Forum mulls present and future of opera

The 2011 National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) World Theater Forum was held in Beijing recently. More than 10 opera theaters from eight countries attended the forum and discussed the future of the 400-year-old art form.

Based on the theme, Management and Development of Today's Opera, the forum explored the current state of opera and its further development.

This is the forum's third year and in the past three years, NCPA has organized 12 performance seasons and almost 4,000 shows, including the much acclaimed operas Die Fledermaus and Tosca. The Chinese opera, The Orphan of Zhao, which premiered at the forum, was also the first time NCPA had brought a classical Chinese story to the opera stage.

Filming of Lost in Panic, part 2, begins

Filming on the sequel to Lost in Panic Room, last year's dark horse, began recently.

Tentatively titled Lost in Panic Ship, the film centers on a murder on a cruise liner.

Taiwan actor Alec Su, who played the lead in Room, once again leads the cast, that also has veteran singer Yang Kun, actress Ni Hongjie and model Zhou Weitong. The director, Zhang Fanfan, remains the same.

Room, a thriller made for 3 million yuan ($460,000), grossed nearly 30 million yuan last year. The sequel is expected to premiere in October.

Qiyi.com unveils plans for shows, films and dramas

Video-sharing website Qiyi.com has unveiled ambitious plans to produce its own variety shows, films and online dramas.

The website has joined forces with veteran TV host and actor Ying Da for a health show, that is now available online and will soon be on 10 TV channels. A talk show on love and marriage, made in cooperation with veteran Taiwan producer Wang Wei-chong, will premiere on the website in July. It will release its first online drama, a romantic comedy, soon. And a film on China's rock stars is also in production.

Rest on Your Shoulder to premiere with full version

Hong Kong director Jacob Cheung's latest romantic film Rest on Your Shoulder will premiere on July 8 with the director's edition of 120 minutes, not the 90-minute version.

Cheung was quoted as saying at the 14th Shanghai International Film Festival, which ended on June 19, that the film's distributor wanted to cut 30 minutes.

The dispute has ended with both sides agreeing on releasing the complete version.

The film tells the story of an entomologist, played by Chen Kun, and his three lovers.

Ways of boosting preschool education

A forum on how to enhance preschool education in China was held recently by the Education Science Department of Beijing Normal University and Slanissue, a preschool educational products corporation based in Beijing.

Titled Marriage of Technology and Academy in Developing High Quality Preschool Education Products, the forum was attended by a dozen preschool education experts, kindergarten heads from the city, and Slanissue CEO Yang Wei, besides students and teachers working in related fields.

Luxury resort to open in Xishuangbanna

To celebrate the brand's 10th anniversary, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas announced the opening of its China flagship resort in Xishuangbanna in October this year.

A leading developer and operator of luxury hotels, resorts and spas, it is expanding its portfolio across Asia, the Indian Ocean and the Middle East to encompass 50 properties within the next four years.

The Anantara Xishuangbanna Resort & Spa, China, is located in the midst of Yunnan's Hengduan Mountains, fringing northern Laos. The resort sits on the banks of the Luosuo River and will feature 103 rooms with Dai characteristics, including 80 deluxe rooms and 23 pool villas. The region is home to the indigenous Dai people, who are known for their colorful festivals and special ethnic features.

China Daily