China-Yale Summer Seminar for College Officials held in Xi'an

China-Yale Summer Seminar for College Officials held in Xi'an
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-03 09:06:09







Chinanews, Xi'an, August 3 – The 4th China-Yale Summer Seminar for College Officials was kicked off on August 1, 2007 in Xi’an Jiaotong University, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Education and the Yale University of the US.

Fifty-six officials from 32 colleges and universities in China gather here to discuss the development and reform strategy of higher education in China and international cooperation in this field with the officials of Yale University.

The program was launched in New Haven on March 22, 2004, and the first seminar was held the same year in the Yale University. The second was also held there. The third was held in Xiamen, Fujian Province.

“Modern universities should appreciate traditional culture in an international vision, and Yale’s experience has inspired many Chinese university presidents. I believe that the seminar this year will bring more knowledge and improvement to China’s higher education,” said Wu Qidi, Vice Minister of Education.

Wu suggested that China should learn more from the famous universities in the world, and more cooperative projects like the seminar should be held.

Young people in Shanghai love musicals

Young people in Shanghai love musicals
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-03 09:27:49







Chinanews, Shanghai, Aug 3 – From Lés Miserable to Mamma Mia, from musical comedy I LOVE YOU… to authentic French musical Le Petit Prince…it seems that watching musicals has become a trendy thing to do for young people in Shanghai.

If you walk on the street and happen to ask several fashionably dressed young people what is the hottest word in Shanghai now, they will give you the same answer: "That's Mamma Mia!"

On July 6, Mamma Mia, the hottest play that now sweeps the global musical world, made its debut in Shanghai. The play soon aroused Shanghai people's enthusiasm for musicals. The organizer of the event told this reporter that on Aug 2 Mamma Mia would be staged in the city for the last day. From the very first day when the play was staged in Shanghai, the phone for booking the tickets had kept ringing. Last week, all the tickets for the show were sold out. It can be told for sure now that the one-month performance will be profitable, he said.

This year, many musicals were staged in Shanghai. Many were considered as famous in musical circle. The box offices for these musical shows were extremely good.

“We are surprised to see that there are so many musical talents in China,” said Zha Wei, organizer of the event.

China has a burgeoning market for musicals and there are many people who show a talent for musicals. The Broadway (Asian) Entertainment Company will surely find many musical talents in China and give them a chance to perform in world musical stage in future, she said.

Sino-US WWⅡ Friendship Park to be built in Yunnan

Sino-US WWⅡ Friendship Park to be built in Yunnan
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-03 13:40:22







Chinanews, Kunming, Aug. 3 – Our reporter has learned from Sino-US WWⅡ Friendship Foundation that the Foundation will build a park to commemorate Sino-US friendship in Kunming, Yunnan Province.

Construction of the project will be started in 2008, and finished in 2010. The 5,000-mu park is covered by forests. All major battles in the China-Myanmar-India Theater will be featured in models, including the “Flying Tiger” pilot club and International Women Soldiers club.

According to the Foundation, the local governments, foreign investors and ordinary citizens all support this project. Some 30 U.S. WWⅡ veterans inspected the project site on Jul. 31, and read historical materials about Sino-US friendship during the World War Ⅱ.

Shooting of film about Nanjing massacre begins

Shooting of film about Nanjing massacre begins
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 11:35:57







Chinanews, Nanjing, Aug. 4 – A documentary film “Nanjing” marking the 70th anniversary of Nanjing Massacre made by American filmmakers is currently popular in China, and at the same time, the production of a film called “Purple Mountain” was also started in Pukou Railway Station of Nanjing on Tuesday. The film is to be produced jointly by Hollywood Entertainment Company Viridian and Jiangsu Cultural Industry Group.

The film is directed by Simon West, who said during a news conference that he hoped the film could surpass the epic “Schindler's List”. The film will be finished by the end of this year, and will be shown to the public in 2008.

Chang Zhiqiang, an old man who survived the massacre, was invited to attend the ceremony marking the kickoff of the film shooting. Prevue of the film was shot on that day, demonstrating the dreadful scene in the cold winter of Nanjing after the Japanese troops occupied the city 70 years ago: Chinese refugees and western foreigners rush to the railway station, hoping to get a chance to leave the city, where Japanese soldiers could be seen everywhere.

Mr. West said that people in the West knew very little about the massacre, and the “Purple Mountain” was based on true stories. Before shooting the movie, he had read plenty of historical books about the massacre and interviewed some of the survivors. He said it was incumbent upon him to make the massacre into a movie.

Urban railway transportation to boom in China

Urban railway transportation to boom in China
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 16:26:59







Chinanews, Beijing, August 4 – “The total scale of urban railway transportation in China is no bigger than that of London, ” said Qiu Baoxing, Vice Minister of Construction on August 2, at China Urbanization and Transportation Development Conference in Beijing.

In fact, urban railway transportation is witnessing a rapid development in China at present. By 2010, the total length of urban railways operating in China will break 1,500 km, with a total investment of 500 billion yuan.

Now, 10 big cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dalian, Nanjing and Wuhan, are blessed with the convenience of urban railways such as subway and light rail with a total length of 621 km. Another 12 cities are building urban railways of their own. Statistics show that some 837 km of urban railways are under construction in China.

By 2010,urban railway transportation will be available in 15 cities