Barcelona citizen rescues HTC CEO from traffic jam and takes him to the MWC

From http://www.lavanguardia.com/tecnologia/mobile-world-congress/20140305/54402062926/htc-motorista-rescate-ceo.html (in Spanish)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="317"] Obdulio Herrera, the man that saved HTC's CEO Peter Chou from a traffic jam in Barcelona during the MWC 2014 (image from HTC's Spanish website)[/caption]

During the recent Mobile World Congress 2014 held in Barcelona, Peter Chou (周永明), CEO of HTC, was travelling in a taxi when he found himself in the middle of a severe traffic jam. Sensing that he would not make it to the Mobile World Congress on time, he paid the taxi driver and asked him to find a motorcycle rider that could take him to the convention centre. So he stopped one, who gently offered himself to take him there and he even let Peter Chou to use his daughter's helmet. Upon arrival to the MWC site -on time!-, the anonymous motorcycle rider refused to receive any kind of compensation from the HTC leader. After the event, Peter Chou started the quest to find and identify the man using the company's blog and social media. Soon, the local media also started to spread the news and finally the man was identified: it was 53-year old Obdulio Herrera, who was surprised by all the fuss made around his act. As a reward, Obdulio Herrera has been invited by HTC to its most important event of the year, the presentation of the new HTC smartphone, that will take place in London on March 25th, 2014.

Workshop on advanced Chinese paintings in Barcelona

From http://www.casaasia.eu/actividad/detalle?id=212746 (in Catalan)

[caption id="attachment_2893" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Workshop on Advanced Chinese Paintings[/caption]

Taiwanese teacher Hsiao-Lin Liu is going to offer a workshop on advanced Chinese paintings in the headquarters of Casa Àsia in Barcelona between March 12th and May 14th, 2014. Calm and harmony are very important in Chinese paintings and in this course the students will learn how to reflect it through the painting of flowers, fruits and birds. Students will also have the opportunity to practice the techniques of oriental paintings and discover their mystic side.

Hsiao-Lin Liu is currently working on her PhD on the Kuang Cao Chinese calligraphy and its relationship with the contemporary art at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Barcelona.

For further information, please visit the webpage of this workshop on Casa Àsia.

 

Casa Asia in Barcelona organizes course on Chinese cinema

From http://www.casaasia.eu/actividad/detalle?id=212741 (in English)

[caption id="attachment_2897" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Course "Chinese Cinema: Stories and Evolutions" (image from Casa Asia website)[/caption]

From the February 25th to April 1st, 2014, the headquarters of Casa Àsia in Barcelona will host a course entitled "Chinese Cinema: Stories and Evolutions" given by Manel Ollé, professor of Chinese History and Culture and coordinator of the Master in Chinese Studies at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra of Barcelona. For further information on the fees, the detailed schedule and the location, please visit its webpage at Casa Àsia.

Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board plans to attract Chinese visitors

From http://www.diaridegirona.cat/comarques/2014/01/23/turisme-girona-centra-esforcos-mercat/653171.html (in Catalan)

The director of the Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board, Ramon Ramos, has explained that this organization will start working on the promotion of the region in the Chinese market, to prepare the ground for the boom that has been forecast for the next three to four years. To help with the process, the Board has signed a native Chinese young girl that will work on the preparation of a database containing the whole tourist offer from Costa Brava (布拉瓦海岸) and on advising on the needs, tastes and preferences of the Chinese market.

[caption id="attachment_2846" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The Costa Brava, north of the Creus Cape[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2847" align="alignleft" width="300"] The fishing port from El Port de la Selva[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2848" align="alignleft" width="225"] Fishing near the mouth of the Ter river in central Costa Brava[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2850" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Cala Boadella in Lloret de Mar, southern Costa Brava[/caption]

Catalan TV program "Òpera en texans" attends the Taiwan International Children's Film Festival

From http://www.elperiodico.cat/ca/noticias/tele/opera-texans-opta-premi-taiwan-2993116 (in Catalan)

"Òpera en texans" (Opera in Jeans) is a a TV program of Televisió de Catalunya devoted to the promotion of classical music and opera in a very original and innovative way. Its presenter, Ramon Gener, is a opera singer and pianist that has achieved a big success in Catalonia because of his contagious enthusiasm when explaining the secrets of "bel canto". "Òpera en texans" has been nominated to three awards in the Taiwan International Children's Film Festival: best TV program, jury's special award and audience award. The Taiwan International Children's Film Festival will take place between March 27 and April 6, 2014, and the winners will be announced on April 4.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="468"] Ramon Gener and his passion for classical music and opera (Image from Ramon Gener's website)[/caption]

 

 

Taiwanese delegation visits Girona to learn from its touristic promotion

From http://bit.ly/1gX3nxp (in Catalan)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="336"] Taiwanese delegation visits Girona to learn from its touristic promotion[/caption]

A group of 17 entrepreneurs and university professors from Taiwan have recently visited the city of Girona. Their main interest was to learn about the public-private cooperation on the promotion of touristic activities, specially on the business and conference sectors. This visit has been organized by the Barcelona office of the Taiwan Trade Center. They have been received by Ms. Marta Madrenas, Deputy Mayor of the city of Girona and in charge of the city's promotion. She has introduced the assets of Girona as an attractive destination for both family and conference tourism. Ms. Madrenas has stated that for the city of Girona it was very positive to hold this kind of meetings and has highlighted the "importance to meet groups of tourism professionals that later can spread the word about the city and recommend it once they are back in their home countries". She also mentioned the degree of interest shown by the Taiwanese delegation to learn from the Girona experience and remarked the efforts done by the city council "to promote the city as a touristic and cultural destination". The Taiwanese delegation ended up their stay in Girona visiting the Scientific and Technological Park.

Catalan electric material producer Simon reaches over 2,200 shops in China

From http://www.diaridegirona.cat/economia/2013/09/11/fabricant-material-electric-simon-supera/634503.html (in Catalan)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="273"] Image from Simon's website[/caption]

After reaching over 2,200 shops in China under the name of Simhome, the Asian giant is going to become Simon's main market in terms of total sales. According to Simon's CEO Xavier Torra, 780 of these shops have a surface of around 100 m2, whereas the other 1,500 shops have an average surface of around 20 m2, where Simon products are sold exclusively. Simon is selling in China since 1999, when an agreement with a local partner was made, that was followed by a joint venture in 2002 and has been able to supply equipment for the facilities of the Olympic Games in Beijing. According to Xavier Torra, "in 2 or 3 years China is expected to become our first market. Today it already represents around 20% of our total sales". Simon's total sales in 2012 reached 250 million €.

 

Girona's restaurant El Celler de Can Roca awarded as best restaurant in the world

[caption id="attachment_2919" align="aligncenter" width="283"] Jordi, Joan and Josep Roca, World's Best Restaurant in 2013 (image from El Celler de Can Roca website)[/caption]

After two consecutive years in the #2 position, as Girona residents we are proud to share the news that the local restaurant El Celler de Can Roca has achieved the top position in the 2013 edition of the competition The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, organized by the British food magazine Restaurant and sponsored by San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. Congratulations for such an outstanding achievement!

Here's a sample of the pictures of our visit to the restaurant in July 2011.

[caption id="attachment_2157" align="aligncenter" width="300"] El Celler de Can Roca[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2160" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Josep Roca displaying his wine sanctuary in El Celler de Can Roca[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2158" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sampling the dishes of El Celler de Can Roca[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2159" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sampling the dishes of El Celler de Can Roca[/caption]

 

El Celler de Can Roca
Can Sunyer 48
17007 Girona
Phone number: +34 972 22 21 57
E-mail: restaurant@cellercanroca.com


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Tous expects to return to China and outnumber 450 stores by 2013

From http://www.flytobarcelona.org/?p=7460 (in English)

Rosa Tous announced that the return of Catalan jewellery Tous to China could take place this year. Three years ago, the company closed all stores in China had after breaking the contract with their local partner. Since then, the Manresa-based company has been looking for another group to return to the Asian giant. “We must be very careful in choosing our partner, but when we find it, we will come into the market in China with force,” she said. Tous jewellery chain is accelerating its international expansion and plans to open 40 stores in 2013, compared to the 30 jewellery stores it opened last year. The director of corporate relations for the company said yesterday that the openings will focus on markets where the chain already has a presence, with the aim of consolidating the brand.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Tous jewellery shop in L'Illa shopping mall in Barcelona (image from Tous Wikipedia entry)[/caption]

Sinalunya featured in some Catalan media

Links:

• http://www.acn.cat/acn/704605/Noticia/text/Noticia.html


• http://www.vilaweb.cat/noticia/4090748/20130303/sinalunya-projecte-multidisciplinari-potenciar-relacions-xina-taiwan-singapur-catalunya.html


• http://www.lavanguardia.com/encatala/20130303/54367958384/sinalunya-un-projecte-multidisciplinari-per-potenciar-les-relacions-entre-xina-taiwan-singapur-i.html

Recently our project has been featured in some Catalan media, thanks to the journalist of the Catalan News Agency, Nerea Guisasola, who interviewed us a couple of weeks ago. The news has written text and a picture, but also a piece of audio was featured on the radio. We would like to thank her for helping us to spread the word of what we would like to do and also for writing about our project in such an enthusiastic way.

[caption id="attachment_2034" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The Sinalunya team: Chia-Chi Liao and Lluís Sala[/caption]

 

Desigual opens two new shops in Malaysia

Frm http://www.icex.es/icex/cda/controller/pageICEX/0,6558,5518394_5519005_6366453_4644994,00.html (in Spanish)

Catalan clothing company Desigual has just opened two concept stores in the international airport of Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia. As usual, Desigual shops offer colorful clothes and accessories and with innovative designs of graffiti and patchwork. Every season Desigual presents a collaboration around a specific concept and this year it is the turn of the Cirque du Soleil and the French designer Christian Lacroix. With these new shops, Desigual products are already available in more than 80 countries.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Image from the Desigual blog[/caption]

 

 

Catalan man honored in China after baby rescue

From http://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20120519/54295500296/catalan-buen-samaritano-salvar-nino-china.html (in Spanish) and http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-05/19/content_15335867.htm (in English)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="270" caption="Josep Solà-Niubo and Tang Shanlu with the boy they saved and his mother in Changshu, Jiangsu province (Image from China Daily website)"][/caption]

Catalan Josep Solà-Niubó has been honored in Changshu (常熟), a city in East China‘s Jiangsu (江苏) province, after saving the life of a 2-year-old boy. He and another man, a young Chinese named Tang Shanlu, heard the mother's boy scream and saw the baby floating face down in a pond. Tang Shanlu rescued the baby from the pond and Josep Solà-Niubó, who knows how to perform first aid, immediately began giving the boy cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Because of this fact, Josep Solà-Niubó has been deemed "good Samaritan" in Changshu and  has also been awarded 2,000 yuan ($316) by the Changshu Foundation for Justice and Courage. According to Shen Jingxue, director of the Changshu Foundation for Justice and Courage, Josep Solà-Niubó is the first foreigner to receive this distinction since 1994, when they started to award people in Changshu who made great efforts or had extraordinary achievements to help others.

El Celler de Can Roca awarded as second best restaurant in the world for second consecutive year

From http://www.theworlds50best.com/awards/1-50-winners/el-celler-de-can-roca/ (in English)


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="461"] The Roca brothers, owners of El Celler de Can Roca (image from the restaurant's website)[/caption]

Girona-based restaurant El Celler de Can Roca has maintained the #2 position already achieved last year in the ranking of best restaurants in the world, according to the website The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. With this distinction, the Catalan family-run restaurant, that also has three Michelin stars, remains on the elite of world's gastronomy. El Celler de Can Roca has been ranked right after restaurant Noma, from Denmark, which has remained on top of the list for third consecutive year.

Last year we were fortunate enough to taste their exquisite creations. Here there is a sample of what we were offered :-)

[gallery columns="4"]

 

Catalan workshop on the development of Chinese tour operators

From http://workshops.catalunya.com/wsxina2011 (in Catalan)

The Catalan Tourism Agency has recently organized a workshop aimed at Chinese tour operators in order to bring tourists to Catalonia. The event has been designed to promote holiday and cultural packages and has been hosted by Casa Àsia in Barcelona.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Catalan workshop on Chinese tour operators (Image from workshop website)"][/caption]

Barcelona appointed as the sixth best European city to locate a business

From http://www.catalannewsagency.com/news/business/barcelona-sixth-best-european-city-locate-business (in English)

The capital city of Catalonia, Barcelona has recently been appointed as the sixth best European city to locate a business in 2011, behind London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Berlin, dropping one place from 2010's results, but one position ahead of Madrid. This European Cities Monitor list is compiled each year by the consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield and is the result of analyzing twelve indicators. The position of Barcelona is expected to go even higher on the list if improvements are made in the future on telecommunications, international flights, market access and English language skills. For a more detailed information, either visit the link at the beginning of this post or go to the European Cities Monitor website.

[caption id="attachment_986" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="View of Barcelona from Gaudí's Parc Güell"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_987" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Agbar Tower, Barcelona"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_990" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Barcelona's recently developed Forum area"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_989" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Casa de les Punxes o Casa Terrades by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Barcelona"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_988" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="La Rambla, Barcelona"][/caption]

A visit to the headquarters of Casa Àsia in Barcelona

On September 15th we had the opportunity to visit the impressive headquarters of Casa Àsia in Barcelona, located in the beautiful modernistic building Palau del Baró de Quadras, at the 373 of Diagonal Avenue. The house was projected by Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch and built in 1904-1906. It has outstanding gothic and plateresque styles on the main façade on Diagonal Avenue, plus some notable decoration of Muslim inspiration inside. The building, just as many that can be seen in the streets of Barcelona, belongs to the period of Catalan Modernisme, a style of the late XIXth and early XXth centuries that influenced not only architecture, but also literature and plastic arts. In architecture, the most relevant names are Antoni Gaudí, Lluís Domènech i Montaner and Josep Puig i Cadafalch.

Here there is a sample of the views that such a magnificent building can offer to the visitors.

[caption id="attachment_913" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Casa Àsia - Palau Baró de Quadras"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_914" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Casa Àsia - Palau Baró de Quadras"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_915" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Casa Àsia - Palau Baró de Quadras"][/caption]

You can view the rest of the photographic report on  on Sinalunya's Flickr site.

For further information on this remarkable construction, take a look at  http://www.gaudiallgaudi.com/AA208.htm, and for detailed information on Catalan Modernistic architecture, you can visit http://www.gaudiallgaudi.com/EA001.htm.

Singapore entrepreneurs travel to Catalonia to learn from its gastronomy

From http://www.expansion.com/2011/07/21/catalunya/1311275284.html (in Spanish)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="432" caption="Restaurant Can Jubany (image from Restaurant Can Jubany website)"][/caption]

A group of 20 entrepreneurs and directives from Singaporean companies have traveled to Catalonia in order to learn about its food industry and its gastronomy. This visit has been arranged by the government of Singapore, that helps companies to learn from innovation done by other countries, and Catalonia has been the chosen one in the food sector. The Singaporean delegation has visited companies such Europastry, Gallina Blanca and Damm, and they have been surprised by the high level of robotization in the production process of the latter.  They have also visited the baker and chocolate expert Enric Rovira, as well as restaurants Via Veneto, Can Jubany, and the new foundation created by El Bulli owner Ferran Adrià, Fundació Alícia, a research centre focusing on technological innovation in kitchen science and the dissemination of agronourishment and gastronomic heritage.

Casa Asia Film Week starts in Barcelona

From http://www.casaasiafilmweek.es/ (in Spanish)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Reign of Assassins (courtesy of Casa Asia Film Week)"][/caption]

Between June 6 and 12th, 2011, the Casa Asia Film Week (CAFW) will take place in Barcelona, as a new festival devoted to the highlight the best cinematographic activity in Asia. Casa Asia Film Week replaces the previous Barcelona Asian Film Festival (BAFF) that disappeared in 2010. The 30 films will be displayed at the Cinemes Girona and they will cover different subjects, from science-fiction to martial arts or Bollywood. Two renowned chinese female directors, Ann Hui and Hu Mei, will have their movies on display and will also visit the festival. The best film in the Official Section will receive the Honorific Award of the Casa Asia Film Week. The complete official dossier of the festival, with detailed information about it and about the movies on display can be downloaded as a pdf file from Casa Asia website. You can also watch the Official Trailer Casa Asia Film Week 2011.

A set of lifetime experiences in Costa Brava

Now, a recommended link!

Velvet Escape blog perfectly summarizes in a set of pics and a few lines what are the main unique experiences you can live when visiting Costa Brava. From the culinary excellence of El Celler de Can Roca and El Bulli to a skydive in Empuriabrava, a visit to the Dalí Museum in Figueres or Dalí's house in Portlligat, to a stroll in Girona's old city.

Go to Once in a lifetime experiences in Costa Brava to see all the fun those guys had and that you can also have!

But first get a taste of what the link has with these pictures of our own!

[caption id="attachment_616" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Medieval city of Besalú[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_619" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Santa Clotilde Gardens, Lloret de Mar[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_618" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Dalí Museum, Figueres[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_617" align="aligncenter" width="300"] View of Portlligat bay from Dalí's house in Cadaqués[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_621" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Girona by the Onyar river[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_620" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A beautiful corner in Girona's old city[/caption]

Second Spanish-Chinese Water Forum held in Nanjing

From http://www.marm.es/es/prensa/ultimas-noticias/notas-de-prensa-din.aspx?tcm=tcm:7-155979-16 (in Spanish)

The Spanish Secretary of State for the Rural Environment and Water, Josep Puxeu, has opened the Second Spanish-Chinese Water Forum held in Nanjing, China, together with Vice Minister of Ministry of Water Resources, Hu Siyi. During his speech, Josep Puxeu has claimed the importance of the collaboration between the two countries in the water sector, both a the private and the public levels. Both goverments are willing to cooperate on technology transfer and on integrated resources water management, as well as on wastewater treatment, water reclamation and reuse and desalination. Other agreements were the establishment of a cooperation link between the Júcar and Liao river basins and the organization of the Spanish-Chinese Water Forum every two years.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Spanish-Chinese Water Forum (Image source: http://www.mwr.gov.cn)"][/caption]