Story of ancient family coming to big screen

Seven A-list actors from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan will bring an ancient family's legend to the big screen.

Louis Koo, Chun Wu and Fu Xinbo are among the stellar cast to play the seven sons of the Yang clan, which defended the borders of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) from invaders.

The blockbuster Saving General Yang has been made with 170 million yuan ($26.44 million). Filming started in early August in Henan Province, said to be the clan's hometown.

Ronny Yu, director of Jet Li's Fearless, directs the film.

5th Beijing Biennale to mull Future and Reality

The fifth Beijing International Art Biennale will be held in October 2012. The biennale, whose theme is Future and Reality, will "present at least 600 works by artists from around the world that reflect challenges and crises facing mankind", says Wu Changjiang, deputy chairman of Chinese Artists Association, a key organizer.

Meanwhile, 10 scholars and teachers from major art academies and museums in China will go on a three-month overseas training session in art colleges, art museums, and art studios in several North American and European countries, thanks to a government-backed fund. This program was started in 2009.

Philately album to mark 90th anniversary of CPC

The China Philately Corp. has launched a philately album to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist party.

The album contains a set of commemorative stamps, first day covers, and post cards featuring historic sites associated with the party's history, and key points of the country's 12th five-year-plan.

Expo to focus on 1,000-year-old towns

The first China International Ancient Town Exposition will be held in Beijing from Dec 16 - 18. The expo, sponsored by the China Tourism Association, will put more than 100 ancient Chinese towns and villages under the spotlight, through the use of modern technology.

According to the organizing committee, there are at least 5,000 towns in China whose history goes back more than 1,000 years.

Changzhou carnival to celebrate animation

The 2011 China International Animation Art Festival will be held in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, from Aug 24 - 30.

Co-organized by the Ministry of Culture and Jiangsu's provincial government, the week-long carnival for animators and anime fans is aimed at enhancing cooperation between animation companies at home and abroad.

The festival will feature exhibitions, forums, an animation fair and a cosplay (costume play) competition, which will attract more than 400 animation companies from at least 30 countries and regions.

Painting exhibition fuses art forms

An exhibition of paintings on blue-and-white porcelain by artists from the Chinese National Academy of Arts recently opened at the Chinese Museum of Women and Children in Beijing.

The exhibition showcases works by 28 artists, presenting traditional and contemporary styles.

Chinese brush painting and blue-and-white porcelain are both traditional art forms with more than 1,000 years of history. The exhibition ends on Aug 16.

China Daily