Sage Calligrapher Festival： Linyi＇s Cultural Calling Card

THE Sixth Sage Calligrapher Cultural Festival will be held this September in Shandong＇s Linyi. ＂The festival is Linyi＇s cultural calling card presented to the world,＂ says Zhang Shaojun, mayor of Linyi City and deputy secretary of the CPC Linyi municipal committee.     

Linyi： Rivers,Mountains and Much,Much More

I have been to many cities across China. For sure, cities in the south are modern. But in my opinion they lack the depth. In the north, it’s just the opposite," said renowned scholar, author and commentator Yu Dan recently. But she also added: "Linyi in Shandong Province is an exception to this rule. It’s inherited the south’s modernity and the north’s sense of dignity." Linyi literally means "by the Yi River."     

King of Rock and Roll

The brains behind the Beijing Pop Festival, Ja- son Magnus talks about getting Sebastian Bach and Placebo to play China's only international rock festival. W E had a thousand security offi cers last year and 600 this year.” That’s progress for Jason Magnus. It’s also a sign of how far government relations can take a rock promoter who has managed to bring some of the biggest names in popular music to a park in the most raref ied district of the Chinese capital for the Beijing Pop Festi…     

Spring Festival Becomes a Driver of Global Growth

正Celebrations of China’s Lunar New Year have been gaining global popularity,with more countries showing recognition of the high-profi le festival of the world’s most populous nation.One reason that has contributed to the stronger global appeal and spread of the event is waves of emigra-     

THIS WEEK

ROMANTIC DAY A couple weds in the Tang Dynasty (618-907)-style ceremony in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, on August 13. The day marks Qixi Festival, a festival that celebrates the annual meeting of a separated young couple, the cowherd and weaver girl, in Chinese mythology. The festival later became known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day. A total of 77 pairs of lovers from across the country came to the city to get married collectively on that day.     

Market Watch

TO THE POINT: Spring Festival comes, and Spring Festival goes. The nation’s biggest holiday was rewarding for consumer products manufacturers and retailers. The festival period consumption jumped 15 percent compared with that of last year. Right after the seven-day carnival, China’s central bank showed its concerns over excessive capital liquidity and raised the bank reserve requirement ratio another 0.5 percent, a mild move to calm down the white-hot investment and stock market speculation. Also after the festival, which has always been a big test for China’s transportation capability, Air China and Qunar.com had announced an online ticket search and booking service for travelers’ convenience. The last week of February was a black week for most traders in the stock market. February 27 saw the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index drop 9 percent, the sharpest of its kind in a decade and many lost their money. For newcomers to the stock market, what they have lost is probably confidence. In a country low in inflation, individuals are still keen on buying gold for family financial stability in case real inflation takes place. Though gold output in 2006 reached an unprecedented high, the amount was still insufficient and will face strong demand in the future. Meanwhile, by the end of 2006, total banking assets in China hit a record high, accounting for 5 percent of the world’s total. The Big Four state-owned commercial banks are still major players with relatively good performance.     

How to Celebrate Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival?

正The Chinese Government recently created the Chinese Farmers’Harvest Festival,making it the fi rst time that a national festival has been set up exclusively for farmers.The festival will be celebrated annual y on the autumnal equinox beginning this year.The action highlights the government’s emphasis on agriculture and rural areas and its people,drawing the whole society’s attention to Chinese farmers,who diligently work to prop up the country’s social and economic development.The government has also expressed     

Paddling in Music

The Ninth Beijing Music Festival and the Fourth Beijing International Symphony Season will be held October 2-29 in Beijing. In order to promote participation, the festival will host various types of interactive activities, making the festival a carnival for people and music fans. The Beijing Music Festival (BMF), established in 1998 and endorsed by the Ministry of Culture of China and the Beijing Municipal Government, has become one of the grandest and most significant annual cultural events in Asia and has attracted     

On Duty

Ma Shuang,an ear and throat disease expert has worked at the Zigong No.4 People’s Hospital in Sichuan Province in southwest China since she graduated five years ago.In these years,she has never spent the Spring Festival,the most important traditional Chinese festival,with her family in her hometown.     

SOCIETY

<正>Art of Colors A pedestrian walks past a graffi ti artwork in downtown Beijing’s Dashilar on November 8.Artists from China and France created graffi ti artworks together during a cultural festival of Paris Hip Hop in Beijing.Xi’s Book on Governance The second volume of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s book on governance has been published in both     

SOCIETY

<正>Getting a Head Start A Miao woman gets ready to take part in the Sisters’Festival in Taijiang,a county in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China’s Guizhou Province,on April 10.The ethnic festival,regarded as the Miao ethnic group’s Valentine’s Day,is held annually around the 15th day of the third lunar month.     

Tennis Splash

正The 15th session of the China Open tennis tournament wrapped up in Beijing on October 7 after 15 days of competition.Established in 2004, the annual men’s and women’s event features the highest level of competition and has the most players in Asia.It has witnessed the increase in popularity of tennis in China as well as the rise of Chinese players.     

FOOD FOR LUCK

<正>Locals are given free porridge to mark the Laba Festival on January 27 in Qiankou Township,Huangshan in east China’s Anhui Province.The festival falls on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month every year and dates back to over 1,000 years ago.In ancient times,the Chinese would cook porridge on this day as a tribute to the God of Agriculture.The festival is also intended to celebrate the harvest and pray for blessings in the upcoming year.     

名家开坛 平遥论道——2003平遥国际摄影大展首次设立4个中国摄影论坛

During the festival, four forums, namely the architectural forum, photojournalism forum, portrait forum and scenery forum, were opened in order to facilitate the exchanges between Chinese and foreign photography worlds. It was also a good opportunily for amateurs or photography lovers to have a face-to-face interaction with professionals. The launching of these forums, a bright spot of this year‘s festival, has added luster to the Pingyao International Photography Festival and held a creative significance for the history of Chinese photography.     

A SINGULAR SALES SPECTACLE

正Singles’Day poses a shift in e-commerce development in China Pocketbooks exploded once again on November 11,China’s Singles’Day.Despite the fact that the festival celebrates single people,it has now become one of the world’s largest online shopping extravaganzas.Shi Yang,a manager at a private firm in Beijing,spent more than 6,000 yuan($873)—equivalent to his wife’s monthly salary—on that day.     

A Date WithDurga

<正>India’s power goddess finds a home in Shanghai Hindus’biggest festival season starts in October with the worship—puja—of Durga and continues well into November,finally concluding as Deepawali,or the Festival of Lights.Some of these events are celebrated in Nepal,Bangladesh,Sri Lanka,Pakistan and in communities around the world where there is     

Patron of the Weak

THE Women’s Legal Re-search and Service Center of the Law School of Peking University was founded in a hotel room in Zhongguancun one cold winter’s night in 1995. non-governmental organization specializing in women’s legal aid. Since then, the center has become an influential non-governmental organization safeguarding the rights and interests of women.     

Cultural Exchange Strengthens Ties

<正>The Year of Chinese Culture in Australia is poised to cement bonds between the Chinese and Australians As the Year of Australian Culture in China drew to a close in June,the Year of Chinese Culture in Australia,titled Experience China,came ons tage to showcase the rich variety of China’s traditional and contemporary culture to the Australians.The opening ceremony of the event was held on June 24 at the Sydney State Theater.It featured famous Chinese dancer Yang Liping’s original dance drama The Legend of Shangri-La.The Year of Chinese Culture in Australiais by far the largest Chinese cultural festival     

A Winter Dreamland

Harbin’s ice and snow festival brightens up the chilly season The glittering white world of snow and ice in Harbin,Heilongjiang Province in northeast China,was transformed into a stunning sight as colorful lights illuminated ice castles and other sculptures at the opening ceremony of the 36 th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival on January 5.     

Maintaining Confidence in China’s Economy

正China’s economy has undergone a profound restructuring since 2011,and its double-digit growth speed has gradually slowed down to 7percent or so.Such a shift in gears has stoked rumors that the country is headed toward a hard landing or even that the world’s largest developing economy is about to collapse. In fact,misunderstandings,doubts and even curses against China’s economy have been unceasing ever since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949,especially in tough