Month: August 2019

A new volume brings the beauty and imagination of rare Qing Dynasty natural history encyclopedias to modern-day readers, Wang Kaihao reports.

If you like fantastic beasts, we know where to find them. Wait! We’re not talking about the Harry Potter prequels, but the story of Emperor Qianlong’s (1711-99) albums of rare birds, exotic beasts and marine animals-which probably deserves to be adapted into a fantasy film as well.

Let’s put this idea aside for a moment, and look at the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) emperor’s literary collection of fantastic animals housed at the Forbidden City, China’s former imperial palace, now officially known as the Palace Museum.

Natural History in the Palace Museum, a new three-volume book, which was jointly released in July by the Palace Museum Press and CITIC Press in Beijing, provides children, its target audience, as well as curious adults, a new perspective of the emperor.

His strong interest in zoology is often overshadowed by the stereotypical image of him as a fervent collector of jewels and antiques.

From 1750 to 1761, the emperor ordered two court artists, Yu Sheng and Zhang Weibang, to create paintings of birds and terrestrial animals, while eight high officials with the requisite knowledge were arranged to write explanatory texts for the encyclopedic albums, known as Niao Pu (“graphics of birds”) and Shou Pu (“graphics of beasts”).

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He also collected a comprehensive book called Hai Cuo Tu (“an album of the abundant marine world”), which was illustrated by Nie Huang, a natural scientist who spent decades studying the country’s waterways and coastal areas.

“Western painting techniques were introduced into the royal court of the Qing Dynasty through missionaries,” says Li Shi, a researcher of ancient painting at the Palace Museum.

The United States should stop making “irresponsible comments” over ties between China and Pacific island countries, and instead make more concrete efforts to help the island countries’ development and regional peace, Beijing said.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying urged the US to give up its Cold War mindset and zero-sum game mentality and take a fair view of China’s ties with Pacific island countries.

Hua’s remarks, part of a statement issued late on Tuesday, came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused China of “attempts to redraw the Pacific in its authoritarian image” on Monday during a visit to the Federated States of Micronesia.

Pompeo, the first US secretary of state to visit Micronesia, said the US will strengthen ties with it and two other Pacific island countries, and he announced that it has begun negotiations with the three countries to renew their compacts of free association.

Pompeo’s words were intended to “smear” China and sow discord between China and Pacific island countries, Hua said. She said such attempts will fail because China’s ties with the countries “are built on mutual respect and equal treatment”.

“When developing friendly cooperative relations with the Pacific island countries in various areas, China pursues the greater good and shared interests and upholds the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith,” she said. “This is sincerely welcomed by all those countries.”

The people in these countries are in the best position to judge their countries’ ties with China, which the US has no right to criticize, Hua said.

Zhou Fangyin, director of the Center for Pacific Island Countries Studies of the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies, said Pacific island countries warmly welcome cooperation with China.

Instead of being condescending, China is developing cooperation with these countries on an equal basis, Zhou said, adding that China attaches no political conditions to its aid and doesn’t interfere in their domestic affairs.

Also, the infrastructure that China has helped build in these countries has brought tangible benefits to their people, Zhou said. The projects include roads, bridges and schools.

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In a meeting between President Xi Jinping and leaders of Pacific island countries on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, the Pacific island nations agreed to lift their ties with China to a comprehensive strategic partnership featuring mutual respect and common development.

China hopes to co-host the China-Pacific Island Countries Economic Development and Cooperation Forum with the island countries in the latter half of 2019, Xi said.

An exhibition displaying traditional Chinese woodblock printing techniques will soon open in London.

About 200 exquisite works from Shizhuzhai (Ten Bamboo Studio), an art museum in the Zhejiang provincial capital of Hangzhou, are touring the world and will be showcased in The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts from Aug 10 to 19.

Announced by the exhibition’s co-curator, Beijing-based Ancient Books Preservation and Conservation Association,it will also move to Asia Home, an art gallery in London from Sept 21 to 30.

A symposium and workshop on Chinese woodblock printing will gather experts from China and the UK for partnered events during the second stint of exhibition at the British Library.

Woodblock prints first appeared in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and reached peak popularity in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), where they represented traditional Chinese aesthetics.

Which players have been given the honour of leading their English top-flight club?

The start of the 2019-20 Premier League season is finally here and the 20 competing clubs are all prepared for the nine-month slog to the finish line. 

In the makeup of every club, one of the most important components is the club captain, who wears the armband on the pitch. 

This figurehead is the leader of the club on the field but is also representative of the playing group off the field. 

Goal has compiled a list of every Premier League club’s captain as well as their vice captains.

Who are the Premier League captains in 2019-20?

Team	Club Captain	Vice Captain
Arsenal	To be confirmed	Nacho Monreal
Aston Villa	James Chester	Jack Grealish
Bournemouth	Simon Francis	Andrew Surman
Brighton	Lewis Dunk	Glenn Murray
Burnley	Ben Mee	Jack Cork
Chelsea	Cesar Azpilicueta	To be confirmed
Crystal Palace	Luka Milivojevic	Scott Dann
Everton	Leighton Baines	Seamus Coleman
Leicester City	Wes Morgan	Kasper Schmeichel
Liverpool	Jordan Henderson	James Milner
Manchester City	David Silva	Fernandinho
Manchester United	Ashley Young	Paul Pogba
Newcastle United	Jamaal Lascelles	Paul Dummett
Norwich	Grant Hanley	Alexander Tettey
Sheffield United	Billy Sharp	To be confirmed
Southampton	Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg	Oriel Romeu
Tottenham	Hugo Lloris	Harry Kane
Watford	Troy Deeney	Heurelho Gomes
West Ham	Mark Noble	To be confirmed
Wolves	Conor Coady	Ruben Neves

Arsenal are expected to confirm a new captain ahead of the season kick-off having been left without a named leader following the departure of Laurent Koscielny to Bordeaux.

Cesar Azpilicueta is the favourite to take the Chelsea armband on a permanent basis having deputised for Gary Cahill last season and David Silva has assumed the responsibility after Vincent Kompany joined Anderlecht.

Antonio Valencia has left Manchester United and Ashley Young is now the elder statesman in the team, with the likes of Paul Pogba and David de Gea seen as second captains.

Liverpool’s captain is Jordan Henderson and James Milner takes the armband in Henderson’s absence.

You can see the full list of captains above.

Who are the new Premier League club captains?

There are three players who have become captain of their Premier League club for this season – Silva (Manchester City), Azpilicueta (Chelsea) and Lewis Dunk (Brighton).

Silva has stepped into the role at the Etihad after the departure of Kompany, Cahill has relinqusihed the job at Chelsea and has been replaced by Azpilicueta, while Bruno’s retirement sees Dunk become Brighton’s skipper.

What is a vice captain?

A vice captain is the second captain of the team who takes the armband when the captain is not available to play for whatever reason.

The vice captain performs the same role as the captain on the pitch and is usually another well respected member of the dressing room.

It is normal for clubs to have a number of captains and an established pecking order, with some clubs naming up to four captains.

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The Hammers have moved to further bolster their attacking ranks, with the Switzerland international forward having arrived from FC Basel

West Ham have completed an £8 million ($10m) deal for Albian Ajeti, with the Swiss striker penning a four-year contract that includes the option for a further two seasons.

The 22-year-old is considered to be one of the most promising frontmen in European football and has recorded more than 40 goals over the course of the last three seasons.

Those at the London Stadium are buying into that potential and are hoping to see him flourish in Premier League surroundings.

Ajeti is excited by that challenge, with the Switzerland international having shunned interest from elsewhere in order to link up with Manuel Pellegrini’s squad.

He told the Hammers’ official website on securing a switch to England: “I’m very excited to be here. It is a pleasure for me to be here at this big club.

“Once I felt West Ham’s interest, I didn’t have to think twice about signing for such a big, traditional club in the Premier League. This is a big day for me and my family.”

West Ham’s director of football, Mario Husillos, is expecting Ajeti to prove a shrewd addition for the club.

He said: “We are very happy to welcome Albian to West Ham United. He is another very young player who we believe can have a big future at the club.

“Our scouts have watched him many times and given very good reports. He is an aggressive, quick striker who likes to play in the box.

“He has scored a lot of goals, both for Basel and the Switzerland national team at a number of levels, and we feel he is ready to make this big step with West Ham.

“Our approach this summer – not counting the experienced goalkeepers who have arrived – has been to sign young players who have their best years in front of them and can have a good impact.

“We believe Albian is ready to perform from the beginning, but we also think that an international player of 22 years old can improve greatly working with us. We wish him all the very best in his career at London Stadium.”

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The centre-back signed an extension at Stamford Bridge in May but will not see out that deal as he moves across London

Arsenal have reached an agreement for the £8 million ($10m) transfer of David Luiz from Chelsea, with the Brazilian set to join the Gunners on a two-year deal despite the Blues not being in a position to sign a replacement.

Chelsea are currently unable to bring in any new players due to a two-window transfer ban after FIFA found the club to be in breach of regulations relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have been in the market for a new centre-back following a poor season at the back in 2018-19 and former captain Laurent Koscielny’s move to Bordeaux has only furthered the need for reinforcements.

Talks with RB Leipzig over a move for 20-year-old Dayot Upamecano yielded little fruit, with the German outfit demanding up to £75m ($90m) for the starlet, while Juventus turned down an offer of a two-year loan deal for Daniele Rugani last week.

Now, despite Chelsea’s inability to sign players until next season and having just signed a two-year extension with the club in May, Luiz is set to be the one to take on the responsibility of providing the Gunners’ back line with some much needed leadership.

Having missed training with the Blues on Wednesday to get the ball rolling on a move, the 32-year-old will complete a medical on Thursday – deadline day for the Premier League window – and sign a two-year deal with the Emirates side.

Elsewhere, Arsenal are also hoping to tie up a deal that will see Celtic’s Kieran Tierney join the club for £25m ($30m), with the English side’s first two bids for the Scotland international having been turned down.

Tierney is also in London to undergo a medical and finalise a transfer that will see the 22-year-old join the Gunners on a five-year contract that will reportedly see Celtic earn a percentage of any future sale of the highly-rated left-back.

Keen to improve on a fifth-place finish in the English top-flight last term, Arsenal have signed exciting winger Nicolas Pepe from Lille and secured a one-year loan for Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos.

The Gunners get their new Premier League campaign underway this Sunday, August 11, with a trip to St James’ Park to face Newcastle.

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The full-back is confident the Red Devils will bounce back from a disappointing 2018-19 campaign which saw the squad face plenty of criticism

Luke Shaw insists that Manchester United are “ready’ to rectify the wrongs of last season after a positive summer of preparation under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Red Devils failed to win a single piece of silverware last term while also missing out on qualification for the Champions League after a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho lost his job as head coach in December, with the team sitting 12  points outside of the top four, amid reports of unrest within the dressing room.

Solskjaer was drafted in to replace the Portuguese on an interim basis and managed to oversee an impressive initial resurgence, winning 15 of his first 17 matches in charge.

The Norwegian was rewarded with a permanent three-year contract, but results took a turn for the worst thereafter, as United limped to the finishing line with just two wins from their final 12 games across all competitions.

Shaw was named as the club’s Player of the Year for 2018-19 but feels that the squad’s collective failure undermined the value of such an award.

He insists there is “more to come” from him and the Red Devils ahead of a 2019-20 season opener against Chelsea on Sunday.

“From a personal point of view, it was a better season than I have had for a while but I still think I can do much better,” Shaw told Sky Sports.

“I didn’t really feel like anyone deserved the player-of-the-year award because of the season we had as a team.

“There is more to come from me and everyone needs to be better because last season was somewhere near embarrassing.”

While Solskjaer’s side struggled with form and fitness between March and May, their Premier League rivals all managed to fight for major trophies.

Chelsea won the Europa League and Liverpool picked up a sixth Champions League crown, after respective final wins over Arsenal and Tottenham.

Manchester City, meanwhile, secured an unprecedented domestic treble, and Shaw admits that United were “hurt” watching on from the sidelines.

“We were all very disappointed,” said the full-back. “It hurt even more that there were so many English teams around us who were playing in finals and had done well while we were just on holiday.

“There was nothing we could do about it other than watch the games and think. Of course, it hurt. We all felt it. We have a lot to prove this season and I am sure we will.

“We are going to have a much better season.”

After reflecting on a positive pre-season campaign which saw United win all six of their summer fixtures, Shaw went on to add: “We have worked very hard and all taken it in a positive way.

“Now we are all benefiting from it massively. We feel good and fresh. The players seem more energetic. I look at my team-mates and I feel like I see more hunger in them than last season. Everyone wants to prove a point.

“We are working on things in training so we have more of an idea now on how we want to play and what the manager wants from us.

“That is what we needed, for the manager to show us how he wants us to play. I feel we are ready and I can’t wait.”

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MLS transfer deadline day saw plenty of movement, with the league leaders landing a young designated player to bolster their talented attack

As if Los Angeles FC needed more attacking firepower, the club has signed a new young designated player in the form of Brian Rodriguez from Uruguayan giants Penarol. 

The 19-year-old forward comes to MLS to join up with an LAFC attack that has already netted 61 goals through 23 matches and boasts the league’s leading scorer in the form of Carlos Vela. 

LAFC has a comfortable lead atop the MLS standings heading into the closing run of the season, but the second-year club wasn’t alone in making big moves on deadline day. 

Minnesota United also landed a young DP, signing a Uruguayan of their own in 18-year-old Thomas Chacon from Danubio FC. The Loons lead the chasing pack in the Western Conference but currently sit 14 points back of Bob Bradley’s outfit. 

Not to be outdone, the New York Red Bulls brought a young DP in on loan, with the club landing Southampton winger Josh Sims for the rest of the MLS season. 

Fresh off of the news that Wayne Rooney would be leaving at the end of the season, D.C. United jumped back into the transfer market on Wednesday as well. 

United landed Norwegian international Ola Kamara from Chinese side Shenzhen F.C.  for a fee of $2.5 million, bringing the striker back to MLS. The club also landed MLS veterans Emmanuel Boateng and Felipe as the capital side looks to make a push for an MLS Cup title before Rooney heads back to England. 

The Montreal Impact were also active in the transfer dealings. 

The Canadian club made headlines by signing former Barcelona midfielder Bojan Krkic​ from Stoke City, but the Impact weren’t done there. The Impact also reached a deal to bring back 20-year-old Ballou Tabla on loan from Barcelona B. The Impact sit sixth in the Eastern Conference, with the top seven teams earning playoff spots. The club also reportedly sent MLS veteran Micheal Azira and a second-round draft pick in the 2020 MLS draft to the Chicago Fire in exchange for Jorge Corrales​ and the top spot in the allocation order, which the Impact used to land Tabla. 

The Houston Dynamo, on the outside looking in as it stands in the Western Conference playoff race, also made a move to bolster their attack, trading for LAFC forward Christian Ramirez.  

Another team hoping to make a push for the playoffs in the West, Real Salt Lake, landed some help for the midfield in a trade with Sporting Kansas City which sent Kelyn Rowe to Utah in exchange for international roster slot for 2019 and $75,000 in targeted allocation money. 

 

 

If the tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese exports takes effect, the United States will find it hard to replace Chinese products with those from other markets, leading to damage in its industry chain, experts said.

Their comment came after the US government threatened to slap a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion of Chinese exports, covering almost every item the US buys from China.

Liang Ming, research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Commerce, said facts have proved the impact of trade frictions on China was manageable.

“There has been a misinterpretation that China’s exports highly depend on the US market. In fact, export we make to the US are mainly mobile phones and computers,” Liang said. “If we rule those out, the dependency on the US market is rather low.”

He said according to the ministry’s data, only 15 items made in China are 100 percent dependent on a US market.

However, compared to the relatively low dependency on US market, there are 57 items among the $300 billion worth of Chinese goods that the US absolutely needs to buy from China. China is also the major source of hundreds of products the US buys.

“If the category of China exports subject to extra tariffs expands, the possibility of the US finding substitutes elsewhere falls,” he added. “Even with the extra tariffs, the US still needs to buy from China.”

Liang said since the trade dispute started, China has become the third largest trading partner of US.

“The first half of this year, only US imports increased; but its exports have declined by 1 percent year-on-year. Its foreign trade growth entirely relies on its imports,” he said. “However, China’s exports in the first half of this year were still on the rise.”

Mei Xinyu, a researcher at the International Trade and Economic Cooperation Institute of the Ministry of Commerce, said the intensified trade dispute will only further expose a downfall within the US economy.

He argued the $300 billion Chinese exports were mainly daily consumption products. As the tariffs are enforced, it will stimulate inflation in the US, which has been increasing in recent years faster than the consumer price index.

Zhou Mi, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said imposing tariffs will only put on more risk on the supply side of US’ industry chain.

“China is a developing country while the US is a post-industrialized country. A large part of their materials to make consumer goods and industrial products depends on imports,” Zhou said, adding that tariffs will only leave the US with two choices—buying from China with a higher cost, or buying from other countries with uncertain quantity and quality.

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A speech given on behalf of a group of middle-aged Chinese actresses headed by Hai Qing at the FIRST International Film Festival Award Ceremony has made waves on social media as their complaints regarding rampant age discrimination facing female actors in China’s film and TV industry has again brought this touchy issue to the front page.

 

“We are passionate about films, but most of us have been very passive and we are kept away from fine productions due to various limitations, such as the market and the script”, said Hai, who is 41 years old.

 

Hai’s words echo those of many other actresses who on different occasions have railed against ageism in the industry.

 

Female performers who are older than their mid-30s find themselves “over the hill” as the country’s film and TV industry has long been invested in peddling a youth-oriented image. Furthermore, in this day and age where stars’ online data and influence trump acting skills, young pop idols certainly have more currency in the industry.

 

 

In the 2018 variety show I Am the Actor, actress Yang Rong, who is in her 30s, also talked about her career dilemma. Although audiences and she herself are tired of her maintaining a girlish image on the screen, she still finds no way around it for fear of being weeded out of the market.

 

Some audiences have observed that most actresses can disappear after 35 or 40, and reappear at about 50 playing roles as mothers or grandmothers. Even Song Dandan, a household name in China who is known for her memorable mother roles, once said that in the almost 10 years after she turned 35, she has nearly suspended her acting career as there were no proper roles for her.

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Chinese actress Yong Mei, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actress for the 2019 family saga, So Long, My Son at the Berlin Film Festival, also lambasted the woeful predicament that middle–aged actresses are in.

 

“They are good-looking, experienced and communicative, but there are too few opportunities for them in the market. What it all boils down to is an aesthetic issue; people are not willing to see a beautiful middle-age woman on the screen. They only want to see young and beautiful faces,” she said.