Abstract
Zhang Yimou, the internationally popular Chinese film director, will lead the group designing the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Zhang first came to fame overseas with his 1991 film Raise the Red Lantern, a work that cloaked a tale of patriarchal oppression in the beguiling garb of folk culture. Zhangs career is one of the success stories of Chinas authoritarian cultural scene, but in April this year, when the announcement of his role in the Olympics was made he declared that theres more to Chinese culture than lanterns and opera. Zhang is taking leave of film-making for two years to concentrate on the biggest show on earth. In this enterprise he will be joined by a consortium of non-Chinese imagineers from LA (Steven Spielberg), Paris (Yves Pepin) and Sydney (Ric Birch). All of them have created successful public entertainments in recent years, but there is little doubt that Hollywood is Beijings greatest inspiration.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 1pp |
| Specialist publication | Review supplement to the Australian Financial Review |
| Publication status | Published - 2006 |