Leung voices for The Croods

Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka-fai, four-time best actor winner of the Hong Kong Film Awards, has lent his voice to the character of Father in Dreamworks' animated comedy The Croods. He worked with Taiwan singer Mavis Fan, who is the voice behind his character's daughter. Leung says he relates to the role because he has two daughters. It is the first time the actor, 55, has lent his voice for an animated film, which premiered in China on April 20.

Youku releases British dramas

Leading Chinese video website Youku.com will release the third season of the BBC drama Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, simultaneously with BBC later this year. The show will be part of the British TV drama channel, which the website launched recently. Other shows include Parade's End, also starring Cumberbatch, The Paradise and The Fades. Top Gear, the popular television show about motor vehicles, will also be shown on the website soon. Youku has bought all the copyrights needed to release these shows, says Zhu Xiangyang, chief content executive of the website.

Modern drama studio

Beijing Yuan Xin International Culture Media Co Ltd is building a large-scale movie studio in Xingtai, Hebei province. The studio includes several real movie studios, a theme park like Hollywood's Universal Studio, shops, restaurants and a hotel. China has a few studios for shooting costume dramas but none of them like the Universal Studio where one can experience the thrilling theme park rides and shows. Zhao Guangxin, general manager of Yuan Xin, says he plans to build China's first modern studio that can both produce period dramas and welcome tourists. Zhao says the studio will also have partners from Hollywood and South Korea. The studio will cover 300 hectares and is scheduled to be completed in late 2014.

Pilots of Beijing's airwaves

Radio Beijing is scouting for new voices. The radio station has just started its four-step search for "distinctive, educated and capable" anchors who speak standard Chinese. Contestants are expected to be tested on their ability to do news anchoring, program design and collaborate with other speakers. Those who wish to join Radio Beijing can visit the station's official website and Sina Weibo account for application forms. They can either submit their audio, video clips to Radio Beijing or go to the test centers in person before May 20.

Interact with Little Rag Doll

The beloved, courageous Little Rag Doll will embark on its adventures again starting this International Children's Day. The Adventures of a Little Rag Doll, one of China's most celebrated children's stories with friendship and happiness as its themes, has just been transformed into a multimedia version by the China National Theater for Children. The play will engage more interaction from young audiences with the help of technology and theatrical design. Zhou Yuyuan, president of the CNTC, promised the show would be "a brand new experience". It will be staged at 10 am every weekend from June 1.

Focus on French film

The 10th French Film Panorama in China kicked off on April 17 and will run for two months across the country. Eight feature films and 10 short ones will travel from Beijing to Chengdu, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Nanjing and Xi'an. Highlights include Academy Award-winning drama Love by Michael Haneke, Camille Rewinds by Noemie Lvovsky, and Ernest & Celestine by Benjamin Renner. A delegation of French actors and directors, such as Catherine Corsini, Julia Faure and Marion Laine, will be in Beijing to present and promote their films. Over the years, the French Film Panorama in China has stamped itself as a key occasion to present new films and to raise awareness of French cinema in the media and with local audiences.

More than a music fest

The 15th International Peach Blossom Music Festival kicked off on April 18 in Pinggu district, Beijing and will last until May 8. Tourists can not only enjoy their excursions to Pinggu with beautiful peach blossoms, organic vegetables and special snacks, but also take part in a series of colorful activities such as grotesque stone exhibition, blind dates and a temple fair. Also, one of China's largest rock music festivals - the Midi Music Festival, which ran from April 29 to May 1 on the grassland of Yuyang International Ski Resort - had more than 100 rock bands from home and abroad.

China Daily