Li Bingbing’s “Resident Evil: Retribution” Shelved in China Due to Anti-Japanese Sentiment
Li Bingbing’s (李冰冰) new movie, Resident Evil: Retribution may not release in mainland Chinese theaters. Due to China’s dispute with Japan over the Diaoyu Islands, anti-Japanese sentiments continue to rise each day. Since Resident Evil: Retribution is adapted from the popular Japanese game, the film was rumored to be shelved in mainland China indefinitely.
Resident Evil: Retribution was originally scheduled to premiere in China on September 14, but due to unstated reasons, the film was pulled from the theatrical release two weeks prior. The new date for its mainland premiere has not been confirmed.
“From what we know, the film should be released in China in mid-October or early November. It should not be shelved,” Bingbing’s manager stated. However, she has not received confirmed from the distribution authorities. “If Resident Evil: Retribution is not released in mainland China, it may be due to other reasons and not because it was adapted from a Japanese video game.”
CRTA’s Statement
The China Radio and Television Association (CRTA) released a public statement yesterday to support China in its dispute with Japan over the Diaoyu Islands. The CRTA published a list of 255 artists pledging their support for the Chinese government in the sovereignty claims of the Diaoyu Islands. Although the CRTA had included her name in the statement, Li Bingbing claimed that she was not aware of its contents.
The CRTA stated, “As Chinese actors and public figures, they will fulfill their mission of maintaining social order. They will be rationally patriotic, civically patriotic, law-abiding patriotic, and sensibly anti-Japanese…. The Chinese actors are willing to do everything in the spirit of the moral and material actions to support the CPC Central Committee…to carry out rational and beneficial safeguarding of national sovereignty and territorial integrity in all actions.”
Although Jay Chou (周杰倫), Faye Wong (王菲), and Shawn Yue (余文樂) were claimed by the CRTA to be association members, the managers of the respective artists denied this. The artists did now know that their names would be published in the CRTA’s statement.
Fan Bingbing (范冰冰) indicated that she was unaware of the contents of the CRTA statement. Through her manager, Yang Mi (楊冪) indicated full support toward the CRTA’s actions.
Sources: Oriental Daily, Oriental Daily
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lol… and the stupidity continues…
It’s amazing isn’t it? Are all Japanese electronics and appliances thrown out of China? What about the Japanese restaurants in China? Is everyone boycotting sushi, ramen and udon? Has a concentration camp already been made for the Japanese living in China?
Funny. When France didn’t support the US about the terrorists attacks, the nation continued to eat “French fries”.
But the US wanted to rename them “Freedom Fries” -.-
I hate to see people worked up over something that governments should be handling. My guess is that the average person on the street knows no history about these islands other than what their governments have told them (this goes for China, Japan, and Korea)… so IMHO they shouldn’t be protesting anything. They only receive ONE side of the story.
I certainly don’t know the history on the islands enough to comment… it really is something that is best left to politicians to resolve.
I thought freedom fries was just a joke because they didn’t want to make something out of nothing? We’re there people who took it serious?
My last sentence was supposed to be “were there people who took it serious?”
Sadly… there were -.-
REALLLY, CHINA?
*COUGH COUGH*
When the USA got attacked in Sept 11, the country alone did not boycotted Middle Eastern People. Thank God for the Good U.S of A.
SIGH
Chinese in Mainland have this deep emotional/sentiment buried in their hearts, they have hated the Japs for a long, long time when the World War incurred. Many ppl esp in Nanking were killed brutally and sadly the chinese doesn’t seems to forgiving these younger Japs generation.
The Nanking Massacre was terrible, but I think the issue here isn’t because it happened, but because the Japanese refused to believe it happened. They completely rewrote its history, and not only on just the Nanking Massacre, but many other things as well.
The Germans didn’t get much hate after the Holocaust because at least they acknowledged it and apologized for it, AND worked on salvaging it.
The Chinese aren’t hating on the Japanese people. It is the people who refused to acknowledge the history.
And they deny that the massacre in Tianaman Square ever occur too. Or that they had invaded Tibet in 1958.
Hypocrocy runs deep in China
Addy, well said!!
Terminator, different issues, Each have its cause but don’t justify the Japanese’ denials with the Chinese own wrongdoings. Each in its own class and time.
Veejay, you may forgive but never forget.
Why does the US needs to be involved in everything, let the Chinese and Japanese solved it between them.
@Addy, agree with you. At least the Germans learn about Hitler in German and history classes, we have to watch films and write essay about it.
We are not proud of what happened, but we can’t changed history, it’s a fact and nothing to do with our generation, but we know about it.
For Japan to rewrite history is just plain wrong.
When the film Pearl Habour came out, all Japanese complained that it ever happen… because they can’t find it in their history books…. well all they have to do is do research online and they can find out the truth.
The war was way before my time, but I do know my grandparents were living through it and a lot of old people still remember how the Japanese killed the Chinese….
Sometimes there is no right or wrong over how some people feel and you can express your opinon fair enough.
So Tammy, if you support US that’s fine, but no need for that remark below in capital letter!
Tammy says:
September 18, 2012 at 8:46 pm
REALLLY, CHINA?
*COUGH COUGH*
The ‘good old USA’ only proceeded to bomb and destroy a small country that had nothing to do with 9/11.
I don’t understand why Americans go to Chinese for Japanese film remakes or films based on Japanese comics. Why not a Japanese actress? Li BingBing being in this film have been one issue after another. First, she can’t promote in Japan because of the island dispute. Second, the film being shelved in China. Though they say its not because of the dispute but I believe otherwise.
This is like Hollywood casting Chinese actresses in the Memoirs of a Geisha. There were so many problems arising from the selection of Chinese actresses. Japan was unhappy and China was upset. Hollywood needs to cast a Japanese actress or actor if they want to prevent something like this from happening in the future. Japan-China’s tension will not go away anytime soon.
Chinese film makers hire so many Korean and Japanese to play historical Chinese characters. Wonder why no one gets upset about that?
Actually the game Resident Evil has a Chinese agent named Ada Wong. Li Bingbing is playing Ada Wong. Why Japanese people put Chinese people in a game beats me.
Because nowadays, it’s common to see Chinese people everywhere. It’s global, the franchise has a global present and a global storyline, means no one get excluded. So it’s far more than normal to have a Chinese Asian.
Moreover, unlike china, Japanese don’t go around and boycott anything to the extreme. The fans of the franchise are multinational, multi-races, and the franchise is trying to please the fans, not some controlled government.
A lot of us are anti mainland, or seem to have that tone is because we are blessed living in country where the government do not have such tight grip on freedom, freedom of watch whatever the hell I want, freedom of picking the side I think appropriate. So I guess the hate has more to do with their way of controlling or pulling the string on the crowd. Imo, the matter with Japan wouldn’t get so bad if it wasn’t due to the protesting, and such extreme protest make the whole matter seem morextreme than it actually is
@Yuyu,
japanese have always like Chinese culture, even in other manga like Ranma 1/2, the main character learned kungfu from China and even dressed in Cheongsam (male version) always and there are many more Jap anime/manga and series which have chinese roles in there..
I really like Li Bingbing and her talent. She already didn’t get to be a Bond girl and this is her first true Hollywood film. It’s unfair to fans in China.
She has bad fate to have her Hollywood movie premiere at this sensitive time.
It is time for war?
Apocalypse more likely.
please start ww3!
What the Fxxx?
Don’t make such a stupid comment on here again. If you want to go to war, join the army!
There is enough crises, earth quakes, natural disasters and illness etc. going on in this world, we DO NOT need war!
If you want to fight, you can beat yourself up!
A movie is for entertainment. Why bring politics into it?
how much you want to bet that xxxxxxxx will come in at the end of all this and pretend to be the peace maker and claim all the credits?
I have said this before and I will say it again…
My dream of one day seeing an Asian Union like the European Union in the 21st century (well, in my lifetime) are being trampled upon.
An Asian Union would be fantastic.
But not very likely in the future. China will always blame Japan for rewriting its history, and China will always be hated because of the CCP. And Korea just hates everyone because no one really cared about them until now. lol
You’re forgetting the Vietnamese lol
EU isn’t doing well….
LiBingBing should asked the censors to cut the scene where the white guy touches a thigh right at the end,,,
Li Bing Bing actually quite resembles the original character Ada Wong = cute.
The movie has already flopped big time in the US and were hoping to make it up in Asia. Kiss that plan good bye for now.
flopped? lol…still make enough money to recover the budget…
“They will be rationally patriotic…”
Gosh, I like the way they slipped in the word “rationally” here. And China are such hypocrites.
Also, funny thing, patriotism. If they’re so proud to be Chinese, then shouldn’t they have the right to know their background? Their own history? But I don’t see them protesting against the censorship.
You can say the same thing about japanese history books whitewashing their brutality during ww2. As a result many japanese think they were only the victims during the war.
This is a shame for BingBing. I hear she’s one of China’s biggest stars. She makes her first big Hollywood movie and can’t show it off to the people back home.
Some Chinese are extremely petty and will hold grudges until they die. I assure you the younger generation doesn’t give a rats ass.