Palace Museum launches academy

The Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing launched the opening of its research academy on Oct 23. The academy aims to lead more extensive and deeper research into the imperial culture and historic relics of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The museum was also certified to set up a postdoctoral research station in July, which is the first of its kind to set up in a museum in China. A total of 53 academics and research teams were honored for their contribution to the research for the museum at the opening ceremony.

Zhang back with flick about young lives

Director Zhang Yuan's first film in five years, Beijing Flickers, is partly inspired by the experience of diva Faye Wong, says the film's distributor Gao Jun. Zhang's film, a continuous effort to explore young people's love and life in Beijing after his 1990 work Beijing Bastards, focuses on three youngsters' struggles in the city. Zhang recalls that when shooting Beijing Bastards, Wong often came to visit Dou Wei, her exhusband, a famous rocker and lead actor in the film. Beijing Flickers will be released on Nov 8, starring Zhang's girlfriend Li Xinyun and rising actor Lyu Yulai.

Ovation for Sichuan Opera star

The singing of Chen Qiaoru, a famous Sichuan Opera actress dressed like Yang Yuhuan－a drunken imperial concubine of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907)－in the Jinjiang Theater in Chengdu, Sichuan province, impressed the audience so much that they kept applauding. The performance of the classic play Drunken Beauty was one of a series of recent events held in Chengdu to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Yang Youhe (1913-84), a master of Sichuan Opera. The events included classic performances by Yang's students who are elite Sichuan Opera performers, some of whom are in their 70s, and an exhibition of more than 300 photos featuring Yang's life and artistic achievements.

Journalists promoting world peace win award

The second presentation of the Helen Foster Snow Journalism Award was held recently in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. Thirteen Chinese journalists promoting Sino-US friendship and world peace won the award. Launched by the Shaanxi Journalism Association and Shaanxi Translation Association in 2001, the award is named after Helen Foster Snow (1907-97), a well-known American journalist, writer and social activist. Snow was a faithful friend of China who braved the gunfire during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) to reach Yan'an from Xi'an, and told the true story of China to the world. Helen Foster Snow spent four and a half months in Yan'an, interviewing Mao Zedong and more than 30 other leaders of the Red Army, according to her niece Sheril Foster Bischoff.