Coen, Streep join U.S.-China Forum

BEIJING -- Filmmaker Joel Coen, thesp Meryl Streep and music performer Years old-Years old Ma are some of the large names visiting Beijing for that inaugural U.S.-China Forum on Arts and Culture. The 4-day event begins Wednesday evening having a dinner for 240 visitors in the U.S. embassy, overseen through the organic food guru Alice Waters, proprietor from the Chez Panisse bistro in Berkeley. Waters will prepare the meal in the embassy, which is offered through the celebrity visitors, that also include artist Eric Fischl, scribes Amy Tan and Mark Danner, and ballet dancer and director Damian Woetzel. Coen will apparently meet "Town of Existence and Dying" helmer Lu Chuan throughout his visit, while Streep will host a screening from the Margaret Thatcher biopic, "The Iron Lady." Waters will even attend a screening of Robert Kenner's "Food Corporation." The helmer will attend together with scribes Corby Kummer and Michael Pollan. "Hopefully this is actually the to begin many annual occasions of the type, alternating between China and also the U . s . States," stated the U . s . States' freshly minted ambassador to China, Gary Locke. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com