We received good feedback last week about our decision to add an image from shows that we newly list. We’re making another small change to streamline exhibition-related listings. Instead of listing opening receptions in the events section, they’ll be included with the new exhibition listing further down the page.
This week: Two films by a female Taiwanese filmmaker, cool Korean culture in China, nü-metal from Beijing, musical storytelling by Jen Shyu and that combines folk traditions with the avant-garde, a group exhibition featuring local Chinese artists, and more…
If you haven’t seen them already, be sure to check out the SubURBANISMS and Poy Gum Lee exhibitions at Museum of Chinese in America before they close this weekend.
Coming up:
Old School Kung-Fu Fest at NYC’s newest indie theater, Metrograph.
MoMA PS1 presents Cao Fei‘s first museum solo show in the United States.
We add talks, films, performances, exhibitions, featuring or relating to Chinese, Taiwanese, diasporic artists and topics to our event and ongoing exhibition calendars as we learn of them.
If you’re interested in contributing to Beyond Chinatown, whether writing an article, contributing photos or artwork to be featured with our weekly events and exhibitions listing, letting us know about an event, send an email to beyondchinatown@gmail.com.
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This week’s events
1) Twin Bracelets 《雙鐲》– In a small Chinese fishing town, two teenage girls who are best friends become torn apart when one becomes happily married to a stranger and the other is cruelly betrothed to the abusive son of a wealthy family. Seeking to free herself from a lifetime of abuse, she desperately looks for a way out. A moving, ultimately tragic film, Twin Bracelets is remarkable for its portrayal of an independent woman’s commitment to her love. The film was an audience favorite at festival screenings worldwide, and won the 1992 San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Award for Best Feature.
Dir. Yu-shan Huang
1991, Taiwan, 99 min.
Screens as part of NYU Cinema Studies mini-festival Reel Asia: Three Women Filmmakers from Taiwan, South Korea and Bangladesh
Friday, March 25, 1:30 PM
NYU Michelson Theater, 721 Broadway, 6th Floor
Free
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2) The Strait Story 《南方紀事之浮世光影》 – The year is 1943 and Taiwan is under Japanese colonization. After finishing his studies in Japan, famous Taiwanese sculptor and painter Ching-Cheng Huang receives an offer to teach in Beiping Art School. He decides to visit friends and family back home before leaving for China but tragedy ensues. Decades later, Shou-shou, a fine art restorer with a crippling illness, finds one of Huang’s paintings in an exhibition. As she restores the painting, Shou-shou learns about the artist, the stories behind his work and his death at sea.
Dir. Yu-shan Huang
2005, Taiwan, 105 min.
Screens as part of NYU Cinema Studies mini-festival Reel Asia: Three Women Filmmakers from Taiwan, South Korea and Bangladesh
Saturday, March 26, 1:30 PM
NYU Michelson Theater, 721 Broadway, 6th Floor
Free
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3) The “Korean Cool” in China – For the last 25 years, South Korea has emerged as the world’s leading pop culture powerhouse, exporting an irresistible “Korean Cool (pop music, TV dramas and movies)” to much of the world. Ms. Ma Xue, a cultural critic, television host and producer, was among the first in China to witness the effect of the wave. She helped accelerate the influx of Korean pop music and TV dramas by starting a program on South Korean culture for China National Radio in 2001, quickly making a name for herself as the “Godmother of the Korean Cool in China.” At this lecture, Ms. Ma will trace the history of the Korean Cool and discuss the reasons for the conquering power of the Korean pop culture.)
The lecture will be in Mandarin
韓流，是指韓國文化在亞洲和世界範圍內流行的現象。韓流一般以韓國電影、電視劇為代表，與韓國音樂、圖書、電子遊戲、服飾、飲食、體育、旅遊觀光、化妝美容、韓語等形成一個相互影響、相互帶動的循環體系，因而具有極為強大的流行力量。最近一二十年來，一部部韓劇風靡國內和海外華人社區，全智賢、金泰熙、宋慧喬、元彬、金秀賢、趙仁成這些演員都成了家喻戶曉的名字。就連中國的第一夫人彭麗媛也愛看《來自星星的你》。王岐山曾在黨代會上說，“我也有一段沒一段看韓劇，看半天我發現我明白了，韓劇走在咱們前頭。韓劇內核和靈魂，恰恰是中國的傳統文化的昇華。是用電視劇宣傳了中國傳統文化的內容。”年前，西方主流媒體（如《經濟學家》、《紐約時報》等紛紛載文，介紹洪又妮的新書《韓酷的誕生：一個國家是怎樣通過流行文化征服了世界》(The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture)。
韓劇為什麼如此風靡，韓流是怎麼形成發展的，為什麼如此有魅力？華美人文學會於2016年3月26日（週六）特邀被中國媒體譽為“韓流教母”、“金牌製作人“的前韓國KBS 國際台主持人、現任中國合寶娛樂傳媒有限公司董事總經理、著名大型電視綜藝節目製作人馬雪女士做《韓流在中國》的專題講座，剖析韓國的流行文化成為完美風暴的緣由。
馬雪女士2002年獲北京大學韓國語專業學士學位，藝術學系雙學位，2005獲韓國首爾大學新聞傳播專業碩士學位。2004年到2005年，馬雪擔任光線傳媒駐華記者站站長，從那時起，她就開始積累手邊的韓娛資源，之後的Rain、張佑赫、李敏鎬、全智賢這些人都是由她一手引進中國市場的。2006年創立KONA M&E 文化娛樂公司，2015年與合夥人趙智投資建立合寶娛樂（股東包括著名電影演員趙薇）。馬雪女士精通韓語和韓國文化，她的代表作有： 電視劇《秘密天使secret angel》、 《隱秘而偉大1.2》、《真愛在囧途》、《一路上有你》、《真心英雄》、《一路上有你2》。
最近幾年來，馬雪女士一直在致力於真人秀在中國的發展。她認為真人秀是最強的文化商品。她在講座中還將討論韓國真人秀模式的引進、真人秀如何創造價值和真人秀本土化思考與展望。
Saturday, March 26, 2 PM
China Institute, 100 Washington Street
Free, but RSVP requested
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4) Twisted Machine “Lost In Beijing” w/ The Underground Channel, Nervous Factor (不安因素) – Twisted Machine (扭曲机器), one of China’s most popular rock bands in the past two decades, is making their US debut in 2016. Their first US tour across the East and West Coast will hit 5 major cities: New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle.
Formed in 1998, the band is known as one of the top nu-metal rock bands in China. In 2003, their album Back to Underground battled the SARS outbreak and sold well over 100,000 copies without any formal promotion. Their two EPs from 2006, ‘Living’ and ‘In the Mirror’, still remain as classics amongst other popular Chinese rock albums. In 2006, they toured 25 cities across China, creating a strong presence with their incendiary performances. Having accumulated a devoted army of fans over the years, they have been invited to perform in numerous music festivals. With their ferocious and intense nu-metal rock and roll, this band still continues to influence the metal generation.
Saturday, March 26, 5 PM
Santos Party House, 96 Lafayette Street
$21.49/General Admission
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5) Jen Shyu: Song of Silver Geese with MIVOS quartet, Jade Tongue, & Satoshi Haga – Jen Shyu premieres a new full-length composition, Song of Silver Geese, a multilingual, ritual music drama, composed for dancer-improviser Satoshi Haga, Jen Shyu’s core ensemble Jade Tongue, and the Mivos Quartet, and Shyu on vocals, dance, gayageum, Taiwanese (Shyu’s father’s birthplace) moon lute, and East Timorese (mother’s birthplace) lakadou. The work is inspired by Shyu’s 12-plus years of study of traditional music from four specific countries: epic storytelling (Pansori) and East Coast shaman music (DongHaeAhnByeolShinGut), both from Korea; music from subdistricts Aileu and Ataúro from East Timor; Hengchun Folk Song with moon lute from Taiwan; Ledhekan, which combines Javanese dance with improvisational singing (Sindhenan) from Indonesia.
Dancer Satoshi Haga is Shyu’s foil, as they switch and blur the roles of male and female in their portrayal of four main characters: the Timorese female warrior Ho’a Nahak Samane Oan, who disguises herself as a man to defeat a rival king; “Baridegi” from Korean folklore, known as the first shaman, whose journey story is strikingly similar to that of of Ho’a Nahak Samane Oan; the half-blind, nomadic Taiwanese moon lute virtuoso Chen Da, who defined Hengchun Folk Song, becoming a national icon for Taiwanese independence from China; a universal character, who cannot accept death and begs for rebirth, based on Javanese shadow puppeteer master and friend who, at the age of 30 in 2014, died in a car crash with his wife and 11-month old baby. Through both narrative and abstract, integrative music-movement methodologies, these four characters will interact as a microcosm of the parallels that exist in the universe and the great necessity for empathy among cultures, thereby defying assumptions that currently divide humanity.
Monday, March 28, 8 PM
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
$20/General Admission; $15/Student, Senior, Member
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6) Rights Activism in China – The New York City Bar Association hosts this roundtable featuring Chinese civil society activists Teng Biao, Hou Ping, Zhang RenWang, Liu Wei, and Elisabeth Wickeri discussing women’s rights, LGBT issues, rights-related legal work, and internet freedom. Moderated by Angus F. Ni.
Thursday, March 31, 6 PM
New York City Bar Association, 42 W. 44th Street
Free, but registration required
Ongoing Films and Shows
1) Office 3D 《华丽上班族》– Hugely popular Hong Kong auteur Johnnie To, primarily known for his action movies, surprised and delighted his fans this past year with the remarkable Office, a stylish, buoyant musical shot in 3D featuring grand, eye-popping set design reminiscent of Jacques Tati’s classic Playtime. Adapted from her own stage play by Sylvia Chang, who also costars, Office takes place in an austere yet exquisitely realized high-rise, where two new assistants attempt to climb the corporate ladder and please the head honcho (played by the imperious Chang).
Opens at Metrograph March 25
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2) Papa 《洛杉矶捣蛋计划》– Shot entirely in Los Angeles and distributed theatrically in China, the comedy is heartwarming family-comedy about a Beijing music manager who travels to Los Angeles to convince his #1 female pop star client to return to China—but through a sudden series of unexpected events… he becomes the legal guardian of 5 mid-teen and pre-teen orphans. The kids’ struggle to stay together turns the gruff manager into an admirable man, and the triumphant leader of their tight knit and unconventional family.
Opens at AMC Empire 25 March 18
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3) The Mermaid 《美人鱼》– Stephen Chow’s latest absurdist comedy is about a businessman who falls in love with a mermaid who was sent to kill him. While the movie is the biggest film ever in China and worldwide, Sony who purchased US distribution rights does not seem to be promoting it.
Review by the South China Morning Post
Current Art Exhibitions
Opening and newly added:
1) Yueyin Hu – Off the Wall (Gateway Art Center NYC, 3/26 – 4/7) – “Off The Wall” presents two sections of interactive street art works of Yueyin Hu. Installation “Emancipation of Street Art” is an experiential projection mapping art project using 4D motion of Graffiti tag on 3D physical form. Through the artist’s perspective, explore how street art can be developed into a new field in both visual and with technology. Delusion-NYC, series of interactive photographs showing on screen. People can scratch on the screen to see the water wave effect of the image. That’s artists’ concept of the project, which is to bring the viewer into part of the artwork and let them join in the innovation of the photograph. Different people would have different feelings.
Opening reception:
Saturday, March 26, 6 PM
Gateway Art Center NYC, 4 W. 43rd St.
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2) Woods (Cloud Gallery, opens 3/30) – A group show featuring the works of artists:
T4 Bacteriophage in the form of architecture by computer rendering by Tiger Cai. Photo by Hansi Liao
Qianfan + St. Jiu, Tiger Chengliang Cai, James Chan, Yuchen Chang, Baoyang Chen, Zhongsheng Gu, Xiaoyang Jin, Weizitong Kong, Lyn Liu, Zhangbolong Liu, Jiatong Lu, Qingshan Wang, Lu Zhang, Liyue Juliet Zhu, and Taole Zhu
Opening reception:
Wednesday, March 30, 6 PM
Cloud Gallery, 66 W. Broadway
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Closing soon:
Fu Xiaotong (付小桐) – Land of Serenity (寂净之地) (Chambers Fine Art, 2/11 – 3/26)
SUB URBANISMS: Casino Urbanization, Chinatowns, and the Contested American Landscape (Museum of Chinese in America, 9/24 – 3/27/16)
Chinese Style: Rediscovering the Architecture of Poy Gum Lee, 1923-1968 (Museum of Chinese in America, 9/24/15 – 3/27/16)
HER Gaze: An Exhibition of Contemporary Women Artists from Taiwan (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, 3/14 – 3/30)
Yi-Husan Lin – A Chicken and a Dog, They Walk (Jeffrey Stark, 3/6 – 4/1)
Chen Dongfan – Punk Bookstore (Square Peg Gallery, 3/4 – 4/3)
MARKING 2: Drawings by Contemporary Artists from Asia (Art Projects International, 3/3 – 4/3)
The Eccentrics (Sculpture Center, 1/24 – 4/4)
Visit the exhibition calendar (http://ow.ly/pxe9o) for details for the current shows listed below. As always, check the museum or gallery’s website for hours of operation.
Fu Xiaotong (付小桐) – Land of Serenity (寂净之地) (Chambers Fine Art, 2/11 – 3/26)
SUB URBANISMS: Casino Urbanization, Chinatowns, and the Contested American Landscape (Museum of Chinese in America, 9/24 – 3/27/16)
Chinese Style: Rediscovering the Architecture of Poy Gum Lee, 1923-1968 (Museum of Chinese in America, 9/24/15 – 3/27/16)
HER Gaze: An Exhibition of Contemporary Women Artists from Taiwan (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, 3/14 – 3/30)
Yi-Husan Lin – A Chicken and a Dog, They Walk (Jeffrey Stark, 3/6 – 4/1)
Chen Dongfan – Punk Bookstore (Square Peg Gallery, 3/4 – 4/3)
MARKING 2: Drawings by Contemporary Artists from Asia (Art Projects International, 3/3 – 4/3)
The Eccentrics (Sculpture Center, 1/24 – 4/4)
Yueyin Hu – Off the Wall (Gateway Art Center NYC, 3/26 – 4/7)
Woods (Cloud Gallery, opens 3/30)
James Wong – Invasion of the Pods (Gallery 456, 3/10 – 4/15)
Qiu Xiaofei – Double Pendulum (Pace Gallery, 25th St, 3/11 – 4/23)
Chinese Textiles Ten Centuries of Masterpieces from the Met Collection (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 8/15/15 – 6/19/06)
Chinese Lacquer Treasures from the Irving Collection, 12th–18th Century (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 8/15/15 – 6/19/06)
Masterpieces of Chinese Painting from the Metropolitan Collection (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 10/31/15 – 10/11/06)
Lead image: Two Greats – Elvis and Confucius at Hello Kongzi. Times Square, February 19, 2016. Photo by Andrew Shiue