Attractive Chinese Scenery in Movies (Episode 2)

Kung Fu Panda II (2011)

Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Stars: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jacky Chan, Lucy Liu

Kung Fu Panda sets its background in the homeland of panda — Chengdu, Sichuan province. Actually, Dreamworks gets a few many ideas of setting from the landscapes, architecture and streets in the city and areas around, lending an original favor of ancient China to the film. One of those is Mount Qingcheng, the so-called backyard of Chengdu which is also the birthplace of Taoism. In the film, Po achieved inner peace when learning kung fu in Peace Valley, the gate of which exactly refers to the gate of Mountain Qingcheng. It is easily accessible by driving or light rail from Chengdu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art director Raymond Zibach was visiting Mount Qingcheng and learning Tai Ji.

 

Besides MountQingcheng, “Kuanzhaizi Lane”, a famous old street in Chengdu combining modern and antiquity, is also an important reference.

Hero (2002)

Director: Yimou Zhang

Stars: Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, Donnie Yen

Hero stands out among Chinese swardplay movies by demonstrating fight scenes with aesthetic frames. The director uses various fight settings to portray different moods of the characters.

The fight scene of Maggie Cheung and Ziyi Zhang was shot in Ejina Populus euphratica forest is in TarimBasin, Inner Mongolia. It is one of the only three populus euphratica forests in the world. 

 

Jiuzhaigou Valley witnesses the fight scene of Jet Li and Tony Leung. Jiuzhaigou is a nature reserve and national park located in northern Sichuan province of southwestern China. It takes the name from the nine Tibetan villages along its length. Jiuzhaigou Valley was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

 

Avatar (2009)

Director: James Cameron

Stars: Sam Warthington, Zoe Saldana

Though not directly depicting Chinese scenery or any scenic spots in the world, the landmark of Pandora —Hallelujah Mountain was modeled on the “South Pillar” in Zhangjiajie, a city in the northwestern part of Huan province in China. Director James Cameron mistook it with the Yellow Mountain in AnhuiProvince, generating discontent among Hunan folks. 

 Hallelujah Mountain in the film

 the “South Pillar” in reality

Upcoming Summer Music Carnival in Shanghai

There is always much to expect from Shanghai summer. Among a good many upcoming events, here are two major summer music festivals covering varied types of music catering to various audiences.

Music in the Summer Air (MISA): 7.7-7.21

Music type: Classical music

MISA is the first regularly-hosted large classical festival in China. This year, there will be overall 32 performances held in two sites across the HuangpuRiver. Artists around world have been invited to join the festival, including Berlin philharmonic violins, Piotr Tomasz and Chris Botti. Though mainly focusing on classical music, the festival also involves novel music events, such as Pixar in Concert.

Zebra Music Festival 2013 (Shanghai): 7.19- 7.21

Music type: Fun music (pop music)

Official website: http://www.myzmf.com/e-news.php?id=12

What’s perfect with sea breeze and sands? Music! Taking place at Jinshan Beach, Zebra Music Festival (Shanghai) will summon about forty groups of performers from home and abroad. Apart from music, games are also there to offer great fun. Don’t forget food and delights!

Who’re coming: Groove Coverage, Kite, Exile Parade, Chochukmo, MongoL800, and more and more…

Doraemon Exhibition in Shanghai

A cat with no ears, no fingers…

Doraemon Exhibition in Shanghai

A cat with no ears, no fingers…

Doraemon Exhibition in Shanghai

Which is your favorite?

Doraemon Exhibition in Shanghai

Which is your favorite?

Doraemon Exhibition in Shanghai

So many Doraemons! Can’t help rubbing his belly…

Doraemon Exhibition in Shanghai

Doraemon exhibition was held in Xin Tian Di of Shanghai. One hundred 1.2-meter high Doraemons lined up to show different props he used to help his friend Nobita.

Luxury Hotels Reviews — The Peninsula Shanghai

5-star   from $403

No. 32 The Bund, Zhongshan Dong Yi Road, Huangpu, 200002 Shanghai

Generally speaking, it is a hotel of understated luxury. Extraordinary location by the Bund provides a great view of the Huangpu River and the architectural complex on the east bank of the river, which highlights the stay there. Spacious rooms with ultra modern interiors meet everything you expect from a 5-star hotel, not alone the very comprehensive in-room amenities, perfect for business or private use. It is highly recommended to try the well- recognized top-tier afternoon tea in the lobby. There are varied choices for dining inside and around the area. You can also find luxury brands inside the hotel.

Nevertheless, there also exist downsides. Limited choices for breakfast and inconvenient access to transports are obvious ones. Average (occasionally problematic) customer service might not live up to 5-star standards. Also, expect for non-hotel guests walking in and out owing to its popularity as a landmark hotel.

 

 

 

 

For more reviews: http://www.booking.com/hotel/cn/the-peninsula-shanghai.en.html#hash-blockdisplay4

A Tour of Chinese Kung Fu

Chinese Kung Fu has been famous worldwide. Not just appreciating its beauty in movies, people are now even learning it outside of China. If you visit the following places, you will know kung fu in reality is not just about martial arts; it also involves cultural things and human wisdom.

#1 The Wudang Mountains — Birth Land of Tai Chi

 

The Wudang Mountains are a small mountain range in the northwestern part of Hubei Province, China. It is also the best known of China’s Taoist mountains, where the legendary Taoist Zhang San-Feng settled. The many monasteries together with the natural beauty bring tourists a peaceful mind deriving from naturalness. These are also academic centre for the research, teaching and practice of meditation, Chinese martial arts and traditional Chinese medicine, providing an immerse experience of Taoism and Chinese culture. All in all, Mt.Wudang is a combination of “ancient wisdom, historic architecture and natural beauty”, says an expert of the UNESCO. 

 

The main architecture YuxuPalace, where Tai-Chi Master Zhang San-feng disciplined himself.

#2 Shaolin Monastery — Where All Kinds of Martial Arts Originate

 

The legendary Shaolin Monastery represents Chinese martial arts among foreigners. The most noted scenic spot in Shaolin Monastery is Pagoda Forest thanks to the internationally well-recognized film “Shaolin Temple” starred by Jet Li. The audience was greatly impressed both by the scenery and Shaolin Kung Fu. Martial arts, though famous, is just a little piece of the place. Buddhism sets the cultural background for Shaolin Monastery. The architectures and ancient literatures kept inside were terribly destroyed by an intentional fire during the period of the Republic of China.

 

PagodaForest, the tombs of noble monks. The heights are decided by their achievements.

#3 Foshan — homeland of Chinese modern Kung Fu Masters

Foshan, Guangdong Province, is a relatively modern place related to Kung Fu compared with the preceding ones. Nevertheless, it is famous for those names: Wong Fei-Hung, Ip Man and Bruce Lee, to name a few. It is not a typical tourist destination, but there are still a lot to see including temples and other examples of Chinese architecture. Of course, it is the place to learn Wing Chun and follow the trace of masters mentioned above.