Latest news with #ZhangGang
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Warner Bros. Pictures Unveils Release Date For Chinese Co-Production ‘Tom And Jerry: Forbidden Compass'
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros. Pictures will release Chinese co-produced animated feature Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass on August 9 in China. The film is set to make its world premiere at the ongoing Shanghai International Film Festival. More from Deadline 'Legend of Mecha Scholars' Gets Global Distribution In Ad Astra, DRock Cultural Exchange Initiative Bruce Lee & Jackie Chan Films Among Kung Fu Classics Set For AI Restorations Donald Trump Extends Deadline For TikTok Divestiture Again - Update Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass follows the iconic cat-and-mouse duo as they accidentally travel through time in a museum. Along their journey, they meet a group of intriguing new companions and become involved in a final showdown with mysterious forces. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures in China, Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass will be distributed in the country by Wu Zhou Film Distribution Co. Ltd. Chinese director Zhang Gang helmed the project, after previously co-directing Kuiba 3. Zhang also worked on the animation for No.7 Cherry Lane, which won the Best Screenplay Award in the main competition section at the Venice International Film Festival in 2019. This is not the first time that Warner Bros. has adapted the Tom and Jerry IP into a localized version for an Asian market. In 2023, WBD made its first-ever localized version of Tom and Jerry, set in Singapore. This premiered as a series of shorts on Cartoon Network and HBO Go across various Asian territories, before a global rollout. Another series of Tom and Jerry shorts was also made for Japanese audiences. This year marks the 85th anniversary of Tom and Jerry, after the duo was first created in 1940 as an animated cartoon series by William Hanna and Joseph of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Feud In Court, Online & In The Media 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg
Express Tribune
16-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Getting paid to get married
Moments after registering their marriage, Zhang Gang and Weng Linbin posed in front of a red backdrop adorned with a Chinese government emblem, fanning out the wad of cash they had received as an incentive to wed. Zhang's home city of Luliang in northern Shanxi province is one of many places in China where local authorities are offering a slew of inducements to coax couples into tying the knot. The 1,500-yuan ($205) reward the couple received is part of official efforts to boost the country's population, which fell for the third straight year in 2024, reported AFP. The sum is half a month's average wage for Luliang's urban population - and more than the monthly average wage for its rural citizens, according to official data. "I think this policy is quite effective in improving the current marital and romantic situation," Zhang told AFP. "When I mentioned this policy to my friends, they all thought it was great." More generally, though, authorities are fighting a tide of reluctance from young people. Last year marriages dropped by a fifth compared to 2023, data released Monday showed. When it comes to having children, experts say that higher costs - especially for education and childcare - and the challenging employment market for recent graduates are among factors discouraging would-be parents. When Luliang's cash incentive for marriage was announced online, many commented that the amount wouldn't be enough to justify the commitment. The reward - which has an age cut-off of 35 for women - is just the flashiest part of the package. The former mining city is also offering subsidies and medical insurance contributions for registering newborns. Married couples in Luliang are given 2,000 yuan for their first registered child, 5,000 for their second and 8,000 for their third. Wedding rush? At a Luliang marriage registry office on Wednesday, a festival day, a steady stream of couples were taking advantage of the nuptial bounty, which kicked in on January 1. The sound of an automatic money counter whirred persistently as lovebirds were handed stacks of fresh 100-yuan bills. An official at the registry told AFP that since New Year's Day, their office alone had seen over 400 couples get marriage certificates. At one point the office ran out of cash, said 36-year-old Wang Yanlong, who came to pick up his money this week after getting married in early January. However, this apparent wedding rush might be deceptive. "My colleague who was preparing to get married next year decided, because of this benefit, to do it this year," said 34-year-old newlywed Li Yingxing. Zhang and Weng said they were planning to marry earlier but waited for the bonus, and a registrar in another Luliang district told AFP that many couples had done similarly. Few good men An advertisement for the 1,500-yuan reward sits among testimonies from happy clients in matchmaker Feng Yuping's office in Luliang. Most of her clients are women, but the 48-year-old was pessimistic about the prospects of them finding a husband even with the new incentives. "A man working at a state-owned enterprise might have a bachelor's degree, but he won't even look at a girl with a master's degree in the civil service," Feng said. "There are still a lot of problems with men's attitudes towards marriage." Feng said that often women are better educated, with a good job, but are rejected because of their age. Some are turning off marriage altogether. "Women now have their own stable income," Feng said. "They may be less interested in getting married. And there aren't many good men." The result has been a decline in Luliang's population. "The birth rate has dropped seriously," Feng said, citing examples of kindergartens closing because of lack of demand. Widespread incentives Luliang's predicament is common across China, with the ageing population a major preoccupation of Beijing. The government released a report in October listing incentives similar to those in Luliang. Shangyou county in Jiangxi province has been giving out cash rewards for each family that has a second or third child, the report said. Meanwhile, subsidies that can reach around 165,000 yuan for families with three children in Tianmen, Hubei province were credited by media with reversing a decline in birth rates last year - though the data is still limited. In Luliang, even those who said the new measures might encourage more couples to get hitched thought the perks were secondary to people's decision to marry or not. "The cost of marriage for young people is indeed very high, and it is a factor," said Zhang. "However, I believe that as long as young people are in love, they will inevitably walk down the aisle together."
Khaleej Times
13-02-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Chinese authorities play cash-giving Cupid to boost marriage rates
Moments after registering their marriage, Zhang Gang and Weng Linbin posed in front of a red backdrop adorned with a Chinese government emblem, fanning out the wad of cash they had received as an incentive to wed. Zhang's home city of Luliang in northern Shanxi province is one of many places in China where local authorities are offering a slew of inducements to coax couples into tying the knot. The 1,500-yuan ($205) reward the couple received is part of official efforts to boost the country's population, which fell for the third straight year in 2024. The sum is half a month's average wage for Luliang's urban population -- and more than the monthly average wage for its rural citizens, according to official data. "I think this policy is quite effective in improving the current marital and romantic situation," Zhang told AFP. "When I mentioned this policy to my friends, they all thought it was great." More generally, though, authorities are fighting a tide of reluctance from young people. Last year marriages dropped by a fifth compared to 2023, data released Monday showed. When it comes to having children, experts say that higher costs -- especially for education and childcare -- and the challenging employment market for recent graduates are among factors discouraging would-be parents. When Luliang's cash incentive for marriage was announced online, many commented that the amount wouldn't be enough to justify the commitment. The reward -- which has an age cut-off of 35 for women -- is just the flashiest part of the package. The former mining city is also offering subsidies and medical insurance contributions for registering newborns. Married couples in Luliang are given 2,000 yuan for their first registered child, 5,000 for their second and 8,000 for their third. - Wedding rush? - At a Luliang marriage registry office on Wednesday, a festival day, a steady stream of couples were taking advantage of the nuptial bounty, which kicked in on January 1. The sound of an automatic money counter whirred persistently as lovebirds were handed stacks of fresh 100-yuan bills. An official at the registry told AFP that since New Year's Day, their office alone had seen over 400 couples get marriage certificates. At one point the office ran out of cash, said 36-year-old Wang Yanlong, who came to pick up his money this week after getting married in early January. However, this apparent wedding rush might be deceptive. "My colleague who was preparing to get married next year decided, because of this benefit, to do it this year," said 34-year-old newlywed Li Yingxing. Zhang and Weng said they were planning to marry earlier but waited for the bonus, and a registrar in another Luliang district told AFP that many couples had done similarly. - Few good men - An advertisement for the 1,500-yuan reward sits among testimonies from happy clients in matchmaker Feng Yuping's office in Luliang. Most of her clients are women, but the 48-year-old was pessimistic about the prospects of them finding a husband even with the new incentives. "A man working at a state-owned enterprise might have a bachelor's degree, but he won't even look at a girl with a master's degree in the civil service," Feng said. "There are still a lot of problems with men's attitudes towards marriage." Feng said that often women are better educated, with a good job, but are rejected because of their age. Some are turning off marriage altogether. "Women now have their own stable income," Feng said. "They may be less interested in getting married. And there aren't many good men." The result has been a decline in Luliang's population. "The birth rate has dropped seriously," Feng said, citing examples of kindergartens closing because of lack of demand. - Widespread incentives - Luliang's predicament is common across China, with the ageing population a major preoccupation of Beijing. The government released a report in October listing incentives similar to those in Luliang Shangyou county in Jiangxi province has been giving out cash rewards for each family that has a second or third child, the report said. Meanwhile, subsidies that can reach around 165,000 yuan for families with three children in Tianmen, Hubei province were credited by media with reversing a decline in birth rates last year -- though the data is still limited. In Luliang, even those who said the new measures might encourage more couples to get hitched thought the perks were secondary to people's decision to marry or not. "The cost of marriage for young people is indeed very high, and it is a factor," said Zhang. "However, I believe that as long as young people are in love, they will inevitably walk down the aisle together."
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chinese authorities play cash-giving Cupid to boost marriage rates
Moments after registering their marriage, Zhang Gang and Weng Linbin posed in front of a red backdrop adorned with a Chinese government emblem, fanning out the wad of cash they had received as an incentive to wed. Zhang's home city of Luliang in northern Shanxi province is one of many places in China where local authorities are offering a slew of inducements to coax couples into tying the knot. The 1,500-yuan ($205) reward the couple received is part of official efforts to boost the country's population, which fell for the third straight year in 2024. The sum is half a month's average wage for Luliang's urban population -- and more than the monthly average wage for its rural citizens, according to official data. "I think this policy is quite effective in improving the current marital and romantic situation," Zhang told AFP. "When I mentioned this policy to my friends, they all thought it was great." More generally, though, authorities are fighting a tide of reluctance from young people. Last year marriages dropped by a fifth compared to 2023, data released Monday showed. When it comes to having children, experts say that higher costs -- especially for education and childcare -- and the challenging employment market for recent graduates are among factors discouraging would-be parents. When Luliang's cash incentive for marriage was announced online, many commented that the amount wouldn't be enough to justify the commitment. The reward -- which has an age cut-off of 35 for women -- is just the flashiest part of the package. The former mining city is also offering subsidies and medical insurance contributions for registering newborns. Married couples in Luliang are given 2,000 yuan for their first registered child, 5,000 for their second and 8,000 for their third. - Wedding rush? - At a Luliang marriage registry office on Wednesday, a festival day, a steady stream of couples were taking advantage of the nuptial bounty, which kicked in on January 1. The sound of an automatic money counter whirred persistently as lovebirds were handed stacks of fresh 100-yuan bills. An official at the registry told AFP that since New Year's Day, their office alone had seen over 400 couples get marriage certificates. At one point the office ran out of cash, said 36-year-old Wang Yanlong, who came to pick up his money this week after getting married in early January. However, this apparent wedding rush might be deceptive. "My colleague who was preparing to get married next year decided, because of this benefit, to do it this year," said 34-year-old newlywed Li Yingxing. Zhang and Weng said they were planning to marry earlier but waited for the bonus, and a registrar in another Luliang district told AFP that many couples had done similarly. - Few good men - An advertisement for the 1,500-yuan reward sits among testimonies from happy clients in matchmaker Feng Yuping's office in Luliang. Most of her clients are women, but the 48-year-old was pessimistic about the prospects of them finding a husband even with the new incentives. "A man working at a state-owned enterprise might have a bachelor's degree, but he won't even look at a girl with a master's degree in the civil service," Feng said. "There are still a lot of problems with men's attitudes towards marriage." Feng said that often women are better educated, with a good job, but are rejected because of their age. Some are turning off marriage altogether. "Women now have their own stable income," Feng said. "They may be less interested in getting married. And there aren't many good men." The result has been a decline in Luliang's population. "The birth rate has dropped seriously," Feng said, citing examples of kindergartens closing because of lack of demand. - Widespread incentives - Luliang's predicament is common across China, with the ageing population a major preoccupation of Beijing. The government released a report in October listing incentives similar to those in Luliang Shangyou county in Jiangxi province has been giving out cash rewards for each family that has a second or third child, the report said. Meanwhile, subsidies that can reach around 165,000 yuan for families with three children in Tianmen, Hubei province were credited by media with reversing a decline in birth rates last year -- though the data is still limited. In Luliang, even those who said the new measures might encourage more couples to get hitched thought the perks were secondary to people's decision to marry or not. "The cost of marriage for young people is indeed very high, and it is a factor," said Zhang. "However, I believe that as long as young people are in love, they will inevitably walk down the aisle together." ac-rq/reb/sco/cms/fox
