Life and Leisure

What's new

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-07 08:06

Destination Italy

The Italian Government Tourist Board (ENIT) has set up its representative office in Beijing to boost tourism to Italy.

Held at the St. Regis Beijing, the opening ceremony featured ENIT's new logo, a corporate video and a virtual travel market. The video highlighted a kaleidoscope of highly evocative images while the virtual show offered a Net-based platform for tour operators to showcase their products.

Tibetan inspiration

Veteran print-maker and watercolor painter Wu Changjiang is holding a solo show at Guan Shanyue Art Museum in southern Shenzhen.

On display are more than 100 prints, watercolors, paintings, and pencil sketches, featuring life, people and arts in the Tibet autonomous region. Over the past three decades, Wu has paid numerous visits to Tibet, seeking inspiration for his art. The exhibition ends on Dec 8.

A trove of India art

Zhu Xintian, an expert in oriental arts, has published the Chinese edition of her book, The Queen's Stepwell at Patan.

The English and French versions came out in 2008, in India and France.

Excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India in the 1970s and 1980s, the historical site is a treasure trove of ancient Indian art and culture.

Based on two decades of field research, the book, with 280 previously unpublished color photos, presents "an intimate study of the icons and images that ancient Queen Udayamati placed on the walls of the well, dedicated to Vishnu in the memory of her husband, king Bhimadeva", said Zhu, co-founder of Musee Asiatica, in Biarritz, France, a museum focusing on Asian arts.

Published in Mandarin by Franco-Indian Research Pvt Ltd Mumbai, India, the book is available through China International Book Import and Export Corp.

Essays by Han Fu

Collection of Han Fu's Essays on Arts, a book by Chinese painter and calligrapher Han Fu, has been released by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Press.

Born in Central China's Hubei province, 45-year-old Han became interested in Chinese painting and calligraphy at a young age and has studied with such masters as Fan Zeng and Wang Xuezhong. His works are in the collections of many institutions both in China and abroad.

The essays cover various subjects such as aesthetics, art education, art history, art psychology, music and literature.

More flights, lower fares

Turkish Airlines announced major additions to its China service on Dec 3, with greater frequency of flights to Beijing and Shanghai and a new route to Guangzhou. From Dec 23, the airline will operate daily flights from Beijing to Istanbul, as against the five-days-a-week schedule now. The Shanghai-Istanbul service will also be made a daily service soon, although the exact date is yet to be announced.

The airlines will inaugurate new service between Istanbul and Guangzhou on Jan 31, 2011.

It also announced special, discount fares from Beijing to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The fares start at 3,490 yuan ($524) for a round trip to most destinations in Europe. The special offer will be available daily from Dec 22 through March 31, 2011, making Spring Festival travel even more convenient in the upcoming Year of the Rabbit.

A coffee to crow about

Officials from Chengmai county of Hainan province were in Beijing recently to popularize the region's Fushan coffee. The county, famous for its oranges and seedless lichee, is located to the north of Hainan, where geographical conditions are ideal for the growth of coffee.

The first robusta coffee trees were planted there in 1935 and their coffee is famous for offering great flavor with less than 3 percent caffeine. A major theme of the 11th Hainan Fiesta to be held on Dec 28 in Chengmai county is the region's coffee.

The county is planning to build a Coffee Cultural City complete with a square, a coffee trading center, a coffee utensils street, and coffee-themed hotels and museums.

Fashions from Denmark

Three Danish fashion labels, Kopenhagen Fur, Bestseller and Georg Jensen, recently held a fashion show at the Danish Ambassador's residence in Beijing.

The three Danish companies have a long history in the Chinese market. Kopenhagen Fur is a supplier of fur skins, Georg Jensen is a high-end jewelry maker, and Bestseller offers fashions for the younger generation. Their products are known for their high quality and unique designs.

The attendees included Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark, ambassador Friss Arne Petersen, and representatives from the three companies.