Triple Olympic champion gymnast Yang retires

BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Three-time Olympic champion of gymnastics Yang Wei, double Olympic gold medallist in the Beijing Games, confirmed his retirement on Thursday.

The 29-year-old spearheaded China to the men's team title and collected all-around individual to cap his prolific career. Yang was also a member in China's win of men's team in the Sydney Olympics. Before culminating in Beijing, Yang also won seven world titles and two Olympic silvers in an international career spanning13 years.

According to Yang, the injury forced him to retire and gave up hope of taking part in China's 11th National Games in October.

"I just can not handle it now although my mind is still there to compete on at least for the national games," said Yang, who pondered to quit at the aftermath of Athens Olympic debacle.

"I think it's the time to retire and it would have been more reasonable to retire at the peak of my career after the Olympics. I'm happy I can stick to my training until now and finished top on the Beijing Olympics podium.

"I just wanted to end my career following flop in Athens out of concern of injury and my form, but my coach Huang Yubin persuaded me to hang on. I'm so eager to be part of the Beijing Olympic squad, so I said no to the thought of leaving finally," said Yang.

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China Open seeks frames from Spain

BEIJING, May 6 -- Spanish tennis fans will have the chance to travel to China for the China Open in October thanks to an overseas promotion launched by tournament organizers last week.

A campaign - the Starry China Open, Charming Beijing picture exhibition - was launched last Monday inviting Spanish sports fans ahead of the Madrid Open to send their photographs from the Beijing Olympics or previous China Opens.

The two entrants with the best snaps will be invited to visit Beijing and watch the China Open.

An additional 10 people will receive a ticket to the Madrid Open and another 20 will each be sent a souvenir from the China Open. Winners will be announced at a promotion banquet on May 16 during the Madrid Open.

After five highly successful years, the China Open has grown to become a combination of a WTA Crown Pearl and ATP 500 tournament, making it Asia's premier competition and only second to the four grand slams, on the same level as the Madrid, Miami and Indian Wells ppens. The total prize money for the tournament has accordingly risen to 6,600,000 U.S. dollars from 1,100,000 U.S. dollars.

The event will be held at the Beijing Olympic National Tennis Center, the venue for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, from Oct 2-11.

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Competition awards clarinet talents

The second Beijing International Music Competition for Clarinet reached its highest note on Monday. Winners from this year's crop of young music talents from around the world joined maestros on stage for an awards concert at the Beijing Concert Hall.

Out of 117 contestants from nearly 20 countries and regions only six young clarinet players made it to the final round. They impressed the panel of judges with their individual understanding of music, and their fresh yet bold demonstrations of musicality.

ThesecondBeijingInternationalMusicCompetitionforClarinetreached
itshighestnoteonMonday.

Valentin Uryupin of Russia eventually took first prize. He joined noted artists in performing Bartok's Contrasts for clarinet, violin, and piano.

Second prize went to Moran Katz from Israel. Chikako Kondo from Japan, and Eloise Susannah Fisher from Australia shared third prize.

Han Kim, a South Korean clarinet student who is at the tender age of 13, was honored as "The Most Promising Young Artist".

After receiving the award, he played Debussy's Rhapsody for the packed house.

Gerd Starke, the chairman of jury of the second Beijing International Music Competition said, "Chinese contestants performed very well. 22 Chinese contestants made it to the semi-finals, but unfortunately they didn't make it to the final round. I hope there will be more Chinese contestants appearing in the final round next time."

The 2nd Beijing International Music Competition attempts a repeat of the successful Nicolet Flute venture in 2006. This time it focuses on clarinet. The competition scans the world to support gifted young clarinetists and to find budding musicians with excellent potentials. It also creates an international dialogue of music.

Apart from the in-competition categories, the event also tailors master-classes for clarinet lovers at the Beijing Concert Hall.

The 2nd Beijing International Music Competition ends on Wednesday.

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Relaxed night in Beijing

The three-day May Day Holiday may be too short for a travel plan. For those who have to stay in Beijing, we would like to recommend some options for a relaxed and enjoyable night.

Beijing night show

Established in 2000, the Beijing Night Show is the city's best dinner show tour destination. Known as the Moulin Rouge of the East, Beijing Night Show brings the audience through an action-packed, non-stopped journey back through Chinese history. Its popular opera "Great China's Music and Dance" is a theatrical blend of ancient dance, ethnic music, and costumes.

A new production, "Beijing, The Fantasia", features an impressive retelling of Beijing's long history. In an eye-catching display of motion and music, the 90-minute spectacular offers a fresh interpretation of the culture and history of an ancient city.

The Beijing Night Show continues to attract luminaries and art lovers alike, having attracted over three-hundred-thousand people already.

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Dialogue 09/04/26 IPR protection in a globalized world

Watch Full Video

Background Report:

Intro:

From Beijing, I'm Tian Wei, and this is Dialogue live on CCTV International. Sunday marks the world intellectual property day. The theme for this year is promoting green innovation. Emphasizing the intellectual property system's role in advancing the development of green technologies and icon freely products.

However, some also argue just the opposite as they suspect if the IP underlining the technology, it has been an important barrier to globalizing the response to climate change. To answer those questions, I'm joined in the studio by Mark Allen Cohen, he is the of counsel from Jones Day, that's a law firm here, based on Beijing.

And previously he's also being dealing with IPR protection issues with the US Empersy here in Beijing. Meanwhile in the studio we have Professor Guo Shoukang from Renmin University of China. Before we go to a discussion with both of you, let's take a look at this background report.

Old-style traffic in Beijing

Beijing is an ancient dynastic capital where tradition and modernity merge. This can be seen in many aspects of the city, such as the co-existence of ancient buildings and recently built high-rises, modern roads and quiet alleys known as hutongs. Every day, people in Beijing pass between the past and present.

Commuters in the capital can take the subway or the bus. And there are also some quite unique ways to get around.

The Tricycle

In this world of mind-boggling changes, the tricycle is no longer viable as an effective means of transport. In the middle of a modern concrete jungle, traces of a former way of life have mostly disappeared.

Inthisworldofmind-bogglingchanges,thetricycleisnolongerviable
as aneffectivemeansoftransport.

But in the hutongs of Shichahai in downtown Beijing, tricycles are a common sight. They carry tourists through the narrow lanes, where people still live in traditional housing. Most of the tricycles are run by local tourist agencies. As the drivers pedal along, they often chat with their customers, telling them stories of people who have lived here over the centuries.

These tricycles are very popular with tourists visiting Beijing.

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Laoshe Tea House

Tea has been a deeply-rooted part of Chinese life since it first rose to popularity more than 1-thousand years ago, during the Tang Dynasty. There's white tea for spring, green tea for summer, oolong tea for autumn, and black tea for winter. You may even have your own favorite variety. And with tea there are always teahouses popular with locals and visitors alike, from farmers and workers to celebrities like former US President Geoge W. Bush and Queen Rania of Jordan. On today's China Cool, we take a closer look at one of the most popular teahouses in Beijing -- the Laoshe Teahouse.

A 10 minute walk from Tiananmen square, Laoshe Tea House is a hot spot for both foreign tourists and local people. Spend just two hours here at Laoshe Teahouse, and you'll experience the authentic life of old Beijing: sipping cups of tea and munching on local snacks, while watching a revue of the most popular Chinese traditional performances.

The tea house is named after renowned Chinese writer Lao She famous for his drama "Teahouse", a vivid portrayal of the social dimensions of old Beijing.

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Nostalgic foreign restaurants in Beijing

In Beijing, you can find almost every kind of Chinese food. But international cuisines have also made their way onto the capital's menus, and many people's appetites. For some Chinese, the mention of certain foreign restaurants stirs a sense of nostalgia for the days of their childhood.

The Moscow Restaurant was first foreign restaurant to open in Beijing in the 1950s. Its distinctive architecture and cuisine quickly earned it a good reputation. People affectionately called it "Laomo", roughly translated as "Old Moscow."

In 2000, the Moscow Restaurant renovated and redecorated, but still preserved its splendid Russian style. It resembles a small palace with its multi-story high ceilings and ornate fixtures.

The restaurant can seat six hundred people at a time. But the big charm for the many Chinese patrons is the Russian culture reflected here.

The exotic food and elegant atmosphere keep Beijingers lining up for a different dining experience. The Moscow Restaurant has developed a lot in its 50 years. But people can still taste the same traditional foods of yesteryear.

Another restaurant serving up a Russian flavor, or more accurately a Ukraninian one, is the Kiev.

Much smaller and younger than Moscow Restaurant, the Kiev has its own style with Ukrainian Vodka and oil paintings. It also showcases the Ukrainian love of singing and dancing. Many of the members of the restaurant's singing group are well-known and respected back home.

Click for more news in Culture Express

Old-style traffic in Beijing

Beijing is an ancient dynastic capital where tradition and modernity merge. This can be seen in many aspects of the city, such as the co-existence of ancient buildings and recently built high-rises, modern roads and quiet alleys known as hutongs. Every day, people in Beijing pass between the past and present.

Commuters in the capital can take the subway or the bus. And there are also some quite unique ways to get around.

The Tricycle

In this world of mind-boggling changes, the tricycle is no longer viable as an effective means of transport. In the middle of a modern concrete jungle, traces of a former way of life have mostly disappeared.

Inthisworldofmind-bogglingchanges,thetricycleisnolongerviable
as aneffectivemeansoftransport.

But in the hutongs of Shichahai in downtown Beijing, tricycles are a common sight. They carry tourists through the narrow lanes, where people still live in traditional housing. Most of the tricycles are run by local tourist agencies. As the drivers pedal along, they often chat with their customers, telling them stories of people who have lived here over the centuries.

These tricycles are very popular with tourists visiting Beijing.

Click for more news in Culture Express

Tosca premiers in Beijing

Tosca has made its debut at China's National Center for the Performing Arts. What makes this cast unusual is that there are two sets of leads, one Chinese, and the other, international.

ToscahasmadeitsdebutatChina'sNationalCenterforthePerforming
Arts.

Puccini's Tosca graced Beijing's newest grand stage, the National Center for the Performing Arts. It's been over a century since the opera premiered in Rome in 1900.

Tenor Dai Yuqiang, who plays the hero Mario Cavaradossi and soprano Zhang Liping, the *** Tosca, are the Chinese leads.

Zhang Liping, the soprano of "Tosca" said, “I've been waiting for this role for a long time. I have a lot of my own understanding of the role.”

TheChinatakeon"Tosca"opensthesummerseasonoftheNationalCenter
forthePerformingArts.

Dai Yuqiang, the tenor of "Mario" said, “I've sung the role many times abroad, but it's quite different when I sing the role in my home country.”

Their counterparts are Italian Marcello Giordani and Russian Natalia Ushakova. They will perform in turn with the Chinese leads as a treat for Beijing audiences.

The China take on "Tosca" opens the summer season of the National Center for the Performing Arts. Over a hundred shows will be staged during the next four months.

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Getting around Beijing

Beijing is a throbbing nerve center of ring roads, highways and subways connecting local spots, railways stations and airports.

The city is enclosed by six ring roads, with nine expressways and eleven national highways. Today's Style Watch provides some tips on how to get around Beijing.

BUS

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There are many public bus lines which can take you to every corner of Beijing. Taking the bus is one of the most convenient and cheapest ways to get around the city. The trick is to find the right line. To get where you want to go, often you have to change buses several times, which is time-consuming and confusing. The attendants can help visitors know when to get off the bus.

The public buses make stops at all of the city's major sites and commercial centers. There are some express buses which connect the major scenic spots such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Summer Palace.

Czech painter Zdenek Sklenar hold exhibition in Beijing

A three-month sojourn in China in 1955 left an indelible impression on Czech painter Zdenek Sklenar. He was among the first official delegation of Czech artists to visit Beijing. Sklenar took an instant liking to Chinese culture and history, and continued to create works featuring the country. An ensemble showing of Sklenar's works opened at the National Art Museum of China on Saturday.

AnensembleshowingofSklenar'sworksopenedattheNational
ArtMuseumofChina.

The opening ceremony was a lively prelude to the show. A Czech quartet performed on stage to mark Sklenar's art revisiting the country where he was so deeply inspired fifty four years ago.

As the head of a group of graphic artists touring with exhibition on Czechoslovakian culture in the 1950s, Sklenar was struck by China's beauty and the friendship he formed with the country's leading artists. He returned to his home country with enormous inspiration that he drew on until the end of his life in 1986.

OneofZdenekSklenar'sworks

A compilation of nearly 300 original works from his "Chinese period" works are on show, including 25 paintings that received the Gold Medal at the International Art Biennale in Florence in 1971, illustrations for the Chinese classic "A Journey to the West", prints and his China diary.

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