Paris fair shows how Chinese blend tradition with modernity

It was a sense of discovery and learning that recently permeated a room in Paris during a panel discussion about Chinese contemporary design. Held at Asia Now, a rare European fair dedicated to contemporary Asian art, the discussion was anchored around one of the fair's exhibitors Shang Xia - a Chinese contemporary design firm that is co-owned by French luxury house Hermes.

IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Orange power

I've always had trouble facing squishy fruits.

Bite of the week

BEIJING

Ningxia wineries mix high and low tech at harvest time

It's showtime at Changyu Moser XV, the Ningxia chateau operated by China's biggest wine producer. Production at corporate giant Changyu's other facilities across China is vast. Here, the scale is smaller, in a quest to make several wines of serious export quality.

Coach catalyst

"I've already got an ID card from my second home, because I can eat spicy food and use chopsticks just like you," says Sitlivy Dmitry, a Russian engineer who has been associated with China's chemical industry for more than two decades and has long held a Chinese "green card".

Beyonce's surprise gig at country awards

Pop superstar Beyonce helped celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Country Music Awards with a secret and boisterous performance of her song Daddy Lessons with the Dixie Chicks.

Guizhou orchestra gets foreign conductor

When Italian conductor Rico Saccani was appointed the music director of Guiyang Symphony Orchestra in September, he felt like he was home.

Visual treat for nature lovers

For Chinese wildlife photographer Xi Zhinong, seeing The Blue Planet, a documentary series created and premiered by the BBC, was a turning point. Xi first saw the film in 2002, when he became the first Chinese to win the TVE award at the prestigious Wildscreen Festival - an event started in 1982 and hailed as the "Green Oscars" - in Bristol, England.

Another flick shines light on the problems faced by the elderly

Hot on the heels of A Simple Life (2012) and Happiness (2016), another art-house film is portraying the aging population struggling with sickness and loneliness.

East meets West

Gu Jieting started taking piano lessons at a very early age and was enrolled in the primary school and middle school of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

The Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi turns singer

In the 15 years since The Strokes became a breakout global sensation, guitarist Nick Valensi has found comfort in the shadows, taking the limelight only when he wants.