THOMAS PODVIN’S FREELANCE WORK
Freelance writer - translator - Editor

In the West, circa mid-1970s, rock music was ridden with arthritis. Little wonder then that a new generation of musicians turned to nihilistic punk. Thirty years later, such posturing is at best laughable, at worst, bizarre. Fortunately, the punkoid foursome Joyside, established in 2001 in a Beijing basement, presents a tribute to the punk ethos rather than a caricature. Even if they might bring a smile to the faces of the originals. Joyside have the Sex Pistol’s attitude down pat with their messy, greasy hair and beer fragrance. And their music is equally crude. The sound, as you’ve no doubt gathered by now, is basic raw punk, created by Xin Shanug’s three-chord-guitar riffs and Bian Yuan’s much-abused voice. It sounds authentic: noisy, loud, and, like the Pistols, surprisingly melodic. That said, explicit lyrics are Joyside’s main asset. Numbers like “I Want Beer” and “I Wanna Piss Around You” say it all. Or almost all. There’s rebellion too – “I Don’t Care About your Society”, and a nod to the band’s great inspiration: “The Saviour Johnny Rotten”. But that was then. This is now. Joyside’s latest release -- the demo B_tches of Rock’n’ Roll – is less raw, more over-produced pop. Which is to say it’s an improvement. Less vicious than Sid, and less rotten than Johnny.
Modernsky/Badhead

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue

It’s likely that in the last few months, more has been written about the Arctic Monkeys than any other band, anywhere. Such is the benefit (or curse) of being the flavor of the moment. The Monkeys, like many another pop wonder, are in the right place, at the right time. With the right sound. In this case, 41-minutes of rock frenzy, including husky vocals and whirling guitar riffs. The twenty-somethings from Sheffield – an industrial wasteland in North central England – have, of course, plenty to say for themselves, at least if one is to judge by the length of their song and CD titles. The band’s tone is witty and humorous, in spite of the pervasive sense of suburban ennui. An ennui that the listener can forgive after viewing the grim photos of the lads’ hometown included in the CD booklet. No wonder lead singer/guitarist Alex Turner is a gloomy sort; his rhyming lyrics are delivered in a chanting voice which suggests reality is bad and self-removal from such better. In contrast, the music produced by this indie/Brit-pop quartet is balm for the soul, not unlike that of The White Stripes, Frantz Ferdinand or, at times, the Pixies. Less pompous than Oasis and more fun than Pulp, Arctic Monkeys lives up to the hype.
Domino Records

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue

Chinese electronic-music artist Zhu Jianhui (aka Double Fish), 25, is fond of contemporary global culture, hacker aesthetics, art, breakcore and IDM (intelligent dance music). In early 2002, he released his first experimental music single enclosed in the magazine I Love Rock ‘n Roll. In June 2004, he founded the independent-label Reconfiguration Records in Guangzhou, the aim of which is to promote avant-garde, independent and experimental arts, and provide a platform for artist collaborations. Since then, Zhu has released a series of EPs and LPs and organized a number of musical events to promote this unusual scene. In August 2004, he launched a conceptual electronic-music collection by artists from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and Poland called “The Sound of Silence Project”. In 2005, Zhu, who knows no boundaries, released the EP Hackers on the Polish label Audiotong Records, and participated in several compilations released under his own label (Hey!!! Let’s break, V.A landscape 2). On Inter Net, Zhu, uses virtual drum machine, synth, effect processors and sound loops, to create a piece of relaxing, atmospherical downtempo music timed precisely at 20:05-minute (the year of its release, 2005). With samples reminiscent of early 1990s videogames’ sound effects, Inter Net is a strangely easy-listening piece of avant-garde-ish electronica.
Reconfiguration Records/Bedzoo/available at www.reconfiguration-records.com

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue

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Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
May 2006 issue

At 48, Madonna Ciccone has returned to her first love: catchy, uncontroversial dance numbers, the sort she might have heard early in her career as a dancer with French Disco King Patrick Hernandez. Confessions samples disco classics (“Hung” samples ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!”) and with the help of a number of talented collaborators, attempts to create what may just be some future classic pop-disco dance numbers. On her tenth studio album, Madonna has enrolled the services of France’s DJ Stuart Price and multi-talented electronic-music artist Mirwais Ahmadzai, as well as Sweden’s pop-music producers Bloodshy & Avant and Bagge & Peer. The result is surprisingly good: “Get Together”, “Hung” and “Sorry” are brilliant. And we’re not sorry Madonna has given up the pompous, political pose and prose of her previous album American Life. The CD’s facile lyrics are easy to remember, even for non-English speakers (“I Like New York”). What’s more, Madonna seems to have rediscovered her sense of humor. On “Like it or Not” she sings: ‘You can love me or leave me cause I never gonna stop.’ Yes, the Material Girl is back. And still fit. She literally and figuratively does the splits: from retro to neo, from disco’s glory days to futuristic electronica/pop music.
WEA international

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Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue

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Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
May 2006 issue

If more travel agents were to promote the Shaolin monastery as a major tourist spot, the current figure of 120 million annual visitors to China might double. That is, if those tourists believe, like the Irish lads from Westlife, that Shaolin monks are the one local attraction not to be missed. On their recent visit to Shanghai, the boys from the internationally-famous boy band said Shaolin was one of the reasons they came to China. In addition to seeing the Great Wall, trying their hand at calligraphy, experiencing acupuncture and “all these crazy things”. Of course, there was another small matter to attend to: promoting their act.
Like them or not, there’s more to a boy bands than just a band of boys (in this case Irish boys from Dublin and Sligo). One also needs an opportunistic music mogul and a goodly number of saccharine tunes with catch hooks, if one is to get anywhere at all. Not to mention a well-formulated plan to reassure parents and at the same time excite millions of prepubescent girls. That means a carefully designed, pristine public image, from hair styles to mannerisms, for media and fan consumption. No rock‘n’roll attitude here, no grabbing of crotches or groupies. Lastly, there’s stamina. The boys must stick together through thick and thin. Otherwise, as in the case of so many prefabricated bands, success is soon followed by disaster, which is to say, the band splits.
Not all of the above description applies to Westlife, a twenty-something foursome with white teeth and polished smiles. No, Kian Egan, Shane Filan, Mark Feehily and Nicky Byrne (Bryan McFadden left the band in 2004) are not quite your typical boy band. For one thing, they’ve managed to sustain their success for a remarkably long time – seven years. And their chart success is equally long-lived with multiple top ten hits such as “Seasons in the Sun”, “Uptown Girl” and “Flying Without Wings”. Indeed, the boys seem bigger than ever and are ready to face new challenges.
This year Westlife aims to conquer the world’s biggest market (China) with a flurry of audio-video products, high-profile promotions, and, not least, a major concert tour. Based, in part, on Face To Face, which sold 100,000 copies and went double platinum in the first week of its release in February.
The ‘West Meets East’ Tour is more than just a series of musical concerts. The boys want to meet, and be filmed, with ‘real‘ Chinese people, and not just big city Chinese people either; they plan to visit the hinterland as well. The result will be offered to the West on DVD, which will include a documentary and footage of their China gigs with local artists.
In the meantime, Egan, Filan, Feehily and Byrne, under the collective term Westlife, offered that’s their thoughts on life, motivation and success.

that’s: What has Westlife come to represent?
Westlife: Westlife has become more than just a boy band in the past seven years. We’ve become like a cult. For boy bands, everyone starts off at the same level. We’ve managed to go beyond that and become a pop version of a rock band, because most rock bands stay together for a lot longer than boy bands. We [all] share the same goal; we want to be as big as we can. We like to look at ourselves as a pop version of U2 or the Rolling Stones.

that’s: Before Westlife, you performed in Irish clubs such as “IOU.” What is the difference between now and then?
WL: Back then, we were just together for fun, playing like kids and not making money. We didn’t have the industry to work with; there were no lawyers and no producers. Now we’re living the dream we were only dreaming of then. We make a living, and we deal with the politics and the bad side of the [music] industry. Back then it was just good days and no worries.

that’s: Boyzone’s Ronan Keating is your co-manager. Has his boy band experience benefited your act?
WL: Yes. He was only involved at the very start, maybe for the first six to eight months. He helped us make some decisions and taught us about the music industry and how things work. But he didn’t do an awful lot; for us, the point was to get a lot of attention with his name.

that’s: It’s very common for boy bands to disband. What’s the story behind the departure of Bryan McFadden?
WL: Bryan wasn’t very happy in Westlife. He got to a point where he just didn’t want it anymore. It was a very big shock for us and we thought it was the end of Westlife. It was a very challenging time. Luckily enough, we came up very strong; we did a Wales tour after he left and most fans thought it was [sic] the best concerts we ever did. At the same time, it was important for Bryan to make this decision; he’s a happier person now. We realized then, that what we had could be taken away very fast. We became stronger after that. We are a happier band. We work hard together and make things happen. We have a lot more ambition [like] breaking into the China and Australia [markets]. The most important thing for us is definitively to maintain our success; we don’t want to continue unless we are very successful.

that’s: With four people, making decisions must be difficult. Is Westlife democratic, anarchic, or dictatorial?
WL: It’s more democratic to be honest. You can’t always get everybody totally happy. There can be someone who’s not fully happy, but is willing to go with the decision. You can’t decide if there is no majority. If three of us are willing, but one is really against something, then we’ve got to take that person into consideration and work out something.

that’s: Despite the competition, you stand out from the pack with 34 million in album sales. How do you explain your success?
WL: It’s quite difficult; a lot of bands are similar to us, yet they don’t have the same success. We were lucky; we came out at a good time. We have good vocals and good quality pop music; it’s very important in pop music to have very good standard pop songs. In pop music there are A-shelf songs, B-shelf songs and C-shelf songs; most of our songs are A-shelf songs. We’ve got the top producers to write us the best songs they could ever write. Besides, our record company and our manager really understand what is best [for us]. They see what needs to be done, and do it.
So far, we’ve made good decisions and chosen really good songs and that’s why we are still there. We love what we do and we want to continue as long as possible. We’d like to stay together for a minimum of two or three more years anyway.

that’s: Westlife’s one of the most downloaded bands in China. What are your thoughts on fighting piracy?
WL: Every market is so different, so it’s very difficult to get involved. For us it’s not all about money; it’s about our fans and our music. If they can afford to buy our record, then they buy it. If they can’t, let them [buy bootlegs]. We are not going to go after them. The record company might; they are there to make money. The record company has to come up with the best ideas to stop piracy.

that’s: What challenges did you face during the production of Face to Face?
WL: We had a big challenge in picking top quality songs. It took a year and a half looking for all these songs. Last year, the “Rat Pack” project [Allow Us to Be Frank: a cover compilation of Frank Sinatra standards] gave us more time to find songs. With previous albums we had great songs and some that never really had an impact. We didn’t want to repeat that, but to make sure that every fan had a favorite. There’s a lot more variety [here] than before. The quality of “You Raise Me Up” or the duet with Diana Ross, and songs like that, are above standard. It’s proven to be the most successful album we’ve had in the last four years. It’s just a great pop album.

that’s: Steve Mac and Swedish hit maker ‘The Location’ are important collaborators, especially on this seventh release. Describe your working relationship.
WL: When it comes to picking the songs for the album, it doesn’t really matter where they come from, who writes them or anything like that. We’re more interested in how good the song is. Since the very beginning we’ve been working with the best [songwriters] in the world. And that’s the main reason why we’re still here seven years later. We’ve four or five fantastic songs for this album. Steven Mac and ‘The Location’ are amazing producers. They gave us some top, world-class songs.
We also feel it’s good to stay with the same people because you get their best songs. Take the Backstreet Boys; they have Max Martin [to write their songs]. He would never give us a song before [offering it] to them.

that’s: The cut “She’s Back” sounds like Michael Jackson at his best. Are you fans of Jackson?
WL: Yes. It’s a complete rip off of “Billie Jean” [from Thriller]. Just listen to the backing track. Even the songwriter will tell you that. He wanted to create a song with the essence of “Billie Jean” without being “Billie Jean”. It’s not even half as good as the original, but it’s good disco/funk. It’s not a tribute to Jackson though; it’s actually a tribute to the backing track. “Billie Jean” has one of the most famous backing tracks in the world; so many acts have used it.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
Photo courtesy Mick Ryan www.mickryan.com.
May 2006 issue

Perpetual Motion was promoted (and sold) as a Chinese version of Sex and the City. Though this reviewer looked in vain for any trace of sex, or city for that matter (a house serves as the sole location). False advertising aside, the plot is of interest: Niuniu is convinced that her husband has had an affair with one of her acquaintances; to discover the truth, she invites three of her girlfriends, each of whom is a suspect, to a Spring Festival celebration. Indeed, Director Ning Ying has devoted most of her effort to the narrative; Perpetual Motion is almost as devoid of production values as it is of sex. Admittedly, the point here is substance over style, but the film’s cheap look undermines its appeal, and the message. But what exactly, is the message? If Ning Ying’s aim was to present a new, feminist representation of women, she went astray; the film is more of series of sessions with a psychoanalyst: a sort of group-therapy where the main characters are neurotic, manipulative, haughty and pompous. The screenwriter hasn’t helped. Perpetual Motion is full of stereotypes – the very thing Ning is supposedly trying to fight against. Take this line, for example: “Americans aren’t romantic enough, while French are too romantic.” Ahem.
Beijing Happy Village

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Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue

A Mexican immigrant living in a poor Los Angeles suburb dreams of becoming a professional soccer player. He gets his chance when a coach from British club Newcastle United offers him a kick at the ball. Goal! is the first entry in this USD 100 million trilogy that boasts more real life soccer stars (Shearer, Zidane, Beckham) than any one team could possibly afford. And why not? Goal! has FIFA’s blessing (the international football governing body) and will be released to coincide with the 2006 IFA World Cup in Germany (which kicks off this June). Naturally, the series takes aim at the young audience. Says David Beckham, “It will provide a positive message to kids around the world.” So what’s the message, Mr. Posh Spice? To make some filthy lucre in a dog-eat-dog world, or the struggle to fulfill one’s dream – and get rich and famous? The former, of course. Viewers see little of the players day-to-day struggles, rather the film focuses on the behind-the-scenes politicking so endemic to this sport. Michael Winterbottom, the flim’s original director was replaced after objecting to interference from the FIFA. In sum, Goal! is a no goal. A worldwide flop with disappointing box-office scores even in the big football nations.
Buena Vista International

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Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue

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Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
May 2006 issue

Korean pop culture has been fashionable in China for several years now, and enthusiasts will be delighted with this work by one of the country’s leading cartoonists. Seyeong O's Buja’s Diary offers, in manwa form (Korean comics), an insightful, incisive commentary on Korean life in the 80s and 90s with thirteen stories in black-and-white panels. The author tackles a number of subjects in societal, familial and behavioral patterns – in a mature and thoughtful manner. “The Leather Pouch”, for instance, examines the national wound caused by the North and South division; “The Real Estate Agency”, the lack of filial devotion in the younger generation; while “Buja’s Pictures Diary” looks at the precarious situation of a single mother through the eyes of her daughter. Other entries, however, are less easy for non-Koreans to comprehend. After all, though Korean culture is more widespread than, say, a decade ago, is it hardly as universal as American. Fortunately, an epilogue written by Seoul International Comics Festival organizer Han Chang-wan provides astute comments (and context) on the Seyeong O’s work.
NBM Publishing/available at www.nbmpublishing.com

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue

A sequel to the best-seller Bangkok 8 (reviewed in our March issue), Bangkok Tattoo once again features the devout and incorruptible Royal Thai Police detective, Sonchai Jitpleecheep. And once again, in this installment, Burdett proves that he’s no stranger to the city; indeed, he knows the drill. This colorful, head-spinning novel presents street-walkers as Buddhists; army captains as drug barons; police colonels as assassins; and CIA agents as drunken, neurotic voyeurs. Throughout, the theme dwells on the clash of civilizations: Eastern spirituality versus degenerate Western rationality. Burdett delights in exposing what he perceives as a fundamental cultural gap between east and west. This works fine to a point, but the author eventually succumbs to cynicism. He addresses the reader as farang (foreigner), the Thai word for white foreigner, which is symbolic of Burdett’s rigid partition of the Thai culture from the rest of the world. After 150 pages or so, this becomes tiresome; after 200 it just seems over the top, leaving the reader feeling uncomfortably out of the game. At another level however, and sociology aside, Bangkok Tattoo delivers: it fuses sex, violence, mystery and spirituality in an altogether fresh fashion. That is if you haven’t read the first book.
Random House

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Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue

http://lazyway.blogs.com/

“Hard work is passé. The paradigm-shifting concept is smart laziness.”
According to Fred Gratzon, success means cleverly avoiding work but still getting the job done. He should know. Gratzon’s claims never to have held a job for more than two months, and is one of only five people in the entire history of the US government to have been sacked from a civil-service job. Nevertheless, he founded several highly successful companies (ice cream and telecommunications) using ‘The Lazy Way to Success’ formula. This intriguing blog features tongue-in-cheek essays on laziness, business and self-employment, the sum of which is Gratzon’s maxim that the concept of hard work is a fraud. Or put another way: by doing less, one can accomplish more. Hard work, says Gratzon, has nothing to do with success; efficiency is the key to a rewarding life. “The time has come to reject work and enjoy greater health, peace, and prosperity,” says Gratzon. To which we can only add: Amen.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue

http://www.zhouxinfang.com/

Widely regarded as one of China’s cultural treasures, Beijing Opera began when the Four Great Anhui Troupes came to the city in 1790. With a traditional repertoire of more than 1,000 works, mostly taken from historical novels or traditional stories about civil, political and military struggles, this art form has been, and still is, highly influential. Due, in no small part, to Opera master Zhou Xinfang (1895-1975), a contemporary of Mei Lanfang, who brought a style all his own to less than plastic art form. Zhou founded the Qi style, and in his seventy-year long career performed 600 different Beijing Opera titles. His work inspired several generations of audiences, colleagues, and, not surprisingly, his family. Indeed, his daughter, Tsai Chin, is an internationally renowned stage and screen actress (The World of Suzie Wong [West End]; Joy Luck Club, Virgin Soldier, You Only Live Twice and Memoirs of a Geisha). While Zhou’s granddaughter, China Chow, is a top model and a Hollywood actress. Talent must lie in genes.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue

Though famous throughout the world for its macho Kung Fu flicks, Chinese cinema has yet to discover its feminine side. More often than not, female characters are mere prizes for the high-kicking champion to use as he sees fit. Sadly, three-dimensional female roles are few and far between. Recently, however, the subject of on-screen gender equality has received a kick in the pants.

Last month, the University of Hong Kong organized a symposium – The Film Scene: Cinema, the Arts, and Social Change – wherein local and overseas participants (visual artists, film and cultural studies academics) discussed gender in cinema, an issue that cuts across many interrelated fields.

According to Mirana M. Szeto, an assistant professor at the university and a co-organizer of the symposium, recent legislation has provided women with equal access to education, and, consequently, better career opportunities. That sentiment was seconded by Jason Ho Ka-Hang, a teaching assistant in the Department of Comparative Literature who claimed that female roles are gaining in importance.

As evidence, the members of the conference cited several films produced in the late nineties, in which the image of woman as simpering subordinate was replaced by a sexier, sassier image, a sort of Spice Girl. Examples include superstars like Sammi Cheng, Miriam Yeung, the Twins and Zhang Ziyi, who are said to symbolize the cosmopolitan, independent-minded, modern woman.

While it’s true that female roles have expanded in recent years, it is equally true that there’s still a long way to go before they are on a par with their male counterparts. Even Ho admitted that “roles like office ladies or silly teenage girls have little to do with issues of gender equality.”

Especially where it counts. Take SAR box-office queen Sammi Cheng, for example. Despite her box-office hits – Needing You and Love on a Diet – figures show she is far less bankable than Andy Lau. “I think this relates to the male-centric underpinning of the film industry,” said assistant professor Yau Ka-Fai. Szeto agreed: “The model for comparison is men.”

Nevertheless, some directors have recently adopted new models. Law Wing-cheung’s 2 Become 1, starring Miriam Yeung, tackles breast cancer, though the director’s approach is questionable. 2 Become 1 is a comedy, but to be fair, it doesn’t shy away from the issue. Indeed, the plot is one long health education lecture complete with instructions on self exams. Clearly, it is no easy task to make a film about breast cancer in a cinema culture traditionally dominated by males. While Yeung ostensibly plays the film’s central character, she receives strong support from Taiwanese star Richie Jen, who speaks to male and female audiences alike. Jen, a playboy cursed with erectile dysfunction (in the film), is the film’s role model, the caring lover. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he’s handsome and rich to boot.

Which is to say that directors who dare broach women’s issues still have many obstacles to surmount. Perpetual Motion is a case in point. A low-budget film by feminist filmmaker Ning Ying, it portrays a group of middle-aged women, and does so without cosmetic pretense. Critics, mostly male, lambasted the film for its lack of glamour. As Szeto said: “The re-introduction of capitalism [to Chinese society] has encouraged the swift reappearance of sexism.”

Ironically, Ning and the distributors chose to promote her film by focusing not on its social merits, but as a vehicle for actress Hong Huang, and as a vehicle of revenge on her ex-husband Chen Kaige. The strategy backfired, provoking the wrath of Hong, and worse, it undermined the movie’s significance.

Meant to be a milestone, Perpetual Motion turned out to be more of a speed bump. While the Hong Kong symposium, in spite of much optimism, proved there’s a long road ahead.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue

One day, not so very long ago, Hong Kong scriptwriter/director Edmond Pang Ho-cheung and actor Chapman To Man-chat were discussing bachelorhood. And they came to this conclusion: the life of a single man appears to be gay (in the old sense of the word) and carefree. But what if this playboy of the eastern world had fathered a child in the course of his philandering? And what if he were unaware of this fact?

“That’s the million-dollar question for any man who has reached 30,” says Pang. And the premise of his new film, Isabella, starring To as the unknowing father.

Pang and To share a similar sense of dead-pan humor, and a real love of cinema. In their native Hong Kong they’re infamous for their zany comedy films. Indeed, To has played the clown in countless movies, while Pang has directed, on average, one film a year since 1999. But last year, they combined forces, establishing Not Brothers Ltd. (NBL), a company formed to produce Isabella, as well as other projects. The idea behind NBL is to present audiences with something new – new for this pair at least – movies that offer more than guffaws. In short, Pang and To want to show their sensitive, dramatic side. Says Pang, “We’re very versatile, actually.”

As such, Isabella focuses on the serious side of the bachelor’s life. In the role of Shing, To plays it straight, as straight as possible given his character’s many one-night stands. However, one night, between engagements, so to speak, he meets Yan (the elfin Isabella Leung Lok-Si of the film’s title), who claims she’s his daughter.

Isabella, the film, is set on the eve of Macao’s return to the Chinese mainland (1999). It makes good use of the peninsula’s picturesque locations, and boasts a script that delivers equal parts drama, humor and nostalgia with nary a seam showing. The soundtrack, too, is a winner, literally; Isabella won the Best Music Award at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival.

Indeed, critics, both local and international, have been generous in their praise. As a result, the careers of both Pang and To have received a boost, with offers reportedly coming in from all quarters. Pang’s busy plotting his next ‘non-comedy’ projects, while To’s contemplating a future with no laughs. “[Since Berlin] no one has offered me any comedy roles,” jokes To. “I might be out of work permanently!”

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
May 2006 issue

The business of acting is one of extremes. In China, as elsewhere in the world, actors face ruthless competition and, at times, near unbearable pressure. Of course, there are compensations: money and fame, for example, not to mention the sort of personal satisfaction that comes after giving a fine performance. In short, acting is far from dull. Little wonder then that Qingdao-born Xia Yu – devotee of skateboarding and other extreme sports – is so keen on his craft.

Indeed, Xia Yu thrives on challenge. At 29, he has already worked in a dozen films and several TV-series, with some of the best in the business: upcoming directors Dayyan Eng and Xiao Jiang; seasoned filmmakers, Daniel Lee and Peng Xiaolian; and acclaimed fellow actors, Edward Norton, Ge You, Ning Jing and Jiang Wen. Critics and peers alike attribute Xia’s success, in equal parts, to his love of film and his passion for study. A rare passion. After all, not many actors, after winning the 1994 Venice Film Festival Best Actor Award for In the Heat of the Sun (Jiang Wen, 1994), would think to return to school. But even with recognition from his peers, Xia enrolled at the Beijing Central Academy of Drama to improve his acting chops. And a good thing, too. There, he met another skilled actress, Yuan Quan, a Golden Rooster Award winner and Xia’s current girlfriend; Yuan, by the way, was a classmate of both Zhang Ziyi (Memoirs of a Geisha) and Liu Ye (The Promise).
In 2005, Xia co-starred with Yuan in the hip comedy hit Waiting Alone (Dayyan Eng). They also star in Shanghai Rumba, the latest film from Shanghai-based director Peng Xiaolian (Shanghai Story, 2005). One might say the couple has been typecast. Shanghai Rumba is a multi-layered film, set in 1940s Shanghai, which portrays a couple of actors in love, on and off stage, which, of course, echoes the two leads’ romantic involvement.
Xia’s performance in this film is extraordinary – even by his standards. And with this role, he displays acting chops on par with, or superior to, the Chinese mainland’s best actors: Jiang Wen, Ge You, and Chen Daoming.
We sat down with Xia, freshly returned from Switzerland – where he won a snowboarding competition – to discuss his new film, and much more besides.

that’s: You take roles in art-house and commercial films. What are your criteria for accepting a given role?
Xia Yu: I consider many factors. First, the script: is it impressive or not? Next, I think about the people I’ll be working with, the director and the crew. For Shanghai Rumba, I had advice from my girlfriend [Yuan Quan]. She had already worked with Peng Xiaolian [Once Upon A Time in Shanghai, 1998] and she told me Peng was a good director. In addition, I also saw one of her movies, Shanghai Story (2005), which really touched me. Besides, Shanghai Rumba is about Shanghai and Peng is Shanghainese, and she can tell a Shanghai story better than any other director.

that’s: In the film, your character, Ah Chuan, uses the Stanislavski acting method.
XY: Actually, there are several excellent film acting techniques, from around the world, that all originated in the theater: Konstantin Stanislavski from Russia, Bertolt Brecht from Germany and Mei Lan-Fang from China.
In university, I studied Stanislavski’s method; it’s very influential in China, and of course, in the US. Here though, we combine elements from Mei Lan-Fang’s method. In the period Shanghai Rumba [1940s] covers, both these methods were widely employed and considered the most important techniques in the world.

that’s: In Shanghai Rumba, you wear a moustache, which gives you a mysterious, cool look, something like Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s character in Wong Kar-wai’s 2046.
XY: The character in the movie-within-the-movie is supposed to be an underground communist. Hence, the fake moustache. Then later, he’s supposed to play a street vendor, so he dresses like one and goes to sell stuff on the street to get the feeling of a hawker. He truly follows the Stanislavski method.

that’s: Yuan Quan studied Peking Opera for seven years. What acting method does she employ?
XY: Every actor has his own preference. Today, we use a combination of techniques from Brecht and Stanislavski. But in the 1940s, actors preferred only the Stanislavski method. So in the movie, I have to portray an actor who just uses that [method]. As for Yuan Quan, I was impressed by the way she changed her voice pitch and body language to match the way prostitutes were portrayed in the 1930s/1940s movies. It seemed natural, not the result of a specific method.

that’s: To co-star with your real-life girlfriend is a good marketing coup for the film.
XY: For Shanghai Rumba, it was more like fate than a specific plan; it was a chance for us to act together. Yet the Chinese mass media only cared about our relationship and wrote stories about us. They didn’t really care about the movie. We’ve been together for nearly eight years. At the beginning, we really wanted to work together because we were both so busy and had little time together. Nowadays, that’s not so much of a concern.
Peng really wanted Yuan Quan to be the lead in this film, and initially, she didn’t think of me. Later, when she saw me – I don’t know why – she thought I was the right actor for the male lead. It was just fate.

that’s: Yuan has said that you are a creative actor. What creativity did you bring to Shanghai Rumba?
XY: I changed the script a bit as I found the first draft sounded a little bit too fake. I proposed amendments at the beginning and the end of the story to make the film a bit more realistic. In the beginning of the film, Ah Chuan and Wan Yu [Yuan] are supposed to be happy and in love in ‘real’ life, but it didn’t work for me. Here are these two kids: he’s very romantic, but his life is a mess; worse still, she’s married to a very stubborn husband. In the 1940s, it would have been very difficult for these two young people to find happiness.
So I asked for changes so that the love story happens within the film, and not in ‘real’ life. They kiss, but only during the shooting of a movie.

that’s: Director Peng said that the film is based on the life of actor Zhao Dan and his actress wife Huang Zongyin.
XY: Shanghai Rumba is not a mirror of Zhao’s life; it isn’t a Zhao biopic; it’s about more than just him. To prepare for the role, I watched a lot of movies from the 1940s, not only Zhao’s. I think my character is a mix of Zhao, and other actors of that period [Cai Chusheng, Shangguan Yunzhu and Wu Yin].

that’s: Compared to the 1940s, how is an actor’s life different today?
XY: Today the competition is ferocious, not just in China, but also from abroad. In the Chinese mainland market, we have films from all over Asia – Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan Province, Singapore, Thailand and India – competing with domestic releases. In addition, a lot of actors from Korea, Japan and Hong Kong come to work in the Chinese mainland, which makes for tougher competition. It’s really a very competitive business now.

that’s: Some critics say that Hong Kong suffers from the ‘star syndrome’, which is to say that it boasts a number of big stars but no real actors. Was that your feeling while shooting Dragon Squad (Daniel Lee, 2005) in Hong Kong?
XY: I think they’re all real actors. It’s a cultural difference. In Hong Kong, the movie industry is much more entertainment driven. They produce a lot of commercial movies. You don’t see many mainland actors in that kind of action film. At the same time, in the Chinese mainland, you don’t find many Hong Kong actors who are suited to our more artistic movies.
I think real actors need real life experience. Acting comes from real life, but takes time to develop. In Hollywood, there are a lot of real actors. Before shooting a movie, they’ve time to rehearse and become the character they will portray. In the past, it was like that in China. But to give you an example, we had only one month to rehearse before shooting began on In the Heat of the Sun (1994). And in Hong Kong, a month would be a luxury; everything is just fast food. Most actors there work simultaneously on three or four movies. They don’t have time to rehearse, or to lead a life of their own. They lack sufficient ‘real’ life experience and that’s a problem. You need to experience ‘real’ life to be able to truly build a good character.
What’s more, you need talent, not just a pretty face.

SIDE BOX
Method masters

Konstantin Stanislavski (1863-1938) was associated with Russian dramatic realism. Stanislavski’s “method acting” is commonly used today. Its principle is: ‘the actor must live the life of the character.’ In Shanghai Rumba, Xia’s character Ah Chuan refers to this method.
Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) was a German poet, playwright, and theatrical reformer. A prominent figure in the twentieth-century theater, his concept of ‘epic’ theater (narrative or non-dramatic) is still widely influential today.
Mei Lan-Fang (1894-1961) was a Chinese Opera star celebrated for his portrayal of ‘dan’ or female roles; he changed the standards of realism in the theater. His acting techniques are widely used by Chinese performers.
Zhao Dan (1915-1980), was the number one ‘people’s artist’ in the 1950s. He was held prisoner for five years during WWII, and then returned to Shanghai where he married actress Huang Zongying. In Shanghai Rumba, Ah Chuan’s background is partially based on that of Zhao Dan.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
Photo 1 courtesy Hugo Hu www.huphoto.cdd.cn and photo 2 courtesy Mick Ryan www.mickryan.com.
April 2006 issue

Suicide is no laughing matter, even when it occurs on April Fool’s Day. Indeed, when Hong Kong singer/actor Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing leapt from the roof of Hong Kong’s posh landmark, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, his fans were shocked. And devastated. That grim act was committed three years ago (April 1, 2003), and has not been forgotten. But sad to say, it has become the one fact of Leslie Cheung’s life that everyone knows.

- Photo by Thomas Podvin -

Which is a tragedy in itself. Cheung should be remembered for the innovations, and the dedication, he brought to his craft. He left behind a substantial body of work: sixty films including Happy Together, Temptress Moon and Farewell My Concubine, ninety albums and numerous live shows, some of which were recorded for posterity. His work on screen and on stage was both daring and deftly performed. Most critics agree that his role as a cross-dressing male opera singer in Farewell My Concubine was his greatest triumph. And that his performance was largely responsible for the film winning the Palme D’Or, and a spot in the top 100 Chinese Films of the Century at the Hong Kong Film Awards this March. In that role, Cheung mastered the art of playing a dan, or female, in just three months of study. Most actors need a lifetime to reach the level of skill the actor demonstrated, but Cheung achieved an expertise almost on par with legendary Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang.

Cheung’s contribution to the entertainment industry was also recognized by Red Mission, a Hong Kong-based fan association that organized “Closer to Leslie Cheung” this February. The exhibition, a commemoration of his life and work, was held in Shanghai, and sponsored by Tomson Film Company and ACT – a magazine financed by the Shanghai Film Group. Five thousand visitors attended the two day exhibition, which featured a display of film memorabilia, film screenings, behind the screen footage, a series of lectures with opera professionals, as well as taped interviews with the late actor and singer.

From the various offerings there emerged a common theme – Cheung’s dedication to his craft. “He placed greater demands on himself than the director did on him,” recalled Cheung’s co-star in Farewell My Concubine, Lei Han, who played his apprentice in the movie.

Lei is not alone in his sentiment. Cheung’s legacy – his joie de vivre, industriousness and creativity – has inspired a generation, and his spirit lives in the hearts of his disciples. On April 1, in Hong Kong – three years to the day of Cheung’s death – an international-fan association, the Leslie Legacy Association – will host a ceremony and candlelight vigil that will gather at the Jardine House podium, in front of the Mandarin Oriental. More than a thousand local and overseas fans are expected to attend the service and pay their respects to this Hong Kong icon.

Italian Nadia Guidetti, the Webmaster of Lesliepillow.com, and an LLA member, notes that Cheung “refreshed the content and the form of the entertainment scene … [yet] he had to pay for his uniqueness.” Which is to say that Cheung was ahead of his time.

In 2001, his Passion Tour concerts, featuring costumes designed by French fashion icon Jean-Paul Gaultier, were roundly criticized. Disappointed by the reaction, Gaultier stated he would never work for any Hong Kong star again. Cheung, too, was deeply wounded by the failure and fell into a prolonged depression.

One might say that Cheung’s quest for perfection was his Achilles’ heel. “He represents perfection in everything: [from] taste … [to his] attitudes towards work and people,” says LLA member Susanna Leung. In the end, his standards were not shared by the community at large. Cheung felt cornered and pushed to the edge. And made his fatal leap. But in doing so, he won a place in the pantheon.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
April 2006 issue

This article was translated into Chinese in a Leslie Cheung fan forum