Usually hearing the phrase “religious games” would bring a different idea to mind for me, but this looks kind of fun!

The Forbidden Kingdom is a fun, light-hearted film for people interested in Chinese culture and its representation in popular culture in the West.  The movie features big names in Chinese cinema, including Jacky Chan and Jet Li, and both make the movie lots of fun.

The movie centers around a boy, Jason, who is something of a misfit because of his interest in kungfu movies and other geeky sorts of entertainments.  He gets sucked into his fantasy world via a DVD he finds in a pawn shop, the classic kungfu film The Ten Tigers of Guangdong.  It is fun to watch him try to make his way through the world of old China, as much as it is fun to see how that world looks through Western eyes.

The overall plot is a little cheesy, but that’s OK.  It’s not really about an impressive plot, but about the fun aspects of a good Jacky Chan and Jet Li movie — outstanding choreography in the action scenes, and a lot of laughs.  It is a fun movie all round.  Not a bad way to while away a couple of hours.

I first saw Chen Kaige’s The Promise on a plane a year or two ago.  The visuals were pretty good, and the fantasy atmosphere was pretty impressive.  All the same, the film didn’t really work well for me, and I could easily see why it wasn’t very warmly received in China.  The promise entered into by the orphan girl and the goddess, and the way it all works itself out, is probably a little too fairy tale-ish for Chinese audiences.

There are several scenes that impress in the film, and make it worth having a look at for viewers who are interested in Chinese cinema in general.  It was sad, though, to read about the criticism leveled at the film over the damage done in Yunnan during filming.  Many environmentalists complained that the filming crew not only damaged the land where the movie was shot, but also that a good deal of rubbish was left behind to continue doing damage.  This is made all the worse when compared to the great beauty seen in the film it self.  What a pity to bring any small amount of damage to such a gorgeous landscape.

Even though Jay Chou is a better singer than actor, the acting in The Curse of the Golden Flower is pretty impressive — thanks not to Chou, but to Gong Li and Chow Yan Fatt.  While perhaps not among director Zhang Yimou’s best movies ever, it’s still one that gives plenty for viewers to think about.  The film is based on a Tang Dynasty poem entitled “Chrysanthemum,” and does a nice job of creating an engaging narrative in which to work through the ideas contained the poem.

It is hard to decide whether the more interesting power struggles are the political ones or the personal, mostly because the two are too closely intertwined.  There is, in this film, no personal relationship that does not have political implications, nor vice versa.  The intrigue that takes place in the various bedrooms, and in every room throughout the Imperial Palace, is complicated and difficult to keep track of throughout the film.

Chow and Gong are always entertaining to watch, and each brings an illustrious career to the table.  Neither disappoints in this film, demonstrating with great range why they are both so well respected in Chinese cinema circles.  The supporting cast, for the most part, likewise does quite a nice job.  Chou is the least impressive, but I suppose that’s alright, since the song he’s attached to the film made it so big.

The relationship between Emperor Ping and his sons is complex, and somewhat troubling.  I like the way, overall, that the whole situation worked itself out, even if it was a little bloody.  The repeated idea of “what I do not give you, you must not attempt to take by force” works itself out in a very gripping tale with lots of twists and turns, and gives the viewer plenty to chew on when the film finishes.

It’s no secret I am a science fiction fan.  And while it might not be such a widely known fact about me, I admit that I am also quite a fan of Andy Lau’s work (both movies and music).  That being the case, I suppose that I should not be too ashamed to say I am on the lookout for a DVD of Future X-cops, even though the trailers  promise nothing more than a cheesy story and lousy special effects.  Still…….. I am watching out for it, ready to pick it up and have a look at the flick, if I can ever find a quiet couple of hours to do so.

Science fiction is not nearly as big in China as it is in the US, though I have enjoyed some of the pieces I’ve read in the Chinese magazine Science Fiction World.  (I would read it much more regularly, probably, if it wasn’t for the struggle it is for me to read a whole story in Chinese.)  I can’t say that I’ve ever come across any piece of science fiction, whether movie or printed piece, that particularly wowed me.  But still…….. I can’t help but pick up what I do come across and have a look, still holding out hope that I’ll find that one gem that I’m looking for.

I am almost postive Future X-cops will not be that special film that makes me feel that Chinese science fiction has come into its own.  But still……. it won’t hurt to give it a shot, right?

I finally got around to reading The World is Flat a few weeks ago, and about a third of the way into it commented to an American friend living here in Shanghai that the book really isn’t as big a deal as I thought it was supposed to be.  I mean, there are some good things in there, but it is all just… well, obvious stuff.  My friend said he’d felt the same thing when he started reading it (and did not bother to finish), but he also observed that we probably feel this way because we are living right in the middle of the flattened world that is being described in the book.  And for me, he said, it might be all the more pronounced because I moved over to this part of the world before all of this flattening really took place, and so saw it all first hand.  I quickly realized how right he was.

In thinking about what my friend said, and in continuing to read the book, I couldn’t help but remember some of the trips I’ve made back to the US over the years.  When being connected was really getting to be big, and was becoming an expectation wherever we went in Singapore and other Asian cities, I remember feeling quite frustrated when I visited my parents in the US.  Getting a good, reliable wireless connection was sometimes pretty tough.  Network coverage was not nearly as good as it was in Asia, and it cost more.  That was a big surprise to me at the time, as I had come to expect such good service in Asia.  But then, it fit the same pattern I’d observed in cell phone technology and other hi-tech electronics.  Asian culture seemed to develop technology with a different set of values than their American counterparts, and the clumsiness of the American devices (with the notable exception of Apple products) always surprised me when compared with the standards expected in Asia.

All of that gets a nod in The World is Flat, though it is not really at the center of the discussion, nor what captured my attention when hearing all the hype surrounding the book.  What actually enticed me to buy (and eventually read) the book was the focus on China and India, and the bits about blogging and other technologies that Friedman says “flattened” the world (or, as we might say, leveled the playing field of the global marketplace).  Anything about China, of course, captures my attention, and I was intrigued by the hype that this book had garnered amongst many of my friends.

Most of what I read there was fairly mundane for me — perhaps because I didn’t read it when it was new, and perhaps just because I was living in the middle of it all.  But I did also feel, in reading it, that there is a tendency in the book to view China and India and similar developing economies through rose colored glasses.  Does that mean the future doesn’t look as bright from here on the ground?  Well, not exactly.  I do think the future is promising for these and other nations that take a similar approach to developing their economies, and I think Friedman is right to call those living in the US to look to the situation and respond appropriately.  But there are a few spots in which I think he  buys a little too much into the propaganda of equality and democracy that is just not quite accurate.

A clear example comes in the book’s presentation of Google’s role as a flattener in the world.  Does Google serve to make information available to anyone anywhere, as it claims is its mission?  Well, yes… kind of.  But on the other hand, we’ve seen Google act in such a way as to censor content in certain very large portions of the globe in ways that it does not in other parts.  A Google search of a specific place in China, for instance, brings up very different results for searches conducted within the borders of the Middle Kingdom and those conducted outside her borders.  I’ve always seen this as a sellout, and am not sure how possible it would be to make me feel otherwise about it.  Sure, I understand it, and can accept the decision of the company to act in any way they want.  But I don’t think I have to be naive enough to think that they really do what they say the do when they claim to offer free access to all information to anyone who wants it.  That is untrue.  It is a decision the company made, and not due to some technical glitch or what have you.  Even Google’s world is only so flat, when you get right down to it.

Having said that, I do grant that the overall argument of the book is accurate.  The opportunities are being taken advantage of in developing nations, while many in the US sit complacently by.  The ability to leapfrog ahead in the world of technology has served those countries well, and they are capitalizing on it in amazing ways. The equalizers are there in a way they never have been before.  But, there are still plenty of obstacles in place.  I think the book does show a level of awareness of those, especially when commenting on the freedoms allowed on the individual level in the US as one of the strengths it has to offer in this flattened world.  Even so, I think it glosses over some of the issues that continue to make for a landscape that is a little more textured than might be indicated by the notion of a “flat” world.  It is not yet an equal playing field, and it remains to be seen whether or not it will become so in a complete fashion.

I guess it is not possible to discuss contemporary Chinese pop culture without mention of Jacky Chan.  He is so well-loved in Chinese society, and has become the face of all things Chinese for many people with no other real interest in Chinese culture today.  His movies are even an expected part of Chinese New Year celebrations amongst my friends!

I was browsing through Jacky Chan’s website, and found an interesting bit on a question Chan was asked by Lonely Planet.  They wanted his insight on his dream trip through China.  He answered with a list of 5 destinations:  Hong Kong, Beijing, Wuyishan, Xi’an, and Harbin.  The list is not all bad, but a little disappointing that it doesn’t get very far west in China.

I’ve been to 3 of Chan’s 5, and can say that Wuyishan doesn’t really need to make the list at all.  It is not a bad place to visit, but not nearly as nice as Emeishan and Leshan in Sichuan province, Zhangjiajie in Hunan, or any number of other places.  And honestly, I would have figured Taishan would be a logical choice for a mountain if one wanted to balance up mountainous, more rural regions with the otherwise very urban-weighted list Chan has made.  Still… I wouldn’t mind taking that trip, though I’d much rather start in Shanghai than Hong Kong.  :-)

Old news, I guess, but I thought this was kind of interesting…

It is amazing the concessions Google is willing to make to capture the China market.

Though Beijing is the undisputed center of China’s thriving underground music culture in China, I did get to get a bit of a taste of it here in Shanghai.  Here’s a little video shot at the Live Bar a couple of weeks ago.  Fun stuff!

I found a perfect way to ward off bad vibes on this past Friday the 13th.  I went over to The Live Bar on 721 Kunming Lu to hear a performance by one of the regulars at Open Mic.  His gig went off really well, and the whole atmosphere was lots of fun.

Glen at The Live Bar

Glen, our pal from Open Mic, sang one original song of his own, and two others.  I’d heard him perform both of the others (not the original) at Open Mic.  He’s always very entertaining at our little gathering, but he really outdid himself at the Live Bar.  I was impressed with how composed he was, and also with the range of his performance.

Glen's gig on Friday 13th

After Glen’s set, a band came on who had some hard rocking pieces.  They opened with Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” and followed this with several Ozzy Osborne numbers, including “I Don’t Want to Change the World,” “Miracle Man,” and “Mama I’m Coming Home.”  They performed one original piece too.  The original work was in Chinese, though the rest of their set was made up of English songs.  They were really very good.

a hard-rocking crew at The Live Bar

There’s an ongoing Friday night performance of local artists at The Live Bar, if you’d like to pop in and enjoy an evening there.  I enjoyed being at the place.  I’ve read a lot about the underground bands that come out of Beijing, and have lots of CDs by those groups.  I didn’t know there were little places like the Live Bar in Shanghai, where this brand of hard rocking, subversive band flourishes.  I was impressed with the quality of the performance, and will probably pop in again sometime soon.  It’s a great spot to experience a side of China’s life that is often missed by the casual traveler in the country.