Singing Carmina Burana in Beijing

IN 1803 a collection of 13th century stories, poems and songs, known as the Carmina Burana, was discovered in a Bavarian monastery. The celebrated German composer Carl Orff selected various pieces from it, and transformed them into his greatest work. On March 4 this year, Hamburg's well-known Christianeum High School Choir enthralled young Beijing musicians with their performance of this classical music.     

Romance and Chic： The Fascination of France

WEARY of the Hollywood fast-food culture that has so long domi-nated China, many professional urban dwellers in big and medium-sized Chinese cities have been seduced by the subtle flair of French gentility. American fast-food pales in com-     

The Palace of Eternal Youth, Ultimate Kunqu Opera

AT the head of the first UN list of 19 "Oral and Intangible Heritages of Humanity" published in 2001, was China's Kunqu opera. The Palace of Eternal Youth has since been hailed as the best kunqu ever produced and the ultimate test of performing excellence.     

An Ancient Country＇s Love of Modern Western Art

HINA‘S contemporary art is gaining recognition amonginternational artistic circles, despite having got off to a relatively late start. Until the 1980s, Chinese art students were expected to cultivate traditional painting techniques.     

The Rise of Traditional Chinese Medicine Among China＇s Middle Class

THE renaissance of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)in China hit a new high on December 2 last year,when the renowned practitioner Deng Tietao took on two apprentices,Ding Lei and Liang Dong. The minute this news item hit the country‘s front pages and TV screens it caused a national sensation. Thirty-four-year-old Ding Lei is founder and CEO of Netease.com and the richest man on the 2003 Fortune China list. His fellow apprentice, Liang Dong, is a popular presenter on Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV, well knownfor his acerbic wit.     

An Old Town on the Ancient Tea-Horse Trail

FOR centuries, Southwest China's Yunnan Province has been known as home of black tea. It was in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that caravans began to transport bricks of tea from Xi shuangbanna and Simao to India, passing through Yunnan's Dali and Lijiang and Tibet. The route became known as the Ancient Tea-Horse Trail. By the time it had reached India, the tea fermented and turned black. It was then bought by merchants that took it to Europe and other parts of the world.At the southern end of the Chinese     

Beijing： Architectural Showcase

FIFTY years ago, Beijing was the world's sole well-preserved medieval city. It consisted of four layers: the Forbidden City at the center, theImperial City surrounding it, and the     

Confucius School, a National Strategy for Chinese Language Teaching

Confucius Great educator, thinker, and founder of Confucianism, Confucius (551-479 B.C.) is regarded as having had the greatest influence on the development of Chinese culture. He is believed to have had 3,000 students and 72 disciples, with whom he traveled the vassal states in ancient China for 14 years. He collated and compiled many ancient books, including the Book of Songs, the Book of History, the Book of Rites, and the Book of Music. He also wrote     

Chinese Classics - Worth the Effort？.

"At one time, people considered Confucius their god; at another, they thought him a monster," says Professor Guo Qijia of the Education Institute of Beijing Normal University. "We now intend to re-address him and re-examine his thought in his capacity as a human being."     

Rediscovering a Kunqu Classic——Interview with Yip Kam Tim, stage and costume designer for The Palace of Eternal Youth

OSCAR-WINNING art designer Yip Kam Tim, dressed in his trademark blackand-white T-shirt and baseball cap,greets me with a welcoming smile. He is keen to talk about his latest and probably most challenging project.