The Fourth Annual ChinaFest, February 19-22, 2009
All events, except for the screenings at Byrd Theater, are free of charge.
Festival Main Events
Thursday, February 19
Robust Living - Chinese Philosophy of Health and Wellbeing 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Jepson Hall, Room 118, University of Richmond (UR).
The ancient Chinese used the idea of a balanced universe to describe an ideally healthy body with energies perfectly balanced. The panelists will share their expert knowledge and simple ways to keep our body and spirit well with food, herbs, taiji and acupuncture.
Moderator: Rose Chen, President, The Rose Group for Cross-Cultural Understanding; Festival Director, ChinaFest
Panelists: Amy Tseng Ballon is trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine. She has been practicing in North America and Europe for many years. Bruce J. Ballon, MD, is an ophthalmologist who traveled to Taiwan and studied Chinese medicine 28 years ago. He married Amy and follows the Chinese medicine principles of balance in life. John Kang, L.Ac., M.S. - Acupuncturist/Herbalist, comes from a family of medical practitioners for both western and Chinese treatments. He is also a martial arts instructor. Co-sponsored with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UR.
Friday, February 20
Art Along the Silk Road
10 a.m. - 12 noon, Brown- Alley Room, Weinstein Hall, UR.
From the rich treasures of The Silk Road, we will focus on the art that has been found along this networked web of trade routes that connect the culture and technology of Western Asia with North Africa and Europe. Speaker: Li Jian, M.A. Art History, is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Curator of East Asian Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She is considered one of the most exceptional curators of Chinese art in this country. She served as general editor and co-authored the publications that accompanied Glory of the Silk Road and Eternal China. Co-sponsored with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UR.
Film: Up the Yangtze
3:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Jepson Hall, Room 118, UR.
A luxury cruise boat motors up the Yangtze, navigating the mythic waterway known in China simply as “The River.” In the biggest engineering endeavor since the Great Wall, China has set out to harness the Yangtze with the world’s largest mega-dam. The Three Gorges Dam, gargantuan and hotly contested symbol of the Chinese economic miracle, provides the epic and unsettling backdrop for the film.Stunningly photographed and beautifully composed, Up the Yangtze juxtaposes the poignant and sharply observed details of Yu Shui’s story against the monumental and ominous forces at work around her. Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Yung Chang directs the film with insight and cinematic flair.
Directed by Yung Chang, 93 minutes.
 Saturday, February 21
Film: Song of Tibet 益西卓玛
11:00 a.m., Byrd Theater, $3 admission.
The film presents viewers with Tibet's history through telling a young Tibetan woman's (Yixi Zuoma’s) love stories with three Tibetans who each respectively represents authority, courage and intelligence. The film is known for its all-Tibetan cast and dialogues in the Tibetan Language, with English subtitles. It won Best Music, a Screenplay Special Award and Actress Special Award (Danzengzhuoga) at China’s 20th Golden Rooster Awards. Directed by Xie Fei, 102 minutes.
 Film: Letter from an Unknown Woman一个陌生女人的来信
2:00 p.m., Byrd Theater, $3 admission.
A gorgeously photographed tale of unrequited love and passion, Xu Jinglei’s adaptation of Stefan Zweig’s memorable short story is a visual and romantic masterpiece. Famously filmed by Max Ophuls in 1948, Xu’s adaption transports the tale from turn- of- the- century Vienna to war-time China, placing it against the epic backdrop of China’s revolution. Unfolding over the course of twenty years, Letter from an Unknown Woman chronicles the life of a woman whose self-sacrificial love for a man ultimately consumes her. The love-lost Jiang’s story begins in childhood when a mysterious writer (Jiang Wen) moves into the courtyard next door. Caught by his intellect and charisma, she becomes entranced by his comings and goings. Through the turmoil of the ensuing war, their paths continue to cross; the two are brought together only to be torn apart, again and again, but his fast-fading memories never match the power of her devotion. Winner of Best Director award at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Directed by Xu Jinglei, 90 minutes.
 Sunday, February 22
Film: Up the Yangtze沿江而上
7:30 p.m., Jepson Hall, Room 118, UR. Directed by Yung Chang, 93 minutes.
A luxury cruise boat motors up the Yangtze, navigating the mythic waterway known in China simply as “The River.” In the biggest engineering endeavor since the Great Wall, China has set out to harness the Yangtze with the world’s largest mega-dam. The Three Gorges Dam, gargantuan and hotly contested symbol of the Chinese economic miracle, provides the epic and unsettling backdrop for the film. Stunningly photographed and beautifully composed, Up the Yangtze juxtaposes the poignant and sharply observed details of Yu Shui’s story against the monumental and ominous forces at work around her. Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Yung Chang directs the film with insight and cinematic flair. Directed by Yung Chang, 93 min.
ChinaFest Family Day
Saturday, February 21
1:00 – 4:00 pm, Pauley Center Building, FREE
Xin Nian Hao (新年好)…or Happy New Year! Parents, bring your children to VMFA and help celebrate China’s biggest event of the year! Children of all ages will be fascinated by the culture and traditions of this great civilization as they engage in
“Lucky Money” Envelopes
Chinese Calligraphy
Knot-making
Song and Dance
Taiji Workshops
Story Telling, with Slide and Film Presentations
Then, venture over to the galleries as though you’re traveling down the Silk Road and participate in a gallery hunt that will reveal how the Chinese have inspired other cultures through art. Those who make it through the hunt will win a special prize!
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