Sheren Tang Notes TVB Series Cannot Compare to Mainland Series
Along with Sammul Chan, Sheren Tang also expressed dissatisfaction with TVB in a mainland interview earlier. Allegedly, Sheren received a filming fee of $10,000 (Yuan) per episode in China series. Sheren insisted the alleged fee was not the true price, as she never discussed her private matters. Since TVB gave her the Best Actress Award, they may insist on reducing her filming fee instead of increasing it.
Sheren criticized TVB for its unwillingness in spending money on series production to keep up with many mainland productions. However, Sheren experienced oppression and fraud while filming in China and could not help but cry in front of other people. Regarding Charmaine Sheh’s refusal to sign a management contract with TVB and signing a per series contract instead, Sheren noted that if a person were to stay in a narrow working environment for many years, there will be no progress. It was time to change life and experience the world.
Excerpt from Orientaldaily
Jayne: Of course, what Sheren is saying is the truth. Do you admire her outspokenness or find her ungrateful in criticizing TVB, who is her employer and gave her so many opportunities over the years?
As per the Asian way of keeping peace in all situations and not speaking up, some fans dislike artists for criticizing TVB. Some fans support the artists for braving organizational politics and speaking their minds.
Was reading a very interesting article about Asian Americans experiencing a “bamboo ceiling” in the United States. Due toAsian values, cultural upbringing, and passivity, Asian Americans may be book smart but not always world smart and may not succeed in rising to the top in Corporate America.
I think this article will resonate with many Asians growing up overseas with a traditional upbringing. http://nymag.com/print/?/news/features/asian-americans-2011-5/
In Asia, if you are too outspoken, would your aggression be perceived as a negative trait (self-centeredness, arrogance, etc), given its passive cultural roots, emphasis on the collective group rather than individualism?
“Due toAsian values, cultural upbringing, and passivity, Asian Americans may be book smart but not always world smart and may not succeed in rising to the top in Corporate America.”
Or is that what Corporate America wants us to think, hence the lack of Asians at top management levels? Same argument for blacks? But joke is many Asians are in top scientific research fields. Maybe we are more suited for research instead of stepping over dead bodies to succeed.
“In Asia, if you are too outspoken, would your aggression be perceived as a negative trait (self-centeredness, arrogance, etc), given its passive cultural roots, emphasis on the collective group rather than individualism?”
Depends where in Asia. Outspoken itself has different meanings in different countries. For Asia, being outspoken doesn’t give you the right to back stab or speak vulgar words to employee, etc. In western countries, it seems it is ok. Like in Malaysia, some westerners when angry utters the F words at the employee. We find such behaviour shocking because in a polite society, you never do that. You scold your employees in the room, not in front of everybody because we have a concept of “give face” to people, something westerners had to learn when they come to work in Asia. Moreover there is an attitude problem from both sides; we Asians working in other countries see ourselves as workers, like some low level entry people whilst westerners come here as expatriates, given privileges, given priority. Does it make them better managers? Of course not.
I believe we adapt. Chinese adapts, in whatever situation.
Traditional upbringing doesn’t mean we can’t adapt. It just means we are blessed with both cultures; our own and other people’s. It doesn’t mean there should be compromise. Yes, generally Asians are conservative but doesn’t mean we can be walked all over. Westerners are more aggressive but doesn’t mean they can’t be dominated.
The difference I can see is in the way things are handled; Asians generally don’t go for direct confrontation whilst westerners do. Rudeness is a matter of perspective but generally I believe in both cultures, the common thread is to treat people as people and not like some working dog.
Funn: “I believe we adapt. Chinese adapts, in whatever situation.”
The USA eased immigration restrictions in the 1960s to allow more Chinese to enter America. Mass waves of Chinese immigrants came to the United States in the 1980s. The first wave of Chinese immigrants consisted of many hard laborers who took on blue collar jobs in the USA, washing dishes, working in restaurants and garment factories etc. Their children grew up well educated, but with a traditional upbringing that presents cultural tendencies which prevent them from succeeding in Corporate America. This is the second generation of Asians in the States that the article addresses. Each succeeding generation will assimilate more, adopting more Americanized cultural habits. Some American-born Asian kids are even labelled as “bananas,” yellow on the outside, but white on the inside where they cannot speak the Chinese language. Time will indeed erase more of immigrants’ cultural roots and what remains is a selective set of values, habits, and attitudes that may be harder to preserve.
It’s a “fish in the water” scenario where depending on where the fish swims to, he/she will need to adapt to new society’s culture and norms to succeed and be happy. Even the expatriates in Asia is in the same position where cultural adaptations are necessary to successfully manage the Asian workforce.
“However, Sheren experienced oppression and fraud while filming in China and could not help but cry in front of other people.”
Wait… what? What happened?
I studied abroad in China and can attest to the article.
I was quite outspoken in a group project in China and perhaps being the youngest, I was viewed as disrespectful.
Here I have no problem speaking my thoughts in the corporate world as long as I provide a value-added input.
You have to tactful when speaking and majority of the times, depends on the audience.
Pandamao,
Btw, did you read the New York magazine article in its entirety? What do you think about the certain Asian males who do not have a lot of dating experience and have no clue as to how to attract a woman, especially an American woman?
I couldn’t hold my laughter when I got to J. Tran’s portion of the article.
I have really mix feelings on this, I’ll have to re-read the article and email you on this. Too personal for a posting here. Hehe
Pandamao,
It’s sad but true…. When I watched the “40 Year-Old Virgin,” I was thinking of all the possible 30 Year-Old Chinese male virgins I knew in real life. I didn’t have a boyfriend until I was in my 20s, so I can relate to the female Asian side of the story.
Actually in her interview, I don’t see that she is really criticizing TVB.
what sheren said is correct, but in order to maintain a good relationship with tvb i think she shouldnt have been so honest and frank about it…
I don’t find Sheren ungrateful. She’s just stating the fact. She pointed out the weakness of both sides.
Agreed. What she said is merely pointing out the obvious. Ungrateful would be when she criticise without cause.
tvb loves to worth their artists to death but paying them with peanuts. Over here, celebrities getting paid millions for doing nothing substantial. *sigh*
How come sheren still accept jobs from tvb? Then don’t act la…go according to your principles lah.
I think Sheren does it out of gratitude… Ada Choi does out of gratitude because she said that there was one period in her life where she was unemployed, but TVB still gave her opportunities when her career was at its lowest point. I am guessing that maybe that is the case for Sheren as well since every artist experiences ups and downs in their career… TVB always seems to give them work when they just cannot find it elsewhere.
I can’t believe TVB is thinking of decreasing her wages. If you weren’t going to increase them wouldn’t you just keep it the same?
I think TVB is the ungrateful one, they seem to manage poorly. Why else would so many good actors and actresses want to expand their horizons and leave the company?
Not that I don’t like TVB but there are so many articles out there at the moment that have artistes voicing their opinion about working conditions and it really makes you think if they’re really a good broadcasting company at all.
@Cinsin,
WHat, TVB is thinking of decreasing their wages?? Why are they doing that?? They are already paying their artists so little and they want to reduce it even more?? They will really suffer the consequences if they do that.
Well I think even if TVB paid well and all, artists would still want to leave to expand their horizons. Who wants to be stuck in just one company their whole career as Sheren mentioned(unless they are just the supporting actors and actresses that would not be able to find work elsewhere)??
I am guessing it is because you may still enjoy the series made by TVB, but may not think about what happens behind the scenes?? There are some that don’t care what happens to the artists and the other stuff behind the scenes and just enjoy the series that they produce. Therefore, they would still defend TVB. This has been going on for many many years and I am glad that more and more artists are speaking up. Hopefully, TVB will finally make some changes for the good. I am shocked that artists are still able to perform when don’t even get an adequate amount of sleep. I would yawn and act really tired if I did not get enough sleep for prolonged periods of time.
It stated in the article that TVb may decrease her wages after her winning best actress award.
I agree that I probably do not know much about behind the scenes until recently. I never really paid much attention to tabloids or entertainment news.
I used to always wonder why so many actors in the series I watch had eye bags. Extremely obvious eye bags may I add. As make-up can only do so much. Now I know why! Because they don’t get adequate amount of time to rest! Appalling on TVB’s behalf!
Oh yea, it did state that in the article.I don’t see how that makes sense though because shouldn’t they increase her wages with the award instead of decrease them?? If your wages get decreased due to the award then wouldn’t you be better off not winning??
I have always been interested in what happens behind the scenes which is why I love watching behind the scenes videos and anything else related to it. Too bad TVB doesn’t really release those.Back in the 80s, I have only seen the behind the scenes for Flying Fox, Yang’s Saga, Legend of the Condor Heroes and some clips for Return of the Condor Hereos. It is all very nice and interesting to watch. My brother used to always read about it and tell me as well, so I always had the interest in knowing more.
Make up does do wonders but it can only do so much… I thought that TVB has changed for the better after all these years in terms of how they treat the artists, but I guess not… I find that very sad because it shows that they have not learned and the quality of their shows will just continue to deteriorate…Plus, more and more artists are speaking out which may or may not make a difference, who really knows?? Only time will tell..
i believe thats the concept for most asians.
im Singaporean and we practise the same methods here.
so for example, if we have american students or lecturers we would think them too out spoken or even rude.
but i really believe, culture or not, its quite easy to see when one is rude or overstepping the line.
anyway really sounds like TVB isnt treating its actors too well!
Speaking of speaking out, we are not allowed to speak against our elders even when they are talking non sense. That would be deemed as being disrespectful and rude. There are many of my relatives that I just cannot stand since they abuse their power as the “elder” and talk nothing but non sense. However, we are the young generation cannot say anything… There are times that I get so mad that I speak up, but they consider me rude… Gosh, that is how tradition is. I think that if the elders wanted their children and others to respect them, they must earn it and not just get it…
Speaking of TVB, I think TVB should learn from the tradition that if they treat their artists well, then the artists will praise and respect them…
Of course you can speak out, but politely of course. You can’t be blindly respectful. It is always about tact and how you phrase your words. You will be accused of being rude, but at least you can fight back and say you aren’t ignorant. Depends on which elders. The closer, the more respect. Those aunts of aunts of uncles’ aunts, you can shoot your mouth.
Of course I know not to be too rude because I don’t want to make myself lose face or my parents. The elders that I am referring to are my parents first and second cousins. My parents’ first cousins are ok and I respect them overall but their 2nd cousins are the ones that I can’t stand…Also, my aunt in laws can be annoying too. I actually did not know for a long long time why my parents were related to them. I just found out recently why I had to call them aunt and uncle.
If there is a family gathering in future, you can choose not to go, which is my way of doing things. If had to go, do the way my sisters did; smile the zen like smile and not listen a single thing. But again, they never say anything terrible in front of us. In fact when I did turn up, they will hug me as if I am missed and they’re my best friends in the world. I smile, politely, hug back, but I am wary. You can’t choose your relatives or parents; you can’t walk away from your parents but you can certainly walk away from those nosy relatives. If they say you’re rude, or ungrateful, I suppose get ready with a very intelligent and sarcastic line. I suppose you must know your line and when they have crossed it. NOw parents are more complicated. But frankly I have my fair share of telling my mom to shut up, politely of course and of course I have people say I should be grateful or not be rude but my reaction was I can’t be blindly polite. My rudeness stems from their rudeness. if they’re polite, I will be polite.
Thanks for the advice Funn and that is exactly what I have been doing. My cousin is going to be engaged this month but I don’t even plan on going. I have dreaded family gatherings and don’t go anymore. They act all fake like they are so sweet to me but I know that it is all an act…
I just go silent or walk away if my parents get out of line. They are better now(well my mom is and my dad has passed away so I just deal with my mom) but their old traditional views are still there…
Growing up ABC, I think that the bamboo ceiling/glass ceiling very much exists for many Asians living in America. Growing up, I was always told to be respectful, obedient, keep your head down, stay out of trouble, and to not bring attention to yourself. We were always discouraged to participate in after school activities, even sports! Part of my upbring is why I’ve chosen to go into the healthcare field b/c I would never do well in business/corporate America.
Speaking of, has any of you read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother? I was definitely raised in a similar fashion!
Judy,
Thanks for sharing your personal account. I think the key to choosing a career that you will be happy with is understanding your personality because your personality plays such a big part into long-term satisfaction with your career. Rather than force yourself to bend to ways to adapt to the demands of a job that doesn’t fit your personality, it is better to find the best fit possible. There are some jobs that have less social interaction and require more academic training. Perhaps that is the reason why there are so many Asians in IT and the healthcare fields, although initially driven by financial rewards but implicitly, these job environments may match common cultural tendencies.
The problem exists with Asian American college kids who may not know their personalities so well at the time of college and choose to enter a field which doesn’t match their personalities and thus they find themselves facing the “bamboo ceiling” a few years after entering the workforce. Articles such as the New York magazine is great to read because it makes us more aware of the issues going on. Awareness and dissatisfaction will have a more concentrated effort to change.
My family were immigrants from China and my parents were not very well educated and thus they were forced to take low-wage jobs in the USA. They never learned to speak English and they did have xenophobia. Growing up in such a household, my childhood did not have luxuries of summer camps, piano lessons, etc. Because of this experience, my views were quite traditional Chinese until slowly, over the years, they assimilated to be more American due to work environment and the need to adapt.
I haven’t read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, but I read an excerpt of the book in the Wall Street Journal site. My parents raised me in a “silent loving fashion” because their hard work in the USA was really towards the goal of providing a better future for their children. My parents did not push me in any harsh ways, but they always emphasized trying hard in school (as all Asian families do) and hard work. They did not withold love nor did they pushed me to achieve excellence, rather I witnessed their sacrifice and studied hard in school because I knew my role.
I can really relate to you Judy… My parents were always soo traditional so my childhood and life was filled with nothing but doing household chores and school work. It is still sort of like that as well. I was not allowed to do sports, after school activities or anything else. All that they emphasized on was school and academics.
Now that my nephews who are 3rd generation, get everything from piano lessons, basketball lessons, language lessons,etc.. Those were all things that I dreamed of when I was a kid but never received. But then again, I guess I can understand because I come from a family of 8-9 kids so my parents were not able to afford it. We were really poor back then and just had to worry about the basics and could not afford all of the luxuries like piano lessons and other things which are expensive…My parents got really mad at us when we want to rebel, but they are better now since they are a bit more open minded now.
I had to rebel against my family and still am… They wanted me to be in the medical field or computer science field and I did not want to since for one I did not like it. Also, I could not handle it and I was not afraid to tell my parents that. My cousin, on the other hand, was afraid to tell her mom that she couldn’t handle the medical field but instead said that she did not like it. She told me that and I had to tell my mom and aunt that because she did not dare to.
They always compare you to your siblings and cousins too. Gosh, that gets really annoying. My parents weren’t quite that bad, but it is my relatives who always want to know what my brothers and I are doing… They want to see if their children are better or are we better… I wonder if all older asians do that???
I think generally all Asians are like that. We believe in hard work and academic excellence, more so when our own parents weren’t that educated so they knew the importance of a degree. You can’t moan about them having expectations and very high expectations. Westerners have different values than Asians, expectations are somewhat different, approach is different but in the end in each of their own way, what they’re doing is for your own good.
HTS;
“My parents were always soo traditional so my childhood and life was filled with nothing but doing household chores and school work”
I think even westerners make their children do household chores and school work.
And favouritism exists in any culture, not just Asians. But admitted, Chinese more into sons than daughters. BUT I believe western culture is less on disciplining children, which they consider as abuse which I find it strange since what is abuse? In my time, I saw my father using a belt on my brother who was kneeling before him. In western culture, that is abuse. In our culture, that is discipline. And reason is simple; he was caught stealing money and the only time I ever saw my father raised a belt or anything on my brother.
All Asian cultures compare their successes by how well their children are doing. HTS, your success if your parents’ pride. They can boast about that with their relatives. I feel it is our duty as children to make our parents look good. As for parents comparing siblings, that is inevitable.
And by the way, in Asian cultures, inevitably your relatives’ resentment of either of your parent is very apparent. Like my mother; my father’s side talks terrible things about her, even now, they gossiped and such. Now they may or may not talk bad about her in front of you. My family is like this; my brother gets to hear all this gossips because they don’t see him as a threat; they in fact don’t see him as anything at all. But when I and my sisters are there, not one word in front of our face. Not even at our back. Reason is simple; amongst everyone in our family, my sisters and I are the most educated. Somehow there is threat in that, and I suppose a tinge of reluctant respect. And probably they knew if they talk bad about our mother, we will simply walk out because we don’t need their company.
I think you are right Funn…My parents always expected a lot from me and my brothers. I know that even westerners make their kids do school work and chores. BUt in my case, it was always me that had to do it all since my parents are sexist and think that doing household chores were a things that only women and girls do and that guys do not have do any. THey come from the old world where men can sit on their butt and that is totally acceptable but it is not ok if girls sat on their butt.
I know that favoritism happens in every culture. My parents used to always tell us to lay down and hit us. However, after we got older they stopped doing that but would yell and nag at us as well as blackmail us.
My dad would brag and compare but my mom doesn’t do that since she believed that it would pressure and jinx us. My parents aren’t as annoying as some of my relatives. I have an aunt and uncle(more distant since they are my mom and my dad’s second cousins) that always ask about me and my brothers. It’s not because they care for us. It is only because they want to compare to see if their kids are better or are we better. It is not their business at all…
Most people on my dad’s side actually like my mom a lot since she values the husband’s side more than her side. That is how it is traditionally. It is just that one distant aunt(my dad’s second cousin) that messes with my mom and I really hate her. No one likes her or my uncle. Sadly, my mom has no friends and only values family even if they are distant… I have noticed that many people just care about their immediate family, their own family and their close friends. Relatives that are more distant are just there to be there….
Well then, in future when you do get married and your husband thinks you should do all the chores, you will know what to do. Create a timetable and buy a his and hers brooms. Share the chores.
Possibly because in the West there’s less of that ‘I want my child to do better than me therefore I must steer him onto the right road’ kinda thing. And possibly because there’s less of an expectation in the West for the children to support the parents etc etc. So they’re more relaxed. I mean, if you don’t see your children as extensions of yourself, there’s obviously a lesser need to force them to excel so you can then compare better to someone else you know also with children.
To me, Asians are just as competitive, only that they are not so direct about it. Yes Corporate America requires you to be a bastard individualist, but Corporate China also requires you to have rich and influential relatives. Both countries play the social class game, just differently.
My parents, though strict, have never laid a hand on us… they didn’t believe in spanking or using physical force. I have high expectations for myself not ONLY because they have high expectations me, but because I see the hard work they’ve put in to raise us, therefore I work hard so that in the future I can give a better life for us.
The way I see it, my parents have given up everything for us. They had been educated in China and held good jobs… had they stayed, their lives would have been much easier now. It only makes sense that I do what I can to help them… however I can. This is why I feel Chinese parenting is much superior to american-style parenting — chinese children have instilled in them a good sense of responsibility and work ethic following their parent’s footsteps. Of course, there are also negative aspects too.. my older sisters had to push very hard to join sports and clubs… which in turn opened to doors for me since I was the youngest of three.
Like most Asian families, I have relatives who are always trying to compare us kids… luckily me and my cousins have a pretty good relationship so we just ignore the annoying aunties and uncles. My grandparents, like most older generation asians, have a preference for boys over girls. My grandmother, did not like my mom because she had 3 girls, unlike my auntie who had only 2 girls and 1 boy. As a result, she treated me and sisters with disdain while my boy cousin and his two sisters have been spoiled rotten. My boy cousin does poorly in school and spends most of his day playing video games. Now, when my grandmother sees me and my sisters, she tries hold our hands and talk to us, and give us food and money… but she doesn’t realize that the time for making amends has passed… we’ve all grown up and no longer need her love. In fact, all the boys in my family seem to do poorly in school and are definitely less educated and not as successful as the girls.
Straying from the topic, I have noticed that a lot of my wealthy chinese friends who have come to American to study abroad are nothing like my ABC friends. They tend to be spoiled rotten (most likely due to the one child rule), do not work hard, and are very comfortable spending mommy and daddy’s money on designer clothes and cars…
I read about this in another site where they also had an interview about Sheren and her working conditions in China. I don’t remember her saying anything about being cheated in CHina. She did complain about the smelly hotels and stuff but not anything about being cheated out of money or anything.
Sheren has worked with TVB for over 20+ years so she should know the company really well… I remember Felix Wong talking about how bad TVB can treat its artists. They used him to the point that he had this one disease. He mentioned about this in this one interview years ago before going into semi retirement. Ray Lui also mentioned the long work hours and low pay one time. He said back then that he got fame for his role as Hu Fei in Flying Fox, but had to still be really frugal due to the low pay from TVB.
TVB was like this back in the days as well so I don’t think anyone should be shocked that they are still like this. I just wished that they would change or else they will suffer the consequences. I guess they know how to take advantage of new artists that would do anything to gain some fame and recognition. That was what Andy, Tony, Felix, Kent, Miu and many other artists in the past had to endure. THey had to endure long working hours with low pay because they were new to the circle. The artists these days have to do the same. But once they get some fame and all, they leave for China and other companies for more money, better treatment and more opportunities. Then TVB repeats their cycle with the new artists and sadly with some of the veteran ones that still stay with them. I think Sharen and other artists stay with TVB because they are grateful to them and want to maintain a good relationship with them. Back then due to the low competition, they were able to get away with treating the artists badly, but now they need to improve or else they will not survive against China, Korea and other companies and countries…
Sheren has been filming in CHina for years now, so I wonder why she did not talk about it much before??? Filming in CHina is like paradise compared to TVB since they get way more rest, more opportunities, and of course more pay. It is good to work for both TVB and China so that can expand your views and still maintain a relation with TVB if you want.
It is good that SHeren is encouraging more people watch China series. A lot of them can be really good… I just saw one that wasn’t that great but wasn’t that bad either. Good and bad series come from any country/company.
Hm, well this is an interesting conversation. Just for the record, I support Sheren! And now, I digress. Like HTS, My parents were too concerned about putting food on the table and juggling a couple of jobs between them to be able to participate in the eduction of my brothers and myself. Essentially, their form of parenting could be considered a form of neglect hahaha! Hence, we were just expected to stay out of trouble, not excel. Into adulthood, my parents have come to expect the most from me since my personality is considered ambitious by their standards but I am a far cry from success compared to some of the Asian kids I went to school with. As a result of my own upbringing, I feel fortunate in life to have enough and extremely fortunate in the course of my lifetime thus far. I am happy with who I am.
I read the article posted, albeit not thoroughly, and I must confess that I don’t have enough typically Asian male friends to attest to the truth of the article. Most of my Asian male friends are nothing like that article! LOL. Perhaps that may be due to the fact that I don’t belong specifically to any of the ethnic groups in the article.
I will admit to having a domineering mother though…but she’s never quite succeeded in controlling my life. Filial piety has its limits, I draw the line at being forced to live someone’s else’s dream. PS I am quite old fashioned, even more so than the Asian girls in Asia about certain matters in my personal life. In addition, not only Asians understand the importance of getting a good education. In fact most groups of people will choose to give their children the best education if they could. The reality of life is what you want it not always what you get.
Iampheng,
Thanks for sharing your personal account. My parents were too busy working 6 to 7 days a week to make enough to pay for daily living expenses to provide for an attentive, nurturing environment like your family situation. It made my childhood lack a certain innocence, as I was forced to grow up realizing the harsher realitities of life.
Despite their absence, they taught me about about sacrifice, responsibility, hard work and selfless love through their actions. Through their actions, they passed on their key values to us and taught us the importance of a family staying together under all circumstances. Despite their absence, it was not random parenting and we did not turn out the way we did by chance. Their actions taught us virtues that I still believe in are important.
I do agree with you that most parents will want the best for their kids and value education. It’s still relative and when you compare across ethnic groups, Asians value this a lot more. Its deeply rooted in Confucian values to emphasize education. Asians will emphasize academics over sports the majority of the time. If sports practice is deemed as too time consuming and leading to a” B” average, then the Asian parent will remove the kids from sports. An American family may allow the kid to continue the sports because side from academics, they might believe to allow the kid to follow his passions and develop his athletic and competitive skills.
New York City has a public school system with mixed reviews. There are a few gems such as Stuyvesant High School (one of the top in the country), but also some very terrible schools. Chinese parents start Saturday tutoring classes for their Kindergarten aged kids, in hopes that they will get into the honor Kindergarten classes and continue to stay at the top. Many Chinese kids now start tutoring at age 5 until 18 so the kids continue to be great test takers and enter the top schools, which are few in the City, so it’s competitive.
The above example is quite extreme but it also shows how much greater Chinese parents value education above other elements for their kids: socialization, sports, development of other hobbies, etc. Some American families send their kids to top private schools because they value education, but they will allow their kids more liberty on Saturdays to hang out with friends and supplement with dance or sports classes.
In my experience, the New York public school system if far more vigorous than most public schools. I went to a New York public school (Yung Wing in c-town) for preschool to 3rd grade, then moved briefly to Utah where I spent a year repeating material I already learned a long time ago in New York.
I definitely agree that Asian parents in general value education more so than other ethnic groups. My sisters and I were put in special tutoring and after-school classes since pre-school!
I think its very true that being outspoken can be hated upon by many Asian people. I am an outspoken person, and honesty, many other Asians who don’t have the guts to speak for themselves hate me for being this way. Not just disliking the way I am, but full-on HATE, lol. I guess I’m just ahead of the game when it comes to being successful :D.
I believe a person should be able to view their points and not feel afraid about speaking out but in a subtle way. I was never the type to speak my mind; maybe because I was always very very careful in what I say and try not to upset others. People say, you treat others like the way you want to be treated. I really believe that. I believe parents have got to be respected no matter whether they are right or wrong but with relatives – well, thats another thing. There have been times when I know that my aunts/uncles have done wrong but I don’t criticise unless I have to. However, if they criticise me in something I have done and disagreed with me and if I felt that I was 100 percent right, then I would not back down. I think Sheren Tang was not really critising TVB but I do believe that artists should look into the future as their jobs are never that safe. They could be early millions one day and the next, nothing!! So if I was her, I would definitely think about what the best plans for the future should be. In fact I think she is very wise and I truly support her. Afterall, there is a Cantonese saying “yan mon go chu” – “People look to the future for better things”!!
Sheren better be repared for some Bowie Lam reprisal! Cause hell I am!
Now if I was running a tabloid magazine in HK what would I do with Sheren’s news? *light bulb* Go find Bowie Lam *grins*
I read the actual interview with Sheren and she actually criticizes and praises both TVB and mainland productions. She doesn’t actually choose a side but she gives the pros and cons of working @ TVB and in Mainland China.
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/topic/750228-tvb-versus-mainland-interview-with-sheren-tang-on-location-in-hengdian-part-2/
Definitely very interesting and gives you an insight to life as an artist… not all the glam it seems to be.
I skimmed that article since it was too long so I got lazy to read it all. I have always known that life as an artist is not all glamourous and involves a lot of hard work and tough conditions. You learn about that a lot from watching behind the scenes clips too..
I also wanted to add that that was why I got the impression that whoever is still acting has to be at least somewhat passionate about acting or else it would be hard to remain in the circle after a period of time. Of course that doesn’t apply to everyone but if it were me then I would definately not stay in a field that I am not passionate about for such a long time…
Ever thought perhaps there is no other way? Sometimes you’re just stuck? When you’ve tasted fame, you can’t go back to being clerks and secretaries, though some did. So the only upgrade is do business or marry someone and form own social circle. Not many can have the luxury to say I won’t stay in a field I am not passionate about, because what then is used to pay the bills? For me if you walk away, good for you. It shows you got guts. Me right now too many responsibilities.
@Funn, Agree with your points. I would always want better, always to upgrade. As long as the rewards pay off on the long run, I don’t mind the extra work right now. I, personally, like acting and it can definitely be fun to play a variety of characters. Office work sounds extremely boring because the work is routine.
I agree with Jayne that it also depends on your personality. The more outgoing you are, the more suitable you are for the industry because networking is a vital aspect. Yet even with some who don’t possess that aggressive and outgoing spirit are able to make it. Linda Chung and Kevin Cheng instantly comes to mind. I’m also surprised to learn that Nic Tse doesn’t like to socialize and is somewhat moody as well.
Yea, I did think about that Funn… That’s why I said that it does NOT apply to everyone. But I am still going to say that some do stay in the field because they are passionate about acting and actually do enjoy it. Although it does NOT apply to everyone, I have a feeling that it does for Sheren. I have always felt that she is passionate about what she does which is why she is so good at it.
@ Chriselle
“Yet even with some who don’t possess that aggressive and outgoing spirit are able to make it. Linda Chung and Kevin Cheng instantly comes to mind. I’m also surprised to learn that Nic Tse doesn’t like to socialize and is somewhat moody as well.”
Linda Chung and Kevin Cheng has ‘gui ren’. They are liked by Virginia Lok. This helps a lot.
You would be surprised to know that quite a number of stars are introverted. The follow actors are also know to be very quiet off screen
– Louis Koo
– Jordan Chan
– Dayo Wong
I thought Louis Koo was famous for his foul mouth and hot temper? Remember who was it? Yung Hung? Yvonne? that complained openly how Louis Koo cursed her with four letter words?
@ Funn
One person said does not show he’s famous for that. I’ve heard several of his fellow co-stars said he’s man of few words. He likes to keep things to himself.
And he can be foul-mouth and quiet at the same time. Maybe he doesn’t speak a lot, but, when he speak, he speak foul language. That can also be considered foul mouth. 😛
@Judy,
I loved the insightful article! Thanks for the link!
I was surprised to learn that Bowie and Sheren have been changing their own dialogue for years because they felt that the script was shoddy and doesn’t make sense for what their characters would say. Sheren said she felt bad for the scriptwriters because they are often given little notice to write scenes last minute. The higher ups would give them ideas and the scriptwriters have to write detailed scenes the night before (flying papers). In the past, when Wong Hei rewrote his lines, it was seen as a negative thing, yet many of the established artists do this. So artists need to be script editors too?? I guess the directors don’t care as long as the completed scene adheres to the plot.
@Funn, Sheren sounds like an intelligent and resourceful person. If can adapt to the cultural differences in China and stand up for herself, she can survive anywhere and do well in any job she pursues. She is also quite religious and perhaps she might be interested in nonprofit work to benefit the community. Of course money provides a level of security, but Sheren also values other factors such as personal happiness.
She came across as very passionate about acting. her criticsms are not necessarily self-centered, it is more about the collective experiences that all TVB artists face in China and in HK. I think she is speaking out because for serious artists such as herself, who want to focus on improving their performances, they have to be distracted by an imperfect system: lack of professionalism in China and an overworked schedule at TVB.
Wong Hei was bashed by management for rewriting his script but why Sheren can get away with it? Is it because different producers react differently?
This article is indeed insightful and very fair. Shame on HK media for going on sensationalism again and make it sound like Sheren is bashing TVB.
I’ve read a chinese article about this. TVB did not plan to decrease Sheren’s fee. It was said by Sheren as a half-joke.
That’s good to hear that she was only joking… I can’t believe that I actually fell for it…
I feel never bite the hand that feeds you. You’ll never know when you need that helping hand again.
Since she was never much popular b4 she won TV Queen, there isn’t a need to be so frank and outright.
Very insightful article! Love this one;
“Oh, and TVB doesn’t ‘force’ you to do overtime because you don’t get to sleep anyway! Hahaha!”
Funny but true! I think she answered the questions very honestly, explaining both good and bad points of both countries’ productions. At least in TVB, the politics is within but they work you to death! If her being rather famous can be treated THAT way by mainland productions, what then of the bigger names??
I meant smaller names!
Question, how do you all find the time to write so much? Don’t you all work… Or is this work? Just curious.
Can’t believe no one answered my question. I’m really curious. I see so many of the same folks writing…you all work for jayne? This is a serious question.
Lol,
Most of us work full-time or are in school. We find time within our busy daily schedule to write articles and post comments because we are fueled by our common passion in Hong Kong entertainment.
I do have voluntary writers who contribute in writing the site’s articles as well.
I do wish that JayneStars is my full-time job and that I live in Hong Kong and can shadow the celebrities and wait for hours outside TVB studio though! 🙂
I wish I get paid to be gossipy but reality is this is more like hobby than full time paying job. Perez Hilton we are not. Maybe Jayne will be, but not me.
Funn,
Perez Hilton is a Hollywood insider so he gets a lot of breaking news, beating even big-name tabloid magazines. I wish I had the inside connections too, but I don’t live in Hong Kong.
Funn, I think you would make an excellent film/ tv critic. Have you ever submitted your writings to a local newspaper? Writing doesn’t necessarily pay too much in the beginning, but there is a certain prestige to seeing your name in publication and writing online allows for great instant feedback and intellectual exchange.
The internet has yielded many interesting opportunities for people to capitalize on their passions and perhaps create new jobs for ourselves. We can always take steps to a secondary, successful career right?
I am unfortunately too long winded for newspaper. And I suppose I enjoy the anonymity but thanks for the vote of confidence!
Perez Hilton did started as a blogger, annoying git but yeah, he started small and then expanded into a mini celebrity blogging about celebrities. Quite an irony.
my interaction with alot of Asians show me they are the non-confrontational type(even in the western world.) they also put others before themselves in a matter of feelings, tracing back to values and cultural upbringing. i find their sensitivity an endearing trait that alot of westerners that i come across lack. to rise to the top in the corporate world, you have to be the mean of the meanest, the shrewd of the shrewdest, and have a lack of sensitivity for those you backstabbed.
my question to the writer is why he cares so damn much? does it matter if Asian Americans do not become leaders in America, why does it matter to anyone how they make their living as long as they are not killing and robbing from their neighbors? no one has to mold themselves to combat his criticism. at the end of the day, is he living their lives? he is only passing judgement for an article he thinks his peers at that place would like and praise. he doesnt have a clue about survival and adaptation for asians, let alone talk about them. ppl choose whatever options are available. sometimes its outside our control what we can be because to be a representative, Asians need to be part of the majority for others to think they can represent them. thats all there is. there is no lacking quality in Asian Americans, rather its a case that they’re not supported by other existing groups to be in leading/political positions. the like support the like.
Sheren said the right things.
TVB series always look like low budget stage theater and they keep reusing their fake set. I’ve becoming more of mainland drama fan than TVB fan now. TVB can’t beat the gorgeous set and costumes of mainland dramas. Mainland really put much effort designing their costumes for every characters and making their background look real.
I’ve always like those mainland ancient series filmed in Hengdian because Hengdian’s studio are a thousand times better and more realistic than TVB.
Mainland is also catching up in their modern series. Raymond Lam’s latest mainland drama Ad Mania is currently what I’m anticipating for. It also look like a big budget series with a promising modern theme. It also doesn’t use studio filming as opposed to TVB modern series where they only use one big house for multiple series and every indoor scene look like it was done in cardboard studio.