MkGenie Polaris

6月29日，警方在现场展示周正龙拍照用的虎图。新华网

几个月前，我就写过全景公司的人私下里告诉过我的真相——即使不告诉我真相，……

其实这个事情的“真假”还用得着告诉吗？就用肉眼都看得出来。

直到今天，这事才完。

幸好是这个结果，让那些正直求真又耗费了无数精力和口水的网民与专家获得了应得的胜利，也为政府挽回了部分信誉。

但肯定有好事者，去继续追问为什么，以及查探幕后的手。

因为周老头子对大多数人来说，更像是一个前台作戏的棋子，可用可弃。

今天最大的新闻其实在贵州。只是太和谐了，就看不到了。

警方出示虎爪照片造假证物

这是警方在发布会现场展示的幻灯图片（6月29日摄）。新华网

6月29日，警方在发布会现场展示从周正龙家找到的虎图。新华网

用这部小片纪念他。退休愉快，慈善愉快，你是富翁的楷模。

不过现在我已经不用IE了，即便操作系统还是你的。

虽然已经在电影圈里打拼下一片天地，但斯嘉丽·约翰逊（Scarlett Johansson）并没有满足。音乐，是她下一个要征服的疆域。

尽管港台的两栖甚至三栖四栖明星多不胜数，但在西方，还是惯常奉行着“术业有专攻”的原则，其余的才华，都是玩票性质。比如约翰尼·德普（Johnny Depp）和基努·里维斯（Keanu Reeves），现在很少有提他们组过乐队的历史，比如麦当娜（Madonna）和玛丽亚·凯莉（Mariah Carey），好容易进军几次影界还被人骂了个狗血喷头，冠之以“票房毒药”。

于是，像法兰克·辛纳屈（Frank Sinatra）、威尔·史密斯（Will Smith）和杰米·福克斯（Jamie Foxx）这样横跨两界皆玩票成功者，倒实在罕见——当然，也有专门玩票的人，那就是如帕丽斯·希尔顿那类的了，到底都半红不白地混着。那么斯嘉丽·约翰逊这次又想走什么样的路子，归什么样的类别呢？尚无人知道。只是她即将推出的新专辑，倒是引起了不少人的好奇，因为大家或许想知道，她把西海岸音乐传奇汤姆·威茨（Tom Waits）的歌演绎成，或者，“糟蹋”成什么样子。

2007年夏，约翰逊在位于路易斯安那州毛里斯市的码头录音室里呆了一个月。在这个郊外占地12英亩的复合式建筑中，曾经那个“戴珍珠耳环的少女”选择了汤姆·威茨的歌来翻唱。戴夫·西特克（Dave Sitek）担任制作人，另一个老摇大卫·鲍伊（David Bowie）和来自Yeah Yeah Yeahs乐队的成员尼克·锡纳（Nick Zinner），也有跨刀客串。2008年5月20日，Atco/Rhino唱片公司发行了她的这张新专辑《我头倚靠的任何地方》（Anywhere I Lay My Head）。

事实上，在新专辑之前，斯嘉丽·约翰逊就已经初试啼声。2005年，导演曾考虑让他扮演安德鲁·洛伊德·韦伯（Andrew Lloyd Webber）西区版舞台剧《音乐之声》中玛丽亚一角，但最终没有成行。2006年8月，约翰逊在好莱坞明星慈善唱片《意外之梦》（Unexpected Dreams）上演唱了《夏日》（Summertime）一曲。而2006年，她是鲍伯·迪伦（Bob Dylan）录影带《When the Deal Goes Down》的女一号；2007年，她是贾斯汀《What Goes Around.../...Comes Around》的女主角。后者，还被MTV录影大奖提名。2008年1月，她参与了Will.i.am《是的，我们行》音乐录影（Yes We Can）的录制。

三月，斯嘉丽·约翰逊在伦敦为她的这张专辑的发布做准备。该唱片由于有鲍伊的献声，所以给发行的前景稍微打下了一点强心剂。坐在一个私人会员俱乐部的烛光之屋里，浑身不自在的约翰逊透露了这张专辑的起源：那是去年在柯契拉（Coachella）音乐节上，她给“耶稣和玛莉链”（Jesus and Mary Chain）乐队担任背景和声。音乐节期间，他们谈笑风声，游戏般地提到了好几个点子，比如翻唱科尔·波特（Cole Porter）的歌曲。最终，他们确定下来的是，翻唱威茨吧。

“我完全不知道为什么选择他。但我就是爱他的歌。”这个女影星这样解释道。

“汤姆·威茨的旋律非常的美，他的声音又是那么的脱俗。我给他寄去了一些我很早很早以前的录音带，他回话给我说，‘继续’，我听说他是非常的高兴。”

但是她说，最初她与录音室里那些临时音乐人的合作曾经流产。“他们听上去太糟啦，就像我的声音录在了伪造的汤姆·威茨的唱碟上。”通过一个中间的朋友，她联系上了纽约布鲁克林“电台电视”（TV on the Radio）乐队的戴夫·西特克。两人随后从洛杉矶赶往路易斯安那，按西特克的说法，为了创造一种“听上去像我们喝了很多咳嗽药，和看到了仙女小铃铛”感觉的音乐。

两人合作的《我头倚靠的任何地方》包括有十首翻唱曲，它们都是汤姆·威茨或威茨和他老婆卡瑟林·布雷楠（Kathleen Brennan）创作而成的。此外，还有唯一一首原创的曲目，是约翰逊和西特克合作的《献给乔的歌》（Song For Jo）。这也是专辑里唯一值价的三首歌之一。

结果，就是做出了一张很电音的专辑，还叠加着电影式的声效。这不禁令人联想到上世纪八十年代晚期英国唱片厂牌4AD出品的那些东西。约翰逊的声音，也唤起了人们对“极地双子星”（Cocteau Twins）组合里伊丽莎白·弗雷泽（Liz Fraser）的回忆。曾和斯嘉丽·约翰逊在《致命魔术》（The Prestige）一片中就早有合作的大卫·鲍伊，也为其中两支曲目献声——《坠落》（Falling Down）和《范宁街》（Fannin' Street）。

在他的博客上，鲍伊热烈的赞誉了约翰逊的专辑：“歌曲很棒，歌曲很棒，真正绝佳的汤姆·威茨的东西。而且斯嘉丽的演绎，要更加的神秘，也两倍的酷。她做出的那种感觉，只有作家玛格里·拉蒂默（Margery Latimer）或詹妮特·温特森（Jeanette Winterson）才创造得出来。”

赞归赞，但实际的市场结果是：这张专辑今年甫一发行，便遭遇惨败。几乎没有人买斯嘉丽·约翰逊的帐。看来想要在歌坛立足，并非可以这样从电影名气那里套现。商业上失败也就算了，乐评人对她也似乎不感冒。唯一的好评来自《卫报》，其它的评论则都不温不火。听过专辑的人都应该明白，约翰逊似乎在专辑中没找对感觉——要么就是我们没有找对感觉。且诱惑本是她长项，作为歌手来说她却显得庸懒干涩。她和制作人做出的东西，结果都与他们各自的野心相去甚远。然而，这张碟又绝非只是一张玩票的垃圾，因为如果说这是对威茨的致敬，倒不如说是她和制作人的一次勇敢的尝试，——尝试去几乎重新编排那些旧时的歌谣，烙上新的印迹。

（载于《音乐时空》）

来源：《金融时报》
文/Joshua Chaffin
编译/Keen

编者注：俺一向关注于杰克逊引发的西方文化现象，瘦死的骆驼都比麦当娜大，……尽管这个快50岁的老歌王已经不怎么出歌了。看到这篇《金融时报》的文章，还是忍不住继续译过来练手。实际上，这篇文章是关于索尼/ATV和马丁·班蒂尔的，可以算作为音乐出版业文献的一页。

在马丁·班蒂尔（Martin Bandier）去年同意签约成为索尼/ATV音乐出版公司的首席执行官之前，他脑子里只有一个担忧，那就是：迈克尔·杰克逊（Michael Jackson）。

作为索尼/ATV公司50%股份的拥有者，杰克逊对整个版权目录有着巨大的控制权——据说曲库里已拥有50万首歌曲，包括200多首甲壳虫（Beatles）乐队的经典歌曲。但是，尽管流行之王已被证明是一个精明的音乐收藏者，但他的官司麻烦和隐遁的生活方式，有时会让索尼/ATV公司的管理运营遭遇瘫痪。

 “如果我要签下一个合同的话，我就得有迅速签下该合同的弹性权力，”班蒂尔说，因为如果要等待不知去向的杰克逊的同意的话，商机可能很快就错过。班蒂尔是当代音乐出版业的奠基人。

班蒂尔和杰克逊之前曾做过生意。1993年时，他是百代（EMI）音乐出版公司的老板。当时，为了获得流行之王手上ATV曲库的管理权，他支付给了杰克逊创记录的7000万美元。作为合约的一部分，班蒂尔当时也同意把三首他最喜欢的猫王（Elvis）的歌曲版权卖给杰克逊，后者当时正在和猫王的女儿丽莎（Lisa Marie Presley）约会。对一个自称为“歌曲痴迷者”的人来说，本来不会有一点让步。

现在还不清楚这件事情，是否还在杰克逊的脑海里。但是，当去年两人短暂地进行了电话沟通后，班蒂尔终于轻松了下来。

“对我来说，这是小菜一碟，”他谈到两人之间关系时说，他依然对杰克逊坚持称呼他为“班蒂尔先生”的做法发笑。“多亏他了，迈克尔给我开了绿灯。”

根据班蒂尔的回忆，这是他在索尼/ATV愉快经历的一部分。当进行了两轮大型收购后，他开始为这个世界第四大音乐出版公司增加市场占有率。他很高兴有一个支持他的幕后大老板，索尼首席执行官霍华德·斯丁格爵士（Howard Stringer）。

最重要的是，班蒂尔从他在百代唱片的混乱岁月里解脱出来。当时在那里，他对音乐出版的贡献常常被公司其它部分的喧嚣混乱所掩盖，同时，赢利下滑的警告和公司重组的计划也在暗处隐藏。

“在这里太棒了。不如说在此我可以想象地度过最好的一年半，”班蒂尔坐在他巨大的办公室里，里面藏有他熟悉的木制雪茄盒和一些必然的签名吉他收藏。

整体来说，音乐出版业是音乐业里一块唯一没有沉入海洋的陆地。事实上，它还在继续增长。每当他们手下的任何一首歌在电影、广告、演唱会和电动玩具，甚至现在的电子游戏等其它媒介上被播出或被演出后，音乐出版商都可以收到版税。

班蒂尔早年是一个音乐爱好者，也是一个律师。他于上世纪70年代走入音乐出版这个领域。这在当时是一个绝对不性感的领域。1986年，他大赚一票。那时，他和两个合伙人买下了哥伦比亚（CBS）歌曲版权目录，花了1.25亿美元。两年后，他们把这个版权目录卖给了荆棘-百代（Thorn-EMI）公司，卖价高达3.4亿。在接下来的17年里，班蒂尔把百代音乐出版公司打造成了业界的领袖，收购了包括Motown曲库在内的一大堆版权，并激进地推销他们的畅销歌曲。“我们不能只做一个宝藏库，”他谈到他的手法说，“我们需要主动出击，走出去，寻找广告、电影和电视的机遇。”

尽管他在百代大获成功，但2006年班蒂尔从那里辞职却一点不令人惊讶。多年以来，班蒂尔愈加质疑百代的高管，因此关系也受到损坏。“只有一个接一个的大灾难，” 他说。对百代来说，决策层也非常厌烦班蒂尔这个执行官的抱怨，而且他的薪水比那时公司的首席执行官埃里克·尼科利（Eric Nicoli）还高。

年既64岁又富有的班蒂尔本来可以轻松地退休养老。但他是不会停下脚步的。在索尼/ATV，他看到了出版业成长的空间。索尼给他提供了优厚的合约，分给了他资产，以让他成为了一个合伙人，而不只是一个拿薪水的雇员。“在我生命的这个阶段，我做这些事情，是因为我想要做，——而不是因为我必须去做。”他说。

一旦开始工作，班蒂尔就没有浪费一点时间，他不负众望地变成了一个大胆的竞标者，想要挖到任何和所有的音乐曲库。去年四月，他花了4500万美元卖下了“Leiber and Stoller”曲库，里面包括“猫王”埃尔维斯的金曲《猎犬》（Hound Dog）和《监狱摇滚》（Jailhouse Rock）。

一个月后，他从媒体巨鳄维亚康姆（Viacom）公司手上，花费3.5亿美元收购了著名音乐出版公司（Famous Music Publishing），里面包括有所有派拉蒙电影公司的电影原声碟，包括《教父》（The Godfather）。

业界流言说，班蒂尔出价过高，但他并不为此感到歉疚。“我的哲学永远都是，我宁愿为某些宝贵的成功的东西多花钱，也不愿意为某些听都没有听过的东西浪费钱。”他解释说。

尽管说话时他精神不错，但班蒂尔承认当他离开百代后，他遭遇过情绪上的危机，毕竟那是他打拼了一辈子的地方。当他开车去他的海滩别墅时，车载收音机里播放起了百代的歌曲，这时他就更难受了。“我的妻子说我的脸都有点变形了。”他回忆道。

六个月前，他和他的老朋友贝瑞·高迪（Berry Gordy）共进午餐，后者是传奇的Motown唱片的创始人。贝瑞·高迪在1997年把他的歌曲版权目录卖给了班蒂尔。

“我说，‘贝瑞，让我问你一个问题：你是否曾感觉过你迷失了？你是否为不再拥有Motown唱片公司而感到愤怒过……尤其当你听到一首歌播放时，你知道当斯莫基·罗宾逊（Smokey Robinson）谱写它时，你还在现场？’”

“他说，‘是的，一直都是。’”班蒂尔回忆道。然后高迪给了他一个生硬的建议：“克服吧。”

班蒂尔说他终于克服了。现在问题是，他将怎么样带领索尼/ATV前行？他说霍华德·斯丁格公开在最近召开的索尼/ATV董事会上保证，他会为将来的收购提供资金保证。

班蒂尔说，如果百代唱片要卖掉它全部或部分的歌曲版权部门的话——因筹集资金，或因在将来要与华纳音乐合并，而必须让监管部门满意——，他一定会抓住机会。

目前，索尼更专心的是如何买断贝塔斯曼集团在索尼BMG合并案中的股份。这将花费10亿美元。

另外一个问题是，班蒂尔的成功将鼓励一大帮跟风者。就在唱片业垮塌，出版业价值显现的同时，新的竞争对手——包括私人投资公司——将加入竞争，并抬高价格。

班蒂尔确信很多人都是在高价买入曲库，而且没有经验，所以迟早就会被迫卖出。“有一天，我们将可以把这些东西买回来，而且是低价。”他预言道。

他还预见到目前那些新兴的社交网站，可以为他带来横财，比如MySpace。这些网站正在疯狂提供音乐给用户，而且将必须支付版税。

同时，他也专注着索尼/ATV最有价值的资产——它的甲壳虫乐队歌曲宝藏。“没有任何一个明星能大过《你所有需要的就是爱》（All You Need is Love），”他说，把这套曲库描述为“独一无二”。

1985年，他曾前往澳大利亚珀斯去，想从澳大利亚大亨罗伯特·福尔摩斯·阿·科特（Robert Holmes à Court）手上买下这套曲库。但是，当时另外一个竞标者——迈克尔·杰克逊——出价比他高。

尽管他们的出价也相当可观，但杰克逊在澳大利亚进行了一场慈善演出。流行之王还把其中一首甲壳虫歌曲《佩尼小街》（Penny Lane）献给了福尔摩斯·阿·科特的女儿：佩妮（Penny）。

甲壳虫乐队建立起来管理他们商业事务的苹果公司，多年来一直都在授权问题上进行阻挠。不过，在该公司的新首席执行官杰夫·琼斯（Jeff Jones）的领导下，事情看上去可能改变。在过去的一年里，苹果和索尼/ATV已经授权“美国偶像”节目、一个拉斯维加斯演出和一部好莱坞电影使用甲壳虫乐队的歌曲。他们还差不多即将要签下一个巨额合同，将开发出一个甲壳虫乐队为主题的电子游戏。

“这是要保证我们所有控制的歌曲都能以各种方式、形态和形式被使用，”班蒂尔说，“而且有希望被高品位地使用。”

如果这几个月在中国发生的事情让老外和老内意识到什么的话，以下这篇文章就是明证：

http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?autono=326934&leftnm=4&subLeft=0&chkFlg=

2008年08月23日
19:00 - 21:17    田径：
男子标枪决赛
女子跳高决赛
男子800米决赛
女子1500米决赛
男子5000米决赛
女子4x400米接力决赛
男子4x400米接力决赛

这就是我今天拿到的奥运门票（外加一本指南书）。在鸟巢，还是决赛，但我不保准我真正认识多少这几个领域的健将。这张门票抢到得很意外，因为那天就是奥运门票网全线崩溃之日，我侥幸获得……而真正想买的却没买到。罢了，这恐怕就是这回百年盛事中，我唯一会亲临现场的比赛。

其实一直有人在跟我说：奥运期间，离开北京最安全。

最新一款预告

看完《功夫熊猫》，恍然大悟：这分明是周星星《功夫》的熊猫版！不信去回忆，去比较。

如有雷同，不是巧合。

《功夫熊猫》的创意不在故事情节，不在价值内核，而在细节、设计和造型上。由于是动画，一些纵情的夸张成了锦上添花，当然也能收获纵情的大笑。

天下戏剧做不出新文章的时候，哪怕每一次微小的另辟奚径也足以令人惊艳。一部向一个文化介绍另一个文化的电影，——比如借助龟半仙尽情展现东方哲学，同时，“小人物做大事情”“永远相信自己”这样被西方民众广泛信赖的价值精神又可与之完美契合——，令到两边文化里的人都感到亲切，娴熟如此，无怪乎挥手弹指间就行销世界。

这倒反让之前上映的那个靠卖“功夫”噱头而生的《功夫之王》，显得更加令人哭笑不得。“功夫”和“功夫明星”永远不会是主角。主角永远该是一个真正丰富的主角，在真正丰富的故事中。辅料是不能当成主料的。

总之，倘若你失却了很久的笑颜，那么今夏，这只“熊猫”则是好一道爽朗的补品。

Candlelight vigil for earthquake victims

By Keen Zhang
China.org.cn columnist
zhangr@china.org.cn

关于汶川地震诗歌潮现象的一篇专栏综述。 

"PLA, ever onwards!
"Heedless in the midst of nature's fury
"They persevere for the People..."

Sun Jianjun, a children's poet, showed us a rough paper at the central Hong Yang square in Mianzhu City, Sichuan Province on which he had written a poem praising the courage of the PLA soldiers who have struggled to save as many lives as they could following the deadly 8.0-magnitude Wenchuan Earthquake on May 12, which as of Wednesday had killed 69,176.

He reads aloud to us.

Sun, a Sichuan native, is one of those rare adults in China who still remain faithful to children's poetry. He has published several collections of his work. At the moment he is traveling around the quake-hit areas, trying to comfort people with his short and simple poems.

Sun is one of the poets who are trying to make a contribution to quake relief. A cultural phenomenon was born after the earthquake: thousands of professional poets, writers, editors and ordinary people are trying to find a way to express their emotional turmoil – sadness, gratitude, confidence and strength – through contemporary poetry. Many focus on sadly deceased parents, children and teachers.

On May 22, the first day after the three-day national mourning, renowned poet Hai Xiao first published a poetry collection Love Knows No Borders: We Are Here with Wenchuan through New World Press. Hai is also the founder of an influential poetry website – Xshdai.com. His initial plan was to open a channel on his web for quake-relief poems, then he had the idea of publishing a collection, which was eventually speed-edited by himself and the publishing house over 6 days.

"The best poems in the book are written by those who are not professional poets," Hai Xiao told China.org.cn, "because the best poems come from the true heart and the genuine emotion of common people. I cried a thousand times when reading the poems, but I also sensed a strong power, the power of the resolve of brave and stalwart Chinese people in the face of the colossal disaster."

New World Press promised that they would donate all the profits to relief work.

Several other poetry collections have been published. One titled Anthology of Poetry for Wenchuan was published by Qunzhong Press on May 24. The first print run of 2000 copies has been donated to Xinhua Bookstore, which will distribute the books to quake victims in disaster areas to boost morale.

The collection features around 100 moving poems. Many have appeared on the Internet.

One famous poem, entitled Child, hold on to Mommy's hand, reads:

Come, my child
Hold on to Mommy's hand
The road to Heaven is so dark
I fear you might be hurt again

The composition was written by 24-year-old Su Shansheng, who was struck by the image published on May 13 of a dead child's hand stretching out of quake ruins. He adapted a poem which he had written for his cancer-stricken girlfriend three years ago, and contributed it to earthquake victims.

Thanks to the rapid information freeway of cyber-space it received a huge amount of clicks and forwards in the virtual world, and quickly made its way into books and onto various charity vigils where numerous actors and hosts recited it.

When you search the poem's title on Google, you will find over 1 million hits. It was also reported that the poem inspired Chen Tiaoqiao, CEO of the leading Chinese online gaming company Shanda, to donate another 6 million yuan to survivors. The poem thereby earned the description "most valuable literary creation", while many said their hearts were touched after reading it.

The book also includes works by famous Chinese poets Ye Yanbin, Zhang Xuemeng, Wang Xiaoni and Yang Liuhong, and others by policemen, medical workers and volunteers from the front line. However, the famous poets' works are not nearly so well- known as some of the improvisations.

"The country has just witnessed a historical Renaissance in Chinese poetry," said the excited writer Yan Yanwen in a speech at Renmin University on June 3. Perhaps. But the worth of many of the poems comes not from their delicate structure and the careful choice of words, but from the heartfelt expression of true feelings.

Anthology of Poetry for Wenchuan

"Ordinary people are choosing to express themselves through poetry, and so the poem is once more the property of ordinary people. Poetry has won back its readers in millions, and it both takes on the burden of social responsibility and honors its value," Yan added.

Poetry in literature has always carried this healing power.

"For days, I did not want to talk to anyone – then on the night of May 19 I felt the impulse to write a poem," Li Shaojun, the editor-in-chief of literature magazine Tianya, told Xinhua. "Poems can express our deepest and strongest feelings, and I felt relief and the return of moral strength after I finished the work."

Before and after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, in the face of natural disasters, social transformation, and even revolutions, poetry has always been a quick and easy tool to express feelings and ideas.

As an example, when the Chinese people were dissatisfied with the Treaty of Versailles settlement – known as the Shandong Problem – the May Fourth Movement, a cultural and political anti-imperialist movement from early modern China, was formed on May 4, 1919. The New Culture Movement was launched which gave birth to Chinese modern neo-style poetry.

At that time Chen Duxiu, a leading revolutionary figure, educator, and philosopher, established an influential Chinese periodical, La Jeunesse, which was the earliest outlet for neo-style poems, attracting Hu Shi, Lu Xun, Li Dazhao and many other significant figures in Chinese literature. Such poems often played an important role in many later historical events.

Another example: on the day of the 1976 Qingming Festival, traditionally a time for the sweeping of tombs in China, people gathered in Tian'anmen Square to write hundreds of poems mourning the death of late Premier Zhou Enlai while protesting against the "Gang of Four" conspirators led by Jiang Qing. The clique was crushed in October 1976. In 1978, a collection titled Reproduction of the Poems of Tian'anmen was published, considered as a landmark in the history of modern Chinese poetry.

Poetry also enjoyed huge popularity in the golden era of the 1980s. However, this fever didn't last long. In the 1990s, writing poetry became a small-scale, unstructured, minority activity in China. The publication of poetry magazines and books fell into decline. As poets lost the attention of the general public, they turned desperately to gimmicks like nude-recitals and fake suicide. 

Zhao Lihua, a member of the Chinese Writers Association, even created a "Lihua-styled" poem, which commonly has no meaning but uses odd structures and absurd oral-word-play. In 2007 Han Han, a renowned and out-spoken young writer, supported by many others including myself, questioned the continued worth of so-called "Chinese modern poems" and "poets" given the value of what had been lost.

Wenchuan quake poems: a landmark of Chinese poetry history?

Things may be changing. Li Shiying, a writer from Shandong Province, wrote a poem called Wenchuan, I Cry for You Tonight on May 13. After he posted it on his blog, it earned 6 million clicks. 30 newspapers published it while 20 TV and radio stations broadcast it. This was beyond all the expectations of the author, signaling the first and largest poetry revival since the 1990s.

But some literary critics, such as Xie Youshun, suggest that the revival is essentially an emotional outlet for millions of aching souls, and the function of this poetry is to provide such a release. The purpose of the poetry movement is to express the voice of the heart, and it has not truly found a new area of growth. When the pain generated by the calamity gradually fades, Chinese modern poetry will find itself back in its previous position.

On June 12, a new collection called We Are Here Together, including poems by over a hundred poets from Qinghai Province, was published. On June 13, a poetry CD was released by the China Record Corporation. People may expect more to come. But who can predict how long the poetry wave will last, and how many copies of this kind of books and CDs can be sold?

As far as I can see, Sichuan is already returning to normal despite occasional aftershocks. People are smiling again. Some have started to play their beloved traditional games such as Chinese chess and Mahjong. The survivors and those less affected have started joking about the earthquake. Some outside observers might be amazed at the powers of recuperation of the Sichuan people. But that is what they are, and what they always have been.

I don't know if Sun Jianjun is still hurrying from group to group, writing poems and bringing comfort. But on the way back from Mianzhu to Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital, we were listening to our car radio. We were able to hear another short, simple poem for volunteer taxi drivers who had helped transport the injured to Chengdu from quake-hit Dujiangyan on the day of the disaster:

Bravo taxi drivers
We salute you
For we are proud of you.

By Keen Zhang
zhangr@china.org.cn

《功夫熊猫》被一个脑残绑架了。因此，四川的影迷被迫看不到这个片子。回击这种脑残的最好办法，就是大家都去电影院。

Sichuan, the home of the giant panda, will postpone the release of the Hollywood movie Kung Fu Panda for at least 5 days due to a new round of controversy. A performance artist accused the film of mining Chinese moviegoers' wallets after the major earthquake by stealing the Chinese panda and other cultural symbols.

Even though film directors John Stevenson and Mark Osborne have said that Kung Fu Panda is intended as a "love letter" and a tribute to Chinese kung fu and the country's culture, and the film has won widespread positive acclaim from premieres around China, Sichuan provincial capital Chengdu's five cinema chains released a joint statement last night announcing a postponement in the screening of the film.

"Due to the fact that some audiences are unaware of the content of the film Kung Fu Panda, which was supposed to hit nationwide screens, including Sichuan, on June 20, we have decided to postpone the release", they announced. "Later we hope to re-introduce the film and the cast to the public in Sichuan, to pave the way for the film's screening."

Sources said the film will be postponed for five days.

A performance artist claimed credit for this "success".

"In my artistic heart, I cannot accept the fact that Hollywood wants to make a fortune from the Chinese people after the huge earthquake in Sichuan," said Zhao Bandi in one of his blogs on Bokee.com. "It's an ugly bear. I wouldn't even dignify it with the name 'panda'."

Even though he hasn't actually seen the film, he is referring to the role (voiced by Jack Black) in the summer blockbuster Kung Fu Panda. Zhao announced to the waiting world that at this point in time he personally would find healing for his heart through silence, rather than be amused by the comedy cartoon. Presumably his "silence" will start after everyone in China has heard his views on the cartoon film.

Zhao, a 42-year-old "performance artist" and designer, has achieved minor fame through a number of art exhibitions at home and abroad. Ironically, he operates under the title "Panda Man" since many of his artworks themselves exploit the image of the panda.

On June 16, Zhao and a small band of his chums waved a banner in the vicinity of the Film Bureau of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, calling for a boycott.

His reasoning appears to be that for a start Hollywood's Sharon Stone recently said the Sichuan earthquake is due to "karma" and Hollywood is always creating people like her through its atmosphere and the values it promotes and some people like that might be working on this film. And Kung Fu Panda has stolen Chinese cultural treasures and wants to make money out of Chinese people who have been physically and emotionally damaged by the earthquake. And the film has some slight connection with Steven Spielberg because it was released by DreamWorks SKG which was co-founded by Spielberg and Spielberg was against the Beijing Olympics and pulled out of his role in the Beijing Olympics in February which angered many Chinese.

On June 16, Zhao and a small band of his chums waved a banner in the vicinity of the Film Bureau of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, calling for a boycott.

Tong Gang, the Director of the Bureau, had the courtesy to meet with the artist for a total of twenty minutes. The Director said that the Bureau understood the deeply-felt concerns of Zhao and his chums, but pointed out that the movie has been examined by the Bureau, which had no problem with the film's content. As for a possible suspension, or postponement of distribution, he felt that this was primarily a matter for the film's distributors.

Yesterday, Zhao triumphantly announced in his blog that the Film Bureau had told him, thanks to his unstinting efforts, that they had decided to put a temporary stop to the release of the film in Sichuan.

Paramount Pictures, parent company of DreamWorks, refused to comment on the suspension yesterday but said the film was screened in other Chinese cities as scheduled.

Zhao's conduct, and the film's suspension in Sichuan, has provoked an intense reaction among movie lovers. Many netizens have blasted his remarks, dismissing them as shameless self-promotion. A generation of young Chinese has grown up with American movies, and many of those commenting could not understand the Film Bureau's and the distributor's decision.

"Idle parochialism and xenophobia! The film doesn't insult the panda or the people of China. How can this 'artist' - who has not even seen the movie – start a call for a boycott based on nothing more than his own over-fertile imagination!" a furious netizen wrote in an Internet post, the Shanghai Morning Post reported.

Zhao Bandi presents designs for prostitute and concubine panda clothes at China's International Fashion Week in Beijing, November, 2007.

Zhao Bandi, in spite of the role he has appropriated as the stalwart defender of the panda and Chinese culture, previously presented designs for prostitute and concubine panda clothes at China's International Fashion Week in 2007 -- something that he described as "satire". This angered Chengdu's legislators and they discussed the drafting of a local law for pandas, protecting against overuse or abuse of the panda's image - a move which caused controversy at the time.

In a Shanghai Evening Post commentary, the author asked, "Why the boycott? What's with the postponement? Is it about Zhao's own fragility, or does he genuinely believe that the quake-hit victims are too sensitive? The panda is cute, the Kung Fu is Chinese, the story is hilarious, and the theme is inspiring! Is this not what the people in the disaster area need most right now? Sichuan, more than any other place, needs to find something to laugh about! "

The Modern Express also said in its commentary, "Unless you are looking for an excuse to be offended, you will see that the film positively promotes Chinese culture and the panda's image, which is exactly what Chinese directors like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige themselves have been doing."

Children pose at a Kung Fu Panda clothing launch ceremony in Hong Kong, June 19, 2008. Paramount Pictures, parent company of DreamWorks, refused to comment on the suspension yesterday but said the film was screened in other Chinese cities as scheduled.

It is rare for the release of a film like Kung Fu Panda to be blocked due to this kind of controversy, even though cultural imperialism has long been a hot topic in China.

"Boycott" is a word that has been heard all too frequently in recent months. Targets have ranged from Spielberg to Carrefour, Sharon Stone and Louis Vuitton. But in the case of Kung Fu Panda, a massive number of Chinese people have joined in an online campaign to protest against the boycott, turning the instigator Zhao Bandi into a publicity-hungry clown.

One netizen called Ning Cai said, "I'm from Sichuan, and I was really looking forward to Kung Fu Panda. I'm not in the least bit pleased to hear the film has been postponed."

Film critics, while praising the film, have also questioned what Chinese filmmakers are thinking of, while foreign studios make increasing use of Chinese elements to achieve success. Disney's Mulan was an early example from a decade ago. With the Olympics approaching, as well as Kung Fu Panda, another Chinese-oriented film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is due to open in China in August.