Singer Jane Zhang sings six songs in four outfits in a row for an amazing performance at the Beijing Pop Music Awards, where she has won best female singer for the sixth year in a row. Watch it below from janefever11@YouTube.
Jane Zhang performs 6 songs in 4 outfits and 10 minutes
Ethnic minorities in Chinese entertainment: part II
One of them is Han Chinese, can you tell who?
Since the first post on the diverseness of China’s stars, many new artists have came out with their own unique looks and cultural flair. Several Uyghur artists have especially been taking on more mainstream roles recently, making the face of Chinese entertainment that much prettier.
Something to note amongst these stars is that very few of them are famous because of their ethnicity, but rather due to their general abilities. It’s also something that was brought to my attention in this year’s CCTV Spring Festival Gala. Despite the elimination of the usual group songs by ethnic minorities, this year’s gala had as many if not more ethnic minorities than usual in almost every category of performers, from host Sa Beining to singers like Jin Mei’er and Cai Guoqing and to pop performer Han Geng.
A roundup of Chinese artists who came into the spotlight (or at least my notice) since last post, per suggestion from Benji.
Yang Liping in Peacock love
53-year-old Yang Liping 杨丽萍 is as gorgeous as ever in another Peacock dance. Performed with the young dancer Wang Di, the dance uses traditional methods but is combined with a new costume, the beautiful backdrop and music by composer SanBao.
Watch the dance below in HD. Also watch her performance in HD with niece Caiqi on Hunan TV last week here.
Han Geng saves Chinese New Year!
Saving Chinese "Nian" on the 2012 Spring Festival Gala
Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!
Watch the rest of the gala here.
Li Bingbing and Aaron Kwow depict a love story with chrysanthemum
The beauties of tropical Sanya and the fragrance of chrysanthemum bring love and peace in Li Bingbing and Aaron Kwow's musical short.
As a part of CCTV’s musical beauty of China series, Li Bingbing and Aaron Kwok star together in a short clip focused on the chrysanthemum tea. More than tea, though, the clip shows off the beauty of the tropical islands of Hainan province’s Sanya. Watch it below from ginsengkingdom@YouTube.
“Legend of Chu and Han” to be a big budget epic
Gao Xixi has found a gorgeous Yu Ji for Peter Ho's Xiang Yu
For the production of this upcoming 80-episode epic, director Gao Xixi has a budget of 1.7 billion yuan. This enormous budget surpasses even the 155 million yuan budget of Gao Xixi’s previous epic Three Kingdoms, and means that the ”Legend of Chu and Han楚汉传奇” will be more expensive than any other television production to date. Legend of Chu and Han is estimated to be released in 2013. The experienced Chen Daoming stars as future emperor Liu Bang and his rival, Xiang Yu, is played by Peter Ho. Qin Lan plays his wife (Lv Zhi). I’m particularly excited for Li Yixiao’s portrayal of Yu Ji, as she looks gorgeous thus far in the stills and has a martial arts background to back up Yu Ji’s combative talents.
Stills from the series can be found below the cut. (more…)
Resident Evil trailer out with Li Bingbing
Li bingbing as Ada Wong in Resident Evil: Retribution
Actress Li Bingbing’s third Hollywood film, Resident Evil: Retribution, released its first trailer today. Watch the trailer below:
Palace II theme MV “Buddha Says” released
With one of the most touching lyrics of the year, Buddha Says is penned by Yu Zheng and directed by Mickey He.
Singer-actor Mickey He recently self-directed his first MV, the beautifully written “Buddha Says 佛说” for Palace II, which will air on the 20th this week. Watch the MV in HD below from Baytowercocotree @YouTube
Quintessenso Hulunbei’er Children Choir to make U.S. debut with Lang Lang
Children of the Hulunbei'er plains come to the U.S.
Everyone’s favorite Quintessenso Hulunbei’er Children Choir, including children from four different ethnic minorities of the Hulunbei’er Plains, will be debuting in a performance along with pianist Lang Lang at the Lincoln Center on January 24th this year. Lang Lang will also be playing on the 18th through the 21st. More information and tickets here.
The group was founded by Mongolian singer Burenbaya’er and his wife, Evenki singer Wurina . The two gained national fame for their performance of 吉祥三宝 on the Spring Festival Gala. Since then, the two has been doing some of the most wonderful jobs in promoting the cultural heritage of the region, including a gorgeous Evenki album, an Evenki dance troupe, and the formation of the choir. The Children’s Choir itself has been featured on a variety of shows, including Hunan TV’s Happy Camp and Gelivable Sunday, Dragon TV’s China’s Got Talent, and Taiwanese variety show Kangxi Laile.
Thanks to Benji for bringing this event to my attention!
Third installment of Yu Zheng’s “Beauty” saga releases cast and stills
I promise, I will show you why Yu Zheng keeps casting me in all these meaty roles!
2012 is going to usher in several productions involving Yu Zheng. The prequel to Schemes of a Beauty, Beauties of the Emperor and Allure Snow are to be broadcast sometime in 2012. Song in the Clouds, based off a series written by the author of Bu Bu Jing Xin, will start shooting this year as well. (Although on another note, the prequel series to Song in the Clouds, “Melody of the Desert” is being made into a Tangren drama directed by Li Guoli.) Bounty Hunter and Smiling Proud Wanderer are also upcoming Yu Zheng productions.
Then there’s the third, and presumably final installment of Yu Zheng’s Beauty trilogy “Beauties Without Tears/No Tears of Beauty 美人无泪” is in production. The cast is comprised of many familiar faces – Zhang Meng, who made a cameo at the end of Schemes of a Beauty and went onto appear in Beauties’ World, landed the role of the female lead (Hailanzhu). She plays opposite Hawick Lau (Hong Taiji, the first emperor of the Qing dynasty). Yuan Shanshan joins the cast of the Beauty trilogy as Da Yu’er, a concubine of Hong Taiji and the later Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Another Yu Zheng regular, Deng Sha, plays the two’s little sister. Ada Choi enters as her second Qing empress, this time Hong Taiji’s while Hong Taiji’s half brother is played by Han Dong.
sources: sina
Stills for Beauties Without Tears under the cut. (more…)