MkGenie Polaris

The first China-made Blu-ray music video disc, Ai Tu Lan, was released in April, 2008.

By Keen Zhang

蓝光离我们越来越近了。

When Toshiba, the major backer of HD DVD, announced that it would cease supporting this format in February 2008, the 7-year-long format war between HD and Blu-ray effectively came to an end. The focus for Blu-ray manufacturers now turns to the next huge world market.

On July 8, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) and its contributing member CESI Technology announced the establishment of China's first Blu-ray Disc Testing Center.

Dr. Zhao Xiaoying of CESI Technology told China.org.cn today that the Center is already operational. The center will test BD-ROM movie players from Chinese manufacturers and provide data to BDA. This will shorten the lead time for product development and market launch of fully compliant BD products for Blu-ray Disc product manufacturers.

Dr. Zhao added that according to BDA's rules, any manufacturers wishing to produce and sell products bearing the Blu-ray logo must perform compliant self-testing in accordance with evaluation standards, and send their products to the Center for approval and recognition. Once BDA is satisfied that the manufacturer's self-test results are consistent with those of the Testing Center, they will permit manufacturers to use the Blu-ray logo.

Although he did not provide any names, Dr. Zhao revealed that dozens of Chinese companies already have the BDA product criteria and will start development and manufacturing around Blu-ray. 14 companies already hold licenses to produce BD players.

"We are extremely pleased that CESI Technology has joined the Blu-ray Disc Association as a Contributor member," said Sumitaka Matsumura, chair of BDA's China Task Force, on July 8. "The BDA continues to work hard to bring high definition to Chinese consumers and this development with CESI Technology is another significant indication of the strong support for the Blu-ray Disc format in China. The establishment of an official Test Center in China is critical to the acceptance of Blu-ray Disc in China by industry and consumers, and so we very much look forward to the contribution of CESI Technology."

On the same day Zhao Xinhua, president of CESI Technology, commented that Blu-ray Disc is the successor to DVD, presenting new business opportunities for the Chinese consumer electronics industry.

Sony will release first batch of Blu-ray movies, including Spider-Man 3, Kung Fu Hustle and Open Season in China this summer.

Also on July 8, The BDA announced that DRA (Digital Audio Coding) technology had passed an important technical evaluation. This may represent "a key milestone for a locally-developed Chinese technology to be potentially adopted by Blu-ray Disc format", according to BDA's press release.

This milestone is the result of hard work by engineers in the Audio Codec Evaluation Technical Task Force under the BDA's Joint Technical Committee, and close collaboration with China's Hualu Group and DigiRise Technology Ltd.

Blu-ray Disc is the next-generation optical disc format that has been developed for high definition audio-video and high capacity data software applications. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc can hold up to 25 gigabytes of data and a double-layer Blu-ray Disc can hold up to 50 gigabytes of data.

But Blu-ray is only at the start of what is likely to be a very long journey to the market in China. As I recently learned, Blu-ray has launched its sales in China, but to date the number of players sold barely reaches 10 units per month. One reason may be its high price -- over 5,000 yuan per unit -- although the Beijing News has reported that Sony will lower the price to around 1,000 yuan.

The second reason may be that most of general public has no knowledge of Blu-ray. DVD, and even older-fashioned Video CD (VCD), are still popular among Chinese households.

These are hardware issues. But Blu-ray fans also have a problem of software availability in terms of discs. There were no China-region coded Blu-ray movies selling in Chinese market until July, when Sony Pictures and its longtime Chinese collaborator Excel Media decided to release the first batch of Blu-ray movies, including Spider-Man 3, Kung Fu Hustle and Open Season.

Thus far, Sony Pictures has released 122 Blu-ray movies around the world. In the United States, they have sold 11 million copies in total, while in Asia to date sales number 150,000. But in China itself, sales are almost zero.

To resolve the problem Shanghai Epic Music Manufacturing Operations, a joint-venture between Sony Digital Audio Disc and various Chinese companies, became China's first Blu-ray Disc manufacturer. They announced on July 11 that they will launch a production line in December, hoping to boost the sales of players from Sony, Panasonic and Pioneer Blu-ray, all of whom are concerned about weak sales of their product.

The Chinese market is complicated by the fact that ordinary Chinese like low-end affordable products. In the 1990's before DVD emerged, and while Westerners still mainly watched VHS tape, the low-priced VCD and its player became a phenomenon and a must-have in China, making it difficult for DVD players to enter the huge market without lowering their price.

Now, before Blu-ray has yet taken hold of the market, Chinese-based high definition audio-video technologies have already started to establish a presence. Leading the field are Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD) and China Blue High Definition (CBHD) technologies.

But once Toshiba pulls out, EVD and CBHD also will have their work cut out. One industry insider told me that Chinese governmental support for domestic Red-ray products had deterred Chinese manufacturers from investing in Blu-ray. But he added that Blu-ray's advanced technology and its extra disc storage space is likely to mean that he and many others may eventually opt for the format.

The future is still unclear -- domestic demand will sustain the HD-DVD camp in China even when Toshiba pulls out in February. In fact Toshiba has said it will still support HD-DVD development in China. Together with a number of global HD-DVD backers and Chinese companies, Toshiba set up the China High Definition DVD Industry Association on September 7, 2007 in an attempt to promote the mass production of High Definition DVDs.

"Many are watching and waiting", the insider said. China's domestic manufacturers still have a foot in both camps – collaborating with Blu-ray in foreign markets and manufacturing CBHD products at home. "Customers don't care if it's Blu-ray or HD, as long as the product can meet their needs."

"It will take at least three years to popularize Blu-ray," he said, pointing to such issues as the high price and the relevant patent fees, which will take time to negotiate.

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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".

Zhao Bandi

"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.

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这个成绩要让票房保守人士和影评保守人士都花容失色。

Iron Man lives through Downey

By Keen Zhang
zhangr@china.org.cn

During the 3-day May Day holiday across the nation, Chinese moviegoers packed the cinemas but basically sought out only two blockbuster films. The first, unsurprisingly, was The Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan and Jet Li. In competition with it was the Hollywood summer flick Iron Man.

Of course, The Forbidden Kingdom won out, thanks to its familiar Chinese legends and actors. The film grossed 60 million yuan in Chinese box offices over a period of three days. Iron Man held hopes of to replicating Spider-Man 3's 74-million yuan box office success last year but it only grossed 30 million. Even so, many cinema managers still believe that Iron Man will pass 100 million yuan mark in upcoming weeks.

One simple reason is the fact that the Jon Favreau-directed Iron Man appears far more awe-inspiring than the two Kung Fu kings. When the superhero comic adaptation soared in the US box office, sweeping more than US$100 million over the weekend, even the boldest movie chart observers conceded that they had underestimated its commercial potential.

In fact, the Marvel comics fictional character (a.k.a. Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark), created by Stan Lee and his colleagues in 1963 and based on the character of Howard Hughes, never stood in the same rank as Spider-Man, the X-Men and the DC Comics heroes Batman and Superman, but he definitely does have his own unique appeal.

Iron Man, unlike other superheroes, is a civilian antihero who equips himself with technology and intelligence instead of born-to-have or accidentally acquired superpowers. And this armored guy is nothing like the righteous hero Superman; he's not mysterious like Batman. He's just a genius, a billionaire industrialist and a playboy.

Iron Man was one of the first ventures solely funded by Marvel Studios with Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures distributing them. It needed significant success in order to pave the way for up and coming projects such as Captain America, The Avengers, Black Panther and Dr. Strange.

Golden Globe-winning Robert Downey Jr. and Oscar-winning Gwyneth Paltrow, both missing from movie charts for years since Chaplin and Shakespeare in Love, were invited to join in the project. Indeed the entire film would have lost most of its charm without the presence of Robert Downey Jr. He proved to be the perfect man to portray the rascapscallion Tony Stark and his alternative avatar Iron Man. Because of the actor's personality and personal experiences, Robert breathed life into the wilted man on the silver screen, and in addition to his masterful acting he also incorporated hilarious and biting humor.

Iron Man has turned out to be a hugely entertaining Hollywood roller coaster film of 2008. Even in faraway China, where American superheroes are rarely known, the film is seen as a purely enjoyable action movie. It has all the elements to amuse that an audience expects: a well organized storyline, tight plots, and an outstanding cast.

In addition, although Stan Winston studio's eye-popping armor creation and ILM's computer visual effect magic doesn't absolutely blow viewers' minds, they are at least quite decent and elaborate, and even at times they appear to be an upgrade from memories evoking Transformers in 2007. The only regretful weakness may be that Iron Man lacks enough emotional input and adequate self-reflection. Tony Stark's inside transformation from Lord of War-esque business dealer to an anti-terrorist hero is not that convincing; I believe Batman Begins did a better job.

The out-spoken Tony Stark openly admits that he is Iron Man at the end of the movie while the other superheroes are still concealed in their masks. A hidden scenario after the movie credit titles also hint at a sequel with him joining the superhero team "The Avengers". According to reports, he will also appear in a cameo performance for The Incredible Hulk that will hit the screens in June.

All in all, with another two greatly anticipated superhero movies: The Dark Knight and The Incredible Hulk fast on the Stark's tail, Iron Man really has garnered true success. Otherwise it would have disappeared into the netherworld once and for all after the first installment. The movie company's executives must be relieved. Their film managed to overwhelm audiences and created a first-class unconventional hero movie milestone, which may soon become a new adaptation wave in Hollywood production lines. In any case, we'll soon meet up with Hancock, a down-and-out superhero without a mask, in July.

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By Keen Zhang
zhangr@china.org.cn

对于双J的这个电影，我要予以坚决的批判。此外，我尤其不能接受齐天大圣的设定。尽管他们拍这个片子的本意是很好的（见最新一期《三联》）。

This film is the first collaboration between the top two internationally acclaimed living kung fu legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Their names, unfortunately, are the only positive draw regarding The Forbidden Kingdom.

But it's not surprising that millions of audiences around the world bought admission tickets to see how the two top martial arts masters fight with each other. Indeed, the hype and stunts have generated a huge payback: a US debut of US$20.90 million and a China take of over 100 million yuan. The Forbidden Kingdom in China also became one of the highest netting movies during its maiden weekend of showing.

Rob Minkoff, former director of the blockbuster Lion King, was hired by China's Huayi Brothers studio to promote western favor for the film and to pay tribute to the only popular Chinese film language in the rest of the world outside China - kung fu.

Maybe it was done to please American market; in any case he added an American boy (Michael Angarano), who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung fu classics, to the storyline, and called him "the Skywalker", at least in the Chinese version, - I wonder if George Lucas knows?

The boy has a destiny and mission to bring the legendary stick weapon to a classic Chinese mythological creature - Monkey King (Jet Li) - to save the world. Next the director rushes the boy into a fantasy dream (and forces us to be in it too), to be a hero and help the alternative world to defeat evil and re-establish order.

The storyline is weak, silly, simple and old-school. Recklessly inserting such a boy into the movie seems desperate. Assembling so many fictional figures from Chinese legendary tales doesn't help an international audience to understand Chinese mythology and culture, but rather makes the film go the way of Alien vs Predator. Most of the movie is forgettable, except for snatches of some rare oriental charm exuded by the two beautiful young Chinese actresses Li Bingbing and Liu Yifei.

But in the end, the viewer discovers that the only outstanding moments are the kung fu scenes. Or should we clarify and say that the plot of the film revolves around kung fu, since every scene is set to create opportunities for major fights.

No wonder why the Chinese title of the movie is "Kings of Kung Fu", as suggested by the project's cinematographer Peter Pau, instead of The Forbidden Kingdom. The stunning fight between Jackie Chan and Jet Li, even though both have passed their prime, wows spectators with the breathless actions and various martial arts styles.

Indeed, this film could end up as a martial arts cult film. However, it lacks the down-to-earth feelings, wit and humor, sincerity, reasonable and logic plots, and a dramatic surprise in the fashion of all of Bruce Lee's films. If Jackie Chan and Jet Li wanted to sell Chinese factors and cultural identities in this way, I'm sorry to say that they've done a shoddy job of it.

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By Keen Zhang
zhangr@china.org.cn

我推荐这部电影。现在只在北京华星UME有映，因为是IMAX版。

The Spiderwick Chronicles, basically, is a successful adaptation of the children's book series, written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.

Year after year, Hollywood seems desperate to find the next Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, so the studios constantly bet on fantasy books such as The Chronicles of Narnia, Eragon, His Dark Materials, Bridge to Terabithia, and even Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. However, none of them has earned the accolades and financial rewards received by the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

The Nickelodeon movie The Spiderwick Chronicles also won't cut it financially. According to Boxofficemojo.com, its domestic office gross in the United States was only US$70 million, with another US$74 million in revenue generated from around the world.

But if you can put aside the numbers, you'll find The Spiderwick Chronicles absolutely wondrous. Children's movies can be simple and foolish. Actors' performances can be flat, such as those given in the first installment of The Chronicles of Narnia, the targeted audience of young juveniles is unable to discern whether a film is good or bad. Nevertheless, The Spiderwick Chronicles is outstanding example of just how good and interesting a children's movie can be.

Frankly speaking, the movie, which congregates nearly all the major plots from 5 books, has nothing outstanding in the screenplay. A broken family moves into an old house with a huge secret, and then gets involved in an escapism-like fantasy adventure that eventually heals their pain and opens their hearts to each other while fighting against pure evil. How cliché a storyline is that!

But with the help of gorgeous CGI visual effects contributed by the ILM and Tippett Studio, combined with colorful cinematography that presents details throughout each scene, as well as the funny, eye-popping designs of the faeries and goblins, Director Mark Waters (Freaky Friday, Mean Girls) has transformed this film into a non-stop, fast-paced, children's action adventure that simply takes your breath away and never lavishes any time on "tender moments" as do other family movies. The score composed by veteran James Honor adds an epic touch to the traditional kids' bedtime story. And the child star Freddie Highmore really surprised me by playing two major roles in the film: the twin brothers Jared Grace and Simon Grace, giving an emotional and powerful interpretation to each character.

Don't miss out on this film, possibly one of the best family-fantasy movies in years.

The Spiderwick Chronicles finally made it through into the Chinese market two months after it premiered in the United States. However, it enters solely in the IMAX version, undoubtedly enhancing the already abundant visual feast. Currently the movie is only screening at Beijing's UME International Cineplex but it may soon be screened at other UME cinema divisions in some other cities around China.

China limits annual imports of foreign films. Only 20 foreign films, mostly from Hollywood, will be allowed into the Chinese market after Chinese film officials review a film's content and market potential.

Thus far, the UME has been the only cinema chain in China boasting IMAX format, but very few Chinese people can enjoy the ultimate experience since there are so few cinemas in China that can afford the lavish IMAX screening halls. As such, IMAX versions can also "fortunately" ignore the Chinese movie import limit.

IMAX (short for Image Maximum) is a film format created by Canada's IMAX Corporation that can display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film screening systems. A standard IMAX screen is 72.6 foot wide and 52.8 foot high, but some are even larger. Director Michael Bay said IMAX represents the future of cinema when he cut an IMAX version for his robot sci-fi action movie Transformers. The movie's IMAX copy was also imported into China by UME in October, 2007.

Official trailer on YouTube.com

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By Keen Zhang
zhangr@china.org.cn

Already hit with a Beijing lawsuit brought by 14 Chinese lawyers, media giant CNN faced more legal trouble yesterday as two Chinese women filed a class action against the company in a United States federal court, demanding one dollar for every Chinese person on the planet.

New York beautician Liang Shubing and Beijing primary school teacher Li Lilan signed the complaint against broadcaster. They will be represented by Attorney Ming Hai and his law office.

The suit claims remarks by commentator Jack Cafferty labeling Chinese "goons and thugs" violated the dignity and reputation of the Chinese people and intentionally or recklessly inflicted emotional distress on the plaintiffs.

"So I think our relationship with China has certainly changed, I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years," Jack Cafferty said in the program "Situation Room" that aired on April 9.

The women are seeking compensation of one dollar for every Chinese person on the planet; a total of US$1.3 billion.

Cafferty, and CNN's parent company Turner Broadcasting, are named as co-defendants. According to New York-based overseas Chinese website Sinovision.net, the court has accepted the case.

Lawyers said the court will send subpoenas to the defendants within two weeks. If the defendants fail to respond within 30 days, the judge can find for the plaintiffs by default. Lawyers said the massive compensation figure would force CNN to contest, but declined to comment on the outcome or claims the case was a symbolic action rather than a serious attempt to seek damages.

CNN earlier issued a statement denying Cafferty or CNN had intended to offend the Chinese people. Cafferty clarified that he was referring to Chinese government. But his clarification was denounced by the Chinese Foreign Ministry as "an attempt to incite the Chinese people against the government" and as confirmation that the intention of CNN coverage of Tibet and the torch relay was to demonize China.

A hotel has banned CNN programs in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province. The notice says the action will be continued "until CNN sincerely apologize for its tomfoolery".

Ming Hai anticipated the defendants would try to argue they were referring to the Chinese government, but he pointed out that Cafferty used "they" rather than "it", implying he was talking about the Chinese people not the government. And when the commentator referred to "junk" and "poisoned pet food" produced by the Chinese, he was evidently not talking about the Chinese government. Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom to libel, the lawyer said.

Ming Hai has assembled a team of six lawyers, including a judge from New York Superior Court. "We are going to win because justice is on our side," Ming Hai said. "And I also believe Jack Cafferty will suffer during the long legal proceedings."

"US$1.3 billion averages out at one dollar per Chinese person, so it isn't much," he added.

As CNN reporter Richard Quest was arrested for an alleged drug offence in New York, an online survey conducted by China Central TV shows that 97.61 percent of 3.52 million Chinese voters want CNN and Cafferty to apologize; 90.96 percent of 3.28 million voters said Cafferty was morally corrupt and should be barred from broadcasting for life; 90.82% of 3.27 million voters called on CNN to fire Cafferty.

Yesterday, Hong Kong Education Convergence staged a small protest outside CNN's Hong Kong office. The protestors, holding banners which read "CNN: bad model for students", "Chinese people love peace", "CNN is the true thug" and "CNN means Criticaster Name-calling Network", demanded CNN's boss sincerely apologize and formally retract the racist remarks.

According to newspaper Ming Pao, another huge protest against CNN will be organized in San Francisco on April 26. Organizers expect more than 2,000 Chinese to demonstrate outside CNN's San Francisco division. Siu Yuen Chung, chairman of the Chinese American Association of Commerce (CAAC), said the demonstrations will continue until the company bows its head and sincerely apologizes.

Jack Cafferty is no stranger to racist remarks. On November 17, 2003 while discussing video footage of the killing of an unarmed Iraqi insurgent by a US soldier, Mr. Cafferty said "I wouldn't be too concerned about the sensitivity of the Arab world. They don't seem to have very much. "

During Mr. Cafferty's coverage of Yasser Arafat's funeral he said "Maybe they'll put a sign out front for the Palestinian people, that reads "here lies the body of the thief who robbed you blind."

On September 23, 2004, while discussing Iraqi militants’ demand for the release of two female scientists from prison, Mr. Cafferty stated "Given the way these mutants treat women in their societies, if I was a woman, I think I'd rather be in an American jail cell than living with one of those-whatever they are over there."

Cafferty's personal life is also a mess. Born in 1942 to an alcoholic father, he also became an alcoholic. On May 14, 2003, he was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, assault and harassment, after striking a cyclist. He pleaded guilty and was fined US$250 and ordered to do 70 hours of community service.

CNN may try to put the best face on things by saying its commentator "provides robust opinions that generate debate", or "generates ratings for the network". But CNN has a track record of flirting with racism. CNN founder Ted Turner was himself forced to apologize to the Chinese community after using the derogatory term "Chinaman" during a talk on global warming in March 2007.

If Cafferty wants to see his own future he only has to look to the recent past of some of his colleagues in the US media. Don Imus was fired by CBS for racist remarks made while discussing the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship on April 4, 2007. Jeff Vandergrift and Dan Lay were fired by WFNY and CBS Radio when their “Dog House” show broadcast a six-minute prank call to a Chinese restaurant on April 21, 2007.

Meanwhile, ironically, in a related case, while the Dalai Lama accuses China of "repressing religious freedom" in Tibet, he is being sued in an Indian court for persecuting followers of the Dorje Shugden sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama deems the sect "non-spiritual", allegedly for political reasons. The first hearing date for this arraignment has been set for May 12.

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A girl stages a lone boycott demonstration in front of a Beijing Carrefour on April 13, 2008.

By Keen Zhang
zhangr@china.org.cn

Looks like the Carrefour boycott has already begun even though the proposed date on the Internet is May 1, a national holiday in China.

A girl staged a lone boycott demonstration in front of a Beijing Carrefour supermarket on April 13, on the same day that several residents demonstrated before a Carrefour in Qingdao, in eastern China's Shandong Province. Both were seen as the starting point of a campaign against French enterprises wanting to enrich their businesses in the Chinese market.

A group of demonstrators protest before the Carrefour in city of Qingdao, Shandong Province, April 13, 2008.

Yesterday, some 30 Chinese demonstrated before a Carrefour in Kunming, Yunnan Province. The organizers brought a 20-meter banner that read: "Support the Olympics; no independence for Tibet; boycott French goods; boycott Carrefour". The event lasted from 10 AM to 2 PM with police maintaining order along the avenue.

Hundreds of passers-by signed their names on the banner.

The Carrefour boycott is one of the boycott appeals that have emerged from the Internet a few days ago as Chinese people watched TV and noted disgraceful disturbances regarding the Olympic torch parade in London, Paris and San Francisco. Many young Chinese blame the chaos on mismanagement by local authorities; others blame various politicians and the media for fanning anti-China sentiments among the foreign public by distorting facts on Tibet and ignoring Chinese voices.

French riot police grapple with a demonstrator trying to grab the Olympic torch in Paris April 7, 2008.

The Paris stop was singled out because Chinese officials had to change the plan and extinguish the torch five times for security reasons. An image of the disabled female torch bearer, Jin Jing, who suffered under attacks by several Tibetan separatists who tried to grab the torch but failed at that time, triggered widespread Chinese anger that resulted in the current nationwide boycott calls circulating around the Internet, mobile phone messages and chat rooms.

"That may be why Paris lost its bid to hold the Olympics," one patriotic Chinese student quipped to China.org.cn, commenting on how Parisan authorities were unable to effectively manage the street disaster.

The Internet message accuses French enterprises such as Carrefour and Louis Vuitton of backing the Dalai Lama. Carrefour dismissed the claims. French brands such as Carrefour, Louis Vuitton, L'Oreal and some famous French cars were also included in the boycott list.

A fresh statement sent by Carrefour China this morning expressed their thorough support for the Olympics, stating that they never did in the past and will never in the future do anything "to harm Chinese people's feelings".

Carrefour said they would reserve the rights to initiate legal actions against any individuals and organizations that spread "unfounded" and "malicious" rumors against it.

Witnesses told China.org.cn that at least in Kunming and Beijing these last two days, consumers were noticeably fewer than usual.

Some 30 demonstrators protest before the Carrefour in city of Kunming, Yunnan Province, April 15, 2008.

One student surnamed Wu in Kunming said that the boycott was not meant to cause trouble, but rather to send a clear message to the outside world: "If anyone dares to challenge our sovereignty and dignity, they will witness our Chinese united power to fight back! We must stand up this time. 'Love our motherland' will no longer be simply empty words."

When asked about the French goods boycott, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told the French side to think about and reflect upon all the Chinese people's opinions and feelings that had been expressed recently. "All these actions are by no means accidental," she said, believing "these people will abide by laws and regulations in expressing their reasonable appeals."

Whether to boycott French goods or not is being hotly debated among the Chinese public these days. Bai Yansong, a famed Chinese TV host and a torchbearer expected to hold the flame in Sanya, Hainan Province, wrote in his blog, stating that he will stay away from the boycotts.

One logo for the Carrefour boycott campaign is circulating on the Internet.

"Many may not go to the supermarket that day (May 1), but I'm sure many also will go. We should not punish ourselves for others' mistakes," he said, adding that most staff members in Carrefour China are Chinese, and goods sold in Carrefour are almost all made in China. "It's like an internal conflict."

Bai represents one of the vast numbers of people who would "love the country rationally" without enlarging the negative impact between Chinese and French people. They believe China should be wise, generous and tolerant to some anti-China actions because China should start to adopt a superpower manner because it has already holds an unshakable position inside the international community.

"What's the difference between 'boycott French goods' and 'boycott the Olympics?'" some folks wonder, asking if China should seal itself off from the world again by boycotting a certain number of foreign nations' goods. Also, pro-Tibet activists exist in every Western country.

Jin Jing comes back to her hometown Shanghai, April 13, 2008.

Even Jin Jing, now a national heroine for protecting the torch from activists in Paris, has said "no" to boycotts. "People should be careful when they hear calls for boycotts," she said. "We will hurt ourselves."

Several boycott calls have happened before: when Chinese and American jets clashed in 2001 and when the Japanese wanted to join the UN's Security Council in 2005. But all of these incidents caused little impact on either side because globalization represents the merging of international manufacturing and sales.

CNN the sophisticate

Atlanta-based American cable TV CNN once again threw out a sophisticated response after the Chinese people, some American-Chinese, and even the Chinese government, accused it of racist and vicious attacks on Chinese in a TV program called "Situation Room" that aired on April 9.

CNN quickly responded by issuing a statement, "It was not Mr. Cafferty's nor CNN's intent to cause offense to the Chinese people, and CNN would apologize to anyone who has interpreted the comments in this way."

So what is its intent to smear China over and over again? CNN still seems not realize its credibility is bankrupt concerning the Chinese. The annual most popular phrase among Chinese citizens has already been set: "Don't be too CNN", which means don't be such a hypocritical liar when you deal with others. A song, bearing the same catchy phrase, was composed and sung by an amateur singer on the Internet and has since gained popularity. Anti-cnn.com, a grass-roots website, was set up to provide abundant evidence to prove that CNN and some other Western media lie when reporting China's affairs.

 Watch the music video of the song: Don't be too CNN

Jack Cafferty

Although CNN holds strong to its self-claimed "objective and balanced news", which seems like a joke now, surely they must understand it is not only about how many facts they reported, but also about how many facts they ignored, as well as what words and phrases they deliberately and carefully select, all of which can be used to manipulate public opinions and mock China.

Jack Cafferty clarified his words on Monday that his phrase: "bunch of goons and thugs" referred to the Chinese government. This was a childish and unprofessional move that attempted to alienate the Chinese government from the people.

But let's look back at his comment, as it reads in the CNN transcript, "We're in hock to the Chinese up to our eyeballs because of the war in Iraq, for one thing. They're holding hundreds of billions of dollars worth of our paper. We are also running hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of trade deficits with them, as we continue to import their junk with the lead paint and the poisoned pet food and exports, you know, jobs to places where you can pay workers a dollar a month to turn out the stuff that we're buying from Wal-Mart. So I think our relationship with China has certainly changed, I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years."

People might wonder how the Chinese government could produce the "junk" and "poisoned pet food", referring to several individual cases that happened last year? Ask any Chinese whether the Chinese government represents Chinese people, especially in the current episode of history when patriotic Chinese rally closer around the government? If Chinese and its government are "goons and thugs", as he said, then what about the government who invades nations from Iraq to Afghanistan and has killed hundreds of thousands of local civilians for decades?

Jiang Yu, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Cafferty, by slandering China and the Chinese people, has "seriously violated journalistic ethics and gone against the conscience of a normal human being, which reflects his arrogance, ignorance and hostility".

Actually, this represents a pan-China hatred as well as fear for a new emerging superpower, a power that holds different beliefs and political systems from his, yet is always friendly with any peoples from any continents on the planet. His main point, indeed hidden in his bias and malicious remarks, is that China is "holding hundreds of billions of dollars" of the US paper deficits while more and more American consumers are "buying from (inexpensive) Wal-Mart".

"We are truly stunned and shocked by a recent racist and hatred remark on the Chinese people by your news commentator Jack Cafferty, " the Legal Immigrant Association, mainly comprised of people from China, launched an online petition (www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?cnncaff) condemning the program after it was aired. The petition urged CNN to take immediate action against the commentator and demanded an official apology from CNN to all Chinese people. Nearly 66,000 people who had, in CNN's statement - "interpreted the comments in this way", signed it as of Wednesday afternoon.

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By Keen Zhang
zhangr@china.org.cn 

我的一篇长篇评论。希望西方能反思。中国人需要反思的，我过段时间再用中文写。

"Our country, right or wrong," the American naval hero Stephen Decatur once proclaimed. This is what Chinese people, especially the young generation, believe. The Western world never thought when they weighed in on Tibet issue, which they believed is "good-intent". The opinion of the West has been furiously responded to by the Chinese people's ever rising patriotism.

Granted, patriotism can sometimes be blind and dangerous, but that is what Chinese are now. At first, the major view point was simple as black and white: Pro-China is good, anti-China is bad. Choose your side now.

But as more and more well-educated and intellectual Chinese join in, Western media is put on its heels. Anti-cnn.com, set up by a young grass-root engineer Rao Jin, is a symbol of Chinese resilience. Another notable campaign is the Youtube video, "Tibet was, is and will always be part of China", generating millions of clicks and comments.

Even so, sources complained to China.org.cn that YouTube.com and social networks website Facebook.com were starting to reduce the videos' pro-China influence by cutting the clicks, censoring the comments and deleting Chinese users' IDs and groups.

To the Western world's surprise, many Chinese, who have received higher education in the overseas and some who have even lived abroad, have turned their backs on Western media because of the media circus.

Last weekend, tens of thousands of Chinese people took over streets and squares from Sydney to Seattle to voice their opinions to the Western media, which downplay and ignore the number of Chinese in their reports, censor Chinese people and flags, and even mistake Chinese for anti-Chinese protesters.

French companies and their products, including Louis Vuitton, L'Oréal and Carrefour, will soon be surprised to find themselves boycotted, according to a widely circulated appeal among Chinese on the internet, which may not result in massive loss for French investors but will surely send out a message to the French people. "It is a slap on their own face," the Global Times commented on the pro-Tibet chaos.

While the West criticizes Chinese for “excessive nationalism" and often labels China as "state-funded and controlled", when any spontaneous protests against the West occur, the West fails to realize their own faults.

"Many Westerners are ignorant," Luo Shuang told China.org.cn. The young woman studied in Britain for years and now come back to China for building her own jewelry business. She said she had traveled to 14 European countries and met many very nice people there. But when they talked about political issues regarding China, like the current Tibet issue, even her best Western friends would not listen to her but simply labeled her as "brainwashed" before they even checked the facts.

"The bias against China is in their bones and blood. They just grow with it. That’s how they are raised," Luo added.

 "In the West the calculated manipulation of public opinion to serve political and ideological interests is much more covert," Noam Chomsky, the famous American linguist and political activist, wrote in his article entitled How Propaganda Works in the West in 2007.

Some westerners are also confused. "The closer China has moved toward our own system, the more hostile the US government has become," Justin Raimondo wrote in his long article “Why they hate China”, published on Antiwar.com, March 26. "....We are, in this sense, our own worst enemies," he concluded.

Another Internet user from Europe posted in China.org.cn's online forum, asking: "I was very surprised by the scale of the French attacks on China in the newspapers, on the French television and in the streets during the passing of the torch and couldn't really understand why no one presented a more objective view on the subject. In a few weeks China had become 'the bad guy', and the Dalai Lama a kind of holy savior.... French are by tradition very suspicious of religious leaders, why, suddenly, would French press and television depict Tibetan theocracy as a cause to fight for?"

In the Western news, the common approach would be pro-Tibet. Violent riots could be "peaceful protests" because they show nothing violent on their TV screens. When the Western journalists reported the Chinese official death toll in Tibet, they never forgot to routinely add one line that "there's no independent investigation to verify the number". But what they do and maybe deliberately forget is that the Dalai exile-government's number was also never be verified by any independent investigation. But Westerners chose to believe the hearsay as if it is the truth.

They also suffer memory loss that China peacefully liberated Tibetan people from its old serf system and signed a peaceful agreement with the Dalai Lama as early as 1951, not in the so-called "failed uprising" year of 1959. Even during World War II and the civil war in China, when the central government of the Republic of China had weak control of Tibet, Tibet was never a country with its own sovereignty.

CNN once again shown its true color when Jack Cafferty, an anchor in “The Situation Room”, made racist remarks against Chinese people on a program aired on April 9. Many overseas Chinese were angered and are threatening to boycott the sponsors for the show until the anchor apologized. Cafferty insulted the Chinese people with a highly despicable statement: "They (Chinese) are basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they have been in the past fifty years".

The new campaign against CNN is just an escalated version of the "tit for tat" campaign in response to CNN's recent coverage on the Olympic relay in Paris, London and San Francisco, which is overwhelmingly condemned by the Chinese community as ungrounded and defamatory. CNN never apologized, but made excuses instead.

These examples are just a drop in the bucket in how the Western media deliberately distort the news. Manipulations such as repeatedly cropping images and mistaking Nepalese police beating monks for Chinese police in a photo caption are examples of how the Western media are trying to defame China's image before Olympics.

So should the Chinese government be criticized for investing billions of money into boosting Tibet’s economic and religious development all through years?

"I just want to tell people: please learn something more about Tibet's current situation first! They will find that during 50 years, Tibet has enjoyed huge development, instead of going backwards," Nathalie Hrizi, a school teacher, told China.org.cn. She and her Party for Socialism and Liberation staged a counter protest before the San Francisco Olympic torch relay.

Western politicians also forget what they did in response to riots. When Chinese police went to maintain the order and stability in Lhasa, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who vigorously commented on China's internal affairs in recent weeks, forgot how he reacted to Paris riots in 2005. US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, also forgot how the American government sent troops to crack down on the Los Angeles riots of 1992 with about 10,000 people arrested and 53 people dead when she represented the 8th Congressional District of California at that time. Let’s not even mention the human rights abuse that occurred at the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay prisons.

That is not to say that China should react exactly as the West has to its own disturbances. But when Chinese police entered Tibet to ensure stability according to law and protect the citizens from violence, it is not wrong to do so. The West’s duplicitous nature provokes Chinese anger and has caused the solvency of the credibility of Western media in Chinese hearts.

If you surf any Chinese internet forum, you will find indignant Chinese protest against Western media and the distortion of facts by Western politicians. Ask any Chinese and you will find that Chinese people say that it is the West’s and Tibetan separatists’ conspiracy to weaken and even split China, because they can’t accept an emerging superpower. No matter whether the sayings are right or wrong, evident or naive, the fact is that China is imperfect as other nations in the world. It will be more open and better, as many Chinese optimistically believe.

Olympic torch relay disturbances added ammunition to the furious fever. When a girl with physical disabilities protected the torch from violent Tibetan activists in Paris, the dramatic image made her an overnight heroine of the Chinese people. The Chinese government and the people of China have prepared the Olympics for seven years with hard-work, intelligence and dedication. The national pride is huge here as China is developing at a pace never seen before.

When mutual understanding is lost, there is no peaceful and useful platform for dialogue between China and the West. There should be greater efforts to bridge the two sides in preparation for the Games as the Olympics are not about politics but about a time when the world can come together in harmony and peace.

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中文原文：村民修路挖出古墓 美女壁画发红光

On April 10 some villagers constructing a road in the city of Chongqing in southwest China accidentally unearthed an ancient tomb. Witnesses described the vivid frescos as shining like red lights when they were first excavated.

Linggetang Village natives were building a road that day. As the excavator routinely operated its steel arms suddenly the ground caved in and a hollow appeared, witnesses told the Chongqing Times yesterday.

"The cave shone, inside it seemed like red lights were shining; all of us were stunned!" one of the villagers recounted. Soon they discerned that the shining objects were actually vivid frescos inside the tomb. Clouds, horses, deer and female beauties had been painted and preserved on the cave wall. In addition to the frescos, the villagers also discovered four ceramic animal figurines and two pots.

Wang Changwen, a local cultural researcher, soon rushed to the location. Initially he said the frescos resembled Tang Dynasty-styled paintings, but after he studied the tomb cave in detail, Wang then surmised that the tomb dated back to the Ming Dynasty.

Four auspicious beasts were standing at two sides of the tomb. There was also a container for grain and a ceramic pot. These objects represent typical funerary items of the Ming Dynasty. In addition the tomb's design structure is Ming-styled," he said.

The renowned Chinese artist Wu Huixia also checked the frescos, and felt that the fresco creator showed a profound artistic workmanship.

Liu Jidong, the head of a cultural relics team from Chongqing municipal archeology institute, said they haven't identified the tomb’s owner. But he asserted that whoever was buried there must be either an official or a businessman.

Liu said this is the first ancient tomb containing Ming Dynasty-styled frescos that has been unearthed in Chongqing. He said the frescos had great potential value for researchers wishing to study the lifestyle and arts at that time.

He also indicated that they are weighing options over whether to move the tomb or not. Currently road construction has ceased; the city's archeology institute has sent a team there, expecting to explore more.

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By Keen Zhang
zhangr@china.org.cn

After her triumphant concert in Shanghai, Celine Dion flew to Beijing the following day at the invitation of her close friend Yang Lan, a famous Chinese TV hostess. The two women were born on the same day.

Celine’s only engagement in Beijing was an appearance on the TV talk show Olympic Songfest, hosted by Yang Lan. Celine’s husband, René Angélil, accompanied her to the studio where around hundred of her fans were waiting outside.

Some of her fans had followed the diva from Shanghai to Beijing the same morning on other flights. Her most devoted and die-hard fan, an elderly American lady who has seen over 119 of Celine's concerts was also there.

Celine Dion didn't offer any explanation for the cancellation of her Beijing concert planned for April 13, saying that this was a matter for her management team while she was solely focused on music and performance. But she expressed her willingness to return to China to hold concerts in the future.

Since I had an invite to the chat show, I was among the cheering throng thrilled to watch the Canadian singer deliver three of her classics. The first was The Power of the Dream, which she originally sang live with composer David Foster at the piano during the opening ceremony of the Atlanta Games in 1996. The song has never been sung since. It was truly wonderful to hear it sung out loud once again to celebrate the upcoming 2008 Beijing Games.

The second song was Titanic theme My Heart Will Go On. Probably everyone on the planet can sing a line or two from this song. Celine’s powerful vocal performance reduced the audience to tears, but not before four Chinese folk musicians had  played an instrumental version of the song on ancient Chinese instruments including a pipa (Chinese lute), a dizi (Chinese flute), a guzheng (Chinese ancient zither), and an erhu (Chinese fiddle).

"This is the first time I have heard Titanic played this way, really, it was extremely touching," she commented before the launching into her own version.

Celine spoke wisely and clearly about her dreams, her singing career, her marriage, family, her child, the challenges she faced and her love for her husband, René Angélil. Mr. Angélil, who did not appear until the middle of the show, revealed a little secret to the audience; that the couple had their first kiss when Celine won the Eurovision Song Contest in1988.

The show ended with an emotional outburst after Celine talked about her late father. When it came to the final number Alone, she poured all her emotion into it and burst into tears after finishing the song.

The TV show is scheduled to be broadcast on Beijing TV channel 1 on the afternoon of April 20.

Celine Dion voiced her support for the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games and called on people to "keep the dream possible for our young kids" during a press conference held later.

Celine Dion and Yang Lan also revealed they planned to collaborate on the launch of a jewelry brand named HVLove Ltd, but said that due to tight schedules, they had postponed the launch ceremony.

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