Sneak Peek 2010, Part III

Jonathan White | Jan 13, 2010 2:00 pm | Add a comment | 1531 reads

Here’s the third installment of our Beijing 2010 preview: what’s opening, who’s coming, when it’s happening, where to play and what lies ahead.

BIG BEATS: ACUPUNCTURE RECORDS

Homegrown techno crew Acupuncture will build on 2009’s efforts with the second installment of their INTRO festival, their newly opened club-studio (The Lantern), and EP releases from Acupuncture DJs and other Chinese producers. Permits permitting, INTRO 2010 will take place in May, featuring 20 hours of electronic sounds across two stages. Although the police decided to close last year’s proceedings down by midnight, the event was a promising start; the authorities should join in the dancing this year.

Miao Wong, label exec, says:

“[In 2010 I want to see] more local talent, more original production and more support from authorities and cultural institutions. Less bikini/school uniform parties, less canceled gigs, and less blocked channels of promotion. Beijing is going through the darkness before dawn; 2010 will be a very exciting year with lots of action.”

SLOW FOOD

This international, non-profit organization was founded 20 years ago to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat. Mainland China’s first Slow Food Chapter was launched last December by Jen Lin-Liu, founder of Black Sesame Kitchen and author of Serve The People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China. She will be heading up the chapter while finishing her new book.

Other Slow Food chapters use community-based events to raise awareness of the importance of reducing the distance from pasture to plate, and Slow Food Beijing’s inaugural events will be happening in February or March. E-mail slowfoodbeijing@gmail.com if you want to get involved.

ON THE ROAD

• You’ll need a license for electric bikes that weigh more than 40kg and can go over 20km/h.
• China has just displaced America as the world’s largest car market.See what that means at Auto China 2010, which runs April 23-May 2 at the New China International Exhibition Center in Shunyi.
• The number of drivers holding a Beijing license is expected to exceed six million by the end of the year.
• Construction will start on Beijing East Railway Station, from where trains exceeding speeds of 350km/h will provide high-speed links with cities like Tangshan and Shenyang.
• Chinese car company Geely is rumored to be taking over Volvo in 2010.

AT THE CINEMA: LOCAL FILM RELEASES

The New Karate Kid, starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith
Disney’s High School Musical: China
Andy Lau stars in Di Renjie, a crime thriller filmed in Beijing
Zhang Ziyi stars in Wong Kar-wai’s The Grand Master
Ning Hao gives us Wurenqu (No Man’s Land)
Jackie Chan’s 100th movie: Chinese Zodiac
Stephen Chow’s sequel to Kung Fu Hustle
Jet Li’s Ocean Paradise
Chow Yun-fat stars in Confucius