Chinese expertise Africa's guiding light

SHANGHAI: China's expertise in education, human resources development and population policy could serve as valuable lessons for Africa on the continent's road to development, a senior African Development Bank (AfDB) official said.

Policy changes crucial for Africa

SHANGHAI: African countries need to allow more competition in their economies and deepen reforms in the financial and labor sectors in order to sharpen their global competitiveness, a key researcher said in a study on the issue.

Life

Ancient works still in bloom

Kunqu is one of the oldest forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from the Kunshan melody, and dominated Chinese theater from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

In the mood for China

Wong Kar Wai's first English-language feature, My Blueberry Nights, opened last night's Cannes Film Festival.

Up close & personal

Renowned theater director Lin Zhaohua says his chamber-edition of The Peony Pavilion (Mudan Ting) will revive the original performance form and elegance of Kunqu, the traditional Chinese opera that originated in Kunshan of East China's Jiangsu Province.

Life

Heavenly creatures

The Taiwanese village of Bali rests on a quiet hillside near the famed Danshui River in Taipei County. The village's two-dozen locals surnamed Zhang produce completely organic vegetables from their backyard plots scattered around the hill.

Rich tradition soars above the clouds

According to legend, Cloud Age is the name of the oldest known dance in China, a ritual dating back 5,000 years. In 1973, choreographer Lin Hwai-min adopted this classical name for the first contemporary dance company in any Chinese speaking community: Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan.

Who's in

Big sounds on campus

Life

Moving house

The Mosuo people still preserve a matriarchal family life and the custom called Zouhun, in which lovers do not marry. Instead, the man occasionally visits the woman, stays for the night, and leaves the next morning.