DUBAI http://www.newjerseydevilsteamstore.com … cha-jersey , March 17 (Xinhua) -- The annual Art Dubai exhibitions kicked off on Tuesday, bringing together, for the first time in the event's history, Latin American arts and the Arab-Islamic world.

During a week of exhibitions, the event, in its ninth edition, will host some 92 galleries from 40 countries.

Antonia Carver, fair director of Art Dubai, said this year's edition offers for the first time in its history a platform that links Spanish-and Portuguese-speaking culture in Latin America with the Arab-Islamic world.

"We are happy to welcome over 40 artists from Latin America who travelled to Dubai to exhibit their paintings, sculptures and audiovisual projects," Ms. Carver said.

She added that it's an opportunity of discovering "the historical and contemporary connections between Central America, South America and the Middle East and North Africa."

According to Luiza Teixeira de Freitas, a Brazilian art manager of Lebanese origin and also curator of one of the event's program, Arab influence on South America is seen "in every way of life mostly due to waves of immigration by Palestinians and Lebanese during the last 100 years."

De Freitas said the idea to bring Latin America to Art Dubai came up to her when she visited the last edition, which was focused then on Central Asia and West Africa.

Among the exhibiting Latin American galleries is the renowned Bolsa de Arte, or art market, from Porto Alegre, Brazil.

"We showcase contemporary paintings from renowned Brazilian artist Nelson Leimer," said Marga Pasquali, manager of Bolsa de Arte. Leimer's works criticize the influence of the U.S. materialism on its neighbors and the rest of the globe, which is also a common subject among Arab artists.

Art Dubai is supported by the official Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and organized annually under the patronage of the United Arab Emirates vice president, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.

Last year it attracted some 25,000 visitors, according to fair director Carver. Art Dubai 2015, which runs through Saturday, is the biggest fair ever since its inception in 2007.

BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Twenty years after the world's most populous country gained access to the Internet, China has been fundamentally and irreversibly changed, but not in the way some Western prophets had expected.

Instead of bringing collapse, the Internet in China is becoming more commercially robust and innovative despite the unique Chinese way of management.

As the Internet reshapes China, China is also changing the online landscape through its rising Internet firms, brand-new products and the world's largest web population of 618 million.

CHINA REMOLDED

On April 20, 1994, a pilot network to serve education and scientific research was linked to the Internet via a special line in Beijing's Zhongguancun, now China's technology hub, marking the country's first fully functional Internet access.

At the time, the only way for most Chinese to learn of South Africa's newly elected black president and the construction of China's massive Three Gorges hydraulic project was by reading the next day's state-run newspaper.

Recalling his first days online, Liu Ren, a Beijing-based journalist, said few Chinese were in cyberspace in the late 1990s.

"I would be overjoyed to receive an email, even if it was a spam mail at that time," said the reporter renowned for his keen observation of China's IT industry. "But today, the Internet has been changing everyone's lives, sometimes even against their will."

Older cab drivers are consulting their children to learn how to use taxi apps for additional tips from potential customers.

"Never did I think that one day my work would have anything to do with the Internet," said Lao Liu, a 54-year-old taxi driver in central China's Wuhan City. "The apps bring me an additional income of 50 yuan (8 U.S. dollars) every day."

Mobile Internet is changing the entrenched habits of Chinese people like Lao Liu, including how they read, buy things, and manage money.

Yu'ebao, a popular online wealth management product, has raised around 500 billion yuan in less than a year, helping boost the funds available for China's real economy, instead of raising financing costs.

In March, China vowed to promote the healthy development of its burgeoning Internet finance, giving products like Yu'ebao promising prospects.

The growing population of Internet users has also made online opinions too important to be ignored by officials.

The transformative power of the Internet has challenged top-down communication patterns in China by supporting multi-level and multi-directional flows of communication, changing the country's political landscape.

Several Chinese officials have been probed after online whistleblowers accused them of corruption, the latest being Song Lin, chairman of state corporation China Resources (Holdings).

China's Internet has become an accessible yet decentralized platform for the public to discuss public affairs and breaking events, said Wang Sixin, professor of law with the Communication University of China.

INNOVATION

The rising prominence of China is one of the most important developments shaping the Internet.

Behind China's Internet boom is Beijing's unique way of management. China has long been dedicated to developing the Internet, but it has also underscored the rule of law to ensure Internet security, which Chinese President Xi Jinping said is a concern for the country's security and development.

Xi became head of China's central Internet security and informatization leading group in February, revealing the country's resolve to build itself into a strong cyber power.

This way of Internet management, itself a Chinese innovation, has not stifled the creativity of the Internet as some had predicted. Innovative Internet products and ser. Cheap Jerseys   Cheap Jerseys   Cheap Jerseys China   Cheap Authentic Jerseys   Wholesale Soccer Shirts   Cheap NHL Shirts Free Shipping   Wholesale Shirts   Wholesale Hoodies   Wholesale Hoodies   Wholesale NFL Jerseys