Category: CULTURE

(Peoples Daily Online)16:22, June 24, 2019

(Chinanews.com/Wang Haohao)

Hunan Library, the provincial library of central Chinas Hunan province, held a Beijing Opera training class for foreigners in Changsha, the capital of the province on June 23, Chinanews.com reported.

More than 120 international students and teachers from over 60 countries took part in the activity.

At the beginning of the course, Ge Qianqian, deputy director of the Peking Opera Protection and Inheritance Center of Hunan, introduced the origin of Peking Opera, and the roles and designs used in the opera.

The foreigners were invited on stage to try the unique costumes and make-up of Peking Opera. Sagada, a Pakistani graduate student in Central South University, said the teachers drew red patterns on his face. The characters usually wear red make-up in memory of Guan Yu, a loyal and brave general with a reddish face who lived during the Three Kingdoms period.

(Chinanews.com/Wang Haohao)

The audience also watched Peking Opera performances, and face changing, a famous performance art in Sichuan Opera.

I have never seen such wonderful performances. What impressed me most was Sun Wukong (the Monkey King). The actor wielded the Monkey Kings weapon Jingu Bang very skillfully, said Sagada.

Nataliia from the UK, who is a teacher at a training institute in Yueyang, finds traditional Chinese culture fascinating. During the two-hour course, she learned the basic hand gestures and styles of walking in Peking Opera. She believes learning general knowledge about Peking Opera has enhanced her understanding of the performance.

(Xinhua)14:08, June 30, 2019

A collection of representative musical works in the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has been published for Party member education at the primary level nationwide.

The publication features 15 songs, corresponding lyrics and musical scores, and manuals to unfold a music class for Party members.

It aims at exploring a new approach to Party building at the primary level by means of music, said Mo Yunhui, president of its publisher the Peoples Music Publishing House.

The publishing house is launching campaigns like visits, donation events, lectures and seminars in an effort to promote the publication and help primary-level Party organizations use it in a more efficient manner.

(Peoples Daily Online)13:29, July 01, 2019

Félix Vallotton Painter of Disquiet (photo by Tianxing Bai)

In June 2019, the Royal Academy of Arts in London will showcase paintings and prints by Swiss artist Félix Vallotton (1865–1925). It marks the first exhibition of the artist’s work in the U.K. since 1976. Much admired in his homeland of Switzerland, Vallotton remains relatively unknown elsewhere. The exhibition will serve as a rare opportunity to discover the highly original and innovative work of this often overlooked artist.

Félix Vallotton Painter of Disquiet (photo by Tianxing Bai)

Comprising of around 100 works from public and private collections across Europe and the U.S., the exhibition will demonstrate the intensity of Vallotton’s unique vision by bringing together outstanding examples from every period of the artist’s career. A sense of disquiet runs through much of Vallotton’s oeuvre, and as such the legacy of his vision has found echoes in later twentieth-century art; in the German New Objectivity Movement of the 1920s, in the American painter Edward Hopper’s studies in alienation, and perhaps even in the films of Fritz Lang and Alfred Hitchcock.

Félix Vallotton Painter of Disquiet (photo by Tianxing Bai)

The first thematic section of the exhibition will present Vallotton’s work from the 1880s, following his arrival in Paris at the age of sixteen. The second section will bring together work from a period of radical development for Vallotton.

Vallotton distinguished himself as one of the great printmakers of his age. Simple in design and bold in their use of black, his woodcuts provide sharply reductive imagery, owing in part to Japanese woodblock printing. A section will focus on paintings and prints produced during the First World War, an event that profoundly affected the artist.

Félix Vallotton Painter of Disquiet (photo by Tianxing Bai)

The exhibition will conclude with a survey of Vallotton’s landscapes and still-life paintings. This selection includes the artist’s remarkable paysages composés, landscapes based on memory and imagination.

Museums and private collectors in Switzerland loaned the majority of the pieces displayed in the exhibition. (Tianxing Bai)

Félix Vallotton Painter of Disquiet (photo by Tianxing Bai)

Félix Vallotton Painter of Disquiet (photo by Tianxing Bai)

(Xinhua)14:44, July 01, 2019

SYDNEY, July 1 (Xinhua) — Australias coal ash regulations are a ticking time bomb of serious environmental and public health concern, according to a report by Environmental Justice Australia (EJA) released on Monday.

The not-for-profit group of lawyers are calling for a raft of changes to the existing laws, including stricter regulations for coal ash dumps and more onus on energy companies to rehabilitate existing land which may be contaminated by coal pollution.

Coal ash dumps are the place where the waste material from the coal combustion process goes, report author and EJA lawyer Bronya Lipski told Xinhua.

Generally in Australia, what happens is that the coal is burnt to make electricity and then the waste material – the coal ash – is mixed with water and pumped to enormous landfill sites quite close to the power stations, Lipski said.

One of the biggest concerns regarding Australias coal ash dumps is groundwater contamination, due to a large portion of the countrys dumps being unlined, as well as the potential for spills or seepage into nearby waterways.

The reality is that these dump sites are a ticking time bomb right next to those communities that live nearby them, Lipski said.

There has been some cases where the coal ash has dried out and blown over communities that live nearby these dump sites and have choked those communities for days on end until the wind has died down because they havent been managed appropriately, Lipski said.

The toxins in coal ash, which include heavy metals like mercury, lead, selenium, chromium, arsenic and silica, carries the potential for a range of serious adverse health impacts.

EJA suggests seven changes regarding the management of coal ash dumps in Australia, including more consistency, oversight and transparency, aimed at making communities more confident that their health and environment are being protected.

Most people when they think about coal, think about climate change, or they think about toxic air emissions – we very rarely think about what happens to the coal once it has been burned, Lipski said.

The true cost of coal really has not been unearthed and once we start to look at the massive waste issue with coal ash, we can start to get a really big picture of the really severe environmental impacts that coal fired power stations have, Lipski said.

EJA has called for a state parliamentary inquiry into the regulation of coal ash dumps in Australia.

(Xinhua)15:22, July 01, 2019

SHANGHAI, July 1 (Xinhua) — More than 1,000 drug users in Shanghai have undergone an eight-month virtual reality treatment program over the last three years to overcome their addiction.

According to the local judicial department, more than 70 percent of the participants have reduced desire for drugs after undergoing the treatment.

Users wearing a headset see several common drug use scenarios displayed through VR software. The headset is equipped with an infrared eye-tracker that can detect what they are looking at and for how long. If one watches an object for a long time, he or she must be interested in it.

The VR system simulates drug-craving cues in order to collect psychological data to evaluate addicts and help them off drugs. Their biological indicators, such as heart rate and skin conductivity, are recorded at the same time.

Traditional methods to induce drug cravings are mainly fake drugs and pictures of drugs, which look unreal, and addicts eye movements cannot be recorded accurately, making assessment difficult, said Xu Ding, a senior researcher with Shanghai rehabilitation administration.

The VR technology can offer an immersive environment, such as a party, a bar or a KTV room, where users can interact with virtual features, Xu said.

Health professionals also use VR to help addicts cut their psychological reliance on drugs.

After inducing drug cravings, VR images automatically switch to scenes showing negative consequences of drug use, such as disease, broken families and suicide, to arouse feelings of discomfort and then aversion to drugs.

If you see a worm every time you eat an apple, youll stop wanting apples, said Zhang Chaojing, of Shanghai Qingdong rehabilitation center.

Sometimes the VR system displays natural scenery to help calm addicts, better regulate their emotions and gradually abandon drugs.

Modern solutions are more scientific, said Xu.

In recent years, Shanghai rehabilitation centers, with local research institutions, have adopted advanced technologies and new methods to help patients free themselves of addictions. A sports-based method has also been used since last year, with addicts guided to control their emotions and actions through exercise habits.

We hope new technologies can help them improve life skills, get family support and finally return to normal life, Xu said.

(Peoples Daily Online)15:50, July 01, 2019

National Portrait Gallery unveils Cindy Shermans first Major UK retrospective (Photo by Tianxing Bai)

Cindy Shermans groundbreaking series, Untitled Film Stills, 1977-80, has gone on public display for the first time in the UK in a major new retrospective of the artists work at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Opening on June 27, Cindy Sherman explores the development of the artists work from the mid-1970s to the present day. The exhibition features over 190 works from international public and private collections, as well as a recreation of Shermans studio in New York, providing an unprecedented insight into the artists working processes.

Widely regarded as one of the worlds leading contemporary artists, Cindy Sherman first gained widespread critical recognition for Untitled Film Stills, the series that she commenced shortly after moving to New York in 1977. Comprising of 70 images, the work was the artists first major artistic statement and defined her approach. With Sherman herself as the model, wearing a range of costumes and hairstyles, her black and white images captured the look of Hollywood in the 1950s and 60s, film noir, B movies and European art-house films. Building on that layer of artifice, the fictional situations she created were photographed in a way that recalls the conventions of yesterdays cinema. As a result, each photograph depicts its subject, namely the artist, refracted through a layer of artifice – a veneer of representation.

National Portrait Gallery unveils Cindy Shermans first Major UK retrospective (Photo by Tianxing Bai)

Cindy Sherman focuses on the artists manipulation of her appearance and deployment of material derived from a range of cultural sources to create imaginary portraits that explore the tension between fa莽ade and identity. Sherman is famous for her use of make-up, costumes, props and prosthetics to create complex and ambiguous images. Taking a quotation from Alfred Hitchcocks 1954 film, Rear Window, Tell me everything you saw and what you think it means as its central theme, the exhibition will examine in detail Shermans rich and varied visual language – which draws on cinema, television, advertising and fashion.

National Portrait Gallery unveils Cindy Shermans first Major UK retrospective (Photo by Tianxing Bai)

Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, said, We are delighted to be opening this major new retrospective, spanning over 40 years of work by one of the most influential and important artists of our time, whose photographs now appear more relevant and prescient than ever in an era of social media and selfies. The exhibition is an exciting proposition for the National Portrait Gallery, placing key works from Shermans most important series within the context of portraiture to explore the often complex and ambiguous relationship between appearance and reality, challenging our notion of what a portrait can be. (Tianxing Bai)

National Portrait Gallery unveils Cindy Shermans first Major UK retrospective (Photo by Tianxing Bai)

(Peoples Daily Online)15:39, August 29, 2017

Job Description:

People’s Daily Online is looking for two full-time English-speaking editors. The openings are based in Beijing.

Job Responsibilities:

– Edit English articles produced by Chinese reporters to ensure quality, professional journalistic writing

– Work with Chinese editors and reporters in covering major events

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Qualifications:

– Native English speaker or native-speaker proficiency, under the age of 60

– For applicants holding a bachelor’s degree, a minimum two years of experience in news reporting and/or editing is a must; applicants holding a master’s degree or above are exempt from the requirement if they have an education background in the field of journalism, communication, international relations, China studies, or relevant majors

– Excellent verbal communication and writing skills

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– Keen interest in and solid knowledge of China

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Qualified candidates will be offered a competitive salary and benefits package that includes health insurance and paid holidays.

Please send your CV to en@people.cn

(Xinhua)09:51, June 21, 2019

A colored mural discovered on a wall of an ancient tomb in Shanxi Province [Photo: Shanxi provincial institute of archaeology]

TAIYUAN, June 20 (Xinhua) — Seven colored murals were discovered on the walls of an ancient tomb in north Chinas Shanxi Province, according to the provincial institute of archaeology.

Located in a village of the Shuozhou city, the brick-chambered tomb was believed to date back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Archaeologists are excavating the tomb and the delicate murals.

The well-preserved murals depicted different themes of the time, such as a desk for ritual activities, landscapes and women.

The clothes and hairstyles of the four painted women shed lights on the ancient fashion of northern Shanxi in the Yuan Dynasty.

Wang Xiaoyi, director of the institute, said the identity of the tomb owner is yet to be known. More information will be disclosed upon further investigation.

The new discoveries can provide valuable information for future studies on local burial customs and social life in Yuan dynasty, Wang said.

(Global Times)15:54, June 14, 2019

A month after being caught smoking at a Beijing restaurant, Chinese teenage heartthrob Roy Wang (Wang Yuan) re-emerged by making a brief appearance on China Central Televisions (CCTV) flagship evening news Wednesday.

During the daily news program Xinwen Lianbo on Wednesday, Wang was seen singing with school children and several senior artists in another at an event featuring the route of the Long March carried out by the Chinese Workers and Peasants Red Army from 1934 to 1936. The event was held in Ganzhou, East Chinas Jiangxi Province, the starting point of the Long March.

The broadcast came after he was caught smoking inside a restaurant in Beijing on May 21, which disappointed and upset many Chinese netizens who consider him a role model.

Wang, 18, a member of the popular Chinese teen band TFBOYS and actor, was listed by Time magazine as one of the 30 most influential teenagers and appointed as a UNICEF Special Advocate for Education in 2017. He has 73 million followers on Chinas Twitter-like Weibo.

Wang apologized on his Weibo account later, saying that I deeply regret my actions, and feel very sorry for the bad social influence…I will accept responsibility and punishment.

After watching Xinwen Lianbo, many Net users hailed Wangs return and showed tolerance to the young star. Some netizens on Weibo said Wang should follow the spirit of the Long March and strive to be a better public figure.

I am not his fan. But he has apologized sincerely and paid for his carelessness. Nobodys perfect. Overall, it is good to see Wang repair his mistake, a Beijing-based media professional who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Thursday.

He said that our society is tolerant and kind to outstanding youth.

(Xinhua)10:22, June 28, 2019

JERUSALEM, June 27 (Xinhua) — Israeli researchers have discovered how sea urchins build their skeleton, which could lead to new treatment for cancer, the northern University of Haifa (UH) reported on Thursday.

In the UH study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), it was found that the sea urchin builds its skeleton in much the same way as mammals and other vertebrates develop their circulatory system.

This means that about 550 million years ago, the sea urchins, along with other echinoderm phylum animals, made a change in their genetic program of building blood vessels, and turned it into a calcium-based skeleton.

According to the researchers, it is easier to change an existing program than to build a whole new genetic one.

Thus, animal phylums independently developed their way of taking minerals from the environment to build a skeleton, and there is no ancestor who developed one way that everyone inherited.

The researchers focused on the process of biomineralization (in the embryonic stage), in which an animal uses the minerals it absorbs from the environment and turns them into skeletons – with in sea urchins the mineral is calcium carbonate.

The researchers found that the skeleton that develops in the sea urchin embryos is tubular, very similar to the structure of a humans blood vessels, except that instead of blood inside the tube there is calcite.

The researchers also showed that the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene, which is responsible for the formation of the vascular system in humans, also plays an active role in the formation of the skeleton of sea urchins.

VEGF is known to play an active role in the formation of cancer metastases, providing them with new blood vessels with oxygen supply.

Therefore, a better understanding of VEGF control mechanisms can help fight cancer and develop new drugs.

In addition, by learning how the sea urchin controls the features of crystals, as it does with calcite crystals, it will be possible to produce strong artificial crystals in any form.