The Hukou Waterfall, the second largest waterfall in China, is located 165 kilometers to the west of Fenxi City, Shanxi Province, and 50 kilometers to the east of Yichuan, Shaanxi Province. The width of the waterfall changes with the season, usually 30 meters wide but increasing to 50 meters during flood season. It has a fall of over 20 meters. When the Yellow River surges towards the Hukou Mountain, blocked by mountains on both sides, its width is abruptly narrowed down to 20-30 meters. The water speeds up with increasing waterpower. Then it rushes down from the narrow mouth, forming a grand waterfall of 15 meters high and 20 meters wide, as if water is pouring down from a huge teapot. Hence it gets the name Hukou (kettle spout) Waterfall.

Standing on the bank of the Yellow River, people can see the roaring water rushing through mountains and then plunging into a deep pool, really resembling the boiling water in a teapot. The waves stir up masses of smoke and clouds, rising higher up into the sky, with the color changes from yellow to gray and then to blue. The local people call this marvelous scenery smoke rising from the water.

Beneath the waterfall is the Qilangwo Bridge connecting two provinces, Shanxi and Shaanxi. In the sunshine, the mist is refracted by the sunlight to create a rainbow spanning over the water like a colorful bridge.

(Source: chinaculture.org)

Its performance in four Chinese cities, especially China’s economic hub Shanghai, has been very successful, said the organizer Beijing Oriental Broadway International Theater Management Co. Ltd, in a press release Thursday.

It first gave 23 shows in Shanghai and has toured other cities since September, the organizer said.

The musical will be taken to another four Chinese cities after six days in Beijing.

The musical, telling the story of Peggy Sawyer, a young chorus girl who works her way up to become a Broadway star, won the Tony Award in 1981 and 2001.

(Source: ebeijing.gov.cn)

The Diaoshuilou Waterfall is located at the northern end of the Jingpo Lake in mountains south of Ning’an County, Heilongjiang Province. The Jingpo Lake was called the Huhan Sea during Bohai Shire Period (698-926) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and later called Bi’erteng Lake, which means the lake is as tranquil as a mirror, in the Ming and Qing dynasties. As what it is called Jingpo (mirror lake), the water is crystal clear and tranquil like a mirror. During summer and autumn seasons, the lake takes on a fascinating look with mountains decorated with trees and flowers, birds hovering in the sky, fish jumping up and down in the lake, and the reflection of rocks and rosy clouds setting off each other.

The Diaoshuilou Waterfall is at the outlet of the Jingpo Lake where lies a crack formed during the cooling of lava. The water pours down through the crack to a deep pool underneath, with a fall of over 20 meters high and more than 40 meters wide. The waterfall bursts forth white waves that shine with multicolored rays of morning or evening sunshine and gives out a thunderous sound. In winter, the waterfall changes into an ice curtain, hanging down from the cliff. To the east of the waterfall is a pavilion with guardrails and rocks, providing a good place for people to stand or sit while viewing the great spectacle.

(Source: chinaculture.org)

A large exhibition of Japanese ukiyo-e masterpieces will be held at the Beijing World Art Museum from November 15 to December 12.

The exhibition will be hosted by the Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAFIU). The exhibits are provided by the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum.

Zhao Lei, vice secretary-general of the CAFIU said, the exhibition was part of the activities marking the 35th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations and the 2007 China-Japan Year of Culture and Sports Exchange, and would showcase a total of 100 ukiyo-e paintings, more than 40 of which are first to be shown beyond Japan.

Zhao said he hoped the exhibition could further promote understanding and friendship between the Chinese and Japanese peoples.

Ukiyo-e, literally meaning the pictures of the floating world, is the main artistic genre of woodblock printing in Japan. It mainly reflected the lives and pleasures of common Japanese people in Edo period from 1603 to 1867.

(Source: ebeijing.gov.cn)

The Changbai Grand Waterfall is located in the Heavenly Lake on the border between China and the DPRK.

There are 16 mountain peaks surrounding the Heavenly Lake. A small stream flows down the gap between the northern Tianwen Peak and Longmen Peak and speeds up on crashed pebbles, forming the Chengcuo River. After flowing 1,250 meters, the stream gushes out from the mountaintop and forms a waterfall of 68 meters high. With a rip current, the waterfall seethes and roars all year round. A huge stone named Niu Lang Du (a place where the legendary cowherd crosses the river) situated on the mouth of the waterfall, cutting it into two steams. These two streams of water column, like two jade dragons, jump on the stones sticking out of the water and rushes into the deep valley, splashing up great waves of several meters high. White water smoke surrounds the waterfall, and its roar can be heard far away. It’s really a great spectacle. In the sunlight, the refraction of the dense mist becomes rainbows, adding some mysterious and hazy color to the waterfall.

The Grand Waterfall falls into the deep valley, forming rolling rip currents, and becomes the source of the Songhua River.

(Source: chinaculture.org)

Directed by 72-year-old Liang Bolong, former dean of the Performing Department of China Central Academy of Drama, the production features a star-studded cast, including She Ke, Jiang Xiaohan, Yin Xiaotian, Liu Hua and this year’s champion “Super Boy” Su Xing.

Nearly every theater director shares a special connection with Shakespeare, and Liang is no exception.

“I have taught Shakespeare to hundreds of students over the last 40 years and have directed many of the bard’s plays. This might be the last one,” Liang says.

“Shakespeare, in some people’s minds, is an abstract facet of high-culture. Yes, it is in some ways, but not in all. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of his most-often performed plays and is a delightful comedy. I try to explore The Bard’s humor and wisdom in a modern way, a way that today’s theater-goers would easily appreciate,” says the director.

“The play contains some wonderfully lyrical expressions of lighter Shakespearean themes, most notably those of love, dreams and the stuff of both – the creative imagination itself. If the play can be said to convey a message, it is that the creative imagination is in tune with the supernatural world and is best used to confer the blessings of nature upon mankind and marriage,” he adds.

But the veteran director faces the challenge of dealing with a cast that, despite including many big names, is made up of actors who often have little professional training in stage performance or have not given a theatrical performance for a long time.

Actor Yin Xiaotian, who now enjoys great popularity for his roles on TV, studied at the Central Academy of Drama but has not performed in a theater play for six years. He says it was difficult to find the right approach when rehearsal began a month ago. As a young girl, Jiang Xiaohan was something of a Chinese Shirley Temple, and she went on to study drama and movie studies at the University of Manchester from 2001-05, but she has little real onstage experience.

“Super Boy” Su Xing plays a leading role and composed the play’s theme song.

The main plot of A Midsummer Night Dream is a convoluted story of two couples – Hermia and Lysander (Yin Xiaotian), and Helena (Jiang Xiaohan) and Demetrius (Su Xing). Their romantic crisscrossing is further complicated when they enter the play’s fairyland woods, where the King and Queen (Shi Ke) of the Fairies rule, and the impish character Puck – AKA Robin Goodfellow – plies his trade. Another set of characters – Bottom the weaver and his bumptious band of “rude mechanics” – stumble into the thick of things when they wander into the same enchanted woods to rehearse a play that is very loosely and comically based on the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, their hilarious homespun piece, which occupies all of Act Five of Shakespeare’s comedy.

The play is staged at 7:30 pm until November 11 at Poly Theater.

(Source: ebeijing.gov.cn)

Zhongnan Mountains, also called Taiyi Mountain, includes Cuihua Mountain, South Wutai Mountain, and Guifeng Mountain, etc. It stands graciously and straightly in the southwest of Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province.

Cuihua Mountain lies 30 km away from Xi’an City, and is known for its odd peaks and strange caves and clean pools as well as ancient temples. In the second year (109BC) of the Yuanfeng year in the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-8AD), the Taiyi Palace was constructed at the mountain pass (Dayu Pass), hence the name Taiyi Mountain. Scenic spots mainly include the Taiyi Pool, the Wind Cave, the Ice Cave, and the Cuihua Temple, etc. The Taiyi Pool is a lake between mountains, and is said to be formed by earthquake in the Tianbao reign of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is surrounded by high and steep mountains, and has jade green water and slightly rolling waves. The Wind Cave, formed by two big granite rocks, lies west of Taiyi Mountain, and is 15 meters high and 40 meters deep. It feels cool inside thanks to the flowing air through the cave. To the north of the Wind Cave, there lies the Ice Cave. Hard ice can be easily found in it even in summer. There is a Zhengcha Reservoir in the mountain. When water runs down, it presents a magnificent scene.

The South Wutai Mountain abounds in medicinal materials, and was referred to as the most mystical and beautiful scenery of Zhongnan Mountain. There stand five peaks on the mountaintop, namely Guanyin, Wenshu, Qingliang, Sheshen, and Lingying. The Baoquan Spring is located half way up the mountain. It tastes as sweet as sugarcane, and is an ideal place for sampling tea and taking a break. The Dusong (single pine tree) Attic, also half way up the mountain, gets its name because of the only old pine tree inside the attic. The Guanyin Terrace, also named Giant Terrace, is situated above the Dusong Attic.

Guifeng Mountain is commonly known as Jianshan Mountain, including Zige, Dading, Lingyun and Luohan peaks. It is gracious and high, with the shape of Guiyu (jade), hence the name. Its main scenic spot is the Gaoguan Waterfall, which is located on the northern side of Guifeng Mountain. Having a fall of 20 meters, the waterfall sends thunderous sounds as water pours down into the deep pond. Huge stones erect above the upper reaches of the waterfall, which forms a pond. The lower reaches of the waterfall is more gentle, and a lake as tranquil as a mirror is formed there.

(Source: chinaculture.org)

Following the successful run of Mamma Mia!, and with productions of Cats and Les Miserables in the pipeline, Beijing is experiencing a rush of musical extravaganzas. In November the acclaimed Broadway musical 42nd Street will have a six-night run at the Beijing Exhibition Center Theater.

The musical is based on the 1933 hit film starring Bebe Daniels, Warner Baxter and Ginger Rogers, which was nominated for an Oscar and saved Warner Brothers from bankruptcy. The story of 42nd Street revolves around the production of a Broadway musical. Strapped for cash, the director (played in the Beijing production by Paul Gregory Nelson) gets funding from a wealthy patron who also happens to be in love with the fading star cast in the lead, Dorothy Brock (played by Natalie Buster). On opening night, Dorothy breaks her leg and one of the chorus girls, Peggy Sawyer (played by Kristen Martin), is selected to stand in. She steals the show and emerges as the star.

The film of 42nd Street offered a powerful dose of escapism from the sufferings of 1930s America, then in the grip of the Great Depression. The all-singing and all-dancing nature of the musical film, combined with the grittiness of the backstage scenes, lifted people’s spirits as well as reminding them of the hardships of life.

The original Broadway production of 42nd Street, which ran for over eight years, won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1981, and in 2001 a new production won another Tony for Best Musical Revival. This latest production – set up exclusively for China – is directed by Mark Bramble and choreographed by Randy Skinner, both of whom worked on the 2001 revival. The production has had successful runs in Shenzhen and Shanghai, and will play in Xi’an, Tianjin, Hefei and other cities before hitting the Chinese capital.

Chen Jixin, chairwoman of production company Nederlander New Century, believes the musical’s story of triumph over adversity will resonate with Chinese audiences. “42nd Street shows that through diligence and persistence people can turn their dreams into reality,” she says.

Charles MacEachern (who plays Billy Lawlor) says the production’s dazzling song and dance numbers will captivate the audience, especially the mass ensemble tap routines involving up to 50 dancers at a time, which are something Beijing has never seen before. Evergreen songs like “Lullaby of Broadway” and “Shuffle Off To Buffalo” by legendary tunesmiths Harry Warren and Al Dubin are very much part of the experience, and will help to bring the magic of Broadway to the Beijing stage.

42nd Street will play from Nov 13-18 at the Beijing Exhibition Center Theater (6835 4455). RMB 80-880. Tickets at 400 706 0688 or 5128 8888

(Source: ebeijing.gov.cn)

Yulong Snow Mountain stands beside the Jinshajiang River, northwest of the Lijiang Naxi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province. Shanzidou, the main peak of the mountain, clad in white snow all year round, rises 5,596 meters above sea level. The 13 peaks, distributed from the south to the north, with the south-north length of 35 km and the east-west width of 12 km, are like a silver white jade dragon lying in the clouds, hence the name Yulong (jade dragon) Snow Mountain. Numerous species of plants grow in the mountain, and are distributed vertically in accordance with height and climate. The mountain enjoys the fame of the Treasure House of Plants.

Her beauty stems not only from the grand mountains and silver white snow, but also from the fast-changing climate with the alternation of day and night and the shifting of the four seasons. There are many other scenic attractions atop the mountain. Because of the steep cliff of the main peak, the mountain is yet to be conquered, albeit mountaineering teams from home and abroad have tried.

In the Yufeng Temple, there is a world famous camellia tree. Though it is only about 3 meters tall, 20,000-odd flowers blossom every year. As legend goes, the tree was planted in the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). From the roots, the tree is identified as a silk tree combined by two. With twisted roots and gnarled branches, the two are closely connected. As a result, the leaves appear in two shapes, and the flowers have two kinds, the rosy red and the pink.

(Source: chinaculture.org)

Last month Lust, Caution (Se, Jie) won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 64th Venice Film Festival. Director Ang Lee’s erotic spy thriller stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and novice actress Tang Wei, and is based on a story by Eileen Chang. Directing his first Mandarin-language film since his hiatus in Hollywood, Lee returns to more familiar territory with a tale of a group of Shanghai students’ attempted assassination of a hanjian (traitor) working for the Japanese in the 1940s. Lee was delighted by the award, though admitted he was surprised to have won. It’s China release is scheduled for October 26.

Keeping with this steamy theme, the cinematic version of Foreign Babes in Beijing, a novel by Rachel DeWoskin based on her experiences as a soap opera star in China, should be hitting screens sometime next year. The book’s content makes for saucy subject matter, though DeWoskin does offer some social commentary. It remains to be seen how the story will translate onto celluloid, but the book’s satirical content should be in safe hands: Alice Wu, who brought us the film Saving Face in 2004, is expected to direct.

The Western perception of Chinese cinema has long been shaped by the high-kicking antics of kung fu stars in bamboo forests. So it’s refreshing that, for one month, Hollywood is going to look beyond triads, cheesy erhu soundtracks and wisecracking kung fu fighters in the third Hollywood China Film Festival (October 27-November 29). The films to be shown at the festival–such as The Longest Night in Shanghai, starring Zhao Wei–are based more on human relationships than heroics. The festival was launched in 2005 to celebrate the 26th anniversary of Sino-US diplomatic ties, and the festival’s focus on “relationships” is not a surprise given the context of its birth.

(Source: ebeijing.gov.cn)