Seven days

Oct 10 / Hong Kong

Puccini's La Boheme

Since its premiere in 1896, Puccini's romantic La Boheme has become one of the best-loved operas in the Italian repertoire. This time, the opera in four acts is being co-produced by Opera Hong Kong and Teatro dell Opera di Roma, and it will be sung in Italian with Chinese and English subtitles.

7:45 pm. Grand Theater, Hong Kong Cultural Center. 852-2734-9009

Oct 11 / Beijing

Enter into the world of Lao She

The former residence of Lao She, the famous Chinese writer and playwright, reopened after a recent renovation. Lao She lived at 19 Fengsheng hutong for 16 years, where he wrote two novels and 24 dramas, including the classic, Teahouse. A new exhibition has opened in the courtyard house, which showcases not only his achievements in literature and drama but also his life-long hobbies and his friendship with writers and actors from China and the West.

19 Fengsheng hutong, Dengshikou Xiejie, Dongcheng district. 010-6514-2612

Oct 12 / Beijing

The floating life of a young artist

Xie Guoping, at 25 the youngest Red Gate artist whose talent is nurtured by a precocious maturity years beyond his youthful demeanor, presents his second solo exhibition. The paintings are a meticulous construction with an overlay of dots inspired by his signature pointillism and halftone process.

Until Oct 22, Red Gate Gallery, Levels 1 & 4, Dongbianmen Watchtower, Chongwenmen. 010-6525-1005

Oct 13 / Shanghai

Multinational Re-Orientations

Re-Orientations, a joint production of Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center and four overseas companies including Border Crossings from the UK, is to be presented in multiple languages with Chinese and English subtitles.

Painted on a vast pan-global canvas of locations, characters and experiences, Re-Orientations is a visual feast exploring sexuality and performance in mythic and contemporary Asia.

7:30 pm, Oct 10 and Oct 12-17, 100-150 yuan. Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, 288 Anfulu. 021-6433-4546

Oct 14 / Beijing

We are fans of cola

A group of rock bands that represent the city's most vibrant voices will give a theme party titled "We are all cola fans".

The venue itself is the avant garde events destination Mao Livehouse, home to Beijing's young and funky music and entertainment scene's movers and shakers.

8:30 pm. Mao Livehouse, Dongcheng district. 010-6402-5080

Oct 15 / Shanghai

Successful Fourplay

For two decades, the contemporary jazz quartet known as Fourplay has enjoyed consistent artistic and commercial success by grafting elements of R&B, pop and a variety of other sounds to their unwavering jazz foundations. In the course of a dozen recordings - six of which have climbed to the top of Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Album charts - the group has continued to explore the limitless dimensions and permutations of jazz while at the same time appealing to a broad mainstream audience.

7:30 pm, Shanghai Center Theater. 1376 Nanjinglu.

Oct 16 / Shanghai

The Tempest

Four theaters from China and Denmark have come together to create a new production of Shakespeare's The Tempest, featuring acrobats, live music and magic. The English-language version of the show will premiere in Shanghai. After that, it will go on tour in Denmark through January and February.

Giacomo Ravicchio, founder and artistic director of Denmark's Meridiano Theater, will direct the classic tale of love, revenge and forgiveness.

7:30 pm, Oct 14-24. 120-200 yuan Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center-Arts Theater, 288 Anfulu. 021-6433-4546

(China Daily 10/10/2010 page15)