Zhang Yimou: Open Fascist

Well, I beg to differ. I’m a handsome bastard, me. And I’m not fucking 60! Not NEARLY. And when I am, you can be damn sure I won’t be sporting a silly wee grey ponytail. Senility Barbie?

Yes, yes, he’s right. We here in the west are MUCH more difficult to emBorgate. Who the hell wants to be a mindless, drone who only follows orders for the glory of the motherland? Where is the glory in a sea of obediant sheeple?

Well, of course. You need hair to have a ponytail. :smiley:

Chop chop little mindless drone. Your work for the glory of the motherland is cut out for you.

Well, I find it easy to believe that the director of Hero(YingXiong) made such fascist remarks.

Hero was a technically brilliant film in terms of directing, choreography and story, but its conclusion was entirely disagreeable.

basicly, for those who did not see it

I am amazed that the director of films like ‘Qiu Ju Goes to Court’ became such a fascist sellout

Perhaps we know now why Spielberg actually quit, sure it was human rights, but was it about his right not to be subjected to such an ego?

Anyway, I laugh at the Hollywood Ho Chan has become. If working in ‘such conditions’ i.e. meaning working under regulated conditions not only because of unions and gasp a sound legal system is a problem then let him go back to shooting films where he can crack his head again. I’ve worked on a HK film and let me say while it was fun at the age I did it because it was all “daring” and under-the-gun, (even though I got fired for speaking up to the Exec. Producer about safety, long story) I wouldn’t put up with the shit for sec because of age and time spent over in TW.

Ooh the stories I could tell… :s

Too bad 90% of his stories are to Chinese history what Gone with The Wind is to US history.

What?!! Stop the press, you mean all that stuff about slavery wasn’t true? :noway:

What?!! Stop the press, you mean all that stuff about slavery wasn’t true? :noway:[/quote]

Revisionist clap-trap I say (the movies)

That would be odd since if you think about it, one of his reasoning was on the character “sword.” The lack of a unified form of communcation with 17 verison of the character, no wonder people misunderstood each other.

How else did all these Chinese learned English if not by direct conquest. And how many westerners fear going to war with Chinese States who official language includes English, like HK and Singapore.

The Hero didn’t spare the emperor per say. He was finally enlighted by Broken Sword’s concept of 天下 (tiān xià).

That would be odd since if you think about it, one of his reasoning was on the character “sword.” The lack of a unified form of communcation with 17 verison of the character, no wonder people misunderstood each other.

How else did all these Chinese learned English if not by direct conquest. And how many westerners fear going to war with Chinese States who official language includes English, like HK and Singapore.

The Hero didn’t spare the emperor per say. He was finally enlighted by Broken Sword’s concept of 天下 (tiān xià).[/quote]

You’re a sick apologist, ac. The other kingdoms and cultures were not assimilated in Hero but wiped right the fuck out. That was obvious in the opening. The point was annihilation of all diversity, not an enlightened policy for ruling a diverse set of peoples.

Still you’re right, it must have made it easier for the emperorer to rule afterwards. And that’s all that matters, right?

I agree that Zhang Yimou sounds like a total turd, but calling him a fascist is not justified. I’ve said it before on this forum, Chinese nationalism and authorianism existed long before fascism. I think people who use this word to describe modern China are just trying to tie on a stinky label. As to Zhang Yimou, there are lots of people like him in the West - I’ve worked for some! But fortunately, our system usually discourages them. I’ve also seen some examples of English teaching by foreigners in Taiwan that remind me of his quotes. Summary: He’s a dick, but he’s not emblematic of China, or the Chinese.

Just like you celibrate my diverse views on f.com. :slight_smile:

You think HK would have such western urban planning if English was not imposed on the people through conquest.

And who says China is not diverse. How many dialects do you hear in any urban center in the PRC?

[quote=“ac_dropout”]Just like you celibrate my diverse views on f.com. :slight_smile:

You think HK would have such western urban planning if English was not imposed on the people through conquest.

And who says China is not diverse. How many dialects do you hear in any urban center in the PRC?[/quote]

I’ve never called for your annihilation. I think just letting you write is doing the trick.

Never said China is not diverse. But China is not a movie. Hero was a movie and it had a clear political message.

Chinese nationalism was invented a few decades before in the 1890s when the Chinese decided that the Han race was threatened by extinction. It’s certainly true that ‘fascist’ is a label that people on the left tend to overuse, but Zhang’s open celebration of the rise of the Chinese state and his earlier work showing the degradation of the Chinese people (judou etc) is uncomfortably close to some of the view espoused by historical fascist movements.

Feiren: Thanks for the correction re: nationalism.
I meant Chinese ethno-centrism, as embodied by the Chinese state / empire and imperial system, to clarify. I suppose nationalism is a 19th century term and if I’m being picky with terms like fascism then I should be more careful. The former was certainly evident long before the 19th century, and the current replacement of the Imperial system by the PRC and the CCP seems to me like a continuation of that system in a more modern form. Yes, I agree that China and some Chinese do, at their worst, sometimes approach a classical definition of fascism. But people trying to put them into that box are not doing so for academic or intellectual reasons. They are trying to villify her.

[quote=“BigJohn”]Feiren: Thanks for the correction re: nationalism.
I meant Chinese ethno-centrism, as embodied by the Chinese state / empire and imperial system, to clarify. I suppose nationalism is a 19th century term and if I’m being picky with terms like fascism then I should be more careful. The former was certainly evident long before the 19th century, and the current replacement of the Imperial system by the PRC and the CCP seems to me like a continuation of that system in a more modern form. Yes, I agree that China and some Chinese do, at their worst, sometimes approach a classical definition of fascism. But people trying to put them into that box are not doing so for academic or intellectual reasons. They are trying to villify her.[/quote]

I am not trying to villify China, but yes obviously I am doing so to Zhang. And yes for emotional and intellectual reasons because he stirs up great visceral reactions of disgust in me. Nothing at all academic about that. So what? What kind of bloodless eunuch makes a dry speech when confronted with someone advocating abuses of human rights to allow a stage show to loo it’s best? You baffle me sometimes and I am honestly pretty tired of your hectoring on this subject.

[quote=“Mucha Man”][quote=“ac_dropout”]Just like you celibrate my diverse views on f.com. :slight_smile:

You think HK would have such western urban planning if English was not imposed on the people through conquest.

And who says China is not diverse. How many dialects do you hear in any urban center in the PRC?[/quote]

I’ve never called for your annihilation. I think just letting you write is doing the trick.

Never said China is not diverse. But China is not a movie. Hero was a movie and it had a clear political message.[/quote]
By hiring a HK Chinese educated in Scotland with an ex-French husband, a HK of Shanghai immigrant, some Northern Chinese (one of which is devout Tibetan Buddhist), and a Chinese American. Oh yes, Zhang Yimou made a very pro-PRC pro-CCP movie with that cast.

Do you always default to “all Chinese look a like” to try to make a silly point about how monolithic the Chinese are? Do you even know who the people on the project are? And their worldviews?

Do you know the motivation to why Zhang Yimou even tried to make a Wuxia film, given that he was primary an arthouse movie maker?

I’m sure he was sitting around going, “How can promote fascism in a Wuxia film. House of Flying Daggers. Japanese/Taiwanese guy and Chinese girl in love…strong politcal message…exactly.”

The movie was more about how selfish the Chinese were pursuing their self interest in exacting revenge with violence. Nameless and Broken Swords are the parallels in the story. Mirroring each other to the very end.

[quote=“ac_dropout”][quote=“Muzha Man”][quote=“ac_dropout”]Just like you celibrate my diverse views on f.com. :slight_smile:

You think HK would have such western urban planning if English was not imposed on the people through conquest.

And who says China is not diverse. How many dialects do you hear in any urban center in the PRC?[/quote]

I’ve never called for your annihilation. I think just letting you write is doing the trick.

Never said China is not diverse. But China is not a movie. Hero was a movie and it had a clear political message.[/quote]
By hiring a HK Chinese educated in Scotland with an ex-French husband, a HK of Shanghai immigrant, some Northern Chinese (one of which is devout Tibetan Buddhist), and a Chinese American. Oh yes, Zhang Yimou made a very pro-PRC pro-CCP movie with that cast.

Do you always default to “all Chinese look a like” to try to make a silly point about how monolithic the Chinese are? Do you even know who the people on the project are? And their worldviews?[/quote]

No, I never default to all Chinese look alike. That would be pretty weird for someone who has spent 13 years in Asia and has worked on 3 different travel books about the region. But in any case, your point does make for amusing reading. I suppose I better be careful not to kiss the wrong woman tonight seeing as how I can’t tell my wife apart from the other 600 million Chinese females in the world.

As for whether Hero had a multi-ethnic cast is irrelevant. The cast of a movie is chosen by the director and follow his vision.

So that casted agreed to portray the Chinese as facist?

The primary motivation for this film to be made at all was that Zhang Yimou was tired of Ang Lee and Hollywood making a piss poor Wuxia film called, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and getting international acclaim.

As for his comments about the Olympics. I will wait to read the original Chinese to see if it has any facist undertones.