Art and culture is lived and breathed in every corner of Canada. Due to a racial and immigrant population, the variety and richness of art and sports is very evident.

Since World War II, Canada has produced an impressive amount of writing. From novels to poetry, the selection is wide. Native writers are also becoming better known across Canada in recent years.

Musicians are reaching a higher level of recognition in the world music scene. Everything from country to pop, classical to heavy rock can be found across Canada and across the globe performed by Canadian artists.

The National Film Board, a film crew in Canada, is the most famous producer of movies in Canada. However, many Hollywood studios are turning to Canada as an alternative (供替代的选择) to the more expensive US. Many well-known actors, directors, screen writers and movies come from Canada and often scoop awards for their work.

French art was the first to appear in Canada along the St. Lawrence in and around Quebec. Since then the volume of art and artists has increased. Canadian photography as well as painting by Canadians is not well-known outside of Canada but recognition is increasing.

Sport is a major part of today’s society in Canada. Hockey is the most popular sport with more participants taking part in curling (冰壶). American-style football and baseball are also very popular and all of these sports are played across Canada.

Spain’s three-month-long lockdown order issued to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 was finally lifted. To celebrate the joyous occasion, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona—one of Europe’s most famous opera houses—staged its first live performance since March. While every seat was occupied, there was not a human to be found. Instead, the sold-out audience comprised 2292 potted plants carefully selected from local nurseries.

Featuring the UceLi Quartet (四重奏), the performance, made available to human listeners via live-stream, was a prelude (序曲) to the opera house’s upcoming season. In a nod to its leafy audience, the string quartet played a moving performance of Giacomo Puccini’s Crisantem. Inspired by the beautiful yellow flowers, it is among a handful of instrumental works—and one of only four compositions for string quartet—penned by the famous Italian opera composer. Written in a single night, the musical arrangement was intended for King Amadeo of Spain—a close friend of Puccini’s—who died in 1890.

Unfortunately for the musicians, the audience was unable to give the amazing 8-minute-long performance the standing applause it deserved. However, its thunderous “applause”—the sound of leaves and branches blowing—could be heard across the opera house.

Eugenio Ampudia came up with the brilliant idea of the unusual audience when he was inspired by nature during the lockdown. The Spanish artist says, “I heard many more birds singing and the plants in my garden growing faster. Without doubt, I thought maybe I could relate in a closer way with people and nature.”

Following the concert, the “guests” were gifted to 2292 healthcare workers at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona. The opera house officials said they wanted to show their appreciation for the brave men and women who have served “on the toughest front in a battle unexampled for our generations”.

Reports have surfaced from many Chinese media outlets that Wong Kar-wai has scripted a sequel to his beloved 1994 romance Chungking Express. Titled Chungking Express 2020 and set in Chongqing in 2036, the China Film Administration approved the script back in April, which means it can move ahead. Here’s a brief synopsis:

In 1990s Hong Kong, the lovelorn Policeman No. 223 encounters a blonde female assassin. They only spend a short time together overnight. The Policeman No. 663, getting over a failed relationship, has his life gradually changed by a “dreamer” who broke into his apartment. In Chongqing in 2036, young Xiaoqian and May are unwilling to be matched with their genetically-assigned partner, and are determined to find their own “destiny.”

While Wong Kar-wai has already technically expanded the story of Chungking Express with Fallen Angels––which was the planned third story of Chungking but ended up spinning off into its own feature––he’s clearly taking a different route than a direct follow-up. From that brief synopsis, it sounds like it’ll be a loose sequel, rather finding thematic connections similar to those that bond Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love, and 2046. He’s currently only on board as the screenwriter, so if a different director hops on, perhaps it could get made sometime in the near future. If the meticulous Wong Kar-wai wants to make it himself, then we’ll patiently wait to see if it ever comes to fruition, since the quest for perfection consumes time and patience. Just don’t expect cinematographer Christopher Doyle to return.

“To me Chungking Express and Fallen Angels are one film that should be three hours long,” Wong Kar-wai said in 1998. “I always think these two films should be seen together as a double bill. In fact, people asked me during an interview for Chungking Express: “You’ve made these two stories which have no relationship at all to each other, how can you connect them?” And I said, “The main characters of Chungking Express are not Fay Wang or Takashi Kaneshiro, but the city itself, the night and day of Hong Kong. Chungking Express and Fallen Angels together are the bright and dark of Hong Kong.” I see the films as inter-reversible, the character of Fay Wang could be the character of Takashi in Fallen Angels; Brigitte Lin in Chungking Express could be Leon Lai in Fallen Angels. All of their characters are inter-reversible. Also, in Chungking Express we were shooting from a very long distance with long lenses, but the characters seem close to us.”