One of our favorite Chinese directors just released a new film, and by all indications, it's excellent. Jia Zhangke's A Touch of Sin, starring his wife Zhao Tao, is a Palme d'Or contender at Cannes, where it premiered on Thursday. The 133-minute film has alternatively been described as "a corrosive depiction of Chinese society" (LA Times) and "a scathing portrait of China's economic boom" (Globe and Mail).
Young thrill-seekers in Shenzhen's Bao'an District were caught doing the above on May 15. You'll note that there's no guardrail on the edge of the rooftop, slanted at a scary 45-degree angle. Was this a dare? A challenge that could only have been accepted by eager preadolescents with something to prove, to themselves if not their friends? One thing is for sure: this video not for those afraid of heights.
Even Chinese television execs know when too much is too much, apparently. "China's television regulator has ordered a crack down on dramas about the country's battles with Japan during and before World War Two and demanded they be more serious, state media said on Friday, following viewer complaints about ludicrous storylines," Reuters reports.
It's finally happening. "Sky City," by the Chinese firm Broad Sustainable Construction (BSB), will be 838 meters (2,749 feet) tall upon completion, making it taller than the Burj Khalifa by 10 meters. Whether it takes 90 days to complete -- as BSB has advertised -- or longer, it will nonetheless be a huge accomplishment, and another feather in China's architectural cap.
Alcohol makes us do the damndest things. In Jiangmen, Guangdong province on Tuesday, a young woman flipped off her heels and began dancing on top of a police car. The Nanfang reports: "By the time she was on top of the police car, a large crowd had gathered and, despite not knowing what to do, police eventually managed to subdue her."
Jonathan Alpart, who legitimately cares about Chinese music for Chinese music's sake, is the one-man driving force behind The Sound Stage, a bilingual show that spotlights local bands you might also care about. This week, he profiles Second Hand Rose, a musical favorite that's been around for 13 years and counting. "No other group blends Chinese elements and sounds with rock and roll music so seamlessly," Alpart writes.
This is it, people. The big the Beijinger party is tomorrow afternoon from Galaxy Soho. Read our review of last year's party while you prepare, maybe over links.
