Reality show searches for 'Top Commander'

Yunnan Satellite TV has launched its second season of Soldiers' Sortie, a weekly reality show featuring 120 young officers competing for the crown of "Top Commander". The series gathers 120 officers under the age of 23 who have just begun army life. The competition will be stiffer than in the first season, with 83 percent of the contestants leaving the show after a fierce 72-hour training. There will then be more than 10 contests by the end of June, including shooting and trekking competitions, to challenge contestants' physical and mental toughness.

Aeronautics, astronautics scholarship launched

A scholarship provided to students of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics has been launched in Beijing. The scholarship is jointly offered by the China Space Foundation and Lee Kum Kee, a leading Chinese sauce company headquartered in Hong Kong. Icons of China's aeronautics and astronautics industry, including Qi Faren, the chief designer of the Shenzhou spacecraft, and Yang Liwei, the first Chinese to fly into space, attended the ceremony and delivered speeches.

The 30th Weifang International Kites Festival kicked off on April 20 in Shandong province's Weifang. The festival, which runs until early May, includes 16 themed activities that fall into four categories, namely kite flying, boosting tourism, cultural promotion and attracting investment. This year's festival hopes to draw in more participants with diversified kite activities. Weifang, famous as "home to kites", aims to brand itself with the occasion. A series of cultural, tourist and investment events, such as the 3rd Chinese Painting Festival and an ecological forum of mayors from China's international friendship cities, will also be held.

Tongli hosts short film gala

CCTV Channel 6, better known as the movie channel, is working with the Chinese Directors' Guild and the government of Tongli, a historical town in Jiangsu province, to host a gala for short filmmakers. The organizers initiated the project last October and selected 12 directors from 800 proposals. A team of senior filmmakers such as He Ping and Li Shaohong helped turn their story ideas into short films, which will premiere at a gala in Tongli on April 26. The picturesque town has been a show-stealing character in many films such as Chen Kaige's Temptress Moon and Jacob Cheung's Intimates.

Italian textile expo a cut above

Milano Unica China, the Italian professional textile-accessories expo, was recently held in Beijing, with 128 Italian companies presenting their 2014 spring/summer collections. This is the third time Milano Unica has been held in China. In March 2012, 95 Italian companies took part in the expo in Beijing and 124 firms participated in an expo in October. There is a large market for Italian textiles in China, and strong interest in the textiles from local fashion houses.

Festival attracts dancers globally

The third China Xinjiang International Dance Festival will be held from July 20 to Aug 5 in Urumqi, Korla and Shihezi, in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Dance companies from 13 countries and regions will take part in the festival, including those from Germany, Russia and Kazakhstan. Five troupes from Xinjiang and four troupes from other areas of China will also perform at the festival. Xinjiang International Dance Festival has been held twice, in 2008 and 2011, presenting performances of more than 10,000 artists from more than 20 countries and regions. The festival is to become a biannual event.

China Daily

(China Daily 04/23/2013 page20)