February 10, 2012 Filed under Travel
By Zhang Dongya
Some hot destinations during summertime, such as Lhasa in Tibet and Kanas in Xinjiang, are seeing their winter tourism numbers increase.
Sure, more people are opting to avoid the peak tourism season, but it’s also because some places offer stunning winter views. Here are some examples.
A warmer winter in Kanas
Kanas Scenic Spot in north Xinjiang is famous for its beautiful scenery during the summer, so for a long time, people avoided visiting during the winter. But then tourists wised up. Last year, for the first time, Kanas charged admission during the winter due to an upsurge in visitors.
Kanas is usually bitterly cold, with temperatures dipping to -40 C, along with big snowfalls that can reach thigh-deep.
But it’s been warmer this winter, with the lowest temperature only hitting -25 C. Be warned that it’s still not warm, with the highs only reaching -10 C, but there’s been 20 percent less snow this year.
Hemu Village is highly recommended. Dubbed one of the top 10 most beautiful villages in the country, it’s attracted many photographers who take pictures of its every corner. Home inns, restaurants and small bistros add to the village’s charm.
All houses are built with wood, so the village smells like a forest. The yellow cottages turn snow white during the winter, adding a layer of cream. During the day it is very tranquil, almost like no one is around. Around dinnertime, smoke rises from kitchen chimneys in every household, offering a picture of hamlet life.
Kanas Scenic Spot hosted folk performances during Spring Festival. People in ethnic costumes showed off this skills in archery and horse racing.
Kanas prefecture has a large population of Kazakhs. Visit a Tuvan family, where they will serve local specialties. During the winter, some home tours are suspended, but you can still visit locals. It’s common to see women embroidering and weaving carpets and rugs.
Visitors can also ski in Kanas. Locals use old-fashioned wooden ski board that were made by nomads using fir and horsehair. If you’re lucky, you will see a traditional ski race.
Kanas Scenic Spot
Getting there: Fly to Urumchi. One can bus to Kanas from there, or fly to Altay and bus from there. Arriving in Kanas, take an SUV or horse-drawn sleigh to the villages.
Open: 9 am – 2 pm, 4-7 pm, Monday – Friday; 10 am – 3 pm on weekends
Tel: 0999-8028 697
Admission: 230 yuan in summer, 150 yuan in winter (October 10 – May 10)
Note: Be sure to wear several layers of clothing.
A dry and real Lhasa
It’s low season for Lhasa from November to April. The temperatures are low and the air is dry, but if you visit now, you’ll get the opportunity to see a more real Tibet.
There’s a big temperature difference in the day and night. Staying in Lhasa, dubbed “City of Sunshine,” you’ll feel warm even now. Surrounding areas, however, are bitterly cold, with piercing winds.
The good news is you’ll get to see Potala Palace in all its glory, without heads blocking your view. You can spend an entire afternoon investigating temples and monasteries like Drepung Monastery and Tashilhunpo Monastery.
Lhasa is an ideal place to take life at a slow pace. Walking into a teahouse and ordering a cup of local sweet tea, you can enjoy the sunshine from the window while chatting with locals. Local dishes like Tibetan baozi are a delight.
The square in front of Jokhang Temple is grander at this time of year than any other.
For photo enthusiasts, there are some scenes that you can only catch during this time of year. Now’s the best time to view Namcha Barwa and also a great time to glimpse Mount Everest.
This year, the Tibetan New Year is a month after Spring Festival, so visitors get to see how Tibetans celebrate this special occasion.
Note: It’s much cheaper to go to Tibet during the winter, with air tickets and lodging priced as much as 50 percent less. Admission prices are also discounted.
Other Destinations
Jiuzhaigou Valley
This scenic spot has closed many parts for the winter, but there are still several to explore. The Pearl Shoal Waterfall becomes an ice falls during the winter, and the color is rare blue. It’s like a natural ice sculpture when viewed with the frozen lakes. There are also interesting folk customs related to Spring Festival in the surrounding villages. You can also ride a horse to Muny Valley, where the Zhaga Waterfall and Erdaohai Lake are located. The waterfall is frozen like a giant animal, as is the lake below.
Open: 6:30 am – 6 pm
Tel: 0837-7739 529
Admission: 220 yuan
Arxan
This is a small city with thousands of people located on the border of Inner Mongolia. The city is tranquil during wintertime. With snow, the wooden houses feel like they belong in Northern Europe. There are two big ski resorts in Arxan, with a hot spring at the foot of the mountain. Beside the city is Bailang (white wolf) folk village, where visitors can experience local activities: chopping wood, playing ice gyro and watching the folk dance yangko.
By Zhang Dongya
Some hot destinations during summertime, such as Lhasa in Tibet and Kanas in Xinjiang, are seeing their winter tourism numbers increase.
Sure, more people are opting to avoid the peak tourism season, but it’s also because some places offer stunning winter views. Here are some examples.
Visiting Lhasa in the winter, you can slow down and see a more real Tibet. CFP Photos
A warmer winter in Kanas
Kanas Scenic Spot in north Xinjiang is famous for its beautiful scenery during the summer, so for a long time, people avoided visiting during the winter. But then tourists wised up. Last year, for the first time, Kanas charged admission during the winter due to an upsurge in visitors.
Kanas is usually bitterly cold, with temperatures dipping to -40 C, along with big snowfalls that can reach thigh-deep.
But it’s been warmer this winter, with the lowest temperature only hitting -25 C. Be warned that it’s still not warm, with the highs only reaching -10 C, but there’s been 20 percent less snow this year.
Hemu Village is highly recommended. Dubbed one of the top 10 most beautiful villages in the country, it’s attracted many photographers who take pictures of its every corner. Home inns, restaurants and small bistros add to the village’s charm.
All houses are built with wood, so the village smells like a forest. The yellow cottages turn snow white during the winter, adding a layer of cream. During the day it is very tranquil, almost like no one is around. Around dinnertime, smoke rises from kitchen chimneys in every household, offering a picture of hamlet life.
Kanas Scenic Spot hosted folk performances during Spring Festival. People in ethnic costumes showed off this skills in archery and horse racing.
Kanas prefecture has a large population of Kazakhs. Visit a Tuvan family, where they will serve local specialties. During the winter, some home tours are suspended, but you can still visit locals. It’s common to see women embroidering and weaving carpets and rugs.
Visitors can also ski in Kanas. Locals use old-fashioned wooden ski board that were made by nomads using fir and horsehair. If you’re lucky, you will see a traditional ski race.
Nightlife
Immanu EI China tour
Immanu EI is a Swedish post-rock band whose style combines post-rock, ambient, indie rock and experimental music. Founded in 2004, the band was invited to perform in the Hultsfred Rookie Festival the following year, one of the most important music festivals in the local indie music scene. The band released two albums, They’ll Come, They Come and Moen, in 2007 and 2009 respectively, helping Immanu EL become an influential Scandinavian outfit.
Where: MAO Livehouse, 111 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District.
When: 8:30-11:30 pm
Admission: 60 yuan pre-sale, 80 yuan at the door
Tel: 13730868213
Exhibition
Splendid with no regrets
Still coping with modern urban landscape mutations, Fortunée Noel’s new works depict a frenetic Beijing juggling with cinder blocks and girders.
The new set of works proposed at the Babu Space gallery mainly tries to recreate the energy inherent to this aesthetic transformation guided by desire as well as necessity. Consequences are no pretext for interrogation this time.
Old hutong are an important part of Noel’s works. But this time, gold and silver pigments are dominant. Submitted to an irrepressible evolution, old Beijing appears more than ever like a mummy in a sarcophagus.
This exhibition is part of a series of events marking the 20th anniversary of China-Israel diplomatic relations.
Where: N2-40, Sanlitun Village North, Chaoyang District
When: 6 pm (opening); until March 5.
Admission: Free
Tel: 6415 8616
Nightlife
I Know Ta Is Coming
Zhong Lifeng is the lead singer of Borges. His music is filled with humanity and emotion, aiming to touch the audience’s soul. The concert is his chance to tell stories through songs and share experiences about music and life.
Where: 7 Mianhua Hutong, Jiaokoudao Nan Dajie, Dongcheng District.
When: 8:30-11 pm
Admission: 80 yuan pre-sale, 100 yuan at the door
Tel: 6401 5269
Nightlife
The Beijing Beatles
The Beijing Beatles will cover the fab four’s greatest hits, organized under two themes. The first is “The Beatles,” covering 1962 to 1966. “All you need is love” is the other theme, covering songs from 1967 to 1970. The band will dress as characters from the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover.
Where: V.A. Bar, 13 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District
When: 10 pm – 1 am
Admission: 30 yuan
Tel: 5844 3638
Culture Salon
A Tale of Carver, finding the real Raymond Carver
Raymond Carver was one of the most important American writers of the second half of the 20th century despite never publishing a novel. The book Raymond Carver, A Writer’s Life is a biography by Carol Sklenicka. It took her 10 years to research all of Carver’s works and conduct the relevant interviews. Sklenicka tried to piece together Carver’s life to find the man behind the works.
The Salon will invite Ge Fei, a professor at Tsinghua University, and Tang Wei, a Carver fan, to talk about the famous writer and share their experiences while reading Sklenicka’s acclaimed biography.
Where: One Way Street Library, Solana, 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang District
When: 2-4 pm
Admission: Free
Tel: 5905 6937
Movie
The Silence of the Sea
Set during World War II, due to France’s occupation by Germany, an old French man and his niece have to live with a German officer. This is a story of friendship and love that transcends the politics of the age.
The Silence of the Sea was directed by Pierre Boutron, reflecting his thinking about war and human nature. The film resonated with European audiences and won widespread acclaim
Where: French Cultural Center, 18 Gongti Xi Lu, Chaoyang District
When: 7:30-9:30 pm
Admission: 20 yuan, 10 yuan for students
Drama
Time Carnival
What if two people in love aren’t allowed to be together until 10 years later? Time Carnival tells the story of a couple in a long-distance relationship – a visual feast for Valentine’s Day. The couple struggles with the pursuit of true love and, in the process, learn more about themselves.
Where: Trojan House, Art Center, 22 Pingguo Shequ (Pingod Community), Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang District.
When: 7:30 pm
Admission: 50-400 yuan
Tel: 5876 0611
Drama
Beijing I Love You
Five famous directors – Yang Yazhou, Qiu Ye, Zhang Yadong, Luo Kang and Chen Yiming – tell five love stories based on Beijing’s subway. Five special perspectives will give viewers a new outlook on love and their lovers.
Where: CHE Theater, Nine Theater, 17 Jintai Xili, Chaoyang District.
When: Daily until March 3, 7:30 pm
Admission: 80-680 yuan
Tel: 4008 802 880
Exhibition
Lüxiao Reactor
Lüxiao is an open group for artists, providing opportunities for amateurs who want to share their works.
This exhibition will feature illustrations from 18 local indie illustrators, including Cai Zebin and Daguoli.
Where: Qinggongguan, 23 Chaibang Hutong, Andingmen Dajie, Dongcheng District
When: Daily until February 29, 2-6 pm
Admission: Free
(By Zhang Yuting)
Fri, Feb. 10
Nightlife
Immanu EI China tour
Immanu EI is a Swedish post-rock band whose style combines post-rock, ambient, indie rock and experimental music. Founded in 2004, the band was invited to perform in the Hultsfred Rookie Festival the following year, one of the most important music festivals in the local indie music scene. The band released two albums, They’ll Come, They Come and Moen, in 2007 and 2009 respectively, helping Immanu EL become an influential Scandinavian outfit.
Where: MAO Livehouse, 111 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District.
When: 8:30-11:30 pm
Admission: 60 yuan pre-sale, 80 yuan at the door
Tel: 13730868213
February 10, 2012 Filed under Book
By Charles Zhu
Faithful to fact and accurate in its commentary, Claire Tomalin’s superb Charles Dickens: A Life presents the man as he really was.
In 1836, Charles Dickens, then 24, married Catherine Hogarth and began to amass a fortune. He wrote simultaneously for four publishers and earned a bonus of ?ê500 for The Pickwick Papers. Three years earlier, as a journalist, he had been producing sketches of urban life for a magazine called The Monthly.
This fantastic biography reveals Dickens’ relationship with money. His father, John, had been imprisoned for debt in the Marshalsea.
His childhood and early adolescence were marked by a fall into abject poverty that denied him access to education and shamefully sent him to work in a blacking factory by the Hungerford Bridge at the age of 12. When he turned 15, he found work as a junior clerk in a law office, and at 24 he had been supporting himself for more than a decade.
As his fortune grew, so too did the number of his dependents. Dickens’ large family and numerous friends and beneficiaries relied on him for financial support. His public readings in the 1860s brought him a wealth of payment and his second American tour (1867) earned him ?ê20,000, or more than ?ê1.4 million in today’s currency.
Nevertheless, Dickens led a pompous life and fell into heavy drinking, though he probably was not an alcoholic.
Understanding Dickens’ history with money is essential to tearing away the famous mask. The great artist was very human, and Tomalin’s biography offers a picture of a complex and exacting man. He was at once energetic and charming, charismatic and altruistic. Tomalin writes, “Dickens kept going by taking on too much.” In 1838, he was writing Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby at the same time.
He was also tormented, demanding and vindictive.
The biography gives a detailed account of Dickens marriage and his long affair with the young actress Ellen Ternan. At the age of 45, Dickens fell for the 18-year-old Ternan. It was like Pip’s love for Estella in Great Expectations, because she was “irresistible.”
Dickens walked out on his unhappy marriage that produced 10 children and began an affair that brought out the worst in him. He separated himself from Catherine, treating her in the cruelest manner, and set up Ellen as his mistress in a house on the outskirts of London.
But the stress of relationships and work caused Dickens’ health to take a turn, and by his early 50s premature aging had caused him severe gout, piles, neuralgia and, later, a minor stroke. George Eliot described him in 1870 as “dreadfully shattered.”
Though dreadfully ill, he continued to embark on a punishing series of tours giving public readings of his novels. He was so weak he sometimes had to be helped onto and off the stage. While the tight schedule may have hastened his death, it was also a great satisfaction to his ego and his bank balance – “Think of it,” he once said gleefully, “?ê190 a night [?ê14,000].”
He died in 1870 from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 58. His last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, went unfinished.
Of the person, Fyodor Dostoyevsky in 1862 said, “He told me that all the good, simple people in his novels … are what he wanted to have been, and his villains were what he was (or rather, what he found in himself) – his cruelty, his attacks of causeless enmity towards those who were helpless and looked to him for comfort, his shrinking from those whom he ought to love.
“There were two people in him, he told me: one who feels as he ought to feel and one who feels the opposite. From the one who feels the opposite I make my evil characters, from the one who feels as a man ought to feel, I try to live my life.”
Though Tomalin makes an accurate analysis of the novels, what is so valuable about this biography is the candid portrayal of the writer. Tomalin does not refrain from condemning Dickens whenever it is necessary, yet she writes with compassion.
She has achieved what she set out to – a faithful portrayal of Dickens as a complicated and often extremely difficult and demanding individual. The clearer picture of his person can help readers to better respect him and his great art.
Charles Dickens: A Life, By Claire Tomalin, 576pp, Viking, ￡30
By Charles Zhu
Faithful to fact and accurate in its commentary, Claire Tomalin’s superb Charles Dickens: A Life presents the man as he really was.
In 1836, Charles Dickens, then 24, married Catherine Hogarth and began to amass a fortune. He wrote simultaneously for four publishers and earned a bonus of ?ê500 for The Pickwick Papers. Three years earlier, as a journalist, he had been producing sketches of urban life for a magazine called The Monthly.
This fantastic biography reveals Dickens’ relationship with money. His father, John, had been imprisoned for debt in the Marshalsea.
His childhood and early adolescence were marked by a fall into abject poverty that denied him access to education and shamefully sent him to work in a blacking factory by the Hungerford Bridge at the age of 12. When he turned 15, he found work as a junior clerk in a law office, and at 24 he had been supporting himself for more than a decade.
As his fortune grew, so too did the number of his dependents. Dickens’ large family and numerous friends and beneficiaries relied on him for financial support. His public readings in the 1860s brought him a wealth of payment and his second American tour (1867) earned him ?ê20,000, or more than ?ê1.4 million in today’s currency.
Nevertheless, Dickens led a pompous life and fell into heavy drinking, though he probably was not an alcoholic.
Understanding Dickens’ history with money is essential to tearing away the famous mask. The great artist was very human, and Tomalin’s biography offers a picture of a complex and exacting man. He was at once energetic and charming, charismatic and altruistic. Tomalin writes, “Dickens kept going by taking on too much.” In 1838, he was writing Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby at the same time.
February 10, 2012 Filed under Book
Timezone 8 is a Hong Kong-based publisher, distributor and retailer of books on contemporary art, architecture, photography and design. This week, it recommends three upcoming titles to Beijing Today readers.
Le Corbusier: Ideas and Forms
By William J R Curtis, 240pp, Phaidon Press, $35
Le Corbusier (1887-1965) was a dominant force of 20th-century architecture; many of his forms have become archetypes of modernism. But Le Corbusier was also a social visionary and a writer of polemics, whose ideas have generated intense and partisan controversy. This book provides a comprehensive and objective survey that lends perspective to the architect’s. Making full use of the Le Corbusier archive, the author documents individual projects in detail while linking the imaginative activities of the artist to his philosophy of life, his urban visions, his art and the cultural predicaments of his times.
The Art of Looking Sideways
By Alan Fletcher, 534pp, Phaidon Press, $49.95
The art of ukiyo-e originated in the city of Edo (1603-1867, now Tokyo), when the political and military power of Japan was in the hands of the shogun. This book, with six essays, six plate sections and more than 600 illustrations, provides a perfect introduction to the art of the period. The paintings, scrolls and prints demonstrate not only the new urban pleasures of the theater, restaurant, tea house and geisha, but also Japan’s love of nature and tradition. Professor Calza’s accessible style provides a fascinating yet scholarly study of such masters as Hokusai, Hiroshige and Utamaro.
Topics of Our Time
By E.H. Gombrich, 223pp, Phaidon Press, 280 yuan
This collection of hard-hitting, highly readable essays reflects Gombrich’s preoccupation with the central questions of value and tradition in our culture. Here he confronts some of the most urgent issues challenging today’s students of art and civilization. His topics include some radical proposals for the reform of higher education, an attack on relativism and a plea for the conservation of our cities, alongside thought-provoking and engaging studies of the works of Oskar Kokoschka, Abram Games, Saul Steinberg and Henri Cartier-Bresson.
(By Zhang Dongya)
Timezone 8 is a Hong Kong-based publisher, distributor and retailer of books on contemporary art, architecture, photography and design. This week, it recommends three upcoming titles to Beijing Today readers.
Le Corbusier: Ideas and Forms
By William J R Curtis, 240pp, Phaidon Press, $35
Le Corbusier (1887-1965) was a dominant force of 20th-century architecture; many of his forms have become archetypes of modernism. But Le Corbusier was also a social visionary and a writer of polemics, whose ideas have generated intense and partisan controversy. This book provides a comprehensive and objective survey that lends perspective to the architect’s. Making full use of the Le Corbusier archive, the author documents individual projects in detail while linking the imaginative activities of the artist to his philosophy of life, his urban visions, his art and the cultural predicaments of his times.
The Art of Looking Sideways
By Alan Fletcher, 534pp, Phaidon Press, $49.95
The art of ukiyo-e originated in the city of Edo (1603-1867, now Tokyo), when the political and military power of Japan was in the hands of the shogun. This book, with six essays, six plate sections and more than 600 illustrations, provides a perfect introduction to the art of the period. The paintings, scrolls and prints demonstrate not only the new urban pleasures of the theater, restaurant, tea house and geisha, but also Japan’s love of nature and tradition. Professor Calza’s accessible style provides a fascinating yet scholarly study of such masters as Hokusai, Hiroshige and Utamaro.
Topics of Our Time
By E.H. Gombrich, 223pp, Phaidon Press, 280 yuan
This collection of hard-hitting, highly readable essays reflects Gombrich’s preoccupation with the central questions of value and tradition in our culture. Here he confronts some of the most urgent issues challenging today’s students of art and civilization. His topics include some radical proposals for the reform of higher education, an attack on relativism and a plea for the conservation of our cities, alongside thought-provoking and engaging studies of the works of Oskar Kokoschka, Abram Games, Saul Steinberg and Henri Cartier-Bresson.
(By Zhang Dongya)
By Han Manman
Last year’s biggest surprise in the Taiwanese film market was the teen romance You Are the Apple of My Eye, which topped box offices in Taiwan and Hong Kong and generated a buzz on the mainland.
While credited with propelling Taiwanese cinema back to popularity, the movie is only part of a larger trend.
After a decade-long slump, Taiwan’s films are sweeping box offices both at home and abroad and winning awards at film festivals. The success is thanks to a new generation of filmmakers who are bringing hope to the ailing industry.
You Are the Apple of My Eye contained an array of romantic elements needed to make viewers relive their sweet high school memories when it premiered on the mainland last month.
The film, based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Taiwanese author Giddens Ko, was Ko’s directorial debut.
Apple of My Eye tells the story of five guys. Giddens’ character, played by Ke Zhendong, is a prankster and a mischievous student who strives to win the heart of Shen Jiayi, an honors student who is popular with all the boys in her class.
The film is split into three parts and follows their relationship through high school, university and into adulthood.
The small-budget film was a surprising success in many Asian film markets and has already become Taiwan and Hong Kong’s highest-grossing Chinese film.
“The film turns its lens on youthful confusion, rebellion and first love. It’s more like a bittersweet romance than a coming-of-age comedy,” said Chen Xing, a mainland viewer who also called it “pop cinema at its finest.”
But Apple of My Eye is just one among many small-budget productions finding success abroad. Many critics are pointing to the sudden boom as a sign that Taiwan’s film slump is over.
Cinema was introduced to Taiwan in 1907 by the Japanese filmmaker Takamatsu Toyojiro. However, the films were in Japanese and functioned as propaganda tools for the island’s colonial rulers.
By the 1950s, Taiwan began filming movies in Chinese. However, most focused on civic virtue and were set in the countryside.
In the 1970s, Taiwanese cinema thrived and its popularity spread throughout Southeast Asia. But that golden age came to an end with the influx of Hollywood pictures during the 1990s.
Just when almost everyone seemed to lose faith in the sector, director Wei Desheng’s Cape No. 7 rekindled hope for the industry in 2008. The movie generated box-office returns of $18.3 million, a record for a Taiwanese film.
The film is about the unwavering pursuit of music, dreams and love and provides a lavish presentation of the breathtaking scenery on the south side of the island.
Director Wei exquisitely portrayed a secret love set in the Japanese-occupied Taiwan of the 1940s. Unable to disclose his affection for a local woman before returning to Japan, a Japanese teacher wrote seven unforgettably passionate letters. Although the letters were only mailed 70 years later, they became the catalyst of a second inter-cultural love affair.
Cape No. 7 received strong attendance due to word-of-mouth. Since then, the island has produced new blockbusters with broader appeal.
“Previous Taiwanese directors were preoccupied with profound issues such as destiny and history – issues that seem distant to many,” said film critic Steven Tu. The new generation focuses on the strength and frailty of the island’s people and institutions – topics that strike a chord with the audience.
Monga, for example, which topped Taiwan’s box office in 2010 and which was screened at the Berlin film festival, portrays a brotherhood of five boys and touches on gang violence and bullying.
Another eye-catching film of 2011, Night Market Hero, depicts street vendors standing up against ruthless developers with the true story of a struggling gymnast-turned-coach.
Tu said he also found that the styles of emerging young directors have become more lighthearted. As an example, he cited director Chen Junlin’s 2010 film Au Revoir, a comedy in which characters sometimes break into song.
Tu’s comments were supported by Kim Ji-seok, the executive programmer of the Pusan International Film Festival, a major international event for actors, directors and movie producers.
“Taiwanese filmmakers have established their own creative style, which is totally different from that of any other Asian country or region, and even around the world,” Kim said.
“They talk about personal experience – the personal history of their protagonists.”
Kim attributed the trend to Taiwan’s mix of ethnic and linguistic groups, including a Taiwanese-speaking aboriginal underclass mired in poverty and alcoholism, a distinct society of Hakka people with their own language and a Chinese-speaking majority.
That cultural diversity inspires many of the young directors.
He said concern over aboriginal society has become a major theme, citing Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, as an example, another hit film by Wei Desheng. The film was well received at last year’s Venice Film Festival.
The $25 million epic film from Taiwan is about a rebellion by the island’s aboriginal tribes against the Japanese occupation. It is based on a historical event in 1930, little known even among most Taiwanese, when Seediq tribal leaders launched a revolt during Japanese colonial rule. Japan’s occupation began in 1895 and extended 50 years until Japan’s defeat in World War II.
That Taiwanese films are getting so much attention is no accident: the island’s young directors are telling the stories that viewers want to see.
By Han Manman
Last year’s biggest surprise in the Taiwanese film market was the teen romance You Are the Apple of My Eye, which topped box offices in Taiwan and Hong Kong and generated a buzz on the mainland.
While credited with propelling Taiwanese cinema back to popularity, the movie is only part of a larger trend.
After a decade-long slump, Taiwan’s films are sweeping box offices both at home and abroad and winning awards at film festivals. The success is thanks to a new generation of filmmakers who are bringing hope to the ailing industry.
You Are the Apple of My Eye is a small-budget film and was a surprising success in many Asian film markets.
You Are the Apple of My Eye
You Are the Apple of My Eye contained an array of romantic elements needed to make viewers relive their sweet high school memories when it premiered on the mainland last month.
The film, based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Taiwanese author Giddens Ko, was Ko’s directorial debut.
Apple of My Eye tells the story of five guys. Giddens’ character, played by Ke Zhendong, is a prankster and a mischievous student who strives to win the heart of Shen Jiayi, an honors student who is popular with all the boys in her class.
The film is split into three parts and follows their relationship through high school, university and into adulthood.
The small-budget film was a surprising success in many Asian film markets and has already become Taiwan and Hong Kong’s highest-grossing Chinese film.
“The film turns its lens on youthful confusion, rebellion and first love. It’s more like a bittersweet romance than a coming-of-age comedy,” said Chen Xing, a mainland viewer who also called it “pop cinema at its finest.”
But Apple of My Eye is just one among many small-budget productions finding success abroad. Many critics are pointing to the sudden boom as a sign that Taiwan’s film slump is over.
February 3, 2012 Filed under Food
By Annie Wei
Face Bar and Restaurant at the south gate of Worker’s Stadium has been around so long that it grew stagnant and lost many customers amid the capital’s booming restaurant and bar scene.
But last year, Face hired a new manager and chefs from Thailand to improve its hospitality, service and food quality.
As one of the most popular destinations in Shanghai in the early 2000s – specializing in South Asian décor, ambiance and food – it made a splash when it moved to Beijing, with its Chinese garden hidden by bamboo terraces.
After enjoying a long run of success, it’s no wonder Face wants to reestablish itself as a premiere destination for Thai food.
We recommend its classics like green papaya salad (75 yuan), featuring lots of lime juice to open up your appetite. We like its slightly bitter taste from the cracked lime seeds.
We also enjoyed the mixed platter of spring rolls, shrimp cake and grilled chicken (starting from 138 yuan).
Thai stir-fried basil pork (108 yuan) is also tasty. Normally it’s made with ground pork, but nearly any type of pork or chicken can be used.
Thai coconut shrimp red curry (198 yuan) comes with five pieces of fat and delicious shrimp, and the coconut milk gives it a nice aroma and more taste.
Shrimp, mung bean sprouts and Thai noodles (65 yuan) is a light dish compared to the others. The delicious and chewy noodle is rich in flavor and texture.
Face’s intimate ambiance makes it a perfect restaurant for celebrating Valentine’s Day. Thai-born chef Choo Wong Rat will present a mix of Thai classics and some of his signature dishes (1,088 yuan for two), including combining lobster in garlic butter sauce, grilled beef with spicy chili sauce, strawberry cake and refreshing sherbet.
It is also a nice place to hang out for afternoon tea because of its quiet and pleasant surroundings.
The Face Bar and Restaurant
Where: 26 Dongcaoyuan, Gongti Nan Lu, Chaoyang District
Open: 11:30 am – late
Tel: 6551 6788
The Face Bar and Restaurant's garden/Photos by Zhou Baoling
Thai coconut shrimp red curry, starting from 198 yuan
Thai stir-fried basil chicken, starting from 138 yuan
By Annie Wei
Face Bar and Restaurant at the south gate of Worker’s Stadium has been around so long that it grew stagnant and lost many customers amid the capital’s booming restaurant and bar scene.
But last year, Face hired a new manager and chefs from Thailand to improve its hospitality, service and food quality.
As one of the most popular destinations in Shanghai in the early 2000s – specializing in South Asian décor, ambiance and food – it made a splash when it moved to Beijing, with its Chinese garden hidden by bamboo terraces.
After enjoying a long run of success, it’s no wonder Face wants to reestablish itself as a premiere destination for Thai food.
We recommend its classics like green papaya salad (75 yuan), featuring lots of lime juice to open up your appetite. We like its slightly bitter taste from the cracked lime seeds.
We also enjoyed the mixed platter of spring rolls, shrimp cake and grilled chicken (starting from 138 yuan).
Thai stir-fried basil pork (108 yuan) is also tasty. Normally it’s made with ground pork, but nearly any type of pork or chicken can be used.
February 3, 2012 Filed under Food
By Annie Wei
Ocean Grounds, a new coffee store, is taking the concept of fresh and organic coffee one step further, offering a “farm-to-cup” experience by placing a 25-kilogram Probat coffee roaster in its store to supply custom blends and simple-origin coffees.
It offers a few specialties one cannot find anywhere else in town. It currently has five single-origin coffees (40 yuan) that are so fresh that their aroma permeates the store.
We like its cold-press selection (37 to 40 yuan). New Orleans style is cold-press coffee with chicory, cinnamon and house spices with milk; Diego style is made with organic almond milk, agave and house spices; and LA style is made with house spiced chai with cold-pressed coffee, organic almond milk and agave. The cold-press coffee is clear and relatively low in caffeine. The store has special equipment to make cold-press coffee. It takes eight hours to prepare a big pot of cold press coffee every day.
You can also try its four types of homemade coffee (43 yuan): tru-bru (pour over), OG brew, siphon and French press.
There are also a few special hot espresso drinks, with espresso mixed chocolate and spices.
The store offers tea as well, such as chai tea latte (39 to 42 yuan). The company said its tea was from the local company Tea Journal, with which it shares the same organic philosophy.
Retail organic coffee beans are available at 275 yuan per pound.
Because the store is still new and it’s located in a relatively quiet mall, it’s a great place to work on your laptop or read a book.
Ocean Grounds Coffee
Where: 327, 3rd floor, U-Town, 2 Sanfeng Bei Li, Chao-yangmen, Chaoyang District
Open: 10 am – 10 pm
Tel: 8561 0961
By Annie Wei
Face Bar and Restaurant at the south gate of Worker’s Stadium has been around so long that it grew stagnant and lost many customers amid the capital’s booming restaurant and bar scene.
But last year, Face hired a new manager and chefs from Thailand to improve its hospitality, service and food quality.
As one of the most popular destinations in Shanghai in the early 2000s – specializing in South Asian décor, ambiance and food – it made a splash when it moved to Beijing, with its Chinese garden hidden by bamboo terraces.
After enjoying a long run of success, it’s no wonder Face wants to reestablish itself as a premiere destination for Thai food.
We recommend its classics like green papaya salad (75 yuan), featuring lots of lime juice to open up your appetite. We like its slightly bitter taste from the cracked lime seeds.
We also enjoyed the mixed platter of spring rolls, shrimp cake and grilled chicken (starting from 138 yuan).
Thai stir-fried basil pork (108 yuan) is also tasty. Normally it’s made with ground pork, but nearly any type of pork or chicken can be used.
Thai coconut shrimp red curry (198 yuan) comes with five pieces of fat and delicious shrimp, and the coconut milk gives it a nice aroma and more taste.
Shrimp, mung bean sprouts and Thai noodles (65 yuan) is a light dish compared to the others. The delicious and chewy noodle is rich in flavor and texture.
Face’s intimate ambiance makes it a perfect restaurant for celebrating Valentine’s Day. Thai-born chef Choo Wong Rat will present a mix of Thai classics and some of his signature dishes (1,088 yuan for two), including combining lobster in garlic butter sauce, grilled beef with spicy chili sauce, strawberry cake and refreshing sherbet.
It is also a nice place to hang out for afternoon tea because of its quiet and pleasant surroundings.
The Face Bar and Restaurant
Where: 26 Dongcaoyuan, Gongti Nan Lu, Chaoyang District
Open: 11:30 am – late
Tel: 6551 6788
Ocean Grounds is located at U-town mall. Photos by Xiaomujiang
By Annie Wei
Ocean Grounds, a new coffee store, is taking the concept of fresh and organic coffee one step further, offering a “farm-to-cup” experience by placing a 25-kilogram Probat coffee roaster in its store to supply custom blends and simple-origin coffees.
It offers a few specialties one cannot find anywhere else in town. It currently has five single-origin coffees (40 yuan) that are so fresh that their aroma permeates the store.
Single-origin coffee is freshly ground.
We like its cold-press selection (37 to 40 yuan). New Orleans style is cold-press coffee with chicory, cinnamon and house spices with milk; Diego style is made with organic almond milk, agave and house spices; and LA style is made with house spiced chai with cold-pressed coffee, organic almond milk and agave. The cold-press coffee is clear and relatively low in caffeine. The store has special equipment to make cold-press coffee. It takes eight hours to prepare a big pot of cold press coffee every day.
You can also try its four types of homemade coffee (43 yuan): tru-bru (pour over), OG brew, siphon and French press.
There are also a few special hot espresso drinks, with espresso mixed chocolate and spices.
The store offers tea as well, such as chai tea latte (39 to 42 yuan). The company said its tea was from the local company Tea Journal, with which it shares the same organic philosophy.
Retail organic coffee beans are available at 275 yuan per pound.
Because the store is still new and it’s located in a relatively quiet mall, it’s a great place to work on your laptop or read a book.
Ocean Grounds Coffee
Where: 327, 3rd floor, U-Town, 2 Sanfeng Bei Li, Chao-yangmen, Chaoyang District
Open: 10 am – 10 pm
Tel: 8561 0961
By Annie Wei
Returning to cold weather isn’t the worst part of returning from Spring Festival vacation: in southern second- and third-tier cities, visitors may have noticed that delicious meals cost much less than in Beijing.
To sidestep spiraling food prices, people have turned to Taobao. Guoku.com, a free App, was created to filter quality Taobao stores, and it’s gained quite a following through word-of-mouth advertising.
Guolu is compatible with iPhone or iPad, and also sends Weibo updates. It features three or four recommended products every day.
Most of Guoku.com’s recommendations are related to digital products and home decoration. Here are a few we like.
French
vintage
To buy affordable furniture, you don’t need to drive to South Third Ring Road. The store wendystyle.taobao.com has plenty of beautiful French vintage pieces at a third of the prices you’ll find at retail stores.
For colorful fabric sofas or chairs, try casagaia.taobao.com.
Sexy coffee maker
A compactly designed Nespresso is not just a coffeemaker, but a tasteful art piece for your kitchen. It’s available at Shundan home appliance store at Sanlitun Village starting from 3,000 yuan. You can find cheaper deals on Taobao starting at 1,800 yuan.
The Taobao store Sweetie-house only sells Nespresso machines with capsules (48 yuan for 10 capsules).
However, purchasing from the store gives you a two-year warranty and home repair service within 7 to 10 working days.
Website: sweetie-house.taobao.com
Originals
from Europe
Although China manufactures products nationwide, some items are not available on the Chinese mainland. To get quality European design items like Joseph Joseph, a British kitchenware brand, try fromeurope.taobao.com. It has hundreds of fun items costing a few hundred yuan.
By Annie Wei
Returning to cold weather isn’t the worst part of returning from Spring Festival vacation: in southern second- and third-tier cities, visitors may have noticed that delicious meals cost much less than in Beijing.
To sidestep spiraling food prices, people have turned to Taobao. Guoku.com, a free App, was created to filter quality Taobao stores, and it’s gained quite a following through word-of-mouth advertising.
Guolu is compatible with iPhone or iPad, and also sends Weibo updates. It features three or four recommended products every day.
Most of Guoku.com’s recommendations are related to digital products and home decoration. Here are a few we like.
Photos by Yang Yidong
French vintage
To buy affordable furniture, you don’t need to drive to South Third Ring Road. The store wendystyle.taobao.com has plenty of beautiful French vintage pieces at a third of the prices you’ll find at retail stores.
For colorful fabric sofas or chairs, try casagaia.taobao.com.
By Annie Wei
In response to the government’s tightened policies on lending, the housing market has begun to weaken, and as a result, more people are renting instead of buying homes.
Hu Jinghui, vice president of 5i5j.com, a real estate chain, said that housing prices rose too fast and government policies now make it difficult for people to get a loan, causing many families to delay their plans to purchase a home.
“Meanwhile, it’s helped more young people accept the idea of renting an apartment instead of owning property,” he said.
Guan Yue, a bank associate who moved to Beijing six years ago, decided to continue renting a small apartment with her fiancé before Chinese New Year. Her rent is 2,300 yuan per month.
“We’ve planned to buy an apartment for two years, but the housing prices are so expensive,” Guan said. “Although the price seems to be going down now, we decided to wait a bit longer.”
Since last October, the prices of Beijing’s new and secondhand apartments have dropped 15 percent, but the price still remains high. Most secondhand apartments within Fourth Ring Road cost 25,000 to 30,000 yuan per square meter. Cheaper ones are only available in the suburbs.
Traditionally, young couples have put buying a home high on their list of priorities. But these days, more couples are raising families in rented apartments.
Hu said that more apartments are available in the rental market. With more tenants in the market, the capital’s average rent has increased to 3,100 yuan per month in 2011.
February 6 marks the end of Spring Festival, a day where non-Beijingers flock back to the city. This marks the start of the peak season for the rental market. Those who plan to move are advised to wait a couple of weeks afterwards.
With fewer apartments being sold in January compared to last year, there are more renters. CFP Photo
By Annie Wei
In response to the government’s tightened policies on lending, the housing market has begun to weaken, and as a result, more people are renting instead of buying homes.
Hu Jinghui, vice president of 5i5j.com, a real estate chain, said that housing prices rose too fast and government policies now make it difficult for people to get a loan, causing many families to delay their plans to purchase a home.
“Meanwhile, it’s helped more young people accept the idea of renting an apartment instead of owning property,” he said.
Guan Yue, a bank associate who moved to Beijing six years ago, decided to continue renting a small apartment with her fiancé before Chinese New Year. Her rent is 2,300 yuan per month.
“We’ve planned to buy an apartment for two years, but the housing prices are so expensive,” Guan said. “Although the price seems to be going down now, we decided to wait a bit longer.”
Since last October, the prices of Beijing’s new and secondhand apartments have dropped 15 percent, but the price still remains high. Most secondhand apartments within Fourth Ring Road cost 25,000 to 30,000 yuan per square meter. Cheaper ones are only available in the suburbs.
Traditionally, young couples have put buying a home high on their list of priorities. But these days, more couples are raising families in rented apartments.
Hu said that more apartments are available in the rental market. With more tenants in the market, the capital’s average rent has increased to 3,100 yuan per month in 2011.
February 6 marks the end of Spring Festival, a day where non-Beijingers flock back to the city. This marks the start of the peak season for the rental market. Those who plan to move are advised to wait a couple of weeks afterwards.
By Annie Wei
It’s easy to accumulate stuff in the big city – books, appliances, clothes, toys – but what happens when your small apartment gets too cluttered?
Chen Hao, an overseas returnee in Shanghai, recently founded You You Space, public storage rental for individuals, families and small companies.
Rental space is common in other countries, said Chen. Customers can pick up their belongings anytime, which are kept in safe and private storage.
In China, Chen said it is important to find a space within the city, easily accessible by public transportation.
His company has different sized storage lockers ranging from 0.7 to 20 square meters, with rental costs ranging from a few hundred to thousand yuan per month.
Other storage facilities that are available include U-store, a Beijing-based provider that offers small and large lockers.
“If someone is leaving Beijing for two or three months’ vacation, it may save money to place stuff in a storage room instead of renting an apartment,” said Mary Zhou, accountant from U-Store.
Storage space is also suitable for people who plan to start an online store – they can use it to store inventory.
U-Store has more than 100 warehouses with lockers ranging from 4.5 to 17.5 square meters, with the height of 3 meters. It also provides shelves.
U-Store isn’t open around the clock, though it does have delivery service.
U-Store
Where: 25 Zhongtai Zhong Lu, Qinghe
Open: 9 am – 10:30 pm
Tel: 5944 8030
Contact: Ms. Zhou (13501398531)
Website: ljr56.com
By Annie Wei
It’s easy to accumulate stuff in the big city – books, appliances, clothes, toys – but what happens when your small apartment gets too cluttered?
Chen Hao, an overseas returnee in Shanghai, recently founded You You Space, public storage rental for individuals, families and small companies.
You You Space in Shanghai is modern and convenient. CFP Photo
Rental space is common in other countries, said Chen. Customers can pick up their belongings anytime, which are kept in safe and private storage.
In China, Chen said it is important to find a space within the city, easily accessible by public transportation.
His company has different sized storage lockers ranging from 0.7 to 20 square meters, with rental costs ranging from a few hundred to thousand yuan per month.
Other storage facilities that are available include U-store, a Beijing-based provider that offers small and large lockers.
“If someone is leaving Beijing for two or three months’ vacation, it may save money to place stuff in a storage room instead of renting an apartment,” said Mary Zhou, accountant from U-Store.
Storage space is also suitable for people who plan to start an online store – they can use it to store inventory.
U-Store has more than 100 warehouses with lockers ranging from 4.5 to 17.5 square meters, with the height of 3 meters. It also provides shelves.
U-Store isn’t open around the clock, though it does have delivery service.
U-Store
Where: 25 Zhongtai Zhong Lu, Qinghe
Open: 9 am – 10:30 pm
Tel: 5944 8030
Contact: Ms. Zhou (13501398531)
Website: ljr56.com
