Chinese actor Liu Ye and his French girlfriend Anais Martane got married in Beijing on Sunday (July 5) in both Jewish and Chinese traditional wedding ceremonies…
International Chinese star Jackie Chan is going to hold a charity concert at Beijing National Stadium, the main Beijing Olympic venue which is popularly known as the Bird’s Nest.
Jackie and the concert promoter held a press conference on April 1st to announce the news; the concert is scheduled to run on May 1st and would be the first major non-sport event to be held at the stadium.
Themed as “Descendant of the Dragon: Jackie Chan and Friends”, it’s expected that a few big names will be invited for the concert, with Jackie Chan taking the lead.
[Update] Among the confirmed invited guests are Korean star Rain, pop group Suju-M and Zhang Liyin. Other
A giant panda high up at the Beijing Zoo in China…
Many people don’t know that giant pandas are good climbers; I’m rather amazed though, that the tiny tree branches could support the panda’s weight.
Taiwanese star Jay Chou is making his small screen directorial debut with “Pandamen”, a TV drama series about two Chinese superheroes.
Jay held a press conference in Beijing on Monday to announce the filming (to begin on Feb 25). He said that he wants to create Chinese superheroes which could rival Spiderman and Batman in the west.
Pandamen is a story about two Chinese superheroes protecting their city (what else?). It’s not mentioned what kind of superpower the duo are having… but seems like it’s going to be a comedic drama instead of serious attempt to emulate the western superheroes.
The series will star Devon Song and Zhan Yuhao from Taiwanese pop group Nan Quan Mama; Jay Chou is not taking serious acting role, but is expected to make some cameo appearances.
Beijing police have detained twelve people over Monday night’s (Feb 11) massive fire at the unfinished headquarters of China Central Television (CCTV) which resulted in the death of a firefighter and seven other injuries.
The building is part of the iconic CCTV tower complex and is to house CCTV’s cultural centre and the then nearly completed Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
Initial investigations suggested that the fire was caused by illegal fireworks by CCTV. Fireworks are generally allowed at the traditional Lantern Festival, the last day of Chinese New Year; but the fireworks that caught the fire was dangerous and needed approval (which CCTV didn’t get) before being allowed in downtown Beijing.
Some fun and offbeat news from various sources…
Art – Amazing cityscape art made from unusual objects [Neatorama]
Canada – Three Canadian men have claimed a new record for the fastest trek across Antarctica to the South Pole [BBC]
China – A Chinese farmer shows off his self-made rickshaw-pulling robot (pic) near his home in a village at the outskirts of Beijing [Cri]
Germany – Two German children, aged five and six, have been stopped by police on New Year’s Day from eloping to Africa for a sunny wedding… poor kids lol [BBC]
Japan – Said to be Japan’s scariest suspension bridge [Youtube, via Yamatologic]
Space – National Geographic’s top 10 space photos of 2008 [Nat-Geo]
S Korea – Emergency exits used at preschools… cute, but doubtful reliability [Brian]
USA – 6-year-old missed school bus, took mom’s car instead [Neatorama]
Beijing’s Forbidden City has long been one of China’s most popular tourist spots and iconic landmarks… but now, online visitors can experience the old dynasty culture without having to set foot on the Chinese soil.
After three years of development, the Palace Museum and IBM have unveiled on Friday (Oct 10) a virtual palace where online tourists can peek into the history and culture of the former imperial palace in a game-like 3D environment.
The project will allow people who cannot visit Beijing to experience the Forbidden City, while also providing a platform for further learning and refences for those who have visited the place in real life.
Image from the website’s photo gallery
The project looks pretty cool at first glance, but the loading speed is killing me… seems like it might take forever to download the software.
The first ever World Mind Sports Games (WMSG) opened last Friday (Oct 3) in Beijing, China, and will run until October 18.
3,000 participants from over 150 countries are competing for 35 gold medals in five events… bridge, chess, draughts, Go and Chinese chess. The events are a mixed variety of popular board and card games from the East and West [more on BBC]
The historical first gold medal is won by Alexandra Kosteniuk from Russia on Sunday in women’s chess individual blitz (image via WMSG 2008’s website)