Entertainment

China’s consumer class is always looking for the latest, most cutting-edge smartphone app or the most talked-about viral video. Who would have predicted, then, that a 21-year-old movie would take Chinese cinema by storm over the past few weeks? What’s incredible is that The Legend of 1900 was hardly a classic in the first place.  Revolving around a piano prodigy, played by Tim Roth, who had spent his entire life on board an ocean liner, the movie received mixed reviews on its release in 1998, with disapproving critics lambasting it as “fragile” (Variety), “overwrought” (San Francisco Chronicle), schmaltz that “drowns in its own treacle” (Salon.com). The first English-language feature by Ital

A Chinese television network has pulled a reality show and apologized after the sudden death on-set of Taiwanese-Canadian actor and model Godfrey Gao. Zhejiang Television offered an apology in an interview with the show’s director, Lin Yong. It was posted online on Thursday, about a week after the performer, known as Gao Yixiang in Chinese, collapsed while shooting an episode of Chase Me. In the post titled “Sorry, we didn’t protect Yixiang in his prime,” Lin said the network had been “immersed in grief and remorse since the accident happened.” “We feel we owe an apology to Godfrey Gao, to his parents and to all who loved him,” he said. Gao, 35, was a contestant on the show and collapsed aft

“Get lost gweilo!” says the old man. I firmly respond, “How dare you call me gweilo! Be respectful and call me ah-cha!”  If you got this joke, then you have a local understanding of racism in Hong Kong.  (For those who don’t get it, gweilo is a Cantonese term for white people while ah-cha refers to South Asians.)  I’m an Indian made in Hong Kong. And because I was born and raised here, my parents felt it was vital that I learn the local language of Cantonese. They wanted me to better integrate into society and avoid the limitations they faced due to their own language barrier. It seemed like a simple formula: Learn the language, become a local, everybody’s happy.  However, as we realized in

Things are changing fast in Hollywood for Asian actors, and it’s about time, says Michelle Yeoh. The Malaysian-born actress, who made her name as a Hong Kong action heroine in the mid-1980s, stepped back into the international spotlight with her performance in Crazy Rich Asians, the hit romantic movie she credits for Asian performers’ increased opportunities in American film and television. “It’s been a long time coming, so let’s not make it a one-hit wonder,” Yeoh says in New York ahead of the release of her latest film, Last Christmas, a light romance inspired by the Wham! hit of the same name. “There have been changes in Hollywood, and you can definitely see more Asian faces on the screen

The sudden death of Taiwanese-Canadian actor and model Godfrey Gao has sparked a debate over the working lives of entertainers in China.  Gao died at the age of 35 due to cardiac arrest on Wednesday during the filming of hit reality show Chase Me, a sports challenge show produced by Zhejiang Television in eastern China.  Gao collapsed at 1.30am when he was running, according to a statement by the broadcaster. He was declared dead after being sent to a hospital in the major eastern city of Ningbo.  Gao’s death has shocked both fans and fellow actors in China. In response, a number of actors have hit out at what they call a toxic work culture, saying they are doing a “high-risk” job that ofte

A female dancer in northwestern China’s Shaanxi province has become an internet star after her performances at a tourist spot.

Chinese feminists are voicing support for an ethnic Kazakh actress who’s trying to fight against cyberbullying by sharing the malicious comments she has received on social media with her five million fans.  Cyberbullying of female celebrities has become more widely discussed in China since 25-year-old South Korean star Sulli, who was unusually outspoken and struggled with online abuse, was found dead in her home last month.  Actress Rayza, an ethnic Kazakh born and raised in Beijing, is best known for acting in a number of popular period dramas. But the 33-year-old is also one of the most divisive figures on the Chinese internet due to her openness about her mental health struggles. She fir

A hospital in eastern China has suspended 11 medical staff for leaking photos of medical waste, including a needle and drip bag, from Mando-pop star JJ Lin, in a case that highlights obsessive fan culture. Following a concert last Saturday, Lin visited the Zhenjiang First People’s Hospital in Jiangsu province after feeling ill, according to local media.  But after he was discharged, photos of the needle and drip bag used by him began circulating online. Some of the posts jokingly suggested the medical waste was for sale. Lin, 38, is Singaporean and sings mainly in Mandarin. He’s a multiple winner of Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards. He was in Jiangsu for the latest leg of his Sanctuary 2.0 Worl

The former Hong Kong mansion of Bruce Lee is now being torn down, despite calls from Lee’s fans to preserve the property known as “Crane’s Nest” as a museum.  The two-story, 5,700 square-foot townhouse, located in the upscale district of Kowloon Tong, was where the martial arts legend spent his final years. But it will soon be demolished to make way for a Chinese cultural studies center.  The demolition work kicked off on Tuesday. In the morning, the entrance to the compound was locked, while several construction workers worked around the main building, which was surrounded by bamboo scaffolds.  The owner of the property said the existing building had fallen into disrepair. But the decision

On the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Friends, its fans in China are sharing their memories about the TV classic that has impacted a generation of urban Chinese.  Friends is where many Chinese millennials learned English as well as American culture.  Today, some English teachers still assign Friends as learning materials. Replicas of the Central Perk cafe have sprung up across the country. And one popular Chinese sit-com has been accused of stealing jokes from Friends. The first group of audiences watched Friends through pirated DVDs and illegal downloads, before copyrighted versions became available on streaming sites.  Many young Chinese started watching the show to learn the kind of