Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Cantonese Opera Day is a government initiative meant to expand the art form for fans and newcomers. In fact, it has been inscribed onto the Unesco List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2009.

The free event will see performances of excerpts from Cantonese opera classics including “Purple Bamboo Forest” from “Merciless Sword Under Merciful Heaven” and “Saving Pei” from “The Reincarnation of a Beauty.” It will also feature talks on the stylised movements and postures adopted in Cantonese operas as well as on the singing styles and musical instruments used. Performing artists will include Lee Lung, Nam Fung, Sun Kim-long.

Hilvinn Wong Hai-wing tells the South China Morning Post that opera has been a part of her life from a very young age. Now at age 32, she will take the stage at the Cultural Centre this November 17th for a performance of “Kneeling by the Pond” – an excerpt from the Ming dynasty drama “Henpecked Husband.”

“My mother took me to see Cantonese opera performances at bamboo theatres when I was a child,” Hilvinn says. “Every time when there was a show, I wanted to go. We would eat snacks and we got to stay out late. But I had no idea what was happening on stage. I just thought it was beautiful and alluring.”

However, some artists say that childhood connection is stalling in modern Hong Kong society.

“As young artists, we must run an extra mile to promote the arts of Cantonese opera among the young generation,” she says.

Dennis Wan Chi-hung, 22, who will be taking part in the performance of “Merciless Sword Under Merciful Heaven” tells the paper that he was also exposed to the art form at a very young age. His father Wan Yuk-yu is also a Cantonese opera artist.

“But when I was in school, from kindergarten all the way to secondary school and university, there was little to no exposure to the art form,” Dennis says. “Students should be taught about the art form. Whether they like it or not, it’s up to them. But at least we will have a chance to have [a bigger] audience. Without an audience, we will not be able to survive.

According to the the Arts Development Council’s latest annual arts survey the audience for Chinese opera, including Cantonese opera programmes have dropped by 1.3 percent between 2015 and 2016 despite an increase in performances in that same period.

The 70-ft long vessel housed more than 100 artifacts, according to the paper published by Chinese Cultural Relics.

According to the archaeologists, the ship dated back to the Yuan dynasty (circa 1271-1368). It housed a shrine, a captain’s cabin, crew quarters, cargo compartments and a control room that also held a kitchen. In the shrine, they found incense burner and stone-carved figurines of “arhats.” Buddhist culture regard these as enlightened individuals. They also found several motifs including a colorful jar depicting a dragon and a phoenix.

The ship also held “artifacts of porcelain, pottery, lacquer-ware, jade, stone, iron, bronze and gold,” wrote the scientists in the paper.

In the kitchen, they found an iron stove, an iron pot, an iron ladle and a wooden cutting board.

But how was this 700-year old time capsule of ancient Chinese culture preserved?

The team wrote in the paper, “During a relatively short period of time after the accident, the silt beneath the shipwreck was washed away by the current, [and] the shipwreck continued to sink to 1 m to 2 m [3.3 feet to 6.6 feet] below the original riverbed, then stabilized at its current location. Silt and mud were then deposited over it, and the shipwreck was completely buried.”

And what of the ship’s inhabitants? The archaeologists said they found no human remains inside the cabin.

In the most tender moments of “Human Flow,” Ai Weiwei’s epic documentary on the worldwide migrant crisis, he is seen hugging, cooking with and cutting the hair of refugees. An ordinary filmmaker might be accused of getting too close to his subject but, as far as the Chinese dissident and internationally renowned artist is concerned, he…

Village, township and county governments now have the power to enforce restrictions which include the curbing of religious activities in schools, foreign trips for religious training, and even religious postings online – chances are the government had control of that already. Still, the endorsement of the State Council gives officials a whole new level of religious control.

And the amendments seem to call for equal opportunity persecution of religion. They’re free to regulate everything from Christianity to Islam and Buddhism – all still legal, however. But anyone providing a venue for an “illegal religious event” can face a fine of up to 20,000 to 200,000 yuan.

Some analysts, however, say the real target is the Protestant House churches which have burgeoned in the last twenty years, but are now in the cross-hairs of President Xi Jinping. Professor Yang Fengguang from Purdue University estimates there are around 93 million Protestants in China.

But this group is not only a thorn on the ruling Party’s side.

Imam An Jianlong, of the official Nanjing Islamic Association, told the South China Morning Post, he welcomed the changes because they would regulate “the messy grass-root religious activities.”

A Guangzhou-based Christian, however, believes the regulations may not be the right way to regulate the Protestants. “We are exposed to them while they operate in the dark so there is only so much we can do,” she told the SCMP.

State media, however, says these rules are needed to curb violence and protect security.

“The ordinance further regulates religious affairs management by protecting the sanctioned, curbing the illegal and extreme, fighting infiltration and cracking down on criminals. [It will] also strengthen monitoring over religious property, regulate religious information on the internet while spelling out legal liabilities,” read a report by Xinhua. “Organizations or individuals are not allowed to create conflicts between different religions, within a religion or between believers and non-believers.”

Because, fence-themed art installations are going to be scattered across the five boroughs: All the work of renowned artist and no stranger to controversy, Ai Weiwei. They are part of his exhibit “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” set to open Oct.8 and commissioned by the Public Art Fund. It will comprise about 10 major works and several smaller pieces. Together, they will mark one of his biggest efforts to date.

Planned sites for these works include Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens and the Cooper Union building in Manhattan.

But why, fences? On face, it’s a reference to Robert Frost’s popular poem “Mending Wall.”

To Ai, it’s a modern-day political statement.

He tells the New York Times, “When the Berlin Wall fell, there were 11 countries with border fences and walls. By 2016, that number had increased to 70. We are witnessing a rise in nationalism, an increase in the closure of borders, and an exclusionary attitude toward migrants and refugees, the victims of war and the casualties of globalization” – all points likely to elicit conversation and even a few shouting matches.

Looks like Ai came to the right place.

Mobile phone footage of the incident has been viewed on Chinese social media more than 330 million times and millions are vowing to avenge the passenger. According to U.S. media reports, the 69-year-old man is Dr. David Dao who was on his way to treat patients in Louisville, Kentucky. Many outraged Chinese citizens are calling racial discrimination and demanding the U.S. government deliver an apology.

Others are vowing to destroy the airline’s reputation and damage its revenue.

One user on the popular Chinese social media site Weibo said, “If you beat your customers, we will thrash your reputation and your market share around the world, until we hear a sincere apology from your bleeding mouth.”

The hashtag #UnitedForcesPassengerOffPlane remains one of the site’s hottest topics. More than 38,000 Internet users have signed a #ChineseLivesMatters petition demanding that the US government investigate the incident.

But why exactly was the man dragged off the plane? According to media reports, he was one of four people removed from the flight at random or as volunteers to accommodate four airline employees who needed transportation.

But some passengers report that Dao suspected he was racially targeted. “He [Dao] said, more or less: ‘I’m being selected because I’m Chinese’,” bystander Tyler Bridges told The Washington Post. Still, others reported he was Vietnamese.

Media attempts to reach Dao and airline officials have been unsuccessful.

United Airlines chief executive Oscar Munoz said on Twitter that the incident was “upsetting”.

According to some reports, one of the aviation security guards involved has been placed on administrative leave failing to follow protocol.

Some say these gems, which include iron weapons and golden coins, offer proof to the tales of “The Yellow Tiger,” a peasant king who is said to have ruled Sichuan during the early Ming Dynasty. His real name was believed to have been Zhang Xianzhong. And if legend holds true, he went down in a blaze of glory back in 1646 when an imperial army sunk his armada causing him to drown with the goods.

“The objects uncovered are the most direct and compelling evidence to identify the area where the battle was fought,” said Wang Wei, a Chinese archaeologist.

Scientists began to unearth precious metals from the area before 2010, when it became a protected site. But that didn’t stop would-be treasure hunters. Police have arrested more than 31 suspects and confiscated their loot, along with their diving equipment.

Archeologists then went in last January with pumps to drain the waters and uncover the merchandise.

Cassie Childers says that a year ago, she got a call from English soccer player Gordon Jago, who invited the girls for an all-expense paid trip to the Dallas Cup, an international tournament of boys’ soccer teams.

She wrote: “Ten days in Dallas, treated like the queens that they are, crowned with the opportunity to lead the opening day parade into the Cotton Bowl stadium under the Tibetan flag, and the honor being the first sports team of any sex to represent Tibet on US soil.

“Every detail was hammered out over two trips I took to Dallas. The team would be training with a university women’s team, doing home stays with players from a local club, attending an NBA game, visiting the Aquarium and Six Flags, and seeing a world they had only heard about in movies. It was all confirmed.”

Childers said embassy officials said they had “no good reason” to be there after forking out $5,000 in application-related fees. Now, she’s started a fundraiser page to acquire the funds. Childers then wrote, If a revolutionary women’s soccer team, the first of their kind for Tibetans, can’t get a tourist visa to attend a very prestigious soccer tournament as VIP, legit guests, then WHO, may I ask, DOES DESERVE A VISA?

U.S. nor India’s diplomatic officials have made no comment on the matter.

The Trump administration’s streak of outlandish maneuvers continued on Tuesday when the administration published a proposal in the Federal Register that would have Chinese citizens who hold long-term US business and tourism visas be asked to disclose their social media handles before entering the United States.

The targeted group would be asked to answer this question online as part of the Electronic Visa Update System, of which all Chinese holders of 10-year visas to the US are a part of. The information disclosed could then be used by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to “evaluate” an individual via his or her social media accounts before allowing entrance into the country.

Jennifer Evanitsky, a spokeswoman for the CBP gave Politico an adamant assurance that “The collection of social media identifiers will not be used to prevent travel based on an applicant’s race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.”

“The social media provider will not be asked to violate any privacy settings or policies,” she said.

A 60-day open-comment period will occur on the Federal Register following the proposal in which the government is encouraging people to voice their honest opinions and concerns. Also meaning that our country’s new Trump-nation bigots will have a platform on which to post their hateful, nonsensical, ignorant, and racist remarks.

The CBP also added in a separate, written notice regarding the proposal, that revealing one’s social media information would be optional. Furthermore, refusing to give up that personal information would not negatively affect that person’s chances at getting into the US.

With this addition to the online registry being optional for the applicant, many are incredulous as to the actual usefulness of the sanction. Hiding information from the CBP would be as simple as omitting it from the form, deleting parts of profiles, changing privacy settings, or simply making an “oops, I forgot to include that one” moment.  

However, others view this move not as innocuous, but rather as another way for Trump to incite hate in America.

“The Chinese community in the US appears certain to make a few ‘suggestions,’ as the proposal has left many spooked that the only thing it will do is contribute to a rise in anti-Chinese sentiment around the country,” online news source Shanghaiist wrote in an article Monday.

One advocacy group has already spoken out against the proposal. The Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (AAAJ-LA) told The Huffington Post earlier this week, “As a civil rights organization, we fear that proposals such as the proposed social media check will be largely ineffective as a national security screen and will serve primarily to allow the discriminatory targeting of Chinese immigrants and visitors at border checkpoints.”

The administration’s proposal is just Trump’s latest way to allow his followers to disseminate hate and racist ideology, and it is deeply concerning.

But oversees, the youngest daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump is being welcomed with open arms. In a very unlikely place: China.

Tiffany took center stage at the show of Chinese designer Tao Wang. And despite Trump’s vocal criticism of the Communist nation, several Chinese citizens refused to let their feelings toward the U.S. president extend to the youngest daughter. Instead, they praised her for giving a voice to a home grown Chinese designer – a rare move in the fashion world.

Ms. Trump first took notice of Tao when she took her line Taoray Wang on display after she first took over the New York catwalk in 2011.

The two share a close relationship. Tao called the lady warm, generous and full of encouragement.

“I think Tao’s aesthetic is just unparalleled. She puts so much effort into the slightest detail,” Tiffany told The Hollywood Report.

Still, the Chinese blogosphere dominated by Weibo or “China’s Twitter” is no stranger to Trump bashing. Economic policy, trade, and issues surrounding the South China Sea are very fiery talking points for criticizing the U.S. president. Still, others praised Tiffany for providing a global view of what many consider to be a symbol of Chinese culture and creativity.

But for some, it comes down to straight business.

Trump Mania sells in China. Everything from Trump T-shirts to masks is flying off the virtual shelves of Taobao, China’s biggest e-commerce retailer.

Caile Inflatable Products Company even raked in big bucks after selling inflatable chicken balloons in Trump’s image ahead of Chinese New Year, which represented Year of the Rooster.

“We are businessmen,” explains factory manager Wei Qing Of course, we would like to think positively about Trump’s influence on China. If these Trump chicken balloons can boost our business or even global economy, it would be fantastic.”