1. The mysterious 43-year-old actress Tang Wei won the global award, but she was oppressed by domestic public opinion 18 years ago!
The 43-year-old Tang Wei once again caused a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival with his superb acting skills, and the film "The Determination to Break Up" starring him won high praise for the best film with his outstanding performance, and successfully became the darling of South Korea competing for the Oscar for Best International Film.
When you walk through the streets and alleys of Cannes, the ubiquitous Tang Wei huge poster is undoubtedly the most eye-catching scenery, such a powerful propaganda offensive is by no means easy for ordinary actors to enjoy.
However, going back to 18 years ago, Tang Wei caused an uproar in China because of his participation in director Ang Lee's classic "Lust and Caution". The large-scale plot of this work caused her to suffer an unprecedented ban and endure criticism from all sides.
However, it is really amazing that she can stand proudly at the pinnacle of the international film industry today.
Tang Wei has always brought a sense of mystery to people, and her oriental charm and slightly melancholy temperament make it difficult to distinguish her character from her personal life.
As Park Chan-wook, the director of "The Determination to Break Up", said, "She is like a bottomless abyss, a deep ancient well, I can't simply use the word 'mysterious' to describe her, but she does have such a deeply curious depth, which is really rare among actors."
There is no doubt that the 43-year-old actress Tang Wei finally won the high honor of international actress this year. However, looking back on the road she has traveled, we can't help but ask, how many ups and downs and doubts she has experienced? Let's start exploring 18 years ago to see how this mysterious and sexy actress with a unique temperament climbed to the peak of today's glory step by step.
2. "Lust and Caution" caused controversy in China, but it was widely popular in South Korea, laying a solid foundation for Tang Wei's popularity!
When it comes to the important turning point in Tang Wei's career, it is natural that we cannot ignore her participation in "Lust and Caution" directed by Ang Lee in 2007. This film has caused widespread controversy in China because of its large-scale bed scene plot, and the audience's criticism of Tang Wei once poured in.
Some people questioned whether she "did not hesitate to sell her body in order to become famous", and some people directly accused her of "damaging the image of the Chinese nation".
However, at a time when China was banned and criticized, "Lust and Caution" received warm welcome and high praise in South Korea. Korean audiences have a soft spot for Tang Wei's portrayal of a sexy, bold, wabi-sabi melancholy oriental woman in the film.
They appreciate and admire Tang Wei's oriental charm and temperament similar to that of Korean stars such as Kim Hee-sun and Jun Ji-hyun.
Since then, Tang Wei's fame in South Korea has skyrocketed, and he has frequently shown himself as a "perfect goddess" in various film and television dramas, such as "as if he saw Tang Wei's shadow" when describing a beautiful woman.
Although she was criticized in China for "Lust and Caution", this work set a unique image for her in South Korea, and also laid a solid foundation for her future success in South Korea!
3. The sprint to the Oscar with "The Determination to Break Up" is inseparable from the strong support of director Park Chan-wook!
Recently, with the film "The Determination to Break Up" starring him, Tang Wei won the highest rated work at the Cannes Film Festival, so Tang Wei was selected by South Korea as a representative to compete for the upcoming 95th Oscar Best International Film Award.
Behind this award, it is undoubtedly thanks to the strong support of South Korea's powerful director Park Chan-wook.
Park Chan-wook can be called a national treasure director in South Korea, and his works such as "Old Boy", "Bat", "Miss", etc., have won the crown at the Cannes Film Festival, and his reputation and status naturally need not be repeated.
As for Tang Wei's acting skills, Park Chan-wook praised him even more, and did not hesitate to praise him.
He said frankly: "If it weren't for Tang Wei, I wouldn't have been able to create such a moving love story." If there is no her, what should I do?" It can be seen that Park Chan-wook admires and attaches great importance to Tang Wei.
In "The Determination to Break Up", Park Chan-wook portrays Tang Wei as a female figure who is weak on the outside but extremely strong on the inside. She is both a victim and a perpetrator, with a complex and varied role, gentle and cowardly on the outside, but an unspeakable dark side hidden on the inside.
This kind of contradictory and three-dimensional character just complements the character style that Tang Wei has been good at creating for a long time, "weak in literature and art, intertwined with love and hate, and with despair".
With Park Chan-wook's careful planning, as well as Tang Wei's own excellent acting skills, I believe that the honor of the Oscar is just around the corner!
Fourth, analyze the history of the power struggle of the Lee Mi-kyung family and independently develop the Hallyu cultural industry
In addition to the full operation of the powerful director Park Chan-wook, there is also a driving force behind the scenes, that is, Ms. Lee Mi-kyung, president of CJ Entertainment Group in South Korea. And Li Meijing's ability to take the lead today actually stems from a tortuous and bizarre history of family power struggle.
Ms. Lee Mi-kyung was born in the Samsung Group, one of Korea's largest family businesses. Her father, Mr. Lee Meng-hee, was once the crown prince of Samsung Group and was in charge of the lifeblood of the group.
However, power strife and shady intrigues within the family eventually pushed the family to the brink of collapse.
Driven by the hot and cold world, Mr. Lee Meng-hee united with his eldest son to fight against his third brother, Mr. Lee Kun-hee. They tried to compete for power by exposing the corruption of their families.
However, their actions backfired, and instead provoked the anger of Mr. Lee Byung-cheol, the founder of Samsung, who is respected as the "old emperor".
In a fit of rage, the respected elder expelled Mr. Lee Meng-hee and his second son from the family, and passed the throne to the third prince, Mr. Lee Kun-hee, who had already held real power.
As a result, Mr. Lee Meng-hee fell from a three-star prince to a "waste prince" overnight, and had to leave South Korea gloomily and go to a foreign country.
However, although her father could not be relied on, her mother, Mrs. Li, was always by Li Meijing's side. Lee stayed in South Korea with her mother and inherited some of the family business from her grandfather, such as the Cheil-Cheiling Sugar Factory and a stake in Samsung Insurance.
With her mother's care and support, Ms. Lee Mi-kyung finally succeeded in founding her own CJ Group. With her business acumen and unique insight into the cultural industry, she built CJ Group into a Fortune 500 company with a global reputation.
As a new generation of wealthy people with cultural backgrounds spanning many countries such as China, the United States, Japan and South Korea, Ms. Lee Mi-kyung has a deep understanding of the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, and is keenly aware of the great potential of developing a Hallyu cultural industry with Asian characteristics.
Whether it is idol selection, film and television drama production, variety shows, or award-winning movies, you can see her investment.
5. Korean audiences respect Tang Wei's unique temperament and image, which meets aesthetic expectations
The reason why Ms. Li Meijing is willing to donate generously to an actor like Tang Wei naturally has her own thoughtful reasons. Among them, Tang Wei's unique temperament image just caters to the Korean audience's aesthetic expectations for oriental female beauty.
In the minds of the Korean people, Tang Wei's unique temperament and image are highly respected. Compared with those pretentious stars, they appreciate Tang Wei's oriental charm more - elegant and intellectual, quiet and melancholy, and a little mysterious and hazy oriental feminine charm.
As the gold medal screenwriter of the film "The Determination to Break Up" said frankly: "If it weren't for Tang Wei's starring, I might not have been able to write such an emotional love chapter!" and director Park Chan-wook praised Tang Wei more warmly, comparing it to "like a hidden and sacred abyss, a bottomless ancient well, attracting people's infinite desire to explore."
is not only the inner spiritual charm, but the Korean audience is also obsessed with Tang Wei's atmospheric and elegant oriental beauty. She just met their aesthetic needs for top Korean actresses such as Kim Hee-sun and Jun Ji-hyun.
In Korean dramas, people often use "as beautiful as Tang Wei" to describe a beautiful woman.
In addition, Tang is good at interpreting the type of character that "has a strong literary atmosphere, reveals love-hate entanglements and a deep sense of despair in weakness", which also caters to the taste of Korean audiences.
For example, her wonderful performance in "Late Autumn" co-starring Hyun Bin in 2010 won unanimous applause from the Korean audience.
Tang Wei's unique temperament image of both internal and external cultivation, as well as her superb acting skills, perfectly fit the Korean people's expectations of oriental female beauty, which is undoubtedly the key factor for her great success in Korea.
6. The gap faced by Chinese and Korean actors has triggered in-depth reflection, and the reasons for the blessing are discussed in depth at the same time, which is worth pondering.
Now, Tang Wei, who has entered the age of 43, has finally "climbed the top of the pyramid" in South Korea and has become the first Chinese actor to be respected by the Korean people on the international stage. However, 18 years ago, Maggie Cheung also made history by becoming the first Chinese actor to win the Best Actress crown at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
Some people believe that this is the result of differences in aesthetic concepts, while others believe that it reflects the lack of self-confidence in mainland culture. However, no matter what, as outstanding representatives of Chinese actors in the world film industry, they deserve our most sincere blessings.
We sincerely hope that Tang Wei can win the honor she deserves at the Oscars, and we hope that more Chinese actors like her and Maggie Cheung can occupy a place in the international film industry.
At the same time, we also hope that the general public will be more open and tolerant to appreciate and accept the diversity of art, and welcome the world with a posture full of cultural confidence.
Only when the power of the motherland grows stronger and the vision and mind of the people continue to expand, can those of us who are engaged in performing arts be able to go further and further on the road of pursuing art.