Art beat ... finger on the pulse

Art

Bird Tales

Blue Shanghai White, the Shanghai-based design brand specializing in ceramics and homeware, launches a new design range every year. This July, it's launching its new range - Bird Tales.

The inspiration came from magpies standing on a branch, and the idea of nature bringing a moment of calm to our frantic daily lives. The new items include screens, coats, hat stands and soap holders - in old wood and hand-painted blue-and-white porcelain to bring a touch of installation art, and a little fun, to different parts of the home.

5-8 pm, July 5 and 9 am-8 pm, July 6. Studio Rouge Gallery, 17 Fuzhoulu (next to the Blue Shanghai White store), Shanghai. 021-6323-0856.

Underwater trove

The National Museum of China will showcase achievements by underwater archaeology experts over the past 20 years.

As part of the museum's centenary celebration, the five-part exhibition features hundreds of photos and exhibits - mainly ancient ceramic works found in sunken ships, charts and illustrations, as well as multimedia installations. It offers viewers a clear idea about the whole underwater archaeological discovery process, including surveying, excavation, preservation and conservation of shipwrecks and cultural relics.

Since the early 1980s, the expert team with the museum has successfully conducted numerous underwater archaeological projects in China's Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East Sea, and South China Sea, yielding rich archaeological findings.

9 am-5 pm, until July 31 (closed on Mondays and public holidays). National Museum of China, 16 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6511-6400.

Landscapes come alive

Wang Linsen, a veteran ink artist from Jiangxi province, is holding his first solo show at National Museum of China.

The self-trained ink painter has traveled extensively in his home province over the past decades and made countless sketches besides studying classical ink artworks in museums.

Combining his personal observations of Mother Nature and strict self-training in traditional skills, the 65-year-old has found his own painting language.

"His depictions of lush and misty mountainous landscapes in Jiangxi province strongly appeal to contemporary viewers," says Chen Lusheng, curator of the exhibition.

The exhibition features more than 80 ink landscape paintings and is jointly sponsored by the Painting Institute and China National Painting Academy.

9 am-5 pm, until July 9 (closed on Mondays and public holidays). National Museum of China, 16 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6511-6400.

For the avant-garde

Eastern European Constructivism has contributed tremendously to modern art, especially in the early decades of the 20th century.

The influence can been seen from paintings, sculptures, drawings and collages from a German private collection, now exhibited at the National Art Museum of China.

Titled From Malewich to Kandinsky - Constructivism in Europe, the exhibition runs until July 19.

It brings together a broad spectrum of signature works by Wassily Kandinsky, Kasimir Malevich, Alexander Rodchenko, Vladimir Tatlin, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Otto Freundlich and other artists, all involved in the complex process of the avant-garde movement.

9 am-5 pm, until July 19. National Art Museum of China, 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6400-1476.

Concert

Perfect match

Violinist Sheng Zhongguo, known as "China's Menuhin", and his Japanese pianist wife, Hiroko Seta, will hold their concert in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on July 7.

Sheng will perform his representative solo, the tear-jerking Butterfly Lovers, and Seta will present another classic piece of Chinese music, The Yellow River Piano Concerto, a powerful melody set to impress.

The audience will also be treated to music selections from renowned pieces including Swan Lake, Carmen and The Red Detachment of Women, all performed by Guangzhou Zhu Ying Orchestra.

8 pm, July 7, Symphony Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall, 33 Qingbo Lu, Ersha Island, Yuexiu district, Guangzhou. 020-8735-2222.

King of pop

Eason Chan, Hong Kong's king of pop, will rock the stage in Shenzhen on July 7.

Nicknamed "Doctor Chan", the singer is said to be able to "cure" those experiencing broken relationships or hardships in life with his deep voice and emotional lyrics.

Typical of Chan's concerts, audience members will also see him heating up the atmosphere, as he runs and jumps across the stage like a naughty boy, while performing dynamic songs.

Chan is on a concert tour around China. After Shenzhen, he will stage exciting shows in another seven cities in the coming two months.

8:30 pm, July 7. Stadium of Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, Binhai Avenue (Houhai station of subway line 2), Nanshan district, Shenzhen. 0755-8219-5091.

Young voices

Get invigorated by the fresh voices of two overseas groups scheduled to perform in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on July 12 and 13.

Gondwana Voices, an Australian children's choir made up of singers aged 10 to 16, will perform on July 12. The group is known for their sweet voices and lively interpretations of Australian folk songs.

The Young People's Chorus of New York City will take the stage on the second day. This group will awe the audience with their rendition of American-Indian folk songs and Spanish lullabies.

The performances of the two groups are a prelude to the 11th China International Chorus Festival that will be held in Beijing from July 15-21. The festival is the largest international chorus event in China and is held in Beijing once every two years. It brings choruses home and abroad together to promote cultural exchanges.

8 pm, July 12 and 13. Guangzhou Opera House, Exit B1 of Zhujiang New Town subway station, the interchange of subway line 3 and line 5, Guangzhou. 020-3839-2888.

Season finale

China Philharmonic Orchestra will give its season closing concert at Poly Theatre on July 8.

It will be the first collaboration between American conductor John Nelson and the orchestra. The programs include Edward Elgar's Introductionand Allegro for Strings and Cello Concerto in E minor and Dvorak's Symphony No 7. The orchestra's principal cellist Zhao Yunpeng will be play Elgar's cello concerto.

Conductor Nelson is highly regarded for his great interpretations of large Romantic works and his stylish performances of Baroque music, as well as Mozart and Haydn. He is also known for his devotion to new music.

The orchestra played 30 concerts this season and will start its 2012/13 season on Sept15.

7:30 pm, July 8. 14 Dongzhimen Nandajie, Beijing. 010-8838-4171.

Absolute piano and cello

Rene Berman and Michael Krucker, an exceptional piano and cello duo, will be performing in Shanghai on July 10.

Praised by the New York Times for their "absolute oneness", both accomplished musicians have played internationally in separate chamber ensembles before coming together. They were recently honored by the world's greatest authorities on classical music, Harold C. Schonberg from New York and Paul Griffith from London. Griffith praised their the big tone and precision of nuance, and the great enthusiasm with which the duo played.

7:45 pm, July 10. Performance Hall, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Lu, Pudong, Shanghai. 021-6854-1234.

Theater

DPRK classic

The Flower Girl, one of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's best known revolutionary plays, is on a nationwide tour in China and will be performed in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, from July 7-8.

Born in 1972, The Flower Girl tells of the sad life of the poor, who were exploited by landlords in the 1930s. The heroine sells flowers to earn a living and to pay her mother's medical bills, but is later locked up by the landlord.

The story has a happy ending as the heroine's brother escapes from the landlord's persecution and later becomes a soldier, rescuing his sister.

Phibada Opera Troupe, which has been described as DPRK's national treasure, will perform the play, which has been staged 1,500 times in the past 40 years.

8 pm, July 7 and 8. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, 259 Dongfeng Zhonglu (Exit C of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall station of subway line 2), Yuexiu district, Guangzhou. 020-8355-2030

Children's play

China Children's Art Theater adds another world classic fairy tale to its repertoire, The Frog Prince. Based on the story from Grimm's Fairy Tales, it is playwritten by Mu Xing and directed by Tang Yu.

The Frog Prince is China Children's Art Theater's third production of world classic fairy tales series, after Aesop's Fables and The Little Prince. It will debut Saturday as the opening show of the Second China Children's Theater Festival.

10 am, July 7. China Children's Art Theater, 64 Dong'anmen Dajie, West of Wangfujing, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6521-1425.

Dance

Cinderella on her toes

The Ukraine Children's Ballet brings Cinderella to the stage in Beijing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and China.

Ballet is one of the most representative art forms in Ukraine culture, and Cinderella is the troupe's most classic performance.

7:30 pm, July 14 - 15. Beijing Poly Theater, 14 Dongzhimen Nandajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6506-5343.

Movie

Best of French films

Ullens Center for Contemporary (UCCA) Art Cinema will screen nine films by nine contemporary French filmmakers. They range from comedies to dramas on different subjects such as love, politics and social issues. Some of them illustrate reality, while others reconstruct reality. The nine movies include award-winning film, Heartbeat Detector by Nicolas Klotz and One Tour by Mathieu Amalric, which won the Best Director at Cannes Film Festival in 2010. The Secret of the Grain by Abdel Kechiche, which won the Jury Prize at the 64th Venice Film Festival, will also be screened.

1- 7 pm, Until July 15. UCCA Art Cinema, 798 art zone, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-5780-0251.

Seminar / workshop

All about wine

Some 400 types of wine from 12 regions all over France will come to China in the near future, France's Ministry of Agriculture says. In line with this, the ministry is organizing a course for Beijing's wine lovers to help them understand French wines, including basic knowledge, food and wine pairing and wine etiquette.

1:30-6 pm, July 21. Room 1010, Tower 31, North Area, Pingod Community, 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-6364-1316.

Quick pick

BBC's Proms in Beijing

You can still enjoy the Proms even if you're not in the UK. BBC National Orchestra of Wales, a regular orchestra at the BBC Proms, will give a concert at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) this weekend as part of the center's Roam About the Classics.

They will play Stravinsky's Fire Bird, Ravel's Bolero and Chinese composer Chen Qigang's Wu Xing (Five Elements). BBC Radio 3 will broadcast the concert live.

National Center for the Performing Arts, west of Tian'anmen Square, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

China daily

(China Daily 07/06/2012 page20)