Small Talk With ...A Hip-Hop Granny

61-year-old granny Yang Liu is making international headlines with her new hobby, hip-hop. Dancing hip-hop to be exact. This granny isn't ready to retire to the Tai Chi parks yet.

What made you think of organizing a hip-hop dancing troupe? Six months ago I read an article about a hip-hop dance troupe in Beijing. I became interested in hip-hop and decided to challenge myself by dancing. So, why hip-hop rather than Tai Chi? Hip-hop is said to be a dance that belongs to the youth, but I don't believe that. I love dancing to fast music and want to prove that I can dance as well as anyone else. How did you convince people to dance with you? I mentioned on my blog that I was interested in learning hip-hop and asked, "Who wants to dance with me?" Surprisingly, I got a lot of replies. What was your first performance like? It was at the oldkids annual party, with an audience of about 500 people. Although we prepared for about two months, we weren't trained by professionals and people said it was like watching exercises to radio music. From then on I made up my mind to dance better and have better training. So, what's your best dance move? I love "locking and popping," which is difficult for people of my age, but the move is fast and full of passion. With the group, we usually just do simple "body-building hip-hop" though. What's your troupe preparing for now? We're preparing for a hip-hop competition for older people in May or June.

Everyone Is Talking About ...Say No to "Shanghai"

China's Film Bureau has denied Hollywood filming permits for a film set in 1940s Shanghai

Riding the wave of controversy following the release of Lust, Caution, director Mikael Hafstrom's film entitled Shanghai has been denied a permit by the China Film Bureau. The film, starring John Cusack, Gong Li, Ken Watanabe and possibly Chow Yun Fat, recounts the story of an American man who ventures to Japanese-occupied Shanghai in 1941 to investigate the death of a close friend. Comments within China's film industry about stricter control of erotic, violent and sensitive content suggests their concerns relate to the plot's inclusion of drugs, sex and war with the Japanese.

Though most controversy of late has surrounded sexual content in film, the likely lynch pin is the film's relation to the Japanese war. Director Ang Lee reportedly had to adjust dialogue in Lust, Caution to get a filming permit and other films set during this era, such as Memoirs of a Geisha-starring Chinese actresses as Japanese geishas-were blacklisted altogether. Still, one has to wonder if the whole issue is a futile endeavor.

End point for the China Film Bureau? The film is likely to be made with or without the script being sanctioned. Hafstrom can relocate to Hong Kong, losing only a month of production time, and whether it's filmed in Shanghai or Hong Kong will make little difference to international audiences, most of whom have never traveled to Chinese shores. So it seems a lose / lose situation for the film industry. They'll lose the income that the production would bring to Shanghai and will also have to embargo the unedited version of the film once it's released to the rampant pirated DVD world. Then again, the overall economic impact may be balanced out by the heightened appeal of illicit DVDs on the Shanghai market.

News You Can Use

Hide Franklin, Quick!
If you're a fan of reptiles, this may be of interest. The Shanghai Wild Animal Protection Bureau says that pet owners should "ask for permission" from the Forestry Bureau before raising wild animals (read: reptiles). Most reptiles, including turtles, are protected species and are imported illegally from abroad which makes raising and trading them illegal as well.

SMSing for Free Stuff
The other day we sent an SMS to Guanxi looking for the address for the nearest Blue Frog. A mobile discount popped up and we decided to try it out. We showed up in the afternoon, between 2 and 5pm, and got a free appetizer (you can choose dessert if you prefer) with our meal (we only had to spend 100). We though it was a pretty good return on an SMS.

Variety in the Vino
Can't decide where to head tonight? The new Enoteca has entered its soft opening phase over on Taicang Lu. Meanwhile, Otto's new wine bar is set to open in the spring on Huangpi Bei Lu and Nanjing Xi Lu while the original underwent a bit of a facelift recently. Definitely worth checking out.

Beijing Airport Opening
The much anticipated Capital Airport expansion becomes a reality on Feb. 29 as the first commercial flights touch down. For Shanghailanders, the more crucial date is March 26 when Air China and Shanghai Airlines (among many others) shift over. First class passengers will revel in the massive new Air China lounge available to all business class and above Star Alliance passengers.

Culture on the Cheap
Now you have no excuse not to see Shanghai's cultural highlights. As of Spring Festival, most national and provincial-level museums have gone gratis. Just no running in the halls please.