Word: china
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Dates: during 2010-2019
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...Warlords” begins with a violent battle in which General Pang is the only survivor. In shock, he wanders around China and is restored to health by the lovely Lian Sheng (Xu Jinglei), after which he meets Er Hu and Wu Yang, two skilled leaders of a ragtag army that pillages and steals to survive. Impressed by each other’s fighting skills and ideals, the three men make a pact to become blood-brothers—it seems like the start of a beautiful friendship...
...acting and battle choreography are not the only strong elements in the film. The costumes, sets, and cinematography perfectly capture the desperate conditions of wartime, the exhaustion and pain of the characters, and the aesthetic of mid-nineteenth century China. The film’s script is equally strong; despite the heaviness of the plot and the moral decisions the characters must make, there is still warmth, humor, and wit in their lines...
...coincidence that the Dai, an ethnic minority concentrated in southwestern China's Yunnan province, ring in their New Year in mid-April by sprinkling each other with cold water. April is the driest month for subtropical regions like Yunnan, which depend on the coming of seasonal rains for their fertility. Historically, water-splashing has been a symbolic way of beseeching the divine to bring an end to scarcity and hasten a period of abundance. Never have the people of South China needed that abundance more than now, during the worst drought the area has seen in nearly a century...
...From Yunnan eastward through Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi, parts of the country have not had rain since October and approximately 24 million residents are short of water. In March, Wen Jiabao, China's Premier, toured Yunnan for three days, pledging governmental aid and advocating water-conservation efforts. Chances are that the arrival of summer showers will give the land respite in the next month. But until then, Vice Minister of Water Resources, Liu Ning, confirmed less than two weeks ago, about 30,000 sq. mi. (78,000 sq km) of soil are too dry to bear crops, which has resulted...
...spell has also sparked controversy within China with regard to whether or not the Dai people should hold Songkran, the New Year's festival celebrated in parts of East and Southeast Asia, in which lively water-splashing is a prominent feature. Duan Jinhua, head of the information office in Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, announced that the fete would not be canceled, but that the sprinkling spree would be cut down from five hours to two. The government of the Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture, on the other hand, has decided to cancel official festivities and leave citizens...