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Zhang Ziyi: Major Talent or Lucky Starlet?

or some she was the most memorable part of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. They were mesmerized by the dark energy she brings to her portrayal of a freespirited young adventuress. For others she was one more annoying thing about a glacial, poorly edited sword-fight flick. They were left cold by the hard, souless gleam of her obsidian eyes and her puckish face. Zhang Ziyi
     Regardless of your opinion of Zhang Ziyi, one fact is indisputable: since the release of CTHD in late 2000, the media has lionized the gamin-faced actress. Virtually every glossy and tabloid has hailed her as the hot new Asian female actor and/or great new beauty. In the heat of CTHD's surprise success Zhang was signed to several projects, including Rush Hour 2, The Legend of Zu, 2046 (a science fiction flick), Hero (a Jet Li kung-fu flick) and Musa (a Corean film set during the wars between the Yuan and Ming Dynasties).
     Luck is essential to every success, but Zhang Ziyi appears to have enjoyed more than her share during her brief acting career.
     She was born February 9, 1979 in Beijing to an economist father and a kindergarten teacher mother. At the age of 11 she enrolled in a dance school. Four years later she decided to switch to acting despite some promise as a dancer. She went for a shampoo commercial audition and was picked out by the legendary director Zhang Yimou to play a schoolgirl who falls in love with her teacher.
     When The Road Home was released in China in 1999, the young actress was promptly dubbed "Little Gong Li" on the popular suspicion that she had followed the great actress into Zhang Yimou's bed. (Zhang Yimou had discovered Gong Li in 1987 and lost her in 1994 when she left him to marry Singaporean businessman Ooi Hoe Siong.)
     The Road Home received no attention in the U.S. but won the 2000 Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. It also caught the eye of Ang Lee who was casting Crouching Tiger. No one suspected that the low-budget film he was planning to shoot in China would go on to become the next year's most profitable film, ultimately grossing $150 million worldwide. It turned Zhang Ziyi into an international superstar in one fell, elaborately-wired swoop.
     Is Zhang Ziyi really a great beauty and first-rate actor? Or is she a second-rater whose fame is as un-credible as her CTHD fight sequences?

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WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:49:53 PM)

good lord... ZZ is an actress... i don't understand it when fans get carried away. no matter how much you worship her you're not gonna get with her unless you win the lottery. and even those odds are better.
ZZ's club president haha
   Saturday, October 19, 2002 at 21:32:38 (PDT)    [65.184.91.9]
I liked TRH..That's how I think 2 people should act if they're in love with each other... They shouldn't have been in love like that over absolutely nothing, zz didn't exactly have to have a great performance portraying a girl that has an amazing crush on the new man in a small town,and I really don't think it deserved such great critical praise. It wasn't as good as past Zhang Yimou movies, but I liked it a lot. :) I like her movies.

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I think she looks ok. Sometimes she's beatiful, especially in some photo shoots. Other times, she's not..just ordinary looking. :-D
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Wong Fei is hot..haha. Sometimes eccentric, but still hot. I wish I was Nicholas Tse. ;)
waternut
waternut@ev1.net    Saturday, October 19, 2002 at 13:45:00 (PDT)    [207.218.232.225]

[Improve your reasoning and reading skills before you try to force us to devote more line-inches to a dead issue (ever heard anyone saying, "Wow, that was uncredible!"?). We've kindly excised it to spare us all. Move on or move out. --Ed]
Agree with IMO

This is not bashing, just opinions.

Rain, i have written a more detailed reply to your post, but for unknown reasons it was declined by the mod.

So, just compose yourself and acknowledge the fact that not everybody likes your lady. And i believe this is the prevalent majority.
JJH
   Friday, October 18, 2002 at 07:30:09 (PDT)    [202.62.139.149]
I don't think anyone is bashing Zhang Ziyi here, just airing our opinions. We can't help it if we don't think she is very pretty or a very good actress. I don't think she is the highest paid model in China either. Gong Li has just been paid millions to advertise some health products, and she was also the first Asian model to be featured in a Loreal ad. As for CTHD, do yourself a favor and go and watch Bride with White Hair, Swordsman II and III, Dragon Inn, Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, and you will understand what we are talking about when we said CTHD is an inferior movie. These movies also featured the fabulous Brigitte Lin, now that's what you called a great actress.
IMO
   Thursday, October 17, 2002 at 06:12:35 (PDT)    [203.103.157.83]
"A pretty mundane face, typical chinese girl you wouldn't bother to give a second glance if seen on street."

Ziyi without make-up: well you're quite blind or out of you're mind if you haven't seen her natural beauty. In fact, the gal doesn't even need make-up. I like her better without kae-up. And I'm not saying that just because I'm a Z-fan.

No one else has captivated me more than her.

Don't tell me to get real, pal: I know what reality is. A thousand times more than you'll ever hope to know.

Ziyi is Ziyi: Fayewhatever is Fayewhatever. Fine.

Just cut down on the bashing. I know this is your voice, but I will advise you not to try and defame anyone. ESPECIALLY Ziyi.

Try to respect the opinionated views of others. Try to draw your debate from a technical and intelligent perspective rather than bashing Ziyi to make your weak views stronger.

And you're right...this is a warning, pal.
Rain
   Monday, October 14, 2002 at 22:00:51 (PDT)    [202.57.91.224]
Virgule Solidus, She's not a model. It's as simple as that. She might get paid higher than the Chinese models but she's still an actress endorsing various products. She's not a model. If you consider her a model, then the other actresses that earns money appearing on commercials and endorsing ads are all models. Thus Zhang Ziyi would still be the 7th or 8th highest paid model.

All of the hardcore Ziyi fans, you guys are entitled to your opinion and I'm cool with that. However please realize, that somewhere on this planet there are people that exists who don't think she's all that and these people definitely represent a rather large population. So learn to respect the opinions of other people.
Overrated
   Monday, October 14, 2002 at 18:07:13 (PDT)    [141.151.9.79]
Overrated (which you are),
I never said Zhang Ziyi is the highest paid actress in China. I said she was the highest paid MODEL in China.

Ed,
"Had we called CTHD's fight sequences or Zhang's acting "incredible", most readers would have taken it for high praise. We intended none. --Ed"

Which is the point I've been making all along. By using the word "uncredible" you thought you were castigating her performance, when the fact is, you inserted foot A into mouth B and actually ended up praising her. I don't know whether to thank you or ridicule you.
Virgule Solidus
sitemaster@ziyifilms.com    Monday, October 14, 2002 at 05:58:23 (PDT)    [68.100.148.197]

[*Groan* Let's see if repeating ourselves for the third (and final) time will light up that bulb. We used the word "uncredible" precisely because -- unlike "incredible" -- it doesn't (does NOT) have the secondary meaning of "amazing" -- look it up in your library of dictionaries. Therefore, saying that the fight sequences and Zhang's acting were not believable hardly constitutes a compliment.
Hope you got it this time because too much space has already been devoted to grammar and reading comp instruction. --Ed]
Come on zhang ziyi fans, please get real.

Please come to accept the fact that zhang ziyi's popularity doesn't match with her fame.

Have you ever seen her face without makeups? I will say it's plain looking, if not ugly.

Believe it or not, i used to fall crazily for zhang ziyi. Her performance in CTHD was indeed mesmerizing imo, the though spoiled brat Jen oozes an unique aura which captivates me.

But then zhang ziyi's performance in Musa and RH2 was bitterly disappointing. Her stiff expressions brough down any anticipations i've ever had on her.

And by all odds i have seen zhang ziyi's face without makeup. I was SHOCKED. Such a homely girl resembles not a bit with her glamorous onscreen image.

A pretty mundane face, typical chinese girl you wouldn't bother to give a second glance if seen on street.

And to some of those fanatics, please stop referring zhang ziyi as the highest paid model in china.

She is well paid certainly but definitely not the highest paid model in china. Superstar like Faye Wong can easily demand a higher price than zhang ziyi.
JJH
   Monday, October 14, 2002 at 05:17:02 (PDT)    [202.62.139.1]
"Listen up: go out and live a little. Zhang Ziyi is only a second rate actress. There's no need to get hot and bothered over her. You are better off putting your energy over things that may affect you at the moment eg war with Iraq, the environment, endangered species, etc." -IMO

haha funny you should tell us to get a life. I recall you trying to defame Zhang Ziyi around a year ago. Do you just hang around here trying to put down any Ziyi fan that comes by?

"Fans of other actors like Nicholas Tse for instance seem to be able to understand the hatred that this youngster has generated after his car crashes and court case."

Unfortunately that's his problem... Zhang Ziyi has never done anything wrong to receive your extreme dislike. She has never hurt anyone who watches her movies nor any of the people that buy Pantene/Maybelline/Tag Heuers, so there is no reason why you should try hurting her.
Have fun
   Sunday, October 13, 2002 at 21:44:55 (PDT)    [66.75.21.10]
Extreme and unyielding....thank you, that's how devoted we really are.

My point is: even though tRH didn't make her an international star like CTHD, its still the best Ziyi film in recent memory. Second rate? Try watching this film. If you still think like that, well, I can't help you anymore.

Not everything that makes you famous is good. But CTHD is great. Period.

I don't care if not everyone in this world likes Ziyi or not. You can't please everybody. I don't care if you guys don;'t like her. I don't want to convert you or anyone. I respect all your views.

Just cut down on the Z-bashing. And no, I'm not saying "please."
Rain
   Sunday, October 13, 2002 at 20:49:08 (PDT)    [202.57.89.120]
I think it's great that there's yet another Asian American in the movie industry, but I didn't really like CTHD. I thought the plot was kind of shallow, but that, of course, isn't Zhang Ziyi's fault. And I just think that society hasn't seen enough AA women to be able to accurately call anyone a "ravishing beauty" or anything. Zhang Ziyi is really pretty, but that's about as far as it goes.
person
   Saturday, October 12, 2002 at 18:50:09 (PDT)    [216.26.2.56]
Rain, I don't think anyone bashed The Road Home. So I'm not getting your point here. Yea what you said was true, but I don't see where your argument's coming from.
Overrated
   Saturday, October 12, 2002 at 15:10:18 (PDT)    [141.151.12.183]
Why it is that every Zhang Ziyi fan I have encountered so far, are so extreme and unyielding in their devotion? Why can't they face up to the fact that not everybody like her or think she is pretty or a good actress?

Fans of other actors like Nicholas Tse for instance seem to be able to understand the hatred that this youngster has generated after his car crashes and court case.

Listen up: go out and live a little. Zhang Ziyi is only a second rate actress. There's no need to get hot and bothered over her. You are better off putting your energy over things that may affect you at the moment eg war with Iraq, the environment, endangered species, etc.
IMO
   Saturday, October 12, 2002 at 02:36:46 (PDT)    [210.10.109.82]
Before I lash out my fury, I just want to say that yes: I am a Ziyi fan, and I'm damn proud I am.

It doesn't matter if you people think that my Lady just got lucky: all that I want to prove is, she's one of the most talented actresses in the world today.

CTHD was, IMO, an epic: it brought out the magic and splendor of filmmaking.
And now, in defense of The Road Home:

So what if it didn't make her an international star? This film is the finest Zhang Ziyi portrayal to date.

Not every single bit of junk that we throw out to the masses is good. The world is full of dumb people. Art should not be refined to suit the masses: it is the masses that should adjust and admire the art.

Not everything that makes you famous is good. Not everything you feed to the mainstream is good. sometimes you have the let the money go and sacrifice for your art.

I have nothing against Vicky Zhao Wei, or Gong Li, or whoever you guys are trying to compare to my Lady. But I assure you all: anyone who bashes her in any website in the world will be exterminated.

I have said all I that I have to say.
Rain
   Friday, October 11, 2002 at 07:05:42 (PDT)    [203.160.175.84]
I agree with 'Asian Dude' that Asian models in N. American publications tend to be atrocious looking. Most have no curves whatsoever. Most even have no eyelashes! Puny eyes.
Very thin lips. I even doubt if Asian guys would find most of these Asian models attractive even.
A perfect example is in this month's issue of Marie Claire magazine (Nov. 2002), where an Asian model is posing with a huge bag covering her chest. It's an ad for 'Dooney & Bourke'. The girl has no eyelashes. Hardly any eyebrows & little slits as eyes. Flat nose. Rail-thin arms.
Sorry don't mean to diss this model per se but Jesus this girl is NOT attractive!
Asian Butterfly
   Thursday, October 10, 2002 at 22:32:53 (PDT)    [24.78.75.23]
Ed:
"We said 'uncredible' and meant it. You witlessly tried to put 'incredible' in our mouths. Look it up."

Every dictionary I can lay my hands on also defines "uncredible" as "incredible" -- the only meaning for the word, past and present. There is no "secondary meaning."

I'm more than convinced the word was used as intended -- to discredit Zhang Ziyi and to provide a forum for like-minded individuals to similarly air their personal dislike of the actress and her films.

Engendering discussion is fine. Defaming to do so is not.
Southern Crane
c@ziyi.info    Thursday, October 10, 2002 at 12:48:30 (PDT)    [147.70.174.101]

[Say what? *Testing ears*
Okay, you haven't quite followed our exchange with Virgule Solidus. "Amazing" is the common secondary definition of "incredible" which we sought to avoid (btw, please replace "every dictionary" in your library with ones published 1900 or later). That is why we used "uncredible", a synonym not burdened with that particular secondary definition. We did NOT want to say that anything about CTHD's fight sequences or Zhang Ziyi's acting was "amazing". Frankly, both were obviously not believable from the standpoints of the laws of physics and human psychology.
As for "defaming", add a legal dictionary to your apparently extensive reference library and see if an expression of opinion, even if deemed critical, amounts to "defamation".
Ultimately, this kind of pointless tangent results from the inability of some readers to grasp the concept of laying out an issue. Best avoid our interactive articles lest you develop hypertension. ;0) --Ed]

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