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Hong Kong star Tony Leung (pictured) has had a very busy New Year. As the male lead of Ang Lee's new movie Lust, Caution, he has been shunting from location to location in Shanghai.

Adding spice to alphabet soup

The English language is undergoing its greatest transformation ever, thanks mostly to translation mistakes made by some 250 million Chinese second-language speakers, according to the San Diego-based consultancy Global Language Monitor.

Life

Who's in

Supergirls may be hot stuff on the mainland, but not so once they cross the border.

Museum ready to make history

China plans to reconstruct its national museum to make it the world's largest. But controversy surrounding the $330 million project is reminiscent of France's decision to do the same with their Louvre.

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Rebels with fuzzy causes

The Internet has given rise to social groups that could not have existed without it. While some engaged in online campaigns that were destructive in nature, others wanted to spread love or silliness.

Best in show

Ordinary people, armed with new technology, rose into 2007 to challenge China's cultural icons that have been perched on a pedestal for a long time. Blogs made anyone an author and a publisher; podcasts meant anyone could become a broadcaster; and affordable camcorder and editing equipment created filmmakers.

Little spoof causes a revolt

Hu Ge named his video parody The Bloody Case that Started from a Steamed Bun a funny and insightful description of Chen Kaige's overblown epic The Promise. Hu's work touched a nerve, awakening a spirit of youth and irreverence.

Contemporary art reaches a plateau

The year was good for contemporary oil paintings, as auction houses set new records to continue a three-year bull run. But as fears of a bubble grew and the stock market rebound created competition, the art market, hounded by both collectors and speculators, tapered off at the end of year.

Confucianism finds new disciples

The revival of Confucianism enjoyed government support as dozens of Confucius Institute branches sprouted up overseas. But at the grassroots level, it was growing in a more organic way. Schools re-introduced classics such as Analectics, but many tended to cram the teachings of the sage down the throats of children without giving them space to digest. One private school, later dismantled under government pressure, attempted to recreate traditional educational methods.

Tabloid victim reborn in an act of charity

Faye Wong (pictured) is the reigning queen of pop music and her husband Li Yapeng is a television actor the public love to hate. Their every move makes the tabloid headlines. Li was forced into a hospital-staff lift to escape the paparazzi when he visited his wife after she gave birth to their daughter. But later, with his wife's consent, Li revealed the family secret that their newborn was born with a cleft palate.