The Meridian Society’s Chinese New Year Celebration

Saturday 9th February
The Meridian Society’s Chinese New Year Celebration

SACU’s partner organisation The Meridian Society invites you to join them for their Chinese New Year celebration:-

“Firstly we will be going to BFI Southbank for the documentary triptych by Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni depicting life in 1970s China. Afterwards we will be going for a Chinese new year meal at Taste of China in Bloomsbury. The two can be booked separately or together.”

Times

• 13.30pm for 13.40 at BFI Southbank (website for directions)
• 17.45 for 18.00 at Taste of China, (googlemaps for directions)

As places are limited please e-mail to reserve your place early. The deadline for booking is extended to Wednesday 30th January with payment no later than Friday 1st February.

Priority will be given to current Meridian Society members, supporters who book for both events, then on a ‘first come [payment received] first served’ basis.

Chung Kuo Cina (Film)

In 1972, during Mao’s Cultural Revolution, Antonioni was invited to direct a documentary about New China. The result was a three-and-a-half hour film divided into three parts.

The first part, taken around Beijing, includes a cotton factory, older sections of the city, and a clinic where a Cesarean operation is performed, using acupuncture. The middle part visits the Red Flag canal and a collective farm in Henan, as well as the old city of Suzhou. The final part shows the port and industries of Shanghai, and ends with a stage presentation by Chinese acrobats.

Mao disliked it so much that Antonioni was consequently charged with being anti-Chinese as well as counterrevolutionary. The movie was finally shown at Beijing’s Cinema Institute 30 years later.

Dishes
Soup
Sweet Corn and Pork Rib Soup
Main Courses
Spicy Seabass in Pot
Stir Fried Lamb in Chilli
Griddle Spicy Chicken
Sweet and Sour Pork
Red Braised Pig’s Trotters
Salt and Chilli Squid
Stir Fried Aubergine and Green Bean
Mixed Vegetables
Rice and Stir Fried Noodles
To Finish
Fresh Fruits

Prices

Members of The Meridian Society
lunch £25, film £12.50 (£10.50 concessions*), combined £37 (£35)
Associates (members of SACU and family members of Meridian Society members)
lunch £27.50, film £12.50 (£10.50 concessions*), combined £39 (£37)
Non-members
lunch £30, film £12.50 (£10.50 concessions*), combined £42 (£40)
* concessions for the film are available to seniors, students, unwaged and disabled (evidence required on the day).
Please note:  Members of BFI pay lower prices and are advised to buy their own tickets.

Places will be confirmed on receipt of payment. Payment should therefore be made as soon as possible and no later than Friday 1st February.

Please send your cheque made payable to ‘The Meridian Society’ to:  The Treasurer, 5 Mildmay Street, London N1 4AB.  Alternatively if you wish to pay by direct bank transfer please contact us and we will forward our account details.

Note: Membership for the Meridian Society is an annual fee of £35 a year (£20 for concessions).

Visit The Meridian Society website for information about other activities.