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This is NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. Here is the news.
A village in East China's Fujian Province has boosted rice production by playing soothing Buddhist music in their fields.
Residents of Liangshan village claimed that output has grown by 15 percent since they began playing mantras and other chants on 500 lotus flower-shaped loudspeakers installed in the rice paddies.
Local agriculture authorities said the almost 30 hectare area with music played also yielded overall larger grains, while paddies without music suffered from pests.
While net users suggested the move was a public stunt, the village may not only have Buddha's blessing, but also have science on their side.
Experts from China Agricultural University pointed out that certain sound waves, such as those found in the rhythmic chanting of mantras, can stimulate the pores on a plant's leaves to help better absorb sunlight.
However, a local agricultural official said that only "positive music" helps growth, while rock music would probably harm it.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
International film makers say that China deserves better international film festivals given its film industry's huge development in recent years in terms of technology and market.
Director of the 71st Venice International Film Festival Alberto Barbera says that as far as technology is concerned, Chinese film industry is "the same quality as the American ones as there are many joint ventures between Hollywood studios and Chinese film production companies; and they share the same technology and studios".
The director says the only thing that needs to be improved for the Chinese cinema is the fact that they now mostly producing films that are devoted to local market. He hopes China will make films for the international audience and contribute more in uplifting its international influence.
He suggests that China will always focus on the quality of films on the first hand, since that is crucial for holding good film festivals, while noting that the concern on market is also a must.
About the prospect of the Venice International Film Festival, the director says the festival will keep its own style, giving priority to the quality of films instead of market.
The 71st Venice International Film Festival has been held from August 27th to September 6th this year.
You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing.
A Chinese director says that for Chinese filmmakers, it remains a big challenge to make successful art-house films in a market saturated with commercial works. And that is why Chinese art-house films are often appreciated internationally only.
Chinese filmmaker Wang Xiaoshuai came to Toronto International Film Festival for his film "Red Amnesia".
Wang says "the thing in China is when you make a film, you'd better not say it's an art-house film; and if you do, it will die".
Wang says another disadvantage is that there are only limited screen days for art-house films in China as commercial works always dominate theaters.
Despite the obstacles, Wang says he will continue to do what satisfies him artistically, and make more Chinese audience in favor of these types of films.
The success of his art-house film brings him hope. His noir thriller opened in China on March 19th with unexpected box office success, earning almost 13 million U.S. dollars in its first two weeks of screening.
Wang says this has proved that there are people who want to see art-house films, but it needs time and space to link the audience, directors and producers together.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
U.S researchers found that consumption of two or more servings of fish per week may reduce the risk of hearing loss in women.
Acquired hearing loss is a highly prevalent and often disabling chronic health condition. Although a decline in hearing is often considered an inevitable aspect of aging, the identification of several potentially modifiable risk factors has provided new insight into possibilities for prevention or delay of acquired hearing loss.
The study examined the associations between consumption of total and specific types of fish and self-reported hearing loss in women.
The study followed 65,000 women for ten years and found 12,000 cases of incident hearing loss reported.
When compared with women who rarely ate fish, women who had two or more servings of fish per week had a 20 percent lower risk of hearing loss.
The study also shows that consumption of any type of fish, such as tuna, dark fish, light fish, or shellfish, tended to be associated with lower risk.
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