p55. Free beer during the screening and free raffle prize giveaway immediately after. Free. 8pm. Kro’s Nest (6553 5253)Nov 12, 14SabrinaAudrey Hepburn stars in this story of a chauffeur’s daughter in love with her father’s boss (William Holden). Humphrey Bogart plays the boss’s brother, determined to save the family fortune by keep-ing the smitten couple apart (so his brother can marry a wealthy heiress) by any means necessary. English with Chinese subtitles. Free. 8pm. Obiwan (6617 3231)Nov 13BearmanFeaturing some of the most inti-mate footage of wild bears ever seen, this remarkable film follows one man’s secret relationship with both black and grizzly bears in the Alaskan wilderness, as he at-tempts to prove that man and wild bear can live alongside each other in harmony. Reservation Required. Free. 7pm. Channel Zero Salon (8855 0623)

inema

As we ease our way into winter, Chinese film productions across China and around the world are taking off at lightning speed. The Gong Li and John Cusack vehicle Shanghai – ironically

not filming in Shanghai – has hopped from country to country in its efforts to be completed. Filmed primarily in London and Thailand, it looks to be wrapping up and beginning post-production soon. The film is Gong Li’s fifth English language feature and linguistically perhaps her most intensive role to date.

As for mainland-based Chinese productions, Lu Chuan, the direc-tor of award-winning film Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (2004) and the Jiang Wen vehicle Missing Gun (2002), is currently finishing up the last few scenes in his film and is expected to begin post-production for his long-awaited Nanking! Nanking! The film is hotly antici-pated due to the buzz surrounding Lu Chuan as an up-and-coming director, and after the commercial and critical success of Kekexili, which was screened and distributed in the United States. Meanwhile, new director Hou Yong (Zhang Yimou’s former cinematographer) is in Dongbei filming a highly anticipated television series on 1940s Manchuria, to be aired on CCTV starting in the spring. Jay Chou is also currently filming an unknown project in Xi’an.

In film festival news, director Wang Xiaoshuai’s new film In Love We Trust is racking up awards at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, and the Pula Film Festival. We trust that Wang will find distribution and the film will show up on Chinese screens sometime soon. Additionally, the Beijing Film Academy’s impressive annual International Student Film Festival will be bringing young and established faces to their cinemas in early November (see Feature, p56).

For some reason, the blog of pioneering Sixth Generation direc-tor Zhang Yuan (Beijing Bastards; Mama; East Palace, West Palace) is no longer being updated. Maybe it has to do with his well-publicized drug bust – aired on a Cops-style Chinese television show last January. The bust came as a surprise to many (back in 1994, Zhang had been acclaimed by Time magazine as one of the world’s top 100 leaders for the 21st century). While the broadcasting of his arrest was not unprecedented, such news is certainly a rarity. More information on Zhang’s case is available at Danwei.org.

For academic cinephiles, there are two new English-language books on Chinese cinema and television out this month – the first is called The Cinema of Feng Xiaogang, by Rui Zhang and is published by University of Hong Hong Press. The other, TV China, is written by Ying Zhu with England’s leading Chinese cinema expert, Chris Berry; it’s published by Indiana University Press.

In Beijing screening news, low-budget online Chinese television show Queer as Folk Beijing (Tongzhi yi fanren), funded by the Ford Foundation, is airing hour-long documentaries on gay culture in China every other Sunday at 9pm at The Boat. Look for an interview with director Xiao Gang in an upcoming issue. Amanda Weiss

All event listings are accurate at time of press and subject to change

For venue details, see directories, p53Send events to [email protected] by Nov 10C

Nov 5, 7: Napoleon Dynamite

The best way to ask a girl out? “Build her a cake or something.”

52

CIN

EMA



AR

T


Manual of Love 2 (Manuale d’Amore 2) Four episodes: Nicola, paralyzed after a car crash, falls in love with physical therapist Lucia. Franco and Manuela, a young couple unable to have children, fly to Barcelona for a specialized treatment for fertility. Filippo and Fosco, a homosexual couple, decide to marry. Ernesto, waiter in an important restaurant, has a liaison with Cecilia, the new young Spanish kitchen assistant. Free. 7pm. Italian Embassy Cultural Office (6532 2187)Nov 14,15Las Hurdes (Tierra Sin Pan)The region of Las Hurdes, not far from Salamanca, is largely cut off from the rest of the world. To reach Las Hurdes, one must travel through the town of La Alberca, which itself has some unusual sights and customs. The Hurdanos themselves live in several dozen villages in the nearby mountains. The lifestyle of the Hurdanos was so primitive at the time of filming that even bread was unknown to them. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Free. 7pm. Instituto Cervantes (5879 9666)Un Chien Andalou (Un Perro Andaluz)Directed by Luis Buñuel from a script that he co-wrote with Salvador Dali, this 17-minute clas-sic consists of bizarre and surreal images that may or may not mean anything. A straight razor slices a woman’s eye, a small cloud forma-tion obscures the moon, a man pokes at a severed hand in the street with his cane, a man drags two grand pianos containing rot-ting donkeys and live priests, and ants emerge from a man’s hand. Free. 7pm. Instituto Cervantes (5879 9666)Nov 16Crime and PunishmentThis documentary investigates the disturbing actions and abuses com-mitted by a small town police force in a community on the edge of North Korea, illustrating the eerily thin line that separates law break-ing and enforcement. Part of the Cherry Lane Film and Filmmakers series. Director Zhao Liang will be on hand to discuss the film and an-swer questions after the screening. RMB 40, RMB 20 (students). 8pm. Yugong Yishan (6404 2711)Nov 19, 21Fargo The Coen brothers’ Oscar-winning classic centers on Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) who, out of desperation, comes up with a plan to hire someone to kidnap and ran-som his wife. Jerry, who is not the most astute of individuals, hires a couple of real losers (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) from the frozen northern reaches of Fargo,

North Dakota. Things turn from bad to worse as Jerry helplessly watches. Free popcorn. English with Chinese subtitles. Free. 8pm. Obiwan (6617 3231)Nov 20The Dog WalkerA remarkable cinéma-vérité portrait – a moving account of one man’s battle to reconstruct a shattered identity and a winning meditation on Zen and the art of dog walking. RSVP. Free. 7pm. Channel Zero Salon (8855 0623)Sympathy for the Lobster (Le Ragioni dell’Aragosta) The actors of Avanzi (a cult Italian television show of the ‘90s) reunite after 15 years in Su Pallosu, a small village in Sardinia. They have decided to put together a show to support the cause of the local fish-ermen, who are having great diffi-culty due to fish depopulation. The actors are given a huge amphithea-tre in Cagliari, which rapidly fills up. However, tension also quickly rises. Free. 7pm. Italian Embassy Cultural Office (6532 2187)Nov 21, 22ViridianaDirected by Luis Buñuel. Winner of the Cannes Palm d’Or in 1961. Banned in Spain for 16 years, the film is about Viridiana, a young nun about to take her final vows, who pays a visit to her deranged and widowed uncle at the request of her Mother Superior. Free. 7pm. Instituto Cervantes (5879 9666)Nov 26, 2812 MonkeysA deadly virus has killed 99% of the human population, forcing survivors to flee beneath the planet’s deadly surface. This leaves all the other beings topside to rule the earth once again. Scientists select James Cole (Bruce Willis), an imprisoned sociopath, to return to the past and gather information useful in the defense against this contagion. Once back in time, he is to investigate the mysterious “Army of the Twelve Monkeys” and report his findings. Directed by Terry Gilliam. Free popcorn. English with Chinese subtitles. Free. 8pm. Obiwan (6617 3231)Nov 27Rare BirdImagine finding a pterodactyl alive and nesting on an obscure island. Rare Bird is the true story of a 15-year-old boy who helped find a bird believed extinct and solve the mystery of its existence. Threatened by development, invasive species, and the pesticide DDT, the Cahow bird of Bermuda has been on the brink of extinction for centuries. Now the bird faces a greater threat: global warming. RSVP. Free. 7pm. Channel Zero Salon (8855 0623)

Nov 26, 28: 12 Monkeys

Bruce Willis contemplates insanity, black eyes and bathrobes.

CINEMAS9.30 Cafe 91 Nanluogu Xiang, Dongcheng District. (6402 9800) 九点半咖啡, 东城区南锣鼓巷91号

BC Cafe Bldg 13, Jianwai SOHO, Chaoyang District. (5869 5022/5030, [email protected]) www.bcoffee.cn 铂澜咖啡, 朝阳区建外SOHO13号楼

Beijing Shunboyuan Cinema Shiyuan South, Shunyi District. (8944 9474) 北京顺博苑影院, 顺义区石园南区

Beijing Theater Area 3, 10 Anhui Beili, Yayuncun, Chaoyang District. (6491 1228) bj-show.51.net 北京剧院, 朝阳区亚运村安慧北里三区10号

Beijing Youth Palace Cinema 68 Xizhimen Nanxiaojie, Xicheng District. (6615 2241) www.ntcc.com.cn 北京青年宫影院, 西城区西直门南小街68号

Changhong Cinema 75 Longfusi Jie, Dongcheng District. (6404 2159/1160) www.chfilm.cn/ 长虹电影院, 东城区隆福寺街75号

Channel Zero Salon 7G, Bldg 4, Meilin Garden, 33 Zizhuyuan Lu, Haidian District. (8855 0623) www.bjdoc.com 零频道沙龙, 海淀区紫竹院路33号美林花园4号楼7G

Chaoyang Culture Center/TNT Theater Corner of Jintai Xilu and Chaoyang-menwai Dajie (east of Jingguang Qiao), Chaoyang District. (8599 6011) www.cyqwhg.com 朝阳文化馆, 朝阳区朝阳门外大街和金台西路的路口

Chaoyang Theater Shows daily 7.15pm (call for additional show times). 36 Dong-sanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District. (6507 2421/1818) 朝阳剧场, 朝阳区东三环北路36号

China Cinema 25 Xinjiekouwai Dajie, Hai-

dian District. (6223 0207) www.cfc.com.cn 中影影院, 海淀区新街口外大街25号

China Film Archives 3 Wenhuiyuan Lu, Xiaoxitian, Haidian District. (6225 4422 ext 1214) www.cfa.gov.cn 中国电影资料室, 海淀区小西天文慧园路3号1213室

China National Film Museum Tue-Sun 9am-4.30pm. 9 Nanying Lu, Chaoyang District. (6431 9548) www.cnfm.org.cn 中国电影博物馆, 朝阳区南影路9号

China Puppet Theater 1A Anhua Xili, Beisanhuan Lu, Chaoyang District. (6425 4798, 6424 3698) www.puppetchina.com 中国木偶剧院, 朝阳区北三环路安华西里甲1号

Chonggong Cinema 44 Xingfu Dajie, Chongwen District. (6714 5358) 崇工电影院, 崇文区幸福大街44号

Daguanlou Cinema 36 Dashilan, Qianmen, Xuanwu District. (6303 0878) 大观楼电影院, 宣武区前门大栅栏36号

Dahua Cinema 82 Dongdan Beidajie, Dongcheng District. (6521 2647) 大华电影院, 东城区东单北大街82号

Dizhi Cinema 30 Yangrou Hutong, Xisi, Xicheng District. (6616 8376) 地质电影院, 西城区西四羊肉胡同30号

Dongchuang Cinema 3 Xinzhongjie, Dongzhimen, Dongcheng District. (6415 7332) 东创影院, 东城区东直门新中街3号

Dongsi Workers’ Culture Theater 47 Long-fusi Jie, Dongcheng District. (6403 1596) 东四工人文化宫, 东城区隆福寺街47号

Dongtu Cinema 85 Jiaodaokou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District. (6404 2764) 东图影剧院, 东城区交道口东大街85号

Drive-in Cinema 100 Daliangmaqiao (1,500m east of Yanshaqiao), Chaoyang District. (6431 9595, 5165 2832) www.

Nov 12: Forum or Against ‘em

The snowboard team’s fifth feature goes from the steeps to the streets.

Lessons in Chocolate (Lezioni di Cioccolato) Mattia, a building contractor in Perugia, is about to close the big-gest deal of his professional life when his illegally hired worker Kamal is badly injured when he falls off some scaffolding. Karim threatens to sue him unless Mattia takes his place in an advanced chocolate-making course. Free. 7pm. Italian Embassy Cultural Of-fice (6532 2187)Nov 28, 29Tristana Directed by Luis Buñuel. When Tris-tana’s mother dies, she is entrusted as guardian of the well-respected but elderly Don Lope, who is popular because of his honorable nature, despite his socialist views about business and religion. But Don Lope’s one weakness is wom-en, and he falls for the innocent girl in his charge, seduces her and makes her his lover, though all the while explaining to her that she is as free as him. But when she acts

on this freedom, Don Lope must deal with the consequences of his worldview. Free. 7pm. Instituto Cervantes (5879 9666)Nov 30North Korean Film FestA night of Korean films, featuring documentary The Games of Their Lives at 7pm and feature film The Schoolgirl’s Diary at 9.30pm. The former tells the amazing story of underdogs North Korea beating the Italian football team in 1966. The latter shows the influx of Westernization through the eyes of a young North Korean girl. RMB 50, RMB 20 (students). 7pm. Yugong Yishan (6404 2711)

ONGOINGMondaysSports Movie NightEvery Monday night, enjoy a classic sports movie with dinner, with all the heavyweights ranging from Rocky to Jerry McGuire. Free. 8pm. All-Star Café (134 3955 9903)

53

CIN

EMA



AR

T


FEATUREPH

OTO

: PRO

VID

ED BY

THE O

RG

AN

IZERS

HOT SHOTSBFA’s film festival brings together cinema’s best young guns

by Amanda Weiss

In its seventh year, the International Student Film Festival of the Beijing Film Academy (BFA) is showcasing some of the best new short films from aspiring young student filmmakers across the

world. Thanks to the efforts of its ambitious organizers, it has quickly evolved from a modest student event into one of the world’s leading international student film festivals, distinguished by famous guests and judges, and a unique emphasis on student involvement.

The Ministry of Culture founded the Beijing Film Academy – long the sole avenue to film production for filmmakers in China – in 1950. The school is famous for its many prestigious graduates, including Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and this year’s Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear winner, Wang Xiaoshuai. The BFA was chosen to host the CITIC Annual Conference (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinema et de Television) for the first time this year, a sign that the school is gaining attention and prestige abroad.

The BFA’s festival aims not only to screen and award worthy cinematic works, but to serve as a major stepping-stone for budding filmmakers. Many of the prizes come with monetary awards to help fund future endeavors, and owing to the BFA’s reputation, many students are able to find investors and move on to make features after showing their films.

This year’s festival lineup includes works drawn from an applicant pool of over 40 countries; it will even show one or two feature films that were considered outstanding enough to slip past the festival’s 30-minute time limit (set because short films and feature films are considered incredibly different aesthetically).

Each film screening will include a Q&A session, allowing audi-ence members to question the filmmakers, who have all flown in to Beijing to be on hand for the event. This year’s festival organizers and committee members include renowned filmmakers (and BFA graduates) like Tian Zhuangzhuang (The Blue Kite, The Horse Thief ) and

Fourth Generation luminary Xie Fei (Girl from Hunan). Jia Zhangke and Zhang Yimou are tentatively scheduled to participate in the judging and awarding of certain films.

According to Ma Lan, one of the main festival coordinators, the festival is a way to “show other countries, other places, other cultures, other ways of life.” Zhong Dafeng, the festival’s vice-president, believes that the level of student involvement is exceptional. BFA students are involved in every facet of the festival’s production – they select the films, invite and host directors, sell tickets and screen the films. The festival is put on by and for students, as Zhong feels that the students can ultimately participate in the festival as

a learning experience, while simultaneously giving the event a grassroots atmosphere.

The festival provides a perfect setting for film students and movie buffs alike to not only enjoy some great films, but to meet with key industry players, get exposure to teaching and filmmaking methods from film schools around the world, and to gain a deeper understanding of how to analyze film. Zhong noted particular times when audiences were dead-on: The 2006

selection, West Bank Story, which won the Audience Choice Award, went on to win the Best Short Film award at the Academy Awards. Indeed, several films from the BFA festival have won prizes at world-renowned festivals such as Berlin, Cannes and the Oscars.

The BFA International Student Film Festival is both a high-profile international film festival as well as a low-key and accessible peek into the world of elite film schools and Chinese filmmaking networks. Within this year’s batch of films, audiences might spot next year’s potential Cannes and Academy Award winners, as well as young versions of the future’s great directors.

The BFA International Student Film Festival runs from Nov 9-15 at the Beijing Film Academy. Tickets are RMB 3 and available at BFA. See listing, p52.

Organizers include alumni Tian

Zhuangzhuang and Xie Fei ... Jia Zhangke and Zhang Yimou are

scheduled to participate

Students of the Beijing Film Academy on location

54

CIN

EMA



AR

T


After her turns as Meimei in Suzhou River and Baober in Baober in Love, Zhou

Xun has proven her charm play-ing the role of lonely, lovestruck girls. In her latest film, directed by Cao Baoping (Guangrong de fennu) the Zhejiang-born actress slides comfortably back into character playing Limi, a cab driver who has been searching for years for her missing boyfriend Fang Wen (Deng Chao) until one fateful day when she stumbles onto a robbery – and her misplaced Romeo – only to discover that he has become a drug dealer.

Inspired by the true story of a female taxi driver who befriended two men who intended to rob her, director Cao Baoping has created a touching love story that meshes recovery of the lost with discovery of the unknown.

Though Zhou Xun manages to carry the film with her raw, heart-wrenching performance, the movie strains to juxtapose a love story with darker social issues like drugs and poverty. The result, unfortu-nately, is a screenplay that is at times stilted and unnatural – particularly in the way the film struggles to regain its romantic footing upon a weighty social context and a slow opening that dwells too long on the robbery.

Deng Chao's lackluster acting appears flat and empty, but Wang Baoqiang and Zhang Hanyu, both of A World Without Thieves fame, fill out the (type)cast by revisiting their familiar roles as a good-hearted country boy and a policeman, respectively. The soundtrack, provided by local rock legend Dou Wei, adds a heartfelt musical backdrop to this tale of love in an ugly world. Alice Wang

The Equation of Love and Death (李米的猜想)

2008 will certainly go down as Tina Fey’s year – the 38-year-old actress and comedienne

continues to gain accolades for her sitcom 30 Rock, and more recently for blistering impersonations of Sarah Palin on her alma mater, Saturday Night Live. Baby Mama, released earlier this year in the States and now out on DVD, stars Fey and former SNL cohort Amy Poehler as an odd-couple pairing of a baby-hungry career woman and the trashy surrogate mom she chooses to carry her child.

Fey is as charming as ever, playing the familiar role of a thirtysomething female profes-

sional in a man’s world, and it is indeed her charisma that keeps this otherwise predictable romantic comedy afloat. Poehler also holds her own with a signature bug-eyed performance, while Hollywood veterans Steve Martin, Greg Kinnear and Sigourney Weaver fill out the cast as Fey’s egocentric New Age-y boss, the love interest and the smug head of the surrogacy agency, respectively.

Unfortunately, star cameos and exaggerated characters do not a good movie make, particularly since similar gags and gimmicks have been done before and to better effect (High Fidelity, Knocked Up). Fey and Poehlers’ comedic talents certainly create a few funny scenes, and while it would appear that the screenplay of director and writer Michael McCuller (another SNL alumnus) treads new ground by taking the piss out of the very touchy subjects of infertility, planned parent-ing, surrogacy agencies and wombs-for-rent, the sappy “feel-good” ending and cheesy musical score make this an entirely forgettable flick. Jerry Chan

Baby Mama Director: Michael McCuller drive-in.net.cn 汽车影院, 朝阳区燕莎桥东1500米路北, 大亮马桥100号

East Gate Cinema B1/F, Bldg B, East Gate Plaza (behind the Poly Theatre), 9 Dongzhongjie, Dongcheng District. (6418 5931) www.dhyc.cn 东环影城, 东城区保利大厦北侧东环广场B座地下一层

Espace France Cinema 5/F, Huateng Xintiandi, 195 Dongsihuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang District. (8795 2618) www.dd-cinema.com 世纪东都国际影城, 朝阳区东四环中路１９５号华腾新天地５层

French Cultural Centre 16 Gongti Xilu, Chaoyang District. (6553 2627) www.ccfpe-kin.org 法国文化中心, 朝阳区工体西路16号

Guang’anmen Cinema 8 Baiguanglu, Xu-anwu District. (6352 1766/2713) 广安门电影院, 宣武区白广路8号

Guo’an Theater 16A Huayuan Donglu, Haidian District. (6202 6328) 国安剧院, 海淀区花园东路甲16号

Haidian Theater 28 Zhongguancun Dajie, Haidian District. (6255 8026) 海淀剧院, 海淀区中关村大街28号

Honglou Cinema 156 Xi’anmen Dajie, Xicheng District. (6605 1908) 红楼电影院, 西城区西安门大街156号

Hongxia Cinema 13 Hongxialu (opposite Jiuxianqiao Market), Chaoyang District. (6437 1383) 红霞影剧院, 朝阳区红霞路13号酒仙桥商场对面

Hujialou Cinema Xinjie Dayuan, Chaoyang-menwai Xiaozhuang, Chaoyang District. (6593 1765, 6593 1720) 呼家楼电影院, 朝阳区朝阳门外小庄新街大院

Instituto Cervantes 1A Gongti Nanlu, Chaoyang District. (5879 9666) http://pe-kin.cervantes.es 北京塞万提斯学院, 朝阳区工体南路甲1号

Italian Embassy Cultural Office 2 Sanlitun Dong Er Jie, Chaoyang District. (6532 5015) 意大利大使馆文化处, 朝阳区三里屯东二街2号

Jinsong Cinema Bldg 404, Area 4, Jinsong Zhongjie, Chaoyang District. (6778 2727) 劲松电影院, 朝阳区劲松中街4区404

Jinyi International Cinemas B1/F, New Zhongguan Shopping Center, 19 Zhong-guancun Dajie, Haidian District. (8248 6800) 金逸国际影城, 海淀区中关村大街19号新中关购物中心B1层

Ladies’ Book Saloon Daily 10am-11pm. 69 Chengfu Lu, Haidian District. (6270 1928) 雨枫书馆, 海淀区成府路69号

Mega Box 1) B1/F, The Village at Sanlitun, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District. (5986 3777); 2) 3/F, Area C, Zhongguancun Mall (West of Dinghao Mall), Haidian District. (5986 3777) www.imegabox.com 美嘉欢乐影城, 1) 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯Village地下一层（三里屯酒吧街南口西侧）; 2) 海淀区中关村广场购物中心C区三层（鼎好西侧）

National Library Concert Hall 33 Zhong-guancun Nandajie, Haidian District. (6848 5462) www.btwhfz.com.cn 国家图书馆音乐厅, 海淀区中关村南大街33号

New Capital Cinema 10/F, Joy City, Xidan, Xicheng District. (6601 8177) www.sddyy.cn 新首都电影院, 西城区西单大悦城商场10层

Obiwan Weekdays 1pm-2am, weekends 1pm-late. 4 Xihai Xiyan (300m from Jishui-tan subway station), Xicheng District. (6617 3231) clubobiwan.com.cn 西城区西海西沿4号

Saga Cinema SA-42, Solana, 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Xilu (east side of Lucky Street/Haoyun Jie), Chaoyang District. (no tel) 传奇时代影城, 朝阳区朝阳公园路6号SOLANA蓝色港湾商业区SA-42(朝阳公园西北)

Sam Cinema 29 Shijingshan Lu, Shijing- shan District. (6687 9104) 山姆电影院, 石景山区石景山路29号

Shengli Cinema 55 Xisi Dongdajie, Xicheng District. (6617 5091) 胜利电影院, 西城区西四东大街55号

Shoudu Shidai Cinema B1/F, Capital Time’s Square, Xidan, Xicheng District. (8391 3643) shoudushidai.blog.sohu.com 首都时代电影城, 西城区西单时代广场地下一层

Show Max Cinema Daily 9am-midnight. 9/F, Soshow Market, 40 Chongwenmenwai Dajie, Chongwen District. (5167 1298, 5167 1299) www.bjshowmax.com 搜秀影城, 崇文区崇文门外大街40号搜秀城9层

Soho New Town Cinema 3/F, Soho Club, Bldg D, Soho New Town, 88 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District. (8589 8990/92) www.startimes.cc Soho电影放映厅, 朝阳区建国路88号Soho现代城D座三层电影院

Space for Imagination Daily 10am-2am. 5 Xiwangzhuang Shuangqing Lu, Haidian District. (6279 1280) www.hzcafe.com 盒子咖啡馆, 海淀区双清路西王庄5号

Star City Daily 9am-10pm. B1/F, Oriental Plaza, Dongcheng District. (8518 6778) www.b-cinema.com.cn 新世纪影城, 东城区东方广场地下一层

Stellar International Cineplex 1) F3, Hua- lian Shopping Mall, 111 Huilongguan Xidajie, Changping District. (8077 1188); 2) 4/F,Bldg A, Wangjing International Busi-ness Center, 9 Wangjing Jie, Chaoyang District. (5920 3788); 3) 5/F, Golden Resources Shopping Center, 1 Yuanda Lu, Haidian District. (8887 8695) www.bjxingmei.com, www.wjxingmei.com 星美国际影城, 1) 昌平区回龙观西大街111号华联商厦三层; 2) 朝阳区望京街9号望京国际商业中心A座4层; 3) 海淀区远大路1号金源购买物中心5层

Sun Cinema North Gate of Sun Square, 68 Anli Lu, Chaoyang District. (6489 3954) blog.sina.com.cn/ygyc 阳光影城, 朝阳区安立路68号阳光广场北门一层

The Seventh Prison 7 Baimi Xiejie, Qianhai Nanyan, Shichahai, Dongcheng District. (6403 2968) 第七监狱电影吧, 东城区什刹海,前海南沿白米斜街7号

UME International Cineplex 1) 44 Kexue-yuan Nanlu, Shuangyushu, Haidian Dis-trict. (8211 5566); 2) 5/F, Fuli Plaza, Shuangjingqiao Bei, Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang District. (5903 7171) www.bjume.com 华星影院, 1) 海淀区双榆树科学院南路44号; 2) 朝阳区东三环中路双井桥北富力广场五层

Wanda International Cinema 1) Daily 9am-10pm. 3/F, Bldg B, Wanda Plaza, 93 Jian-guo Lu, Chaoyang District. (5960 3399); 2) Daily 10am-9pm. F5,Longde Square, 186 Litang Lu, Changping District. (8484 4742) www.wandafilm.com 万达国际电影城, 1) 朝阳区建国路93号万达广场B座三层; 2) 昌平区立汤路186号龙德广场五层

Wudaokou Workers’ Club Cinema 23 Chengfulu, Haidian District. (6231 3624) www.wdkclub.com.cn 五道口工人俱乐部电影院, 海淀区成府路23号

Xiangshan Huandao Drive-in Cinema Southwest corner of Wofosi Lu, Fragrant Mountain, Haidian District. (6259 0438) 香山环岛汽车影院, 海淀区香山卧佛寺路口西南侧

Xicheng Workers’ Culture Cinema 24 Yuetan Nanjie, Sanlihe Dongkou, Xicheng District. (6852 7788 ext 6302) 西城工人文化宫电影院, 西城区三里河东口月坛南街24号

Xindong’an Cinema 5/F, 138 Wangfu-jing Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6528 1988/1898) xindongan.blog.sohu.com 新东安影城, 东城区王府井大街138号5层

Xinjiekou Cinema 69 Xi’nei Dajie, Xicheng District. (6225 6713) 新街口电影院, 西城区西内大街69号

Yingxie Cinema 22 Beisanhuan Donglu, Chaoyang District. (6420 7759) 影协电影院, 朝阳区北三环东路22号

Youth Palace Cinema 68 Xizhimen Nanxi-aojie, Haidian District. (6615 2241) 青年宫影城, 海淀区西直门南小街68号

Yugong Yishan Daily 7pm-late. 2-3 Zhang Zizhong Road (former Duan Qirui government building, east of Ping’an Dadao), Dongcheng District. (6404 2711, [email protected]) www.yugongy-ishan.com 愚公移山, 东城区张自忠路2-3号段祺瑞执政府旧址西院

Ziguang Cinema 5-6/F, west section of Landao, 168 Chaowai Dajie, Chaoyang District. (6599 2228/2229) www.bjzgyc.com 紫光电影院, 朝阳区朝阳门外大街168号蓝岛大厦西区5层6层

55

CIN

EMA



AR

T


Nov 1-2Drama: Romeo and JulietThe classic Shakespearean tale of star-crossed love and untimely death is performed by the Lithua-nia OKT Theatre. RMB 50-480. 7.30pm. NCPA Theatre (6655 0000)Nov 4-Dec 7Best of the Edinburgh Fringe FestivalEmotionally engaging, experimen-tal yet universally entertaining and accessible – Best of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, organized by the British Council, brings new dramas from the UK to light up Beijing’s stage. Four avant-garde dramas from 2007 are featured: Hysteria, an awkward dinner date that examines society’s notion of sanity; Low Life, a puppet show based on the Charles Bukowski novel Pulp; It Is Like It Ought To Be: Pastoral, which creates an urban plastic utopia; and The End of Everything Ever, about children living through the Holocaust. Post-show talks are open to the general public. See photo, left. For more details, check www.britishcouncil.org.cn. Tickets at 6551 6930/6906. RMB 60-200. Mini Theatre of Beijing People’s Art Theatre Nov 11-14Fashion Edition of Kunqu: The Romance of the West ChamberAs the opening show of the Sixth Beijing International Theater & Dance Festival, The Romance of The West Chamber tells of a secret love affair between a young scholar and the court minister’s daughter. Aimed at younger audi-ences, it has been called “China’s most popular love comedy” and a “lover’s bible.” The new edition features traditional singing, daz-zling costumes and elegant chore-ography. Tickets available at 6417 7845. RMB 100-1,280. 7.30pm. Poly Theatre (6500 1188 ext 5126/5127)Nov 11-15Drama: Love Is Colder Than DeathBased on the unusual gangster movie of the same name by famous German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, this new work by pioneering stage director Meng Jinghui attempts to combine Chinese traditional art with the style of a Western drama. In Chinese only. Price TBD. 7.30pm. Fengchao Theater (8404 9981)Nov 11-Dec 25The Sixth Beijing International Theater & Dance FestivalSpanning opera, musical, ballet, street dance and drama, this festival – organized by the Beijing Culture and Art Foundation – will present 24 shows by artists from France, UK, Germany, Korea, the US and Israel. It opens with the classic Kunqu opera, The Romance of the West Chamber, and features the China premiere of the Martha Graham Dance Company and a fla-menco performance from Spaniard Paco Mora. Venues include NCPA, Poly Theatre, Peking University Concert Hall and Tianqiao Theater. For tickets, call 6406 8888, 6655 0000 or 6506 5646.Nov 13-14Dance Drama: Farewell My ConcubineA series of vignettes from the touching love story between a king and his concubine, set against the backdrop of the war between the ancient Chinese states of Chu and

Han. RMB 50-120. 7.30pm. Tianqiao Theater (6500 1188 ext 5126)Nov 13-15World Ballet GalaThis gala presents repertoire from the Paris Opera Ballet, the British Royal Ballet, Tara Shevchenko Ballet Troupe (Ukraine), Berlin Ballet Troupe and China National Ballet. RMB 180-1,280. Tickets at 6417 7845. 7.30pm. NCPA Opera House (6655 0000)Nov 19-23Musical: AidaInspired by a classic Verdi opera and adapted for Broadway by Elton John and Tim Rice, Aida tells an energetic tale of power and forbid-den love, played out with striking choreography that draws on ballet and African dance. Set to a diverse soundtrack of rock and jazz show tunes (see Stage Feature, p60). RMB 80-280. Beijing Exhibition Theatre (6835 4455)Nov 20-21Ballet Opera: A Dream of the Red MansionsA modern take on the classic Chinese novel, this audacious adap-tation incorporates bold hip-hop dance moves and loud rock tunes as the award-winning Guangzhou Ballet does its best to keep the genre of ballet on its toes. RMB 60-480. 7.30pm. NCPA Opera House (6655 0000)Nov 21-23Dance: Flamenco PassionPaco Mora Ballet Flamenco, one of the most outstanding dance troupes in Europe, has won over international audiences with its combination of classical and innovative dance, song and guitar. Having already brought two successful performances to Beijing, Paco Mora’s program will feature versatile folk music and rhythms, including the malagueña, aban-dolao and cantinas. See photo, p57. Tickets at 6406 8888. RMB 80-1,280. 7.30pm. Poly Theatre (6500 1188 ext 5126/5127)Nov 24-25Hip-hop: Puppet BoyAs the first Asian winners of the break-dance world competition “Battle Of The Year,” Korean B-Boys Expression Crew impresses with their original style and technical moves. Tickets at 6406 8888. Price TBD. 7.30pm. Tianqiao Theater (8315 6300) Nov 26-30Dance: Tibetan Riddle (Zang Mi)Yang Liping, perhaps China’s most famous Chinese folk artist, is beloved for her Peacock Dance. In Tibetan Riddle, she depicts with passion and purity the pilgrim-age of an old Tibetan woman. Tickets at 6417 7845. RMB 80-1,280. 7.30pm. Poly Theatre (6500 1188 ext 5126/5127)Nov 27-30Contemporary Dance: Martha Gra-ham Dance Company China TourOne of the oldest and most celebrat-ed contemporary dance companies in the US, Martha Graham fills its China premiere with Greek mythol-ogy, including the stories of Oedipus and Medea during their Nov 27 show, Myth and Fable. During Nov 29-30, the mood switches to apple pie in American Yearbook, which combines dance styles spanning the ‘30s to the ‘90s. See photo, p57. Tickets at 6417 7845. RMB 100-800.

Remember, remember the fourth of November, which is when the British will blast into Beijing to start off a drama-packed month with the Best of Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The

festival will run until November 30, with four of Britain’s best drama companies – Inspector Sands Theatre, Blind Summit, Uninvited Guests and New International Encounter – putting on four shows about everything from children suffering in the Holocaust in The End of Everything Ever to Charles Bukowski’s take on the dive bar scene – acted out by an endearing troupe of hopelessly alcoholic puppets in Low Life (see listing, this page).

The drama scene slides into a rhythmic groove for the rest of the month, most notably from November 19-23, when one very popu-lar imprisoned Egyptian princess is sequestered in the city as Aida takes to the stage. The musical is an adaptation from a Verdi opera as conjured up by musical wizards Elton John and Tim Rice; it includes an upbeat mix of African dance and ballet set to the diverse styles of American music that you’d expect from the dynamic duo (see Feature, p58).

While we’re on the subject of loose adaptations, the Peking opera standard Farewell My Concubine has been turned into a dance drama depicting the quest for blood, honor and love and will be performed November 13-14 at the Tianqiao Theater. The performance is part of the Sixth International Theater Drama Festival, which begins November 11. The festival brings pieces of the world together in dance and drama from France, UK, Germany, Korea, the US and Israel, and will kick off its month-and-a-half long set with a number of Chinese performances. Among them is another reinvented classic on November 20-21, when the Guangzhou Ballet stages Dream of the Red Mansions with a bold twist. The ballet-opera promises to shake things up by including a number of hip-hop and rock numbers during the performance, which will take place at the NCPA Opera House.

Meanwhile, the country that has been hard at work ruining the world’s economy has been busy turning out dance shows with equal aplomb. Right after Aida leaves town, the Martha Graham Dance Company, hailed as one of the best contemporary dance com-panies in the US, sways their way into the drama festival with two shows scheduled: Myth and Fable on November 27 and American Yearbook on November 29-30. Mary Dennis

Nov 4-Dec 7: Best of Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Giving a shout-out to drama. See listing, this page.

tageS All event listings are accurate at time of press and subject to change

For venue details, see directories, p57Send events to [email protected] by Nov 10

56

STA

GE



AR

T


7.30pm. NCPA Opera House (6655 0000)Nov 28-30Drama: The Canterville GhostInternational touring theater TNT hits Beijing again with Oscar Wil-de’s hilarious story of horror and romance – a grumpy English ghost who haunts an American family in an ancient castle. In English with Chinese subtitles. Tickets at 6551 6906. (Encore performance at Mei Lanfang Theater from Dec 12-14.) RMB 60-200. 7pm. Peking Univer-sity Hall (6275 1278) Every TueActors’ Poetry and Literature Read-ings Participate in readings of poetry and classical literature. Info at [email protected] or bjactorsworkshop.org.cn. Free. 7.30pm. Penghao Theatre (6400 6452/6472) Every WedBeijing Improv Bilingual WorkshopA weekly class of improvised theater to stretch your creativity and test your spontaneity. Open to all levels of theater experi-ence. First class is free; subsequent classes are RMB 20, RMB 10 (mem-bers). For more info, visit www.beijingimprov.org. In English and Chinese. 8-9.30pm. Jiangjinjiu Bar (8405 0124)Every Fri Actors’ Movie ReadingsParticipate in reading scenes from movies. Info at [email protected] or bjactorsworkshop.org.cn. Free. 7.30pm. Penghao Theatre (6400 6452/6472) Every Fri & SatKunqu Opera: The Peony PavilionKunqu, one of the most ancient forms of Chinese opera, dates back to the Ming dynasty. The Peony Pa-vilion – a mythical tale of true love battling conservative feudal ethics – is one of its definitive pieces. RMB 380-1,200. 7.30pm. Nanxin-cang Imperial Granary (6409 6499)Every SatScreenwriters WorkshopUnder the guidance of Beijing Actors Workshop, participants will finish a screenplay in eight weeks and get advice on how to get it

produced. RMB 300 (expats), RMB 150 (locals). 2-5pm. Penghao Thea-tre (6400 6452/6472)Actors’ Modern Play ReadingsParticipate in readings of scenes from modern plays. Info at [email protected] or bjactorsworkshop.org.cn. Free. 7pm. Penghao Theatre (6400 6452/6472)Every SunBeijing Actors Workshop“I Heart(e) Shakespeare” is a 12-week bilingual performance development workshop that draws from the works of the Bard. RMB 30/session (half-price for locals). E-mail [email protected] or visit www.bjactorsworkshop.org.cn. 2-5pm (Level 1), 6-9pm (Level 2). Penghao Theatre (6400 6452/6472)

CONCERT EVENTSNov 1 China PhilharmonicFresh from a busy October with the Beijing Music Festival, the China Philharmonic cleans the palate with a Ravel-based program: the chamber ensemble Introduction and Allegro, the Piano Concerto in G, and the Mother Goose Suite. Also included is a concerto for trumpet, piano, and strings by the 20th composer Andre Jolivet. Up-and-coming conductor Xia Xiao Tang conducts. RMB 30-480. 7.30pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall (6559 8285) Nov 2 Cellist David Geringas The most important cellist and pedagogue of the generation immediately following Rostropo-vich, Geringas returns to China for a program that includes both chamber and orchestral works; the China National Symphony provides backup for the latter. See Preview, p62. RMB 100-700. 7.30pm. NCPA Concert Hall (6655 0000) Piano Recital Giovanni Vitaletti aims toward the masses; he has sold over three mil-lion CDs as a result of appearances on television, including the Home Shopping Network. Why hasn’t he come earlier to the world’s most populous country? Program includes Beethoven (Waldstein and Appassionata Sonatas), Busoni

(Carmen Fantasy), and Liszt (Fanta-sy on Don Giovanni). RMB 20-150. 7pm. PKU Hall (6275 1278).Nov 4-5 Holland Fest: Concertgebouw OrchestraA historic first trip to China for one of Europe’s top five orches-tras, conducted by music director Maris Janssens. On Nov 4, the ensemble will perform Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. On Nov 5, it’s Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, and La Valse by Ravel (his love note to Austrian culture). See Preview, p62. RMB 280-1,380. 7.30pm. NCPA Concert Hall (6655 0000) Nov 6-7Holland Fest: Nieuw EnsembleProgram of contemporary works TBA. See Preview, p 62. RMB 100-600. 7.30pm. NCPA Concert Hall (6655 0000) Nov 8 CNSO: ShostakovichOne of China’s most accomplished conductors, Zhang Guoyong studied in Moscow and has been heading up the Shanghai Opera House for years. The last time he performed Shostakovich in Beijing was two years ago, with the opera The Nose. Now he returns to conduct the Chamber Symphony, and the (full-scale) Symphonies No. 12 and No. 14, with the China National Symphony. RMB 30-380. 7.30pm. Beijing Concert Hall (6605 7006) Nov 10Holland Fest: JazzProgram TBA, but promises to be

Nov 27-30: Martha Graham Dance Company

Some of the best posers in America. See listing, p56.

a cross-section of Amsterdam’s established art-jazz and crossover-experimental genres. Prices TBA. 7.30pm. NCPA (6655 0000) Nov 16Piano Recital: Shen WenyuShen Wenyu has enjoyed a fast-track career: virtuosizing as a stu-dent in Beijing and then Germany, and at 16, becoming the youngest-ever first-prize holder in Belgium’s Queen Elizabeth competition. Now 22, he claims enough repertoire to play 50 recitals without repeating a piece. RMB 100-280. 7.30pm. Central Conservatory of Music (6642 5746)Nov 23 Piano Recital: Dana CiocarlieDana Ciocarlie of France specializes in music of the early Romantic era; she recently pulled off a nine-con-cert concert cycle of Schubert’s works. This program includes Beethoven (Moonlight Sonata), Schumann (F minor sonata), Chopin (Scottish Dance), and Liszt (“Auf dem Wasser zu singen” and Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2). RMB 30-380. 7.30pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall (6559 8285) Nov 29Percussion EnsemblePercussionist Li Biao teaches at the Central Conservatory and at Ber-lin’s Hans Eisler Academie. In the last few years in China, he has of-ten brought together students and pros to play music purely of and by percussion. The program includes works by Li Biao, Philipp Jungk, Ronni Wenzell, Alex Gloeggler, Claudio Estay and Rudolf Bauer. Price TBA. 7.30pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall (6559 8285)

Nov 21-23: Flamenco Passion

Paco Mora puts the flame in flamenco. See listing, p56.

THEATERSBayi Theater 16 Xisanhuan Beilu (next to Wanshou Si), Haidian District. (6686 8800) 八一剧场, 海淀区西三环北路16号万寿寺旁

Beijing Conference Center 88 Laiguangying Xilu, Chaoyang District. (8490 1199) 北京会议中心, 朝阳区来广营西路88号

Beijing Exhibition Theater 135 Xizhimenwai Dajie, Xicheng District. (6835 4455) 北京展览馆剧场, 西城区西直门外大街135号

Beijing Modern Dance Company Theater 7 Xichang’an Dajie, Xicheng District. (6601 5542, 6758 6513/7161, [email protected]) 北京现代舞团, 西城区西长安大街7号

Beijing North Theater Bei Bingmasi Hutong, 67 Jiaodaokou Nandajie, Dongcheng Dis-trict. (6404 8021, 6406 0175) 北兵马司剧场,

东城区交道口南大街67号北兵马司胡同

Beijing Peking Opera Theatre 30 Haihu Xili, Fengtai District. (6724 8222) 北京京戏院, 丰台区海户西里30号

Beijing Playhouse 38 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (137 1890 8922, [email protected]) www.beijingplayhouse.com 北京剧场, 朝阳区亮马桥路38号

Beijing Seven-Color Light Children’s Theater 14A, Ju’er Hutong, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District. (8402 2285) 北京七色光儿童剧院, 东城区交道口菊儿胡同甲14号

Beijing Traditional Opera Theater 8 Majia-pao Dongli, Fengtai District. (6757 2221 ext 2155) 北京戏校排演剧院, 丰台区马家堡东里8号

57

STA

GE



AR

T


PHO

TO: CO

UR

TESY O

F NED

ERLA

ND

ER W

OR

LDW

IDE EN

TERTA

INM

ENT

FEATURE

AGELESS AIDAThe Broadway adaptation of Verdi’s opera comes to townby Cecily Huang

From an eclectic pairing of African dance with European ballet, performed in dazzling costumes against a mysterious set to a jazz-filled soundtrack, a musical was born. Elton

John and Tim Rice’s adaptation of the timeless love story Aida, which has been moving hearts in the US since 2000, appears in Beijing this month at the Beijing Exhibition Theater.

The story is set in the lush landscape of ancient Egypt along the banks of the Nile, where a stroke of fate leads Egyptian army captain Radames to accidentally capture his enemy’s princess, Aida. Soon enough, the captor is held captive himself by Aida’s charm and beauty, while the princess’s regal identity remains a mystery to him. He saves her from a hard life of slavery and presents her as a handmaiden to his future wife, the Egyptian princess Amneris.

Although Aida and Radames are from totally different worlds, the inevitability of their true love brings them closer and closer, putting Aida, Amneris and Radames in a tricky love triangle built of conflicting loyalties, complicated emotions, national pride and raw hatred.

Aida was or i g i na l l y a fou r - ac t opera env i s ioned by Giuseppe Verdi for the opening of the opera house in Egypt’s capital city. The story was created by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, with an Italian l ibretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Since its inaugural performance in 1871, it has been acclaimed as the greatest classic performance to come from Egypt.

Coincidently, the Cairo National Opera from Egypt presented the opera version of Aida at the Egg in early July, just before John and Rice’s musical version started its China tour. Compared to opera’s more serious classical style, the musical version introduces a rainbow of different songs, swinging from R&B to gospel to

The musical swings from R&B to gospel to ballads and

even a little honky-tonk

ballads and even a little honky-tonk.“I have never seen the opera,” says Casey Elliot, who plays

Radames, “but I heard the music and it is beautiful. Obviously, they can’t really be compared because one is opera and one is rock – one is Elton John and one is Verdi. But they’re the same basic story.”

Elliot started singing professionally in 2004, and his nuanced understanding of the role bolsters his magnificent vocal and the-atrical performance. While the opera version sticks rigidly to the

old Egyptian myth, the musical version is more flexible, traveling through time and space to depict an immortal tale of true love.

Marja Harmon (pictured above), who plays Aida, has performed in many Broadway shows, including Cat on a Hot

Tin Roof, Ragtime and Dreamgirls. “I am always touched by the show,” she says, adding that the most difficult part of portraying Aida lies in the character development. “You want to be able to connect your character to the audiences and let them understand what the character is going through. You want everyone to feel like they know you,” she explains.

This Broadway version of Aida also features modern dance choreographed by Sarita Allen, the principal dancer in the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, who enriches the musical with her portrayals of the historical background, war scenes and emo-tional tangles through various styles of dance. Since its premiere, the musical has won four Tony awards and one Grammy. The leading actors of the cast that will be performing in Beijing are all from the North American tour of Aida in 2006-2007.

Aida will be performed at the Beijing Exhibition Theater from Nov 19-23. See listing, p57.

58

STA

GE



AR

T


Haidian Theater 28 Zhongguancun Dajie, Haidian District. (6255 8026) 海淀剧院, 海淀区中关村大街28号

Heaven and Earth Theater 100 meters north of Poly Theatre, Dongcheng District. (6416 9893, 6415 7775 ext 102) 天地剧场, 东城区保利剧院北１００米

Huguang Guild Hall 3 Hufang Lu, Xuanwu District. (6351 8284, 6352 9134) www.beijinghuguang.com 湖广会馆, 宣武区虎坊路3号

Huguang Guild Hall Opera Museum Mon-Fri 9-11am, 1.30-5pm (opera performance 7.30-8.40pm). Hu Guang Culture Center, 3 Hufang Lu, Xuanwu District. (6351 8284) www.beijinghuguang.com 北京戏曲博物馆, 宣武区北京湖广会馆内,虎坊路3号

The Imperial Granary Nanxincang, 22 Dongsishitiao, Chaoyang District. (6409 6477/99, 136 0125 9568) 皇家粮仓, 朝阳区东四十条22号南新仓

Lao She Teahouse Daily 10am-10pm. Bldg 3, Qianmen Xidajie, Xuanwu District. (6303 6830) 老舍茶馆, 宣武区前门西大街3号楼

Li Yuan Theater 1/F, Qianmen Hotel, 175 Yong’anlu, Xuanwu District. (6301 6688 ext 8860 or 8864) 梨园剧场, 宣武区永安路175号前门饭店一层

Mei Lanfang Grand Theater 32 Ping’anli Da-jie (southeast of Guanyuan Qiao), Xicheng District. (5833 1288/1388) http://yule.sohu.com/s2007/mlfdjy/ 梅兰芳大剧院, 西城区平安里西大街32号(官园桥东南角)

National Centre For The Performing Arts (NCPA) 2 Chang’an Jie, Xicheng District. (6655 0000) www.chncpa.org 国家大剧院, 西城区西长安街2号

Peking University Hall Inside Peking Univer-sity, 75 Haidian Lu, Haidian District. (6275 1278) www.pku-hall.com 北大百年纪念礼堂, 海淀区海淀路75号北京大学内

Penghao Theater 35 Dongmianhua Hutong, Dongcheng District (6400 6452/72) 蓬蒿剧场, 东城区东棉花胡同35号

People’s Art Experimental Theater 3/F, Capital Theater, 22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6526 3338) 人艺实验剧场, 东城区首都剧场3层，王府井大街22号

People’s Art Theater 22 Wangfujing Dajie (behind Capital Theater), Dongcheng Dis-trict. (6525 0123) 人艺小剧场, 东城区王府井大街22号，首都剧院后面

People’s Theater 74 Huguosi Dajie, Xicheng District. (6618 1634) 人民剧场, 西城区护国寺大街74号

PLA Song and Dance Theater 60 Desheng-mennei Dajie, southeast corner of Jishuitan Bridge, Xicheng District. (6813 1718, 6613 0726) www.pla-theater.com 解放军歌舞剧院, 西城区德胜门内大街60号积水潭桥东南角

Poly Theatre Poly Plaza, 14 Dongzhimen Nandajie, Dongcheng District. (6500 1188 ext 5126/5127) www.polytheatre.com 保利剧院, 东城区东直门南大街14号保利大厦1层

Red Theater Workers’ Cultural Palace, 44 Xingfu Dajie, Chongwen District. (6710 3671/72/73) 红剧场, 崇文区幸福大街44号工人文化宫

South Gate Space South gate, Dashanzi art district, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6437 9737) 南门空间, 朝阳区酒仙桥4号798大山子艺术区南门

Tianqiao Acrobatics Theater Shows daily 7.15pm. 95 Tianqiao Shichang Lu, east end of Beiwei Lu, Xuanwu District. (6303 7449) 天桥杂技剧场, 宣武区北纬路东口天桥市场街95号

Tianqiao Theater 30 Beiwei Lu, Xuanwu District. (8315 6300) 天桥剧场, 宣武区北纬路30号

Universal Theater (aka Heaven and Earth Theater) Shows daily 7.10pm. 10 Dongzhi-men Nandajie, Dongcheng District. (6416 9893) 天地剧场, 东城区东直门南大街10号

Workers’ Stadium Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District. (6501 6655 ext 5033) 工人体育场, 朝阳区工体北路

Xin Rong Theater 16 Baizhifang Xijie, Xu-anwu District. (8355 9285) 鑫融剧院, 宣武区白纸坊西街16号

Zhengyici Theater 220 Xiheyan Dajie, Xu-anwu District. (8315 1649) 正乙祠戏楼, 宣武区西河沿大街220号

Beijing Yingzhibao Theater 2 Lize Dong Er Lu, Chaoyang District. (6439 8559/8997) 北青盈之宝剧场, 朝阳区利泽东二路2号

Beijing Youth Palace 68 Xizhimen Nanxi-aojie, Xicheng District. (6615 2211) www.bjqng.com.cn 北京青年宫, 西城区西直门南小街68号

Caochangdi Work Station Daily 10am-8pm. 105 Caochangdi, Chaoyang District. (6433 7243/6143, [email protected]) www.ccdworkstation.com 草场地工作室, 朝阳区草场地105号

Capital Theater 22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6524 9847) 首都剧场, 东城区王府井大街22号

Central Academy of Drama Theater 39 Dongmianhua Hutong, Dongcheng Dis-trict. (6407 4406) 中央戏剧学院实验小剧场, 东城区东棉花胡同39号

Central Conservatory of Music 43 Baojia Jie, Xicheng District. (6642 5746) www.ccom.edu.cn 中央音乐学院, 西城区鲍家街43号

Central Experimental Drama Theater 45A Mao’er Hutong, Di’anmenwai Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6403 1009, 6402 0151) www.ntcc.com.cn 国家话剧院, 东城区地安门外大街猫耳胡同甲45号

Century Theater 21st Century Hotel, 40 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6466 4805, 6468 3311 ext 3126) 世纪剧院, 朝阳区亮马桥路40号(21世纪饭店）

Chang’an Grand Theater 7 Jianguomen-nei Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6510 1309/1310) www.changantheater.com 长安大戏院, 东城区建内大街7号

Chaoyang Culture Center/TNT Theater Corner of Jintai Xilu and Chaoyangmenwai Dajie (east of Jingguang Qiao), Chaoyang District. (8599 6011) www.cyqwhg.com 朝阳文化馆, 朝阳区朝阳门外大街和金台西路的路口

Chaoyang Theater Shows daily 7.15pm (call for additional show times). 36 Dong-sanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District. (6507 2421/1818) 朝阳剧场, 朝阳区东三环北路36号

China Children’s Art Theater Daily 9am-9pm. 64 Donganmen Dajie, west of Wang-fujing, Dongcheng District. (6521 1425, 6513 4115) www.ccat.name 中国儿童艺术剧场, 东城区东安门大街64号

China Grand Theater 27A Wanshou Temple, Xisanhuanlu, Haidian District. (6841 9381) www.china-theater.com.cn 中国剧院, 海淀区西三环路万寿寺甲27号

China Ping Opera Theater 19, Block 4, Xi Luoyuan, Yangqiao, Fengtai District. (8726 6331) 中国评剧大剧院, 丰台区洋桥西罗园四区19号

China Puppet Theater The theater puts on shows every Saturday and Sunday at 10.30am. RMB 50-100/show. 1A Anhua Xili, Beisanhuan Lu, Chaoyang District. 1A An-hua Xili, Beisanhuan Lu, Chaoyang District. (6425 4798, 6424 3698) www.puppetchina.com 中国木偶剧院, 朝阳区北三环路安华西里甲1号

Chongwen Workers’ Palace 44 Xingfu Dajie, Chongwen District. (6711 6135) 崇文工人文化宫, 崇文区幸福大街44号

Daguanyuan Theater 12 Nancaiyuan Jie, Xuanwu District. (6351 9025) 大观园剧场, 宣武区南菜园街12号

Dongyuan Theater In the Garden of Chang Pu River, Dongcheng District. (8511 5372) 东苑戏楼, 东城区菖蒲河公园内

East Pioneer Theater 8-2 Dongdan Santiao (East of Oriental Plaza), Dongcheng Dis-trict. (6559 7394) 东方先锋剧场, 东城区东单三条8-2号

Ethnic Cultural Palace Theater 49 Fuxing-mennei Dajie, Xicheng District. (6605 2404) 民族文化宫大剧院, 西城区复兴门内大街49号

Fengchao Theater 200m east of Oriental Ginza, 12 Shizipo, Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Dongcheng District. (8404 9981) 蜂巢剧场, 东城区东直门外大街十字坡12号东方银座东200米

Guo’an Theater 16A Huayuan Donglu, Haidian District. (6202 6328) 国安剧院, 海淀区花园东路甲16号

59

STA

GE



AR

T


PREVIEWS

At the age of 62, David Geringas i s a r enowned

cellist of the generation before Yo-Yo Ma and after Rostropovich, with whom he studied and is gener-ally regarded as the latter's favorite student. Originally from Vilnius, Lithuania, he studied in Moscow, winning the Tchaikovsky Competition gold medal in 1970. More recently, he has resided and taught in Germany, where he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit in 2006.

Long regarded as one of the world’s leading ped-agogues in the instrument, he has always maintained a

particularly special approach toward performing and recording unusual repertoire. His upcoming concert in Beijing is bound to be particu-larly interesting, as it will follow a mixed format. It starts and ends with concertos by Respighi and Dvorak, performed with the China National Symphony. In the middle, Geringas will perform chamber music: the first sonata of Schnittke (a composer who Geringas has championed since the 1970s), and a cello trio based on music of the Renaissance composer Couperin – performed with Tian Bonian, Ger-ingas’s current student and recent winner of the Tchaikovsky Youth Competition, as well as Tian’s former teacher, Na Mula. Eric Mendel David Geringas plays in Beijing on Nov 2. RMB 100-600. 7.30pm. NCPA Concert Hall (6655 0000)

David Geringas

Holland, for its small size, has had quite the dispropor-

tionate effect on Chinese classical music in recent years. Since early on – for nearly two decades – the country’s forward-thinking wing of the musical estab-lishment saw the need to place musicians and com-posers from China on the world stage. But while plen-ty of talent was flying into Schiphol airport, relatively little from Holland made it over here – until now.

In November, China can finally repay the favor by hosting some of Hol-land’s finest musical groups with a mini-festival at the

NCPA. We recommend the concert by the Nieuw Ensemble, which was virtually the only group abroad giving voice to young Chinese composers in the late 1980s. They are certain to bring some of the pieces they commissioned over the years, and their reunion with old friends should be heartwarming both on and off stage. If older stuff is more your style, you’ll want to check out the world-famous Concertgebouw Orchestra and the period ensemble Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. All of this activity is in tandem with a recent push from the highest levels of the Dutch government in arts exchange with China – to the tune of an annual million-euro China fund. Expect this to be just the tip of the iceberg. Eric MendelHolland Festival runs from Nov 4-14. Prices vary. NCPA Concert Hall (6655 0000).

Holland Festival

60

STA

GE


Documents

ART ARTS & CULTURE - the Beijinger · the Adidas slogan. Nonetheless, expect interesting works by Xu Zhen, the founder of the director of Biz art (Shanghai), famous for his piece