Compiled by Wendy Wang

Jackie Chan wants to save the Red Trousers

The “Red Trousers” are a group of skilled martial arts and acrobatic geniuses stemming from the old Beijing Opera school. Jackie Chan recently announced that he hopes to save this dying art by opening a martial arts school in Hong Kong, where interested young pupils will learn martial arts and acrobatics. Most importantly, they will be taught how to become excellent stuntmen, like Chan himself.

Action hero Chow Yun-fat takes the screen again

Famed director, John Woo, recently announced that he is making a new film called “Men of Destiny,” which stars Nicolas Cage and Chow Yun-fat. The film has a simplistic plot, which basically revolves around Chinese and Irish railway workers in the United States during the 19th century. Themes will center on friendship, racial and cultural clashes, and individual dreams.

According to Woo, “Men of Destiny” will be a dramatic steer away from his established style of action packed films like “Face Off” and “Mission Impossible II.” The film will open in theatres this summer.

Tibetan Freedom Concert rocks Taiwan

This year’s Tibetan Freedom Concert takes Taiwan by storm, with the Beastie Boys, founders of the music festival headlining. Other performers include pop singer Bobby Chen with the New Treasure Island Band, Tizzy Bac, LMF, and Tibetan musician Nawang Kherchog, who was recently recognized with a Grammy nomination.

The Tibetan Freedom Concert was initially established to draw international attention and support of Tibet’s strenuous efforts in seeking liberation from Chinese control.

For the past seven years, the Tibetan Freedom Concert has been held in various locations from around the world, such as San Francisco, Tokyo, Sydney, New York, and other major cities. Many respected groups from different musical genres have performed at the Tibetan Freedom Concert, including Bjork, Sonic Youth, Beck, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Rage Against the Machine.

China considers a movie rating system

For the first time in years, the Chinese government has seriously considered the issue of establishing a film rating system. According to this system, movies will be classified based on standards for suitability that range from those tailored to general audiences to those deemed inappropriate for young audiences.

Renowned director, Zhang Yimou, and various showbiz corporations advocate this system, as it will give more filmmakers artistic flexibility in their cinematic pursuits and help the Chinese film industry in broader respects.

East West Players

On April 28, 2003, actress Nancy Kwan, playwright Cherylene Lee, committed volunteer Ken Takemoto, and the James Irvine Foundation will be honored at the East West Players 37th Anniversary awards ceremony. This ceremony honors Asian Americans who have made a difference in the Asian Pacific Islander community.