| Chinese films to enter American homes Posted: 26 Jul 2012 08:01 PM PDT Many Chinese audiences may be familiar with American blockbusters, but Chinese films are rarely-known among Americans. |
| A new bookstore experience Posted: 26 Jul 2012 07:39 PM PDT In Shanghai, they are struggling to survive in a city where commercial rents are soaring, not to forget fighting the internet competition. |
| A London tour during the Olympics Posted: 26 Jul 2012 07:29 PM PDT Completed in 1963, Centre Point in London?s New Oxford Street was one of the city?s first skyscrapers. |
| Sanlian 80 years : No borders for reading Posted: 26 Jul 2012 07:20 PM PDT Sanlian Taofen Bookstore is celebrating its 80th anniversary, marking it with a conference at the Great Hall of The People Thursday. |
| Escape lessons - Media Watch July 26 -- BONTV Posted: 26 Jul 2012 08:42 PM PDT | Go to bon.tv to watch the full episode Local cemetery management officials rejected a Japanese man's request to cast his deceased father's ashes in Shanghai waters yesterday. The man called Shanghai's service hotline 962288 yesterday to ask for a sea burial for his father, who worked in Shanghai decades ago and developed a deep affection toward the city. "It is the first time that we heard a request from a foreigner, but unfortunately, we don't provide such service at the current stage," said Zhang Minghua, an official with the Shanghai Funeral and Interment Association, who is in charges of the sea burial section. But overseas Chinese of foreign nationality can apply for the service, and foreigners can have their bodies transported to their birth places, he said. Demand for sea burial is outpacing the capacity of available ships in the city. Officials said many families applying for sea burial this year have to wait until next year. The number of Shanghai families applying for sea burial is growing by 8 percent a year. | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 01:52 | More in News & Politics |
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| Sany extends the concrete chain in Europe - China Beat July 26 - BONTV Posted: 26 Jul 2012 08:29 PM PDT | Sany Heavy Industry, a leading Chinese manufacturer of construction machinery, announced that it has fully acquired Intermix GmbH, a German truck mixer maker. | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 01:37 | More in News & Politics |
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| Pension system faces insolvency - Biz Wire July 26 - BONTV Posted: 26 Jul 2012 08:21 PM PDT | Go to www.bon.tv to watch the full episode Follow us on Weibo weibo.com With the growing number of China's aging population, the country's pension fund system has become a hot topic. As local Chinese media has reported, individual pension accounts are increasingly underfunded, about 78 billion dollars more than last year. Chinese employees have paid 235 billion dollars into their pension accounts, but only about 42 billion was payable. According to official data, the national pension fund had 305 billion dollars in its accounts at the end of last year, and the current growth of the fund's revenues cover its expenditures for now. However, future retirees may face the risk of not receiving any payments. The current pension fund system faces potential insolvency, as the current working generation retires and the numbers of skilled young workers shrink. By the end of 2011, there were 123 million Chinese older than 65 years old and the number is expected to rise to 323 million by 2050. | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 01:27 | More in News & Politics |
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| Ep.20-Intangible Cultural Heritage of Changbai Mount Area Back to New LIFE -- BONTV Posted: 25 Jul 2012 11:02 PM PDT | A display about the intangible cultural heritage of Changbai Mountain area was held on June 9th. The sculptures made of Songhua stone and the Manchu paper-cuts attracted crowds of both locals and tourists. Changbai Mountain is located on the border between China and North Korea. This area is the origin place of the Manchu people who later conquered China and founded the Qing Dynasty in the 17th century. Over the centuries, as the Manchus gradually began to adopt Chinese Han customs, as their own customs fell into decline. After the Manchu imperial family were overthrown in the early 20th century, the language fell out of use, and only a few older people can still speak the Manchu language today. Over the last decade, Jilin province has managed to protect the areas cultural heritage sites. The traditional Sculptures made of songhua(松花) stone have now taken on a new life. The stone itself can only be found on Changbai Mountain and during the Qing Dynasty it was used to make ink stones. Nowadays this type of stone has become a favourite for sculptors and collectors. Chinese paper-cuts have already been put on the UNESCO list of masterpieces, and Manchu paper-cuts share an important piece of this history. Before the Manchu used paper they would make intricate cuts out of leather and leaves. Every piece of art tells a story about their ceremony, festivals and legends, and it's this which makes Manchu paper-cuts stand out when on display. Interview (Cong YongLi丛永莉President <b>...</b> | Views: 1 0 ratings | | Time: 01:05 | More in Travel & Events |
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| Last wishes - Media Watch July 25 -- BONTV Posted: 25 Jul 2012 08:51 PM PDT | Go to bon.tv to watch the full episode Local cemetery management officials rejected a Japanese man's request to cast his deceased father's ashes in Shanghai waters yesterday. The man called Shanghai's service hotline 962288 yesterday to ask for a sea burial for his father, who worked in Shanghai decades ago and developed a deep affection toward the city. "It is the first time that we heard a request from a foreigner, but unfortunately, we don't provide such service at the current stage," said Zhang Minghua, an official with the Shanghai Funeral and Interment Association, who is in charges of the sea burial section. But overseas Chinese of foreign nationality can apply for the service, and foreigners can have their bodies transported to their birth places, he said. Demand for sea burial is outpacing the capacity of available ships in the city. Officials said many families applying for sea burial this year have to wait until next year. The number of Shanghai families applying for sea burial is growing by 8 percent a year. | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 04:05 | More in News & Politics |
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| Beijing under water - China Take July 24 - BONTV Posted: 24 Jul 2012 08:56 PM PDT | Go to bon.tv to watch the full episode Last weekend Beijing experienced torrential rains of the likes not seen in 60 years, forcing many residents from flooded villages and homes. Over six inches of rain fell on the city Saturday, wreaking havoc on many outlying villages where sewage systems were not equipped to handle the flooding. Fangshan district apparently saw 18 inches of flooding in some neighborhoods, leading to mass evacuations. Even in the heart of China's capital, flooded underpasses and fallen power lines contributed to the 37 deaths reported from the rainfall. | Views: 2 0 ratings | | Time: 07:42 | More in News & Politics |
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| Ep.23-Camping Festival in National Desert Sports Park in Zhangye -- BONTV Posted: 26 Jul 2012 02:05 AM PDT | A camping festival was held in the National Desert Sports Park in ZhangYe (张掖) from June 29th to July 1st. During these three days, 2000 campers and outdoor sports enthusiasts came to the park to enjoy the recreational activities. This event is the first stop in a series of camping festivals across the country to be held this year. It is hoped to bring together natural scenery and popular sports activities. During the festival, there was folk dancing and singing, and games and competitions. Visitors could also enjoy a camel ride, a motorcycle ride and could play volleyball on the sand. The event was held by the Mountaineering Association of National Sports Bureau, and the purpose was to promote outdoor sports. Interview ( Zhang Huiling(张会玲), female, Outdoor enthusiast )I think this event is fantastic. And for middle aged people like us, it is easy and interesting to join in the activities. I feel younger than before. I hope they can make some changes to the traffic issues. It is not very convenient to arrive at the park. They should make it more comfortable for tourists. Zhangye is a county located in GanSu province in the northern part of China. During ancient times, it was an important stopover on Silk Road to Central Asia. The area is home to diversified landforms such as glaciers, snow mountains, grasslands, deserts and the unique landscape of Danxia, which consists of red sandstones. To get to Zhangye, you can take a train from Beijing or Shanghai, or fly from <b>...</b> | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 01:12 | More in Travel & Events |
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| EP.16-Ordos introduction-2 -- BONTV Posted: 24 Jul 2012 11:40 PM PDT | En Ge Bei was once covered in greenery before it was buried in sand. In 1989, an entrepreneur named Wang Minghai decided to save the area, and launched a project to combat desertification. Thousands of workers and volunteers have now come to battle against the expanding desert. Thanks to all these efforts the area now boasts a 6.5 kilometer lake and four reservoirs. | Views: 1 0 ratings | | Time: 00:34 | More in Travel & Events |
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| EP.15-The Mauseleum of Genghis Khan -- BONTV Posted: 24 Jul 2012 11:03 PM PDT | Erdos, which means Guard of the yurt in Mongolian, is located in the southwest of Inner Mongolia. Originally, it was considered one of the 9 states of China and Mongolian people settled there in the year 1457, during the Ming dynasty. One of the chief characteristics of Erdos is its rich mineral resources. Out of the whole of China it holds 1/6 of coal, 1/3 of gas, and 1/4 of the global pashm products. Living in Erdos are 2 million people and 170000 of them are Mongolian. The Mongolian culture there is well preserved and if you do travel to the city then you can stay in a traditional Mongolian yurt, drink milk tea, ride a camel and join in Mongolian festivities. The best time to travel to Erdos is from May to October. During this period you can avoid sand storms and a bitterly cold winter. In August of every year you can expect to see the Nadam Fair which is the Mongolian Olympic Games. And if it's traditional customs you're after then according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, on March 21st, May 15th, August 12thand October 3rd, there will be great sacrifices for Genghis Khan. They are the most important sacrifices in the whole of Mongolia, so I suggest you check it out. A flight from Beijing to Erdos takes around an hour and 30 minutes, and will cost you only 900 RMB about 170 dollars. | Views: 1 0 ratings | | Time: 02:11 | More in Travel & Events |
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| Ep.22-Tourism Performance in China -- BONTV Posted: 26 Jul 2012 01:26 AM PDT | Tourism performances in China are varied. They range from traditional folk art performances in local villages to high-end performances like Beijing opera and cross-talk routines. Many visitors to China are interested not only in seeing the sights and sounds of the larger cities, but are also interested in learning about the culture and traditions of China's smaller towns and rural areas. In regions like Yunnan Province, visitors can catch performances put on by the Miao People, who are one of the largest ethnic minority groups in the area. During the performances visitors get a chance to catch a glimpse of some of the group's traditional costumes as well as music and dance. Tourism performances aren't only based on minority traditions. China has a rich historical background to draw from for performance pieces. A popular destination for tourists during a visit to China is Beijing's Drum and Bell towers located in old Beijing. Drums were often used to keep time in ancient China, and Beijing's Drum tower was the official time piece of Beijing until 1924 at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Nowadays when visitors head to the area, they get a chance to see the architecture, and can check out a drum and bell performance that shows off both the ancient instruments and the skills of the performers. | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 01:05 | More in Travel & Events |
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| Ep.22-Fifth Manas International Cultural Tourism Festival -- BONTV Posted: 26 Jul 2012 12:38 AM PDT | On June 29th during this year's Fifth Manas International Cultural Tourism Festival, three well-known performers representing three of China's ethnic groups performed together. The group, nick named the 'three great epics' included the Tibetan Performer Ga Saer, 《格萨尔》the Mongolian performer "Jiang Ge Er" (江格尔), and the Kirgiz performer Ma Nasi. 《玛纳斯》Close to 10000 people traveled to Xinjiang's Akto County to catch this once-in-a-life-time performance. Interview (Akto County Secretary Pingyu Jin) The 'three great epics' coming together to perform on stage all together really shows China's ethnic harmony and multiculturalism. This performance can help to promote further blending of China's minority groups. --- Interview: (Jiangxi cadres who works in Xinjiang --Bin Liu) This is the first time I watch this kind of performance, it's shocked me, I thought it shows the fusion and consociate among Ethnic minority groups and Han group. Each one of the 'three great epics' books include hundreds of thousands of characters which are historical stories of historical issues. These stories reflect people's pursuit of fairness, justice and peace and also reflect their ideas of harmony and happiness. They are the ethos behind China's Ethnic minority groups, like the Zang group , the Mongolian group, and the Kirgiz group. The performers from the three great epics were selected to be part of the first group of nationals on the folk literature non-material cultural heritage list <b>...</b> | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 01:08 | More in Travel & Events |
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| Ep.21-Wutai Mountain Temple Restoration -- BONTV Posted: 25 Jul 2012 11:56 PM PDT | government of Shanxi Province has raised 70 million RMB for the reconstruction of 14 temples located on Wutai Mountain. Reconstruction of area is planned to last until October 2013. During this time, workers will rebuild drainage systems, set up monitors and smoke detectors, re-enforce building foundations, and touch up any paintings and sculptures in the area. Wutai Mountain in Shanxi Province is considered to be one of four sacred mountains by Chinese Buddhists. The mountain has five sharp peaks, and is nick-named the five plateau Mountain. The northern section boasts the mountains highest peak, and stands at over 3000 meters above sea level. A number of temples can be found in Taihuai county. In 2008, Wutai Mountain was named a UNESCO world heritage site, not only for its beautiful scenery, but its historical and culturally significant temples. In Tibet, this place has been a centre for Tibetan Buddhists to spread their religion throughout inner China. During the 6th century, about 200 temples emerged around the area. And in the 7th century during the Tang Dynasty, the number reached to over 360. Nowadays, 68 temples and over 150 towers that were built during seven different dynasties still exist. If you want to travel to Wutai Mountain, you can first fly to Taiyuan, the Capital of Shanxi Province, then take a bus to Taihuai County. | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 00:55 | More in Travel & Events |
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| Ep.21-Buddhism Tourism in China -- BONTV Posted: 25 Jul 2012 11:52 PM PDT | Although Buddhism reached China during the Han Dynasty around 2200 years ago, very few Buddhist relics dating back to this period have been found. White Horse Temple in Henan Province is considered to be China's first Buddhist temple. It was built in 68 AD. It was between 220-589 AD that Buddhism began to spread widely across China because of hundreds of years of war. During the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism gained popularity after the Monk Xuanzang returned to China with texts brought back from India. If you travel to Xi'an to visit the Terra cotta warriors, then you should definitely visit the Da Cien Temple nearby. You can't miss it- as there is a big Xuanzang statue in front of the temple. After the 1980s, Buddhism began to redevelop once more, and nowadays many Buddhist temples and sacred mountains have been developed into bustling tourists attraction. Other than the White Horse Temple, there are many famous temples in different areas of China. Shaolin Temple in Henan province is renowned for its Kongfu, which attracts many enthusiasts of Chinese martial arts to come and do an apprenticeship. If your travel plans include time in Beijing then you ought to visit the Yonghe Temple, which was once a Tibetan Buddhist Temple for the imperial family. | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 01:01 | More in Travel & Events |
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| Ep.21-Lamas on Buddhist Scripture Debate -- BONTV Posted: 25 Jul 2012 11:44 PM PDT | Diqing Buddhism education institute is the only Tibetan Buddhism College in Yunnan Province, and was founded 15 years ago. It offers secondary education and advanced Buddhism study for young monks. They study Tibetan Buddhism, politics, poetry, Chinese, math and spoken English. But the most important part of their daily curriculum is the Buddhist scripture debate. In this class, two monks will discuss the scripture in one large group. Usually one of the monks will stand up and raise a question. After the first monk has no questions, they will change roles. Sometimes several students discuss the scriptures all together. The teachers invited from Tibet give instructions when help is needed. Interview: Ge Cang You Jie, a Monk from the school, Most of the time we debate Zhongguan theology. When I read the scriptures, there are a lot of things that I can't understand, but I can learn a lot here. We like this class because, as a disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha, Buddhists scripture debate is an important area. Our English and Chinese classes can't help us to interpret the scriptures. Diqing is a Tibetan Autonomous prefecture in Yunnan Province. It is at a junction between Sichuan, Yunnan Province and Tibet. Tibetans make up the largest ethnic group in this area, and account for about 33 percent of the population. Diqing means "an auspicious place" in Tibetan. | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 01:21 | More in Travel & Events |
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| Ep.20-Luofu Mountain Attracts Tourist Worshiping Yellow and Big Fairy -- BONTV Posted: 25 Jul 2012 11:23 PM PDT | The government of BoLuo county has bid for Gehong culture as well as the legend of 'Yellow and Big Fairy' (Huang Da Xian) to be listed on the UNESCO list of masterpieces. Ge Hong (葛洪) was a famous Taoist practitioner, who once lived on Luofu mountain. He enriched and developed the Taoist theories of the time and wrote many books. He also spent much of his time developing herbal medicines and making pills for longevity purposes. His apprentice 'Yellow and Big Fairy' is one of the most popular gods worshipped in South-eastern China. Nowadays no one takes his longevity pills, but the cultural heritage that he left behind is highly valued. Interview ( Jiang Ju Lian江菊莲, the magistrate of BoLuo county ) Luofu Mountain is one of the 10 famous Taoist mountains in China. It attracts a large number of tourists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The god named 'Yellow and Big Fairy' is quite popular in Hong Kong and is related to some of the gods worshiped here. You can fly to GuangZhou or ShenZhen first, and then take a train or bus to the area. It takes about one hour to drive from either Guangzhou or Shenzhen to Luofu Mountain. The mountain boasts 980 waterfalls and springs and 432 mountain peaks with the highest standing at over 1000 metres above sea level. Luofu Mountain is considered to be a sacred mountain by Taoists. There are 9 Taoist temples as well as 18 Buddhist temples for male practitioners and 32 Buddhist temples for women. | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 01:07 | More in Travel & Events |
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