When The Great Magician trumped The Grand Masters

Hong Kong star Tony Leung's first film after Lust, Caution in 2007 should have been Wong Kar-wai's The Grand Masters, but that is not to be.

The Great Magician, a thriller by Derek Yee, will soon wrap up after three months of shooting.

Leung plays a magician whose fiance is kidnapped by a warlord, but he wins her back by magic. Zhou Xun plays his fiance.

The film will premiere in December, and battle with Zhang Yimou's war epic Nanking Heroes, starring Christian Bale.

Wong Kar-wai, known for his yen for perfection, began filming The Grand Masters in 2009 but is yet to complete it.

Chinese newspaper industry website launched

The official website of the Chinese Association of Newspaper Industry (www.zgbx.people.com.cn) was recently launched in Beijing.

The organization's aim is to foster exchanges among its 1,500 member publications.

According to Yu Qingchu, secretary-general of the association, the website will establish a database to accelerate the flow of information in the Chinese newspaper industry.

The website is run by the association and www.people.com.cn, a website of People's Daily.

Culture park being built in Ansai county, Yan'an

A grand show, Dancing Yan'an, will premiere on July 1 to launch the construction of the Loess Cultural Park in Ansai, a county under Yan'an, Shaanxi province.

As a key project of the local government, the park will showcase the rich folk culture of Ansai, including paper cutting, folk songs and the waist drum. It will also have hotels and restaurants offering local cuisine.

Mouthfuls of Moutai at diplomats' get-together

Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions (DPSC) held a diplomats' get-together on May 30 at St Regis Hotel. The event was organized jointly with Kweichow Moutai Co Ltd, which has been providing Moutai white liquor to duty-free shops under DPSC since 2006. According to bureau chief Qian Hongshan, Chinese Moutai has played a positive role in the nation's politics, diplomacy and economics. It is honored as a liquor of diplomacy and friendship.

Ambassadors and diplomats from more than 40 countries and international organizations attended.

More help for young film directors

Tianjin-based Join Group, which is engaged in various businesses, such as medical services, education and auctions, has drawn up an ambitious blueprint to enter the booming film industry.

The company plans to support select young directors by providing financial assistance for their first three movies.

The first beneficiary is director Fu Yong, who is making a romantic comedy named The Island (tentative title), starring Hong Kong veteran actor Lam Suet and mainland actress Huo Siyan.

The company will also spend 200 million yuan ($31 million) on building theaters in small and mid-sized cities in Central and Western China.

China Daily