Beijing

Vocal concert

James Blunt, singer and writer of global hits such as You're Beautiful and Goodbye My Lover , is coming to China. The music of this former British army officer, is a mix of acoustic-tinged pop, rock and folk. He will make stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

7:30 pm, Aug 18, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, 259 Dongfeng Zhong Lu, 400-610-3721; 7:30 pm, Aug 20, Workers' Gymnasium, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang district, 400-811-8510; 7:30 pm, Aug 21, Mercedes-Benz Arena, 1200 Expo Avenue, Pudong, 021-6217-2426

Decades of endeavor

Lu Fusheng, a renowned art theorist and painter from Shanghai, is holding a retrospective solo show in Beijing.

On show are more than 100 philosophically charged landscapes, historical figure paintings and flowers-and-birds depictions the 62-year-old has created over the past decades.

9 am-5 pm, until Aug 1. Museum of the Beijing Fine Art Academy, 1 Liulitun Beili, Chaoyang district. 010-6507-1285

New media art

Translife, the 2011 International Triennial of New Media Art is running at the National Art Museum of China.

On display are 53 interactive or immersive artworks, by 88 artists and artists groups from 23 countries and regions.

"Although these works depend on digital and media technologies, they are not the usual exhibits for a pop science show The exhibition is designed to raise questions on pressing issues facing mankind such as eco-crisis, alienation of man, and new forms of life," said curator Zhang Ga who initiated the art event in 2008.

9 am-5 pm, until Aug 17. 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng district. 010-8403-3500

Beauty of Tibet

The Great Beauty of Tibet art exhibition, the second of its kind since 2004, is being held at Gallery of the Cultural Hall of the Nationalities.

Organized by Tibet Artists Association, Li Keran Art Foundation, and Tibet Painting Academy, the exhibition includes 130 selected paintings about Tibetan people and their culture.

Of various mediums and genres, these artworks are from the hands of both local artists in the autonomous region and artists of 13 other ethnic backgrounds from across the country, according to Li Xiaoke, a key organizer.

9 am-5 pm, until Aug 9. Cultural Hall of the Nationalities, 49 Fuxingmennei Dajie, Xicheng district. 010-6602-4433

Shanghai

Cirque du Soleil

The Quebec based entertaining group, Cirque du Soleil, is returning to Shanghai to present its longest running touring show, Saltimbanco.

The show's name is derived from the Italian for 'jump on a bench'. Set in an imaginary metropolis, Saltimbanco features breathtaking acrobatics and athleticism.

Originally directed by Franco Dragone, it brings together an international cast of more than 50 performers and musicians from more than 20 countries.

8 pm, Sept 21-23; 4 pm, 8 pm, Sep 24; 1 pm, 5 pm, Sep 25. Mercedes-Benz Arena, 1200 Expo Avenue, Pudong. 400-620-6006

Original impressions

Young artist Ge Hui's solo exhibition will present 40 of his oil paintings. Ge is adept at transferring the most direct stimuli to the whole creative process, says the show's curator, Yang Wei.

10 am-6 pm, July 30-Aug 6. Duolun Museum of Modern Art, 27 Duolun Lu. 021-6587-2530

Abstract sculptures

Zhang Guolong will present his abstract sculptures of mixed materials. The artist says they aim to convey the beauty of nature and the rules of the cosmos. With the skillful use of rocks, mineral powders, lacquer and other materials, he represents natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions, melting glaciers and the starry night sky.

9 am-5 pm, July 31-Aug 9. Shanghai Art Museum, 325 Nanjing Xilu. 021-6327-2829

China Daily