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[Metro & Sports]
- The Ministry of Health (MOH) Thursday vowed to punish officials who underreport the H1N1 flu pandemic following criticism from a prominent medical expert who cast doubt on China's official death toll from the disease.
- China's anti-corruption chief He Guoqiang Thursday urged authorities to utilize the public's online comments and postings in the country's ongoing attempt to fight corruption.
- At least 12,000 teachers in Hubei province feel cheated as the diplomas they gained from a local normal college are recognized only within the province, and not nationwide.
- China is raising the retail cost of electricity today by 0.03 yuan (0.4 U.S. cents) per kilowatt-hour.
- Irish football officials have lodged an official complaint with world ruling body FIFA after Thierry Henry confessed that he handled the ball in the build-up to the goal which sent France to next summer's World Cup.
- South African runner Caster Semenya will be allowed to keep the gold medal she won in the women's 800-meters at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany, in August.
[Cultural Roundup]
It's time for our weekly "Cultural News Roundup" in which we review the country's major cultural events over the past seven days.
The classic opera "Magic Flute" will be staged tonight at the National Center for the Performing Arts or the NCPA. The opera is a cooperative production of the NCPA, the Norwegian National Opera and the Opera Hong Kong.
The Taiwan Guoguang Theatrical Troupe will perform the Peking opera "Golden Chain", or Jin Suo Ji in Chinese, on Saturday and Sunday at the National Center for the Performing Arts. The opera is adapted from Chinese well-known female writer Zhang Ailing's novel of the same name. Wei Haimin, the lead opera singer, is a prot¨¦g¨¦ of opera master Mei Baojiu. It will be a wonderful performance for Peking opera buffs.
A music called "Saying Goodbye to Cambridge Again" will be staged in the small theater at the National Center for the Performing Arts from November 27th to December 2nd. The story revolves around the love affair of famous poet Xu Zhimo. The musical debuted in 2001 and won critical acclaim.
[Cultural Voyage] An introductory session of Majiang
Majiang is one of China's most famous games, and is popular throughout the world. Dominic Swire took us to an introductory session organized by the Leadership Club, a Beijing-based group of young Chinese dedicated to introducing their culture to the foreigners.
Austrian artists exhibit Chinese influence
Mi Fan (that's cooked rice) is not only the staple food of the Chinese people, it's also the name of an ongoing art exhibition of Austrian artists and their works produced in China. What makes this exhibition so exceptional is that all these works of art have been created by artists during their stay here in China.
[Showbiz News]
- American movie studio Hollywood Movieworks signed an agreement with Harbin government to shoot the movie Modern Hotel in the northern Chinese city on Wednesday.
- Speaking of American movies, 'Twilight', a film about a romance between a vampire and a human that created an international buzz will finally meet Chinese audiences on Nov. 25, almost one year later than its American debut.
- Actress Fan Bingbing graces the cover of the November 2009 issue of "Madame Figaro" magazine.
- It's been 20 years since China's rock icon Cui Jian performed in Beijing Exhibition Centre, but the veteran rocker has just announced he will bring his long-awaited solo concert back to the same venue on December 24.
[Strange News]
- A man who slaughters snakes for a living was stunned when a cobra, whose head he had chopped off just minutes ago, sprung to life and bit his hand in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, on Monday.
- A 16-year-old boy gobbled up 92 jiaozi (dumplings) in 15 minutes to win a who-can-eat-more contest in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, on Monday.
- Teachers of the No 15 High School in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, have purchased about 200 kg of garlic, which students are forced to eat every day for lunch.
- Zoo-keepers in China say their tigers have grown so tame that they're frightened of the chickens they're supposed to eat.
[Real China] A Program to Help More Foreigners Become Chinese Teachers
It's estimated that, worldwide, more than 40 million people are learning Chinese as their non-native languages. Though China has geared up to send out its native Chinese teachers to other countries, the gap has yet to be bridged. But a new program is helping out. Since this year, China will provide scholarship for foreigners who aim to teach Chinese in their respective countries. |
