One high-profile deal involves its purchase in late 2012 of a grade-A office and five-star hotel complex in downtown Shanghai from a distressed local developer.

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Patriot Place includes, among other things, a four-star Renaissance Hotel and Spa, sixteen restaurants, a 14-screen cinema complex, and a full-service hospital.

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Its prominence is due both to its vast virtuosic repertoire and star performers, and to acclaim from New Agers around the world, who find in its complex rhythms and crisp sounds a sense of spiritual authenticity.

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Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have a proven track record of blockbuster movies that feature complex action, heartfelt drama, iconic heroes and fantastic production values with such credits as Star Trek, Super 8, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and this year's Star Trek Into Darkness.

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