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Lantern festival
September 23, 2011, Friday
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THE first River Lantern Festival will be held at Songcheng Theme Park from October 1 to 31.
Some 12,000 lanterns will be made for tourists to light and float on the Qingming River during the festival. Ancient blessing ceremonies will also be performed before lantern floating activities.
The festival is inspired by the ancient tradition of making lanterns to float on rivers. The practice dates back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The lanterns are made with wood, bamboo and colored paper and are usually in the shape of a boat. People used to float river lanterns before boating or sailing activities to show reverence to nature and pray for safety.
One big magic act
Magicians from around the world will gather in Hangzhou on October 14 for the three-day China West Lake International Magic Exchange Fair.
A magic competition will be held on October 14 and 15 at Hangzhou Red Star Culture Hotel. Call (0571) 8780-5135 or 8800-3888 to reserve tickets. More than 100 magicians from 19 countries and regions attended the fair last year.
Boars in hotel
Three wild boars walked into a hotel beside the West Lake on Tuesday.
The three dark brown boars likely walked down Xizao Hill behind Leifeng Pagoda around 3pm, said a staff member at Xizi State Guest House.
The two larger boars were quickly surrounded by guest house employees. The smaller boar ran across a lawn, jumped onto a wall and then into the West Lake.
Everyone ran to the lake as nobody had ever seen a boar swim before. The two large boars took the opportunity and ran back into the hills. The small boar, which weighed about 50 kilograms, became calm as it remained in shallow water.
About 30 minutes later, Wang Caiyi from Hangzhou Zoo arrived and shot the boar with an anaesthesia gun.
The boar swam slowly back to the bank and ran as quickly as possible again. It was pushed down to the ground by armed police at the guest house's gate. They tied up the boar at around 3:40pm. They released it into the hills when it calmed down.
Car-free Day
A number of city roads were off-limits to many vehicles for World Car-free Day yesterday.
Most roads in downtown Hangzhou, especially those around the West Lake, were closed to private cars.
The ban was in place from 7am to 7pm, although buses, taxis and special vehicles, including ambulances and cars for marriages or funerals, were allowed to enter the area, authorities said. Residents were encouraged to take public transport, ride bicycles, walk or jog to work to promote a low-carbon way of life.
Film, TV institute
Hong Kong film studio Emperor Motion Pictures signed an agreement to invest 6 billion yuan (US$938 million) in movie-related infrastructure in Yuhang District on Monday.
The project includes a film and TV institute, a production center, a theater and a holiday resort. It will cover 600,000 square meters and be completed in six years.
Hangzhou is working to transform the city into a hub for creative and cultural industries.
Silky smooth
The 2011 China International Silk Expo and China International Women's Dress Exhibition opens today at World Leisure Expo Park's Exhibition Center.
The latest women's silk dress fashion trends for the spring and summer of 2012 will be released and a fashion show will be held during the four-day expo.
Designers from Canada, the UK, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan will show off their latest creations and the finalists of the 7th China International Women's Designer Contest will be staged as part of the expo.
Some 12,000 lanterns will be made for tourists to light and float on the Qingming River during the festival. Ancient blessing ceremonies will also be performed before lantern floating activities.
The festival is inspired by the ancient tradition of making lanterns to float on rivers. The practice dates back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The lanterns are made with wood, bamboo and colored paper and are usually in the shape of a boat. People used to float river lanterns before boating or sailing activities to show reverence to nature and pray for safety.
One big magic act
Magicians from around the world will gather in Hangzhou on October 14 for the three-day China West Lake International Magic Exchange Fair.
A magic competition will be held on October 14 and 15 at Hangzhou Red Star Culture Hotel. Call (0571) 8780-5135 or 8800-3888 to reserve tickets. More than 100 magicians from 19 countries and regions attended the fair last year.
Boars in hotel
Three wild boars walked into a hotel beside the West Lake on Tuesday.
The three dark brown boars likely walked down Xizao Hill behind Leifeng Pagoda around 3pm, said a staff member at Xizi State Guest House.
The two larger boars were quickly surrounded by guest house employees. The smaller boar ran across a lawn, jumped onto a wall and then into the West Lake.
Everyone ran to the lake as nobody had ever seen a boar swim before. The two large boars took the opportunity and ran back into the hills. The small boar, which weighed about 50 kilograms, became calm as it remained in shallow water.
About 30 minutes later, Wang Caiyi from Hangzhou Zoo arrived and shot the boar with an anaesthesia gun.
The boar swam slowly back to the bank and ran as quickly as possible again. It was pushed down to the ground by armed police at the guest house's gate. They tied up the boar at around 3:40pm. They released it into the hills when it calmed down.
Car-free Day
A number of city roads were off-limits to many vehicles for World Car-free Day yesterday.
Most roads in downtown Hangzhou, especially those around the West Lake, were closed to private cars.
The ban was in place from 7am to 7pm, although buses, taxis and special vehicles, including ambulances and cars for marriages or funerals, were allowed to enter the area, authorities said. Residents were encouraged to take public transport, ride bicycles, walk or jog to work to promote a low-carbon way of life.
Film, TV institute
Hong Kong film studio Emperor Motion Pictures signed an agreement to invest 6 billion yuan (US$938 million) in movie-related infrastructure in Yuhang District on Monday.
The project includes a film and TV institute, a production center, a theater and a holiday resort. It will cover 600,000 square meters and be completed in six years.
Hangzhou is working to transform the city into a hub for creative and cultural industries.
Silky smooth
The 2011 China International Silk Expo and China International Women's Dress Exhibition opens today at World Leisure Expo Park's Exhibition Center.
The latest women's silk dress fashion trends for the spring and summer of 2012 will be released and a fashion show will be held during the four-day expo.
Designers from Canada, the UK, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan will show off their latest creations and the finalists of the 7th China International Women's Designer Contest will be staged as part of the expo.
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