Musical gives sword novel new edge

Born to be a Hero, a musical adapted from Hong Kong writer Louis Cha's novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, is onstage at the Beijing National Stadium until early January.

Andy Chin, director of a 1994 film based on the same novel, directs the show.

Renowned Hong Kong musician Peter Kam creates the scores, combining traditional Chinese music, rap and rock 'n' roll.

The 150-minute show focuses on the life of Qiao Feng, one of the original book's numerous characters. It portrays his adventures and tragic fate in the swordsmen's world in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Chopstick Brothers serve up a comedic feast

The Chopstick Brothers - two young men who made their name with the short online film Old Boy - have released their second work.

The 55-minute tearjerker, Father, deals with fathers' relationships with their children and is now available on Youku.com, China's version of YouTube.

The Brothers - amateurs Xiao Yang and Wang Taili - co-directed Old Boy in 2010 and rapidly won acclaim among Chinese netizens for their sincere depictions of two middle-aged men courageous enough to chase their childhood dreams.

Singer raises voice for charity causes

Singer-songwriter Han Hong visited retirement homes in Beijing's outskirts while preparing for her upcoming Beijing concert The Beautiful World to be staged on Jan 7.

Han and her charity team distributed tickets to the show to the underprivileged elderly. Han Hong Charity Action, which the performer founded three years ago, has provided assistance to children with physical disabilities and cerebral palsy in such cities as Beijing, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region's capital Nanning and Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu.

She also returned to her hometown in the Tibet autonomous region in early 2011, with 6 million yuan ($950,000) of endowment funds to improve medical services and education in the poor areas.

Watchmaker brings art to timeless hotel

Swatch Group recently announced the opening of The Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai.

The watchmaker has rebuilt and transformed the southern building of the Peace Hotel into an art center.

A special committee will select several young artists, who will be able to live in the Swatch Art Peace Hotel for half a year to create their works.

The special committee, which includes actor George Clooney, Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek and Nayla Hayek, will select the most promising young artists from around the world.

The first group of selected artists includes US painter Kathryn Gohmert, German filmmaker Rosemarie Schneider-Mohamed and French photographer Tom Boris de Peyret.

Orchestra plays New Years for a decade

For the 10th consecutive year, Beijing Symphony Orchestra will host its New Year's Concert at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing on Jan 1 and Jan 2.

Under Tan Lihua's baton, the orchestra will perform Chinese and Western classics, including selections from Wu Zuqiang's Red Detachment of Women, Bizet's Carmen and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Pianist Wu Ying will also collaborate with the orchestra to play the Yellow River Piano Concerto.

The venue is located inside scenic Zhongshan Park, which used to be a part of the Forbidden City.

China Daily

(China Daily 12/28/2011 page20)