Beijing

Guitar recital

Italian guitarist Carlo Ambrosio has given more than 2,000 concerts around the world since 1970. A plane crash in 1989 terminated his performing career - until 2003. He will be in Beijing to stage a classical guitar solo with the works of Hans Newsidler and Mauro Giuliani.

7:30 pm, April 12. Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Beixinhua Street, Xicheng district, 010-6605-7006

Pink spring

Every year between March and April, cherry trees in Yuyuantan Park are in full blossom. The cherry tree garden in the park has about 20 kinds of sakura. Their colors vary from light pink to pale peach. The blooming time of cherry blossoms is no more than two weeks.

6 am-8:30 pm. 10 Xisanhuan Middle Road, Haidian district, 010-8865-3800

Passionate ink

Artist Li Xin's works focus on rice paper and ink. He dilutes the ink to different proportion, hence the light and dense strokes present passion and strength. Li studied Chinese calligraphy in his early years and became a businessman. After five years in business, Li went to Paris in pursuit of art.

10:30 am-6:30 pm, until May 10. Yishu 8, 20 Donghuangchenggen North Street, Dongcheng district, 010-6581-9058

Hong Kong

Boxing butterflies

London artist Damien Hirst presents a collection of new works that explores the dualities of life and death, desire and fear, beauty and horror. His fascination with butterflies in Entomology Cabinets and Paintings explores the fragility of these winged insects. Laid out in rows like a scientific catalogue, their iridescent colors are reflected in the cabinets they are displayed in.

11 am-7 pm, until May 4, Tue-Sat. White Cube, 50 Connaught Road Central, Central. 852-2592-2000/2504-8311

Easter eggs

Celebrate Easter like Russian royalty by feasting upon Peter Carl Faberge's jeweled eggs, each created for the Russian court as an annual holiday surprise. Faberge: Legacy of Imperial Russia features the delicate miniature Memory of Azov, a Russian navy cruiser nestled inside a diamond and ruby encrusted egg made from heliotrope. The Moscow Kremlin Easter Egg is an elaborate gold castle complete with onion dome and turrets that masks a music box within.

10 am-6 pm, Mon and Wed-Fri; 10 am-7 pm Sat and Sun; until April 29. Hong Kong Heritage Museum, 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin, New Territories. 852-2180-8188

Macao

Swan song

Mozart's Requiem Mass has long been considered an enigma. Written for an unknown patron, it was his last work prior to an untimely death and the subject preoccupies much of the film Amadeus. Join the Macao Orchestra under the baton of music director Lyu Jia for an Easter edition of the masterpiece. The concert includes Mozart's Don Giovanni and Piano Concerto No 24 in C Minor, the latter played by 18-year-old musician Zinan Huang.

8 pm, April 1. Grand Auditorium, Macao Cultural Center, Avenida Xian Xing Hai. 853-2853-0782

Shanghai

Unique art

The participating Irish and Chinese artists at the exhibition Gather and Remade all use or "transform" materials in unexpected ways to produce imaginative result, triggering viewers to perceive things in new ways. The Gather part is curated by Sean Campbell with Zhuang Xiaowei and Debbie Dawson. The Remade part is curated by Niamh Cunningham and Fion Gunn with Pamela Hardesty and Wu Jun.

9 am-5 pm, until April 2. Tushanwan Museum, 8 Tianlin East Road. 021-6438-8761

Perceptive art

Eight emerging artists are holding a group exhibition. Titled Some Like It Hot, the show displays paintings, installations and sculptures. By bringing together pieces that straddle the boundaries of visibility and perception, this exhibition questions, in an exemplary fashion, the character of the "real world" and the observer's relationship with it.

11 am-7 pm, until May 5. Shanghai Gallery of Art, 3F, 3 Zhongshan East 1 Road. 021-6321-5757

Israeli pianist

Berenika Glixman, the 29-year-old pianist from Israel, will hold a concert in Shanghai. As the winner of the 2011 Arthur Rubinstein International Master Competition, Berenika was praised by maestro Zubin Mehta for her performance, which "demonstrated the highest level of virtuosity, combined with passion, temperament and a true understanding of style and architecture".

7:30 pm, April 13. Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Road, Pudong New Area. 021-6854-1234

China Daily

(China Daily 03/31/2013 page15)