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When communist China celebrated its 60th anniversary on October 1st, its national identity seemed, more than ever, refreshingly vulnerable to change. The internet has challenged the government's control of information. Consumer culture, fuelled by the ideals of Western capitalism, has become the lifestyle of choice. And as contemporary Chinese youth embrace unprecedented levels of independence and cultural self-consciousness, another Western invention—rebellious rock 'n' roll and gritty punk music—has emerged as a rising form of creative expression.

Just as the 100 Club and CBGB fostered punk movements in London and New York City, Beijing's D-22 nightclub serves as the epicentre for its burgeoning alternative music scene. Michael Pettis, a Peking University professor who was once a fixture in New York's East Village, founded the dive bar three years ago. Though the idea of an "underground scene" is often associated with punk, D-22's small stage hosts a variety of acts, from glam rock to experimental electronic, classic rock 'n' roll and Mongolian folk music. Many bands have hard-rocking frontwomen in the vein of Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs; some sing in both Chinese and English. All eschew the country's mainstream affection for saccharine pop.  read more »

Today's arts news and gossip 

CAMERON MACKINTOSH, known for producing popular musicals such as "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera", has signed an agreement with the China Arts and Entertainment Group to bring Broadway musicals to China. These won't be the first musicals in China, but they will be the first to offer a wide range of ticket prices, making the shows more accessible and more profitable. "Les Miserables" will premier at the National Grand Theatre in Beijing in the fall of 2008, followed by "Mamma Mia".

An auction of the art collection of Mstislav Rostropovich, a Russia musician, was cancelled because Alisher Usmanov, a Russian oligarch, bought everything for over £25m. Mr Usmanov plans to return the pieces to Russia and to reimburse Sotheby's for the price of the auction's preparation. Rostropovich, who died earlier this year, owned quite a few national treasures, including "The Face of Russia", one of seven paintings by Boris Dmitrievich Grigoriev, and some glass owned by Catherine the Great.

To a crowd of 4,000 fans in Baltimore this weekend, Stevie Wonder gave a soulful, inspired performance of old classics ("My Cherie Amour") and more recent hits ("So What the Fuss"). With piano-top dancing, bongo-drumming and raspy vocals, Mr Wonder, concluding his first tour in ten years, is as good at 57 as ever.

The New York Times will discontinue its TimesSelect service, which charges subscribers for access to columns by the likes of Thomas Friedman and Maureen Dowd, and open all its web content to readers as of Tuesday night. After two years of TimesSelect, the newspaper has concluded that advertisements, which increase with higher traffic, generate more revenue than subscription fees. Readers will gain access to the archives until 1987, and stories written before 1923.