Christian Bale Is Persona Non Grata: China

choi

Barbara Demick, Hollywood Stars in China Have to Learn the Political Lines. Hollywood filmmakers risk having their movies shut out of the lucrative market if they criticize China's government. But if they are too friendly, human rights groups may complain. Los Angeles Times, Feb 17, 2012
http://www.latimes.com/news/nati ... na-culture-20120217,0,5904111.story
(paragraph 1: "The Chinese Communist Party sent a pointed message to Christian Bale recently: You will not work in this town again")

Quote:

"Beijing doesn't exactly maintain a blacklist, at least as Americans might know the concept from the McCarthy era. But there are many Hollywood stars who are unwelcome here, more often for behavior off screen than on.

"Richard Gere is persona non grata for his longtime activism on behalf of Tibetan independence. Sharon Stone's films have not been shown since her offhand remark at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival suggesting that a devastating earthquake in China that year was 'karma' in retribution for the treatment of Tibetans.

Steven "Spielberg also fell from grace after withdrawing as an artistic advisor to the 2008 Beijing Olympics in protest of Chinese policy in Sudan. His films are still shown here, but he hasn't been invited back.

"'There is so much more leeway nowadays [in China] about what is acceptable,' [American film producer Janet] Yang said. 'But still, China is not for the faint of heart.'

"As with political purges, directors and actors can be rehabilitated (Attn: Christian Bale). Disney was on the blacklist after the 1997 release of 'Kundun,' a biopic about the Dalai Lama. But it is now building a Disneyland in Shanghai. Even Jean-Jacques Annaud, the French director who made "Seven Years in Tibet," another drama about the young Dalai Lama, has been invited back this year to shoot "Wolf Totem," based on a bestselling Chinese novel. But Shanghai film critic Wu Renchu says the Chinese government is more forgiving of offenses by foreigners than by Chinese. 'These bans last for a couple of years; ultimately it is a money-driven economy and they will end up putting business first,' Wu said.

Note:
(a)
(i) Allan Wu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Wu
(1972- ; a Singapore-based Chinese-American actor)
(ii) His blog
http://www.wulander.com/
(b) The Times They Are a-Changin' is a protest song released in 1964. I just read its lyrics which seem tame to me. You can easily find its lyrics in the Web.
(c) The report quoted Ms Maureen Dowd as saying, "The idea that the raspy troubadour of '60s freedom anthems would go to a dictatorship and not sing those anthems is a whole new kind of sellout."
(i) raspy (adj):
"1: HARSH, GRATING
2: IRRITABLE"
www.m-w.com
(ii) rasp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasp

(2) Andrea Chang and Matt Stevens, China's Huawei Places $6 billion Worth of Orders in California. LA Times, Feb 18, 2012.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-huawei-20120218,0,1249518.story
("such as chip sets for Huawei's networks and mobile phones")

Note: Press release: Huawei poised to sustain tens of thousands of job opportunities for US businesses. Huawei, Feb 18, 2011.
http://www.huawei.com/en/about-h ... lease/hw-116331.htm
(" award Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) contracts totaling USD 6 billion to Qualcomm, Broadcom and Avago, three California-based leading communications technology companies")

(3) Shan Li, Chinese Couples Come to US to Have Children Through Surrogacy. LA Times, Feb 18, 2012
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-china-surrogate-20120219,0,6405320.story

Quote:

"Americans have long gone to China to adopt babies. In a twist, Chinese couples are now coming here to become parents — through surrogacy. China does not permit surrogate parenting, but that country's rising affluence has given many couples the option of coming to U.S. surrogacy clinics.

"Clinic directors say a gestational surrogacy typically costs $80,000 to $120,000 * * * The price rises about $30,000 if the prospective mother's eggs are not viable. In these cases, the clinics typically obtain eggs from donor clinics.

Note:
(a) Encino, Los Angeles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encino,_Los_Angeles
(encino is "Spanish for evergreen or holm oak")
(b) for holm oak, see Quercus ilex
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_ilex
(a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region; It takes its name from holm, an ancient name for holly)
(c) oak
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak
(genus Quercus (Latin "oak tree"))


(4) Robyn Dixon, In South Sudan, Oil Shutoff Is a Matter of National Pride. The move stems from a dispute over Sudan's oil transit fees. South Sudanese say they are prepared for hardship, but outsiders warn it could mean another war. LA Times, Feb 17, 2012.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nati ... -sudan-oil-20120217,0,3613788.story