Lighting up the dark nights for Lantern Festival
Illuminated installation works themed around the Year of the Ox have been set up in Xinzhuang Town for the annual Lantern Festival which caps the Lunar New Year holiday. This year, the Xinzhuang Lantern Fair has been expanded from Xincheng Central Park to nine venues, including shopping malls and the Minhang Mass Art Museum. The fair ends on February 27. — Ti Gong
Volunteers in Minhang visited the homes of the elderly who live alone to help clean their kitchens and check on the safety of electrical appliances. Fire extinguishers and smart wristbands have also been distributed to the seniors.
Minhang resident Chen Wuzhang, his sister Chen Ling and cousin Huang Zhiwei donate their blood routinely in Qibao. Together, they have donated 12,900ml of Rh-negative blood, a rare type usually in short supply.
Silk Relics
The exhibition features 139 silk fabrics and products from the Jiangnan region of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (16441911) dynasties and areas along the Silk Road. Foreign relics in the exhibit come from countries such as Turkey, France, Italy and Iran, and include the faucet of a jacquard loom, developed in Europe during the industrial revolution that made silk-weaving significantly more efficient.
Dates: Through March 21 (closed on Mondays), 9am-5pm Venue: 1/F, Shanghai History Museum
Address: 325 Nanjing Rd W. ళဇୟ436ࡽ
‘Player of Beings’
From Toys R Us, Famicom, Arcade game to online game and today’s eSports, the exhibition traces the history of human’s gaming experience for more than 70 years, and brings back the precious memories of game life to generations. It’s an absolute offline carnival for all game lovers and a joyous healing experience of the year. Dates: Through March 28 (closed on Mondays), 10am-6pm Venue: Ming Contemporary Art Museum
Address: 436 Yonghe Rd E.ᆦࢅ۫ୟ547ࡽ
‘Ode to Great Beauty’
In collaboration with the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute, the exhibition uses modern 3D scanning and printing technology to faithfully reproduce statuary and other relics from the caves. Cave
12, also known as the Music Cave, was carved in the 5th century, with rich images of heavenly figures and musical instruments from home and abroad. Meanwhile, 20 artworks by 10 modern artists inspired by the Yungang Grottoes are also displayed in the exhibition.
Date: Through March 28 (closed on Mondays), 10am-6pm
Venue: Powerlong Museum Address: 3055 Caobao Rd ᠒Ԑୟ4166ࡽ
Bian started working at the Qibao Police Station in 2015, assigned to fight fraud and economic crimes. Fraud on mobile phone and online platforms has become his specialty.
“We started to deal with such crime in 2017,” Bian said. “As the Internet developed rapidly, so did the number and variety of those crimes. These criminals usually take advantage of human weak spots, like emotions.”
In 2019, Bian and his colleagues investigated the report of a person spending 5,000 yuan (US$770) on the Weibo social platform to buy concert tickets, only to find the seller disappeared after receiving the money.
The team discovered there were four in the fraud group, all from the southern island province of Hainan. The scamsters were later rounded up there after they made a small mistake.
Because fugitives aren’t allowed on planes, the police had to bring them back to Shanghai by rail and ship.
“Caution and patience are most needed in our anti-fraud work,” Bian said.
It’s a dual-edged job. On one hand, police try to nab criminals; on the other, they try to prevent people from falling for scams. They alert the public to beware of people posing as law enforcement officials or to avoid online links that ask for personal and bank account information.
“Many who end up losing a lot of money started with an online relationship that eventually brainwashed them to the point that they ignored the cautions of family or friends,” Bian said.
He added that too many victims are people who think they can strike it rich quickly or who believe money will fall from the heavens. And Spring Festival is a prime time when frauds preying on those beliefs are most likely to proliferate.