Jiang Wen has high hopes of follow-up film

Jiang Wen, who directs and stars in Let the Bullets Fly, the highest-grossing domestic film, is confident about his new flick.

He jokes that The Lost Bladesman, a kungfu drama also starring Donnie Yen, will gross 1.5 billion yuan ($220 million) because Bullets earned 700 million yuan last year, and Yen's three films in the same year earned 800 million yuan.

In the film Jiang plays warlord Cao Cao, ruler of one of the Three Kingdoms (AD 220-280), while Yen is the renowned general Guan Yu.

Jiang is also preparing for a sequel to Bullets, the hit film of 2010. His producer Ma Ke told reporters in an earlier interview that filming might start this year. The Lost Bladesman will premiere on April 28.

China's most beautiful women line up for crown

China's most beautiful women will battle it out in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, in August, to be a finalist at the 61st Miss World.

Aspiring hopefuls can now apply to enter the contest. After a four-month preliminary selection the top winner in the China pageant, honored as Miss World China, will take part in the global final.

Organizers will offer winners of the China pageant scholarships at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology.

Zhang Zilin won the top honor of the global event as Miss World in 2007.

Launched in 1951, Miss World is one of the world's most watched annual events, with a worldwide viewing audience of over 1 billion.

Palace Museum to cap numbers for May holiday

The Palace Museum will for the first time cap the number of visitors during the May Day holidays, from April 30-May 2, to ensure the safety of both visitors and the cultural relics, according to Palace Museum spokesman Feng Nai'en.

Every day, 80,000 visitors will be allowed in, Feng says.

Of the 80,000 tickets, 40,000 will be made available as online reservations at www.dmp.org.cn, or http://gugong.228.com.cn, from April 20-25, while the other 40,000 tickets will be sold at the box office from April 30-May 2.

"We will not increase the ticket prices to curb the number of visitors during holidays," Feng adds.

Contest to pick young performers of Peking Opera

Glamorous Spring, the first Peking Opera competition for youth performers, will be held from May 15 to June 10 at Beijing's Chang'an Grand Theater.

Organized by Beijing Peking Opera Theater, the competition is aimed at popularizing China's time-honored art form.

More than 40 young performers, including graduates of prominent Peking Opera schools such as the Central Academy of Drama and the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts, will compete.

Leading Peking Opera stars, including Zhao Baoxiu, Li Weikang and Geng Qichang have been invited to judge it.

Symphony concert of music from film classics

On April 26 and 27, a symphony concert of film music will be presented by the Italian Film Symphony Orchestra at the Great Hall of the People.

Organized by the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV (SARFT) and the local government of Beijing, the concert is an important part of the first Beijing International Film Festival that will kick off on April 23 and last six days.

Nicola Piovani, 1998 Oscar winner for Best Original Dramatic Score for Roberto Benigni's Life Is Beautiful, will conduct the orchestra to play melodies from such classics as Gone With the Wind, The Bridge on the River Kwai and The Shaolin Temple.

Mandopop singer-songwriter Liu Huan will perform the concert's theme song, You, created by lyricist Zhang Heping and composer Zhao Jiping.

Ad design and slogan competition for students

The 4th National Advertising Art Design Competition for College Students, launched recently, will see graphic and video advertisements, as well as advertising slogans, for 12 labels, including Coca Cola, Nescafe and China Mobile, created by art and advertising majors over the next three months.

Judges from well-known advertising companies will select three top works in the finals to be held in July. The awards will be given in November, and the best works put up in an exhibition that will tour the country in December.

Organized by the Ministry of Education, the biennial competition was launched in 2005.