After Chloe Zhao became the first Asian woman to ever win the Golden Globe for Best Director, Chinese social media was confused about everything related to Zhao – except the film itself.
Although most Chinese viewers have not seen the film yet, many people have enjoyed the Golden Globe victory. Several posts praised Zhao’s heartfelt acceptance speech on compassion and described her as an inspiration to women in the arts. The hashtag “Chloe Zhao Wins Golden Globe as Best Director” has been viewed more than 280 million times on Weibo since Tuesday morning local time.
Many lamented that Zhao would probably never have been able to make such a powerful film about China, given the current censorship environment of the continent. “You do not think realistic stories about China can pass censorship, do you?” one commenter chased another. Another one is delighted: ‘It seems that Chinese directors are out of control of [the top censorship body] is still very good! ”
In the wake of her victory, Zhao recorded a Chinese-language video message to viewers to promote the film on April 23 in mainland China. “This film was made possible by the passion, hard work and even the life stories of many people,” she said. “I hope that through their stories you will search for a life of your own and become the author of your own life story.”
For years, Zhao is better known in China as the stepdaughter of Song Dandan, a veteran actor who is loved for her comedy roles and TV appearances. Zhao’s film “The Rider” had a one-off screening at the Pingyao International Film Festival in 2017, but was never released in China.
Song’s congratulations to her stepdaughter were also a common point of discussion on Monday. ‘Today, on someone else’s [the U.S.’s] You could receive this kind of recognition… you are the legend of our family, and I believe your story will inspire countless Chinese children, ”Song wrote, praising her for choosing a path they“ never felt good. had prospects, but came to respect. ”
Official state media accounts also tried to claim Zhao’s glory for China. The state broadcaster CCTV and People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, celebrated Zhao prominently as a ‘Chinese director’, while the state-run pony newspaper The Global Times repeated the happy netizens by calling her ‘the pride of China’.
Chinese social media users have made a parody poster mocking the marketing tactics to uproot Zhao’s Chinese roots, replacing the four-character title “Nomadland” with the four characters for “Chinese director.”
Weibo
But things got complicated after social media users dug up two previous interviews that Zhao had given to foreign news agencies, and it looks like both parts have now been removed.
For the first time, Zhao told the Australian entertainment website news.com.au that ‘the USA is now my country’ – an indication, many netizens suspected that she no longer had a Chinese passport. The comment appears in the original report, which was published on December 25, but according to the archived versions of the website, it was removed on February 16. The outlet did not respond Variety‘s request for comment at the time of publication.
The second interview appeared in 2013 in the filmmaker Magazine in New York. Zhao explained why she chose to make a film about an Indian teenager at a North Dakota discussion: ‘It goes back to when I was a teenager in China, in a place where there are lies everywhere.
“You felt like you could never get out. A lot of information I received when I was younger was not true, and I became very rebellious towards my family and my background. ”
The comments were removed on February 15, according to archives, though still referenced by at least one other online store. The filmmaker Magazine has not yet responded Variety‘s request for comment.
Screenshots of these two interviews have been translated and widely circulated on the Chinese web, sparking controversy among nationalists. Questions about Zhao’s citizenship have also sparked debate over whether it is appropriate to claim Zhao’s victory over China – a general step by state-sponsored shops to spice up nationalism.
“Congratulations on the award, but just do not promote her in China by sticking the ‘Chinese person’ label on her – it’s outrageous,” a Weibo poster exclaimed.
On the other hand, those who have especially official rhetoric about the importance of ethnicity and nationality also felt betrayed. For them, the historical significance means that an Asian wins the prize, little if it cannot be attributed specifically to China.
“The media must carefully report whether she is a Chinese or overseas director,” one warned, so that people could see how proud they must feel.
“Chinese audiences are becoming more and more supportive of Chinese films these days. People have different attitudes towards films directed by Chinese directors compared to films with foreign directors. That’s why you should avoid promoting things wrong, ‘the poster said.
Although artists, films and companies have been banned from entering the huge market in China due to comments from the past, which are thought to tarnish the country, many online commentators have been left “speechless” by the scale of the nationalist setback. “I thought Chloe Zhao would be praised as an excellent female artist, but unexpectedly there are so many people who embrace the cause of nationality,” one poster wrote. “How does nationality relate to whether or not someone has made contributions to their field?”
The heated debates over Zhao’s support reveal the country’s deep cultural concerns at a time when its officials are trumpeting the need for ‘cultural confidence’. It also highlights the very different ways in which China and the US view issues of privilege, race and the role that artists should play in society.
Online critics have shown her the privilege of having a movie star stepmother and a father who heads a number of major Chinese state-owned enterprises. One of his firms “laid off en masse”, but “the boss’s daughter gets her gold abroad and eats the god knows whose money is made by sweat and tears, and then turns around and says’ lie everywhere ” , wrote one.
Despite the controversy raging online, ‘Nomadland’ is facing an uphill battle to attract viewers in China. Film critic Xiao Fuqiu told the Global Times that he was “not very optimistic” about his box office potential, given that “it fits the tastes of mainstream audiences” due to the slower pace, lack of exposition and underestimated emotional color. Only a thousand viewers have so far clicked on the “want to watch” notification on the Maoyan Information Tracking App – a major index used by cinemas to determine interest in a title, with pressures of over 100,000 which are usually a indicates strong commercial potential.
One widely published Douban commentary advised the film’s marketing team by referring to Communist Party propaganda terms and quoting Qing Dynasty thinker Wei Yuan, who struggled with questions about how China is threatening Western powers. must handle.
‘All the distributor from China has to do is position the film as a born and bred Beijing girl to’ learn from foreigners to get the order ‘, and to forget it, without ever forgetting [the CCP’s] original aspirations, shooting a film that deliberately exposes the problems of American lower classes, ”he joked. “As soon as government agencies across the country hear this, they send their entire work units en masse to the cinemas.”