Step into the magical wonderland of Hans Christian Andersen
Andersen fairy tale exhibition
The Daning Jiuguang Center has brought the world of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales to life. “Beyond HC Andersen: The Art of Fairytales” on the third floor has an 800-square-meter exhibition space.
It includes 38 original paintings, manuscripts, letters and papercuts by Andersen, as well as digital exhibits of the Danish author. More than 40 books, drawings, stamps and other memorabilia about his fairy tales are displayed.
Scenarios from his fairy tales have been created using cutting-edge technology, and activities like book readings and illustrations are held on a regular basis.
The exhibition will run until October 10. Tickets cost 48 yuan (US$6.7) for children and 78 yuan for an adult.
Running event
On July 1, office workers from the Daning area ran in an event to mark the 102nd birthday of the Communist Party of China.
The runners come from more than 20 well-known organizations, including the Daning Group, Bank of Nanjing, Bank of Shanghai and China Construction Bank.
They completed the 5-kilometer race in Daning Park, passing through landmarks like the music fountain, the white sand beach and the cherry avenue.
Projects under construction
Four significant projects totaling 23.2 billion yuan (US$3.2 billion) have begun in Jing’an District.
The Jing’an Workers’ Cultural Palace in the Baoshan Road Subdistrict is the highlight. It will incorporate art, culture, fitness, education and other lifestyle services over a 4,939-square-meter area on seven floors.
The other three projects will involve the construction of modern offices, high-end residences and commercial buildings.
Dancing competition
The Shanghai Open Championships, an International Standard competition for amateur dancers, was held in the Westgate Mall, attracting over 100 dancers from local schools and dancing clubs.
Ballroom dances like waltz, Viennese waltz, tango, slow foxtrot and quickstep are included in International Standard, as are Latin dances such as rumba, samba, cha-cha, paso doble and jive. This year’s competition includes traditional Chinese dancing and street dancing for the first time.
Young climbers team
A 25-member climbing team of teenagers has been formed to popularize the sport among youngsters in the district. Considered a specialist activity, climbing was approved for the Tokyo Olympics.
Yueju Opera
A Yueju Opera event was held at the Jing’an Culture Center to popularize the traditional Chinese art form.
A mini-exhibition paid tribute to renowned Yueju master Qi Yaxian (1928–2003). Her outfit, as well as related ticket stubs, paperwork and literature, were on display.
It also involved Yueju performances and a salon discussion about Yueju’s history and development.
Yueju, which originated in the late 19th century in Zhejiang Province as a form of public entertainment among farmers, became popular in Shanghai, and evolved into today’s classical art form.
It is known as one of the five major Chinese operas and the second largest type nationally, following Peking Opera.
Summer class
Around 100 children from a summer class at Linfen Road Subdistrict attended a special program at the Jing’an Youngster Activity Center on July 13 to explore traditional Chinese art and culture.
They learned how to make dough sculptures, bamboo fragrance sachets and Chinese Zodiac paper-cuttings from professional craftsmen.
STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and housekeeping skills were also taught to the class.
