Back to the beginning – Art festival seeks answer to ‘what is theater?’

The 75-year-old theater director Lin Zhaohua is controversial: many praise his breaking of boundaries, but some condemn his tampering with classical works. Whether people love him or not, he is one of the most influential figures in Chinese theater.

Security guard steals 4-million-yuan painting

Two Picasso paintings stolen in 2008 from a gallery in Switzerland were recovered in Serbia. A stolen Picasso etching turned up in Colombia. And in Beijing, Zao Wou-ki’s painting went missing during an exhibition at Soka Art Center.

New acts revive an old theater

A wooden temple is hidden among the hutong south of Hepingmen. More than 300 years ago, it was a theater for Peking opera.

Comics with Chinese spirit

Chinese comics were popular for generations. That all changed with the Japanese animation invasion of 1978. Since then, Chinese youth have been raised on a diet of comics and cartoons produced in the land of the rising sun.

Audible lumps – Hear the colors of Guo Feng

As one of China’s pioneers of pop, Guo has several records to his name. In 1986, he invited more than 100 pop singers to join him in singing “Filling the World with Love” and organized one of the mainland’s first pop concerts.

Art place or market?

The 23-day exhibition, which began on September 24, included more than 100 exhibitions and activities, including concerts, drama performances, movies and forums.

Designing the dragon – Competition walks the line between cultures

As one of the earliest and most highly imaginative creations of Chinese culture, the dragon has served as the spiritual guide of the Chinese for thousands of years.

A new look for Dashilan

Many of its aging hutong and courtyards have gone unprotected, weathering away amid a thickening forest of skyscrapers. Many have been subjected to abrupt, blind commercial development imbuing them with a kind of spiritual rot.

Criticism or defamation? Art critic sued for his poison pen

The 73-year-old Fan Zeng is a master of traditional Chinese figure painting, a calligrapher and a Knight of the French Legion of Honor. But his latest identity is as the plaintiff in a “defamation” case.

Language of the body

Unlike other art forms, performance art is usually described as violent, sexual and bloody. Its performers are often seen as strange for their decision to wield their own bodies as a tool.