China Direct

BBC Earth Films and Shanghai Media Group form partnership to create Earth: One Amazing Day (working title)

CBI member BBC announced that BBC Earth Films and Shanghai Media Group (SMG), China’s leading media group, had formed a partnership to create a major new feature film, Earth: One Amazing Day (working title).

The film is the official sequel to Earth (2007), the second-highest grossing nature documentary ever released, and is the first feature film to be produced under the U.K. and China film co-production treaty.

The signing ceremony took place at the creative showcase being held at Lancaster House as part of the official Chinese state visit to the U.K. Earth: One Amazing Day will be co-produced between SMG Pictures, the film and television production arm of Shanghai Media Group, and BBC Earth Films.

The ambition is to forge a new collaboration between the British and Chinese creative industries. Working with the BBC’s world leading nature filmmakers, Earth: One Amazing Day will be directed by the award-winning British filmmaker Peter Webber (Girl with a Pearl Earring; Emperor; Hannibal Rising) together with a Chinese director still to be announced.

The film will tell the story of one extraordinary day in the life of our amazing planet, celebrating the billions of real life dramas that occur in the natural world every single day. Slated for theatrical release in 2017, the film will launch a decade after the release of Earth and will use the latest innovations in film technology to bring audiences an unforgettable cinematic experience. SMG Pictures will distribute Earth: One Amazing Day on the Chinese mainland.

In addition, it was announced that Sherlock is expected to be shown in cinemas across China. Pending regulatory approval, the new BBC One Sherlock special will be released in theatres as part of a global cinema event.

Since first launching in China in 2010, the series has developed a major following, with over 98 million views of the last season alone.

Tim Davie, Chief Executive of BBC Worldwide, said, “Today’s announcements herald an exciting new collaboration between the Chinese and British creative industries.

There is a keen appetite in China for premium British content and creating two new cinematic experiences in partnership with SMG Pictures is a landmark moment for two of our biggest brands, Sherlock and BBC Earth.”

Madame Wang, Director-General and President of SMG said, “I am delighted that SMG Pictures will be the co-producer of the first feature film to be produced under the landmark U.K. and China film co-production treaty.

This milestone event will act as a bridge between Sino-U.K. cultural exchanges and set up a new model for Sino-U.K. collaboration.”

Please read more here.

CBI Summary of President Xi UK Visit Oct 2015

Dear CBI members and partners,

Please find below an executive summary of President Xi Jinping's recent state visit to the UK.

A detailed and comprehensive report can be downloaded at the bottom of this article.

Headlines:

From 20-23 October, President Xi Jinping made his state visit to the UK—the first by a Chinese president in a decade—where he was welcomed with a remarkable display of pomp, pageantry, and fanfare from the British government and Royal Family.

●Huge Chinese delegation accompanies President Xi: President Xi was accompanied by 150 Chinese business leaders, and almost 1,000 people are estimated to have travelled from China to the UK to participate in the state visit.

●Grand culmination of a very special year for UK-China relations:

Widely touted by both sides to usher in a ‘golden era’ for the bilateral relationship, the state visit marked the grand culmination of what has been a very special year for the UK-China relationship.

Key milestones in the build-up to the visit including the first ever UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange, the Duke of Cambridge’s historic outing to China in March, the UK becoming the first Western European country to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s visit to China as well as the UK-China People-to-People Dialogue last month.

●Three primary themes underpinning state visit:

The state visit was underpinned by three primary themes—signalling the openness of the UK economy to Chinese business, working together on pressing global issues, and looking to each other as ‘economies of the future’ with the growing complementarity of the UK and Chinese economies.

●Nearly £40 billion worth of agreements: 

Almost £40 billion worth of commercial deals were agreed upon, spanning a wide range of sectors, such as energy, retail, financial services, aerospace, healthcare, transport, education, the creative industries, and more.

Several examples of key announcements included:

1. BP’s multi-billion dollar LNG deal with Huadian

2. Manchester Airport’s plans to host the first direct scheduled flights to mainland China outside of London.

3. Rolls-Royce’s US$2.4 billion agreement to power HNA Group’s new aircraft.

4. EDF and China General Nuclear Power Corporation’s commitment to the construction and operation of the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.

5. Aston Martin and China Equity’s agreement to explore the development of a production version of Aston Martin’s fully electric RapidE concept.

●Widening the scope of bilateral relations:

The visit showcased the extent to which the UK is striving to build a very broad relationship with China—stretching beyond mere trade and investment—and lay the foundation for robust ties across the government, society, and business communities.

Download CBI China, President Xi Jinping's UK state visit, October 2015

British Film Institute (BFI) announces launch of programme for 59th BFI London Film Festival

 

CBI member The British Film Institute (BFI) announced the launch of the programme for the 59^th BFI London Film Festival, which will be held on 07-18 October 2015. BFI London Film Festival is Britain’s leading film event and one of the world’s oldest film festivals.

As one of the key China-related events, internationally-acclaimed Chinese director Jia Zhangke and the Academy and BAFTA award-winning Walter Salles will partner in a Screen Talk dedicated to discussing Salles’ documentary JIA ZHANGKE: A GUY FROM FENYANG and their respective approaches to filmmaking.

Both established filmmakers, the documentary is a tribute from one artist to the other as well as a revealing look at Jia’s life and work, offering audiences a rare insight into the creative mind. The Screen Talk will be held on Thursday, 08 October. Please read more here.

UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange luanched in London

 

The China Season of the first ever UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange was launched in London. The UK Season in China took place from January to June and was officially launched by the Duke of Cambridge during his visit to China in March.

In July, the National Theatre of China brought the Chinese version of Richard III to London, which marked the first important performance of the China Season.

The upcoming events that were announced during the launch included performances from pianists Lang Lang and Wang Yujia, the Tao Dance Theatre, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Band, and Zhejiang Changxing Lotus Dragon Art Group. Yabin Dance Studio and China National Peking Opera will also bring their shows to the U.K. in September and November.

In addition, it was announced that the Shenzhen-Edinburgh International Creative Industry Incubation Centre will be launched in August to promote cultural innovation and exchange between China and the U.K.

The London Fashion Week and London Design Festival will also feature Chinese elements in September.

Furthermore, the Chinese cultural trade institute and universities from both countries will hold the Creative Industry and Cultural Trade Forum of China and the U.K. between September and October.

Please read more here and here.

 

HRH Prince William China Visit - A CBI Review & Highlights

 

 

Kicking off the landmark Year of the Sheep for Sino-British relations, Prince William launched the first ever UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange, opened the GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai, and showcased the very “best of British” in sport, conservation, education, the creative industries, and much more.  

A full summary can be found and downloaded at the bottom of the article - thank you.

Highlights included:

• Prince William’s presentation of an official invitation, on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, to President Xi Jinping to make a state visit to the UK later this year

 

• Prince William’s visit to a Shanghai secondary school’s football training session, where he saw Premier Skills, the Premier League’s international development initiative, in action

 

• Royal Mail Group’s launch of its shop front on Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s online retailing site

 

• Ratification of a landmark UK-China film co-production treaty, negotiated for the UK by the BFI, with support from the UK government as well

 

• Chinese premiere of Paddington at the Shanghai Film Museum as well as the presentation of the earliest film on record of Shanghai, taken from the BFI National Archive, to Chinese film leaders

 

• BAFTA’s announcement of a new UK-China scholarship programme, which will offer options for financial aid to Chinese and British nationals looking to study film, television, or games as an international student in the UK or China

 

• De Montfort University’s role as the sole education sponsor for the GREAT Festival, where it exhibited work from a number of its subject areas

 

• Neil Carberry’s representation of the CBI on an education panel at the GREAT Festival and his later visit to the University of Nottingham’s campus in Ningbo, the first Sino-foreign university to have opened in China  

 

• The British Council’s inaugural Education UK Alumni Awards in China, which honoured the achievements of Chinese alumni who had received their degrees in the UK

 

• Prince William’s visit to an elephant sanctuary in Southwest China, where he called for greater international efforts on wildlife conservation

 

Download CBI China, The Duke of Cambridge visits China on historic tour, March 2015

 

Duke of Cambridge presents earliest film of Shanghai on record to China

 

CBI member The British Film Institute (BFI) announced that HRH The Duke of Cambridge presented one of the first films of China to survive anywhere in the world, Nankin Road, Shanghai (1901) from the BFI National Archive, to Mr. Ren Zhonglun, Chairman and President of Shanghai Film Group, with Mr. Miao Xiaotian, President of the China Film Corporation, on behalf of China.

The film can was handed to Mr. Ren and Mr. Miao at the Shanghai premiere of British film Paddington (2014) during the GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai. The BFI’s Head Curator Robin Baker presented Nankin Road, Shanghai—a portrait of what is still Shanghai’s busiest shopping street and now known as Nanjing Road—and other rarely seen early films of China from the BFI National Archive during the festival.

The presentations were part of a journey of cultural and industrial exchange between the BFI and China, including hugely successful presentations across China in 2013 of the BFI’s restorations of Alfred Hitchcock’s early silent films and a year-long programme of activity with China in 2014: Electric Shadows.

Amanda Nevill, BFI CEO, said, “We thank HRH The Duke of Cambridge for presenting this gift to China. This rare, carefully restored archive film from the BFI National Archive shines a light on a moment in China’s history—captured on film. It is expecially symbolic to present this to Chinese audiences as the U.K.’s cultural handshake with China and affirms our commitment to a long-term relationship of collaboration between our nations, forging industrial links and deepening cultural understanding."

 Please read more here.

British Airways unveils special livery for Shanghai GREAT Festival of Creativity

 

CBI member British Airways marked the start of the GREAT Festival of Creativity with style and artistic flair by flying the festival delegation into Shanghai in a GREAT branded aircraft with livery specially-designed by celebrated Chinese fashion designer Masha Ma.

British supermodel Georgia May Jagger was on hand to launch the new GREAT design, dressed in Masha Ma’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection, which has been shown at Paris Fashion Week. The design by Ms. Ma on the Boeing 777-200 aircraft depicts a bamboo and a rose in an east-meets-west fusion of symbols and artistic styles.

British Airways’ engineering team used specialist techniques to paint the aircraft with Ms. Ma’s design, which combines a western impressionistic style with Chinese ink-and-wash painting techniques. The design, which took 2,472 man hours and 186 individual stencils to apply, will fly around the world on British Airways’ global network for years to come.

Ms. Ma said, “Bamboo and roses have significant cultural connotations in China and Britain, respectively, and are each cherished symbols. In Chinese culture, bamboo represents modesty, integrity, and vitality. For Britain, the rose symbolises love, nobility, and dignity.

As Sino-British ties continue to bloom and flourish, I felt that the meeting of bamboo with a rose would be the perfect way to celebrate the growing friendship and collaboration between the two countries.

Richard Tams, British Airways’ Executive Vice President in China, said, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Masha on such an iconic project. Her inspiring design delivers a strong message: that of a growing and flourishing relationship between the cultures of Britain and China.

We hope it will inspire individuals and businesses in both countries to forge closer ties.” British Airways, a pioneer of progress and cutting-edge innovation in air travel, staged a series of events at the festival in Shanghai, celebrating Britain as a hub for global business.

At the festival, British Airways collaborated with VisitBritain to showcase the best of British hospitality as they welcomed visitors to a unique garden party, inspired by the royal tradition. A quintessential British afternoon tea was served by British Airways cabin crew, and there was a showcase of the airline’s royal heritage memorabilia.

Attendees also had the opportunity to take the controls of an aircraft in an interactive flight simulator experience and explore iconic British destinations as never before. In addition, British Airways and VisitBritain hosted a masterclass on creativity and culture in modern Britain.

Television star, Chen LuYu was the host for this inspiring session, as leading professionals from the world of fashion, design, and food shared their personal experiences of working, studying, and building their business in Britain.

De Montfort University acting as education partner for GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai

 

DMU also recently announced that plans are under way to bring the Great Hall of Leicester Castle back into use as part of a multi-million pound proposal that forms part of DMU’s long-standing partnership with one of Hong Kong’s largest multinational companies.

Following generous investment from Dr. Jonathan Choi, the Chairman of the Hong Kong-based Sunwah Group and Sunwah Foundation, DMU said that it would like to take a lease out on the ancient building, parts of which date back to the 11^th century, and restore it for use as the Dr. Jonathan KS Choi Business School, which would bring world-renowned academics and international students to the city.

Dr. Choi has enjoyed a long-standing and fruitful relationship with DMU via the Sunwah International Business School, based at Liaoning University in mainland China, where visiting DMU academic staff have, since 2004, been preparing students for study in Leicester, resulting in more than 1,000 alumni working in China today with strong links to DMU and the city.

Last year, Dr. Choi announced that the Sunwah Foundation would donate a substantial sum of money to create the Jonathan KS Choi Creative and Cultural Centre within DMU’s £136 million campus redevelopment.

He is now keen to support the university, and Leicester, still further, by helping to build on DMU’s excellent reputation in the field of business and management and develop a world-leading business school with global academic links.

Please read more here.

CBI Partners Monthly Round Up: Feb 2015

Dear CBI members and partners,

Please find a summary of partner activities in China for Feb 2015. A full summary can be downloaded below. Thank you.

• 2015 U.K.-China Year of Cultural Exchange
• Applications open for 2015 Youth Mobility Scheme Certificates of Sponsorship
• British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks at Chinese New Year 2015 reception
• British Wildlife Photography Awards exhibition opens in Beijing
• Cathay Pacific China Business Awards 2015 open for entries
• CBI hosts second annual Chinese New Year Dinner in London
• E.U. and China celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations
• First ‘Entrepreneurship is GREAT’ U.K.-China Forum
• U.K. further expands 3-5 day priority visa service in China
• Wuliangye signs landmark sponsorship deal with Philharmonica Orchestra

Download CBI China, Monthly Roundup, February 2015

 

British Airways to demonstrate British heritage, innovation, and design at GREAT Festival

 

CBI member British Airways will be demonstrating the best of British heritage, innovation, and design at the upcoming GREAT Festival of Creativity, attended by The Duke of Cambridge, HRH Prince William, the first visit to mainland China by a member of the British royal family in almost three decades.

The Festival will be held from 02-04 March at the Long Museum in Shanghai.

British Airways, a pioneer of progress and cutting-edge innovation in air travel, will stage a series of events at the festival, celebrating Britain as a hub for global business.

British Airways will fly a Boeing 777-200 in livery designed for the GREAT Festival of Creativity by celebrated Chinese fashion designer Masha Ma.

The aircraft will fly a number of members of the Festival’s delegation from London to arrive in Shanghai on 02 March, the inaugural day of the Festival.

At the Festival, British Airways will collaborate with VisitBritain to showcase the best of British hospitality as they welcome visitors to a unique garden party, inspired by the royal tradition.

A quintessential British afternoon tea will be served by British Airways cabin crew, and there will be a showcase of the airline’s royal heritage memorabilia.

Attendees will have the opportunity to take the controls of an aircraft in an interactive flight simulator experience and explore iconic British destinations as never before.

British Airways and VisitBritain will also host a masterclass with British and Chinese industry leaders on creativity and culture in modern Britain.

Television star Chen Luyu will be the host for this inspiring session as leading professionals from the world of fashion, design, and food share their personal experiences of working, studying, and building their business in Britain.

The speakers will include Keith Williams, Executive Chairman of British Airways, Sally Balcombe, CEO of VisitBritain, leading restaurateur Tom Parker-Bowles, and Saville Row tailor Patrick Grant.