The jing

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-29 10:00

Cats in Beijing

All right, we here at the JING will admit that we did not make it to any performances of the musical Cats while it was in Beijing. But running from Sept 19 through 27 at the Beijing Exhibition Theater, the turnout was impressive says the Exhibition Theater spokesman.

Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the musical is based upon renowned poet T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.

For those eager to see the Rum Tum Tugger pounce around on stage and to sing along to that catchy, nostalgic number Memory, the JING is sorry to inform you that your time has passed. Better luck next time!

Double the fireworks

The JING's received word that the fireworks for the National Day celebration ceremony will be twice that of the opening ceremony of for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

There are a reported 99 firework base stations in Tian'anmen Square, and the areas surrounding Tian'anmen, as well as from Jianguomen to Fuxingmen along Chang'an Avenue, and 16 other districts.

The duration of the fireworks display will be around half an hour, with 42,523 fireworks being set off.

We're just praying we don't see another repeat of what happened the last night of Spring Festival last year when the Mandarin Oriental burst into flames due to unruly fireworks.

The Founding of a Republic

According to the China Film Group, The Founding of a Republic made record sales at the box office, bringing in 230 million yuan ($33.7 million) through Sept 27.

The spokesman of the China Film Group said it may reach 260 million yuan before the National Day holiday.

When asked what he believed to be the reasons for its success he attributed it to "great meaning with lecturing" and "the many celebrities who participated in the film."

Movie group seeks holders

Since they founded Huayi Brothers Media Group in 1994, Wang Zhongjun and his brother Wang Zhonglei have developed the company from a small advertising firm into the first private movie company to list on a mainland stock exchange.

Starting yesterday, the company's vice-president Hu Ming revealed the shareholder distribution, stating that Huayi Brothers began internal application rights for shares in 2008, with all celebrities under company eligible to purchase stock upwards of 1.8 million yuan.

Topping the list of celebrity shareholders is Chinese director Feng Xiaogang who holds 2.9 million shares, with the costs of the stock itself come to a whopping 1.5 million yuan, and a forecast market value of 57 million yuan.

The media group's biggest international hit is Kungfu Hustle, a co-production with Sony/Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia. It looks like Huayi's doing the hustling now, and doing quite well by the looks of it.

Cartier jewelry on display

Through November 22 an exhibition of Cartier treasures will be exhibited at The Palace Museum in Beijing, located inside the Forbidden City. More than 350 items will be on display, some dating back to the founding of Cartier.

Many of the selected pieces showcase a Chinese influence on Cartier jewelry, for example lacquer are inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ancient carved and engraved pieces of jade, along with Chinese mythological creatures and ornamentation.

These creations are a testament to the Far East's influence on Cartier's designs for generations. It's sure to dazzle.