Results tagged “gongli”

Nine hottest Chinese women, courtesy of Complex magazine

U.S.-based ladmag Complex has compiled a list of what they consider the Nine Hottest Chinese Women. While we're not ones to argue whether the women compiled in the list are actually hot, we were a little surprised by some of the inclusions (Christy who?). We were also a little bemused by how many pictures involved the women getting sprayed with liquids. Apparently Asia is one giant wet t-shirt contest.

"If there's a camel up a hill, then it's Gong Li with me, when I doooo, when I doooo... "

Actress Gong Li (巩俐) appeared recently as glamorous as ever in Beijing for a L'Oreal event in what was likely her first public appearance in China since she took on Singaporean citizenship. At a press conference she revealed that she's been receiving lots of offers from Hollywood lately, and when asked if she had any plans to return to Chinese cinema, she said, "I've always had, I've always had." But when the question moved on to her citizenship, Gong Li promptly turned around, spoke to her minders and made a quick exit.

This sounds like a joke, but it's absolutely true.

Shanghaiist spotted John Cusack at Bar Rouge on Friday. Ensconced in the bathroom-sized VIP room on the club's terrace and guarded by a bevy of beefy bodyguards, Cusack was playing with his phone and appeared both tired and bored (who recommended BR anyway?). Doing the rounds of Shanghai nightspots, he was spotted at MAO the night before until the wee hours.

Shanghaiist has a soft spot for John Cusack, and an even softer spot for Gong Li ( despite what those eejuts at CCTV might think), so we were mildly excited to read that the two are pairing up to film in Shanghai at some point next year. Okay, the odds of bumping into Ms Gong in our local Lian Hua may be slim, but as the movie is set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai just before Pearl...

A CCTV.com 'report' entitled "Uniqueness of 10 hot female stars in China" was recently brought to our attention. It had us laughing out loud (but it also might help explain why China has a soaring suicide rate among females). Below, you will find the entire text of the in-depth story. For the accompanying photos, you can click on the link above.



  • "It might be time to admit that we really don't understand China. The country simply does not conform to our most basic beliefs about what makes nations grow."




  • "China needs a law to restrict a 'violent culture' in films and Internet to protect the youth from being corrupted, a Chinese lawmaker said Tuesday."




  • "And Guangdong appears to be the source of renewed waves of the H5N1 strain, which has killed or forced the destruction of hundreds of millions of birds, the team at the University of California Irvine reported."




  • "The Xinhua News Agency said 14 government departments, including the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Information Industry, had issued a notice saying that 'in 2007, local governments must not sanction the opening of new Internet bars.'"




  • "Italy's master violin makers said they are worried that the Chinese, who can turn out a violin, bow and case for $25 are now eyeing the more prestige market."




  • "The Sunday blizzard dumped up to 50mm of snow on parts of Heilongjiang in China's far north, while significant snowfall closed the airport in the city of Shenyang further south, causing 144 flight cancellations and stranding thousands, Xinhua news agency said."




  • "Based on data from the new study and from the International Energy Agency, the increase in the amount of China's greenhouse gas emissions is now greater than that of all industrialized nations put together."




  • "Warnings will be issued to smokers during the April 1 to 9 grace period, after which penalty points will be allotted under the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement."




  • "Beijing taxi drivers should stop eating and sleeping in their cabs because the smells could tarnish the city's image during the 2008 Olympics."




  • "The female contingent in the Top 10 includes actresses Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Zhou Xun, and Fan Bingbing, Super Girl Li Yuchun, director-actress-blogger Xu Jinglei and Hong Kong actress Carina Lau."




  • "According to All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), Shanghai women are the happiest in China, followed by Beijing, Qingdao, Ningbo and Tianjin women."
  • "In Shanghai, where mega-developments are the norm, the small stone houses known as shikumen along Lane 248 are being lovingly restored and converted into trendy boutiques, patisseries and cafes." Taikang Lu.
  • "Two packages containing human body parts -- including a liver and part of a head -- meant for a medical research lab instead were delivered to a home."
  • "More than that, the actual location is insane. The first time I tried to get there I couldn't find it and wandered around for half an hour."
  • "Shaanghai Metro is expected to offer passengers services similar to those in airliners, the head of the Metro system said yesterday."
  • "The historic bomb, 2.6 meters in length and 0.43 meter in diameter, is waiting to be uploaded onto a container carrier at a ferry dock in the city's northern Baoshan District."
  • "The 66-seat open-topped bus has been running nine times daily since its launch, but 80 percent of seats remain empty."
  • "The collection of over 200 black and white photos is maintained by Dr Rob Linrothe, Associate Professor and Director of Art History at Skidmore College."
  • Washington Post on Chun, Guyi and Fu 1039.
  • "Average temperatures were 8.1 degrees Celsius (46.6 degrees Fahrenheit), a dramatic 2.6 degrees warmer than in previous years and the highest since records were first taken in 1873, Xinhua news agency reported." Until today.
  • For more del.icio.us links, visit the Shanghaiist Contribute page, which is updated throughout the day.

    Photo by 2 dogs found via the Shanghaiist Contribute page.

    This service, located at ditu.google.cn, has replaced Google Local, which was at bendi.google.cn. First off, there's a couple of big differences between this and Google Maps for the US. You can't use satellite or hybrid mode in the Chinese version. If you want a satellite you have to go back to using Google Earth or other such sites, and of course it's hard to find your way there because all you see are blotches of rooftops. Ditu.google.cn just has the regular graphics.

    We pretty much knew, even before we stepped into the theater, how this film was going to play out among the critics:

    It may be the pariah for self-respecting filmmakers (and film buffs) everywhere, but if it’s true that there’s no business like show business, then, the Oscars are anything but irrelevant. Case in point: The recent announcement that China will have not one, but two of its own submitted for consideration in the crapshoot otherwise known as the Best Foreign Film category. Of course, it never hurts when you’re able to find a loophole in the system. For all intents and purposes, the would-be blockbuster The Banquet should be represented by the mainland -- it features one of China’s most beloved (and commercially successful) auteurs in Feng Xiaogang, while starring Chinese megastars Zhang Ziyi and Zhou Xun. So how come it ended up as Hong Kong’s submission? Well, the catch is that The Banquet is a Hong Kong-China co-production, which means those of you who were pulling hard for Johnnie To backed the wrong horse.

    It may seem that we just can't get enough of blowjob jokes, but the Shanghai Daily's headlines are just too doggone funny.

    Probably not the best word choice by Xinhua for their headline, but they do list the highest-paid Chinese actresses, based on annual salary (they say their source was cfi.net.cn). Here's the list (figures in USD):

    The movie opens July 28 (July 27 in Puerto Rico) but doesn't appear to have a China date, and we highly doubt it ever will (it opens in Japan on September 23). We don't usually like the big summer blockbusters, but we have to admit that we are kind of looking forward to this one. We used to watch Miami Vice religiously on TV -- box sets of which are available at many a friendly neighborhood DVD store in Shanghai. Back in the '80s, we owned the show's soundtrack and even remember admitting to liking Phil Collins and not getting laughed at. We were very happy to know that Michael Mann, the creator of the original Miami Vice would be responsible for the movie version and not someone whose name begins with a "bruck" and ends in a "heimer."

    Photo from Getty Images via The Scotsman.

    • Shanghai's luxury hotels took a hit during the Chinese New Year period, and in order to recuperate some of their losses, cut their prices in late January by as much as 50-70 percent. For example, the Sheraton went down from 1600 yuan a night to 728 yuan a night, and the Portman's prices fell from 3000 yuan to just 800 yuan.
    • Taobao, one of China's main online auction and shopping sites, is no longer permitting the sale of "original flavor underwear" (原味内衣), i.e. used or worn underwear. According to the reports most of the people selling these items were of the female persuasion, and the prices were generall 20-40 yuan, though some choice items topped the 100 yuan mark.
    • Go here for some pictures of graffiti art in Beijing. Some of it ain't bad, artistically speaking, but is probably not good for the building of a harmonious society.

    While the New York Times says Memoirs of a Geisha is still "awaiting approval" by China's censors and that "[g]overnment officials have denied considering a ban," at least one site -- Ireland On-line, of all places -- is reporting that a ban has indeed been put in place:

    Shanghaiist hates to be the bearer of bad news, but that Valentine's Day plan day you had to watch Memoirs of a Geisha and then have kinky sex afterwards will now have to be canceled. Well, at least the movie part, because it looks like Mommy and Daddy aren't sure if Memoirs is suitable for you. According to this article (in Chinese), the movie got snagged up somewhere in the reviewing process because of potentially sensitive content. It was originally supposed to be screened during the Valentine's Day period, but it looks like you're going to have to get a DVD copy quick, and supposedly they're going like hotcakes. The Globe and Mail had this to say a couple of days ago:

    Well, she does in the movies at least. And that may be why we will have to wait a little while to see Miss Zhang and fellow Zhang-Yimou-triumph Gong Li play Japanese women in Memoirs of a Geisha here in Shanghai. The film, directed by Chicago's Rob Marshall, is set to be released as a PG-13 film in the United States in December, just in time for an Oscar push. But the movie's China release date could be pushed back from January 9 to February 10, so Chinese men with scissors have time to cut out a sex scene. One month! That must be one hell of a sex scene.

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