MkGenie Polaris

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.

(China.org.cn June 20, 2008)