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The China Lover
Art+Culture / Books of the Month
Written by : Ernest White
Nov 5, 2008
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The China Lover
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Author: Ian Buruma ★★★
Don't be fooled by The China Lover's
title – it's not really about the Middle
Kingdom at all. Instead, this novel's
main concern is Japan, and its changing
attitudes towards China, the
West, and itself. This shifting focus,
together with academic and author
Ian Buruma's polymath intelligence,
means that very little about The China
Lover is straightforward. Its central
character is an enigma: Yoshiko
Yamaguchi, the Sino-Japanese actress
who, as "Ri Koran", was used as a
propaganda tool by the Japanese during
their occupation of China, before
she metamorphosed into Hollywood's "Shirley Yamaguchi" and
later a member of Japan's parliament. To complicate matters
further, her story is told by not one, but three male narrators,
who have little in common other than their outsider status. The
China Lover covers an awful lot of intellectual ground, exploring
not just gender, national ident ... ... |
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Missy's China
Art+Culture / Books of the Month
Written by : Ernest White
Nov 5, 2008
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Missy’s China
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Author: Doris ("Missy") Arnold ★★★
If today's China sometimes feels like
another planet to new arrivals, what
must it have been like for expats living
here 60 or 70 years ago? That's where
two new books edited by Shanghaibased
writer Tess Johnston come in.
The slimmer of the pair, Peking Sun,
Shanghai Moon is a memoir by socialite
Diana Hutchins Angulo, who
grew up in Beijing and then become a
young woman in Shanghai. Sweeping
generalisations about Chinese culture
aside, the book's accounts (and nostalgic
photographs) of the privileged
lifestyles of Shanghai's rich and famous
as they party like it's 1939 are a
window onto a world which is gone forever. Missy's China, meanwhile,
is a collection of the letters sent home by a wife and mother
from small town America who spent several years in Hangzhou
during the thirties. Many of Missy's experiences and observations
wouldn't sound out of place in an expat e-mail today, bu ... ... |
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Musical diplomacy
Art+Culture / Arts
Written by : Shane Qin
Nov 1, 2008
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Musical diplomacy
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It is said that music is a universal language that transcends
boundaries. For this reason, it has always played an important
role in communication and cultural exchange between
different nations around the world.
One example of this is the weeklong outdoor "Germany
Promenade" music festival to be held this month, which is part
of the friendship-building "Germany and China – Moving Ahead
Together" project.
In August 2007, a series of interactive programs between
the two countries, focusing on areas such as economy, technology,
education and culture, was officially launched in the hope
of increasing mutual understanding and establishing a foundation
for long-term cooperation.
After being successfully held in Nanjing and Chongqing, the
project came to Guangzhou in late September, bringing with it
business opportunities, new concepts and traditional German
culture to the PRD region. For music lovers, it's the chance to
witne ... ... |
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Get that Oriental feeling
Art+Culture / Arts
Written by : Shane Qin
Nov 1, 2008
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Get that Oriental feeling
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"It's fair to say that Trio Tarana is without precedent in the
world of improvised music," says AllAboutJazz.com. And
that's no overstatement as you listen to their creative interpretations
of various Asian musical traditions, which include the
music of Japanese Taiko Drum Ensembles, Afghani folk songs,
Hindu chants and North/South Indian rhythm cycles.
Such diversity benefits greatly from the extensive musical knowledge
of Ravish Momin, percussionist/composer as well as the trio's
soul. Born in India and now living in New York City - the world's
cultural melting pot, Momin had long wanted to create music that
could not only utilize his Indian roots, but also reflect the diverse
influences of the wide range of great musicians he has played with.
Trio Tarana was created in 2003 to accurately mirror Momin's hybrid
identity of music.
With violinist Sam Bardfeld and oud/lute player Brandon Terzic
joining in, the diversity of their music has bee ... ... |
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Let's talk about love
Art+Culture / Arts
Written by : By Shane Qin
Nov 1, 2008
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Let’s talk about love
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we all know something about Beijing opera, but what most of
us don't know that it was greatly influenced by the style of
Kunqu opera, which has a much longer history of more than
600 years. Originating in the Kunshan region of Jiangsu Province,
Kunqu opera has a complete system of acting and its own distinctive
tunes. Because of this, it was named as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and
Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO in 2001.
Over centuries, a great many works have been created in the Kunqu
opera repertoire. "The Peach Blossom Fan" written by Kong Shangren
in 1699 is considered one of the best. Set in Nanjing against the backdrop
of the handover of power from the Ming Dynasty to Qing Dynasty,
the play tells the story of the beautiful courtesan Li Xiangjun and the
scholar Hou Fangyu, with a peach blossom folding fan representing the
couple's love and separation – a reflection of dramatic social changes.
To pay homage to t ... ... |
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Outside looking in
Art+Culture / Arts
Written by : Shane Qin
Nov 1, 2008
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Outside looking in
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Let's face it, we all love to look into the lives of
others (hence the popularity of reality shows). And
now, German-Romanian artist Daniel Knorr is inviting people
to have a peek into his own life. But it's nothing like The Truman
Show, as we don't see him, but instead view his existence
through a little LED device. So how does it work then?
In theory, this works by him switching on and off the device,
which is installed on a pedestal, through the Internet or mobile
phone when the artist wakes up or goes to bed. When the
light goes on, we know that he's
awake, and he sleeps with the light off. That's why the show is called
"Awake – Asleep".
"The idea is to materialize my (human) communication with elec-
tronic
systems in public and private places by sending the primitive
message of '1 and 0' from one end to another. The LED device tries
to implement another rhythm into society or the private life of someone
else, according ... ... |
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I've Come From a Plane That Crashed in the Mountains.
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Mingjie
Nov 1, 2008
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Mountains
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Nov 2nd ★★★★★
The scourge of both the big and small silver
screens at present is that dreaded, toe-curling
combination: the docu-drama. These are
documentaries about historical events told
through period-dress reenactments which
are neither believable nor dramatic. Stranded:
I've Come From a Plane That Crashed in the
Mountains is one such docu-drama, but it is
so deftly wrought, so chillingly accurate and
so emotionally pulverizing that it flees the constraints
of the docu-drama format to emerge
as a cinematic tour de force.
The historical event in question is, of course,
known to all. Three days before Christmas in
1972, Chilean shepherds found two frost-bitten
young men who had crawled out the Andes
after surviving a horrifying plane crash. They
were part of Montevideo's Old Christian rugby
team, and their plane had been downed
by a vicious snowstorm two months earlier.
Miraculously, there were more survivors awaiting
rescue b ... ... |
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Changeling
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Mingjie
Nov 1, 2008
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Changeling
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Nov 3 ★★★
This underwhelming period thriller from Clint
Eastwood stars Angelina Jolie as a single mother
in 1920s Los Angeles who reports her missing
child, only to be handed a completely different child
by the police to hush her up. This great set-up is ruined
by slick production, wobbling dialogue, and yet another "stay quiet
and just stare" performance from Ms Jolie. You
would think Eastwood would know better. ... ... |
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Synecdoche, New York
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Mingjie
Nov 1, 2008
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New York
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Nov 3 ★★★★
Hollywood's hottest screenwriter, Charlie
Kaufman, here debuts as director in a tale of death,
theatre, and the love of art. Sounds like a snore?
Far from it: It's an eccentric classic starring Philip
Seymour and some of the screen's finest actresses
– Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Samantha Morton, and Jennifer Jason
Leigh. Think 8 1/2 on a low budget. Highly recommended. ... ... |
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Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Art+Culture / Cinema
Written by : Han Mingjie
Nov 1, 2008
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Zack and Miri Make a Porno
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Nov 4 ★★★
Kevin Smith, who really needs to grow up,
here directs another down-and-dirty comedy,
this time about the sex industry. In truth, it's
just a cutesy romance wrapped in vulgar talk,
shock tactics, and adolescent angst. But Seth
Rogan in the slacker lead
and a decent, sentimental-free, script make this
Smith's best film in years. ... ... |
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