The World of Ziyi

Author: Wang Jing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: She is the most familiar East Asian face in the eyes of Westerners, growing up alongside the opening-up China; from the courtyard apartment building in Beijing hutongs, she aspires to become the next Oscar-winning actress. Zhang Ziyi, a true "70s generation" star, has proven with her actions, not just words, what a modern "Chinese Dream" truly is! On April 10, 2005, Zhang Ziyi was named the only Chinese actress on the U.S. TIME magazine's list of the "100 Most Influential People of 2005." TIME described her as follows: "She has reached a height that many of her peers cannot attain, and her ambition is in the West." Just as Yao Ming brought surprises to the NBA and Chinese fans, Zhang Ziyi is surpassing Zhang Man, Gong Li, and Michelle Yeoh to become the most famous East Asian face in the eyes of Westerners. She frequently appears on the covers of international top magazines such as TIME, NEWSWEEK, and PEOPLE, quickly rising as a young leader in the global arts and entertainment industry, the representative of the East in Hollywood, and a model of a modern "Chinese Dream"! Stripping away the celebrity halo, Zhang Ziyi lacks many traditional "virtues" of Chinese women, except for her unparalleled diligence. But even those who dislike her cannot deny: she first walked, not talked, one step at a time to Hollywood. Her success, of course, is partly due to "Good Looks" and "Good Luck," but more so to the success of an open China, the success of an individual's personal struggle. This book attempts to answer through the reconstruction of numerous life and human details: Why did Zhang Ziyi succeed? Why her, and not others? How did Zhang Ziyi achieve success? Another notable feature of this book is its attempt to break away from the of "photobio" narrative styles, drawing inspiration from China's "know the person and analyze the era" tradition since the Records of the Grand Historian, aiming to outline the growth trajectory of a young prodigy in the context of globalization, thereby summarizing the growth memories and experiences of an entire generation.