| Message in the medium
Now that the curtain is drawn on this year's Academy Awards, it's time to take our minds off who wore the most gorgeous dress at the show and instead take a look at the five much-touted but little-seen films. Hong Kong hit
Hong Kong director Pang Ho-Cheung()'s new film Isabella () marks a dramatic shift from his acclaimed sense of black humour, as the film tells a story that not only touches with its sentimental plot, but also with its haunting score. Lanfang goes to Hollywood
Chinese film has a natural link with Peking Opera. Dingjun Mountain (1905), the first Chinese produced film, was in fact the recording of selected arias from the Peking Opera of the same name. In the following decades, more such films were made and finally formed a branch called xiqupian, motion-picture adaptations of a traditional or local opera. Crazy for cake
You don't often see long queues in Beijing these days, but recently in the capital, at Dawanglu subway station, Dongsi, and many other places, long queues are being seen in front of inconspicuous cake shops called "tu diao zha ()," a Chinese style pizza , originating from the Tujia minority. Local favourite
A La Wa Ti's () manager and waiting staff are all Uygurs from Xinjiang, who speak fluent Chinese. It has recently opened on Huixin Xijie, and because of the paucity of Uygur restaurants in the area, it has become quite popular with locals. Nostalgic nosh
Ka Qiu Sha Russian Music Restaurant () is intended to be a nostalgic place for the Chinese generation who spent their youth influenced by Russian culture. Day's special
Grilled Salmon Roll Steak with Saffron Risotto Vine and dandy
On entering Vine Bar you join an intimate yet welcoming low-key house party. No surprise given the owner's intentions: to open a place tucked away in a hutong on Nanluogu Xiang to hang out with her friends from the nearby university. Space of creativity
The China National Art Museum is showing the ingenious creations of space and dimension created by one of Taiwan's prominent sculptors, Shiau Jon-Jen. Bolshoi bonanza
The Bolshoi Theatre, a name that conjures up visions of top ballet and opera performances, will meet the Chinese audience on March 22 at the Great Hall of the People to raise the curtain of the 2006 Russian Year. A lesson in life
Best known for his epics, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy's novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich packs more of a punch than those two great tomes combined. Zhanzhuang Man #5
Posture Getting the point
To many people living abroad, acupuncture is merely a way to relieve pain, whereas in China it is used to cure a much wider range of illnesses. In the hands of Wang Xiushen, a Beijing-based traditional Chinese doctor, a one-metre-long acupuncture needles have become a universal medical instrument. Food
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