新西兰《乡音》1201期2022年10月21日星期五

本公司管道疏通新业务开通，即日起至10月24号起内，疏通业务新客

Diplomatic heroes turn into box-office kings

Movie on China's evacuation of overseas Chinese shows national pride and confidence in turbulent world

months on constructing a fullscale “African town” in Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region, the movie, featuring hun dreds of foreign actors, was shot in around three months, with most of its indoor scenes filmed on several soundstages in Qingdao, Shandong province. During an earlier inter view, director Rao said the movie helped him and fellow crew mem bers to delve into the lesser-known difficulties and complexities of safely evacuating Chinese nation als from a danger zone.

A comics exhibition was unveiled in Sydney on Oct 12, offering glimpses of the city of Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Si chuan Province, and the Chinese animation industry.

The Irresistible Comics 2022-Chengdu Excellent Cartoon and Animation Works Exhibition, co-hosted by the China Cultural Center in Sydney and Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcast-TV and Tourism, presented more than 80 original artworks from Chengdu. Through different types of artistic ap proaches, the exhibition showcased posters of Chinese animated productions and original selections featuring Chengdu’s culture, food and landmarks, such as panda, hotpot and the West Pearl Tower. Many artists also shared their enthusiasm for Chinese my thology, literature and martial arts in their designs.

“Chengdu is known as the ‘capital of animation’ in China. Many artists and production houses are committed to integrating traditional Chinese culture with modern art, developing products with original IP,” said Xiao Xiayong, director of the China Cultur al Center in Sydney. As 2022 coincides with the 100th anniversary of Chinese animation development, Xiao said the exhibition will become a platform for building mutual learning for the animation industry in both countries.

The exhibition will last until Oct. 26.

HOME Coming, a movie tells a story of two unarmed Chinese diplomats delving into a rebel force-controlled area in a fictional war-wrecked African country to lead 125 Chinese citizens safely back home, has sparked a strong sense of national pride and confi dence amid a turbulent world expe riencing major changes.

The movie opened across Chi na on Sept 30, took the lead in both the box office and the viewers’ rat ings for the National Day holidays.

Currently, the movie has ob tained 7.4 points out of 10 on the popular review aggregator Douban, which, according to some critics, indicates a rising popularity of pa triotic blockbusters in recent years.

The movie will also be re leased overseas from Oct 21, with the first markets set to include New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, according to the produc ers.

Untraditional impression of dip lomatic

Some moviegoers may have

entered theaters expecting a War rior Wolf-like movie, but were offered the cruelty of war and the most difficult part of diplomatic and consulate work in contrast to the traditional impression that dip lomats are “clean and decent.”

In the movie, actor Zhang Yi plays Zong Dawei, a veteran dip lomat with extensive experience in navigating complex situations overseas. Although he initially plans to return home to take care of his pregnant wife, who is near her due date, the protagonist chooses to stay, despite the danger, when his colleague is killed by a stray bullet, making him the only Chinese official who can speak Ar abic fluently. With the assistance of Cheng Lang, a 25-year-old novice from the Foreign Ministry, played by idol Wang Junkai. Zong convinces a stubborn border of ficial to allow Chinese nationals, who have lost their passports in the turmoil, to cross the border. What follows is an even more challeng ing and dangerous mission, in which the pair leads a total of 125 of their countrymen and women — including the widow of Zong’s

deceased colleague — across a vast desert controlled by a ruthless gang of rebels, all while cut off from contact with the Chinese embassy.

Unsung heroes are worth re specting

Following a lot of preparation, varying from revising the script over 20 times to spending four

“Most of the time we see Chinese diplomats, they’re dressed in decent suits, being talkative and suave. However, they will be frightened or vulnerable when fac ing such dangers or difficulties,” says Rao, adding that it is why these unsung heroes who escorted their compatriots home, unarmed and forced to think on their feet in trying conditions, are worth re specting.

exhibition.

Italian astronaut quotes Chinese literature while flying over China

EUROPEAN Space Agency as tronaut Samantha Cristoforetti is back on Earth after spending the last five and a half months in orbit on the International Space Station. The Italian picked up a lot of atten tion in China this last week after she quoted some classic Chinese poetry on social media with a view of the Chinese capital from space.

Whizzing around the Earth at around 28,000 kilometers per hour, 420 kilometers off the ground in the International Space Station (ISS), certainly gives one a unique perspective on our planet.That view inspired Cristoforetti to dive into the Chinese classics as the ISS flew over parts of China this

week. She quoted 4th-century poet Wang Xizhi’s Preface to Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion: Looking up, I see the immensity

of the cosmos; bowing my head, I look at the multitude of the world.

The gaze flies, the heart expands, the joy of the senses can reach its

peak, and indeed, this is true hap piness.

The text was accompanied by photos of China taken from the space station, and the tweet was even raised in a press briefing by the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

“I have read about it too and the Italian astronaut certainly has my liking. Exploring the universe has been mankind’s dream since ancient times. Thanks to scientific and technological progress, reach ing beyond the moon has become a reality. Humanity will continue to benefit from the noble endeavor of exploration and peaceful use of space.”

FOR seven decades since it sprouted in the heart of Wangfujing Commercial Street, Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore has been a mainstay for readers to learn about the world. Now the spaces from the second to the fifth floors of the landmark book store have been turned into a showcase for works by contempo rary artists to address its history and the changes overtime it has witnessed, and to echo the roles of reading and books in a digital

This special project begins with a series of installations on the second floor. Mirrors were used to decorate the old book shelves and to discuss the meanings of books in opening up people’s minds, connecting them with the world and reflecting on themselves. The third floor was transformed into an immersive environment. The tile floor was dug up and the bricks piled on the ground, and visitors can walk into this field of tiles. It symbolizes the hardships which the human society has endured for the accu mulations of knowledge and as well, the new ways to gain and understand knowledge in a digital era.

The fourth floor shows paintings, sculptures, installations and videos from the experimental art department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, who envisage the bookstore in their own ways. The fifth floor has been made as a test ground of light,

The bookstore also turned one of its exterior walls into a showcase screen for displaying photos taken at the China Photo Studio, another prestigious brand at Wangfujing. The exhibition is part of the eighth Wangfujing International Brand Festival, and will be followed by renovations to give Beijing Foreign Languag es Bookstore a face-lift.

Samantha Cristoforetti, the first Italian female astronaut in space, posted several lines of a famous ancient Chinese composition on Twitter to share her joy. (CNS)

Time-honored bookstore in Beijing became an experimental ground for art

▲ The poster of the exhibition. (cccsydney.org)

XINHUA

artists to turn some of its floors into an art space.(China

▲Wang’s character, a young diplomat, leads more than 100 stranded compatriots across a desert. (China Daily)

▲A still image from the film features a female entrepreneur, played by ac tress Yin Tao, helping fellow nationals to flee the turbulence. (Douban)

▲ A scene shows Chinese diplo mat, played by Zhang Yi, attempts to flee chaos in a fictional war-torn country in North Africa. (Douban)

▲ Beijing Foreign Lan guages Bookstore worked with artists to turn some of its floors into an art space. (China Daily)

CHINA DAILY/ GLOBAL TIMES era. speed and space.

Daily)

Languages Book store worked with

CHINA DAILY

Cartoon, animation works from China shown in Australia

碧水，逐渐显露出了风光旖旎之态。

仙灵儒雅的两宋气韵

西湖山水，有着浸润了历史文化 的“自然人文之美”。如今，西湖声 名在外，四季游人如织。西湖山水与

堤岛、桥涵、亭台、楼阁等交融渗透， 人文荟萃，淬炼出灼灼光华的宋韵文 化。西湖山水强调平远、深远的山水 美学意境，和近、中、远景透视关系 的层次。“三面云山，中涵碧水”的 西湖风景名胜区有大大小小的桥梁百 余座，这些桥形态多样、历史悠久，

好一派烟柳画桥，风帘翠幕。

相比与断桥、长桥、西泠桥等，

霁虹桥布局舒展开敞，远远看去如一

条长龙卧于浴鹄湾的湖面之上，大有

“亭台水榭绿长廊”的意境，是人少

幽静的浴鹄湾中最吸引人的景点。

位于旧名赵公堤的金沙堤中段的 玉带桥上建有四角方亭。天气晴朗时， 桥身倒映在湖水中，青瓦红柱，形态

与灵峰、孤山并称杭州三大赏梅胜地。 水岸起伏的坡地上，无数株梅树 舒展着花枝，暗香浮动，宛然一片香 雪海。

渔夫是最懂这里的人。从周家村 码头登摇橹船，点上一杯龙井茶，几 碟茶食，划向秋雪庵。如果没有坐船 游过西溪，那永远无法领会到西溪之 美。

观鸟、赏梅、摇橹、捕鱼，是打 开西溪湿地的正确方式。西溪凭借独 特的野趣景致，已成为杭州人心里的 秘境花园。