Be glad you live where you live (most of you, that is)

I read at BBC, that my favorite Chinese film director, Zhang Yimou, has been fined for having too many children.

China fines Zhang Yimou $1.2m over one-child policy breach

China has fined popular film director Zhang Yimou more than one million dollars for violating the country’s one-child policy.

The director, who said he has three children, has 30 days to pay 7.5m yuan ($1.2m, £729,000), state media say.

Mr Zhang, known for directing the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony in 2008, in December apologised for violating the strict policy.

China introduced the policy in the 1970s to curb population growth.

The policy until recently limited most urban couples to a single child. Rural families were allowed to have two children if their first-born was a girl.

But last year, China said it would relax the policy – families will be allowed two children if one parent is an only child.

[…]

China is now facing a large imbalance between the sexes. Girl children are aborted in favor of males. When populations have lots of men without mates and enough to do… bad things result. As I understand, there is a black market in women kidnapped and brought into China.

In any event, check out a couple movies by Zhang Yimou.

A great movie! To Live

A great Wuxia movie.  Hero

Touching.  You might tear up.  The Road Home

A great look at the lot of children. Not One Less

Japan… Nanjing…

Gong Li was in several of his flicks. Raise The Red Lantern

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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12 Comments

  1. Matt R says:

    To Live is a very good film.
    Also, a less well-off person would not escape with just a fine.

  2. Unwilling says:

    To Live is an extraordinarily profound study
    worthy many re-watchings.
    Banned in China, of course.

    The early Red Sorghum captures his style
    (tame by Hollywood standards,
    for a Catholic it is undeniably immoral).

    The PRC has had a very strange relationship with Zhang Yimou.
    Perhaps as strange as his with Gong Li.
    But I would guess this fine is some sort of bizarre window dressing
    to prove that the New Regime does not tolerate corruption or lawlessness:
    EVEN among the elites, EVEN among the entertainment elites
    (the new Chair’s wife is a famous singer).

  3. DFWShook says:

    May I suggest another great Zhang Yimou movie: Curse of the Golden Flower

  4. Suzanne Carl says:

    Back to the violation of his family’s human rights… All but one of my Chinese students had no siblings, and few cousins. They express sorrow when they hear of happy large families in the U.S. They long for family. Perhaps since one of their own in the film industry is being penalized, some U.S. film makers may take up the cause? Naw, they’ll probably talk to Obama about penalizing U.S. citizens in the same way to increase tax revenue and redistribute the wealth.

  5. kimberley jean says:

    Eventually there will be a war with China. All those frustrated young men are gong to be a problem and the government will have to come up with a distraction/

  6. pmullane says:

    kimberley jean:

    I agree, China will have to take out its aggression on someone, and send an army somewhere to occupy them. God help whoever that someone is. I dont look forward to having the Chinese as the preeminant world power, that is a country with some serious problems at a fundamental level.

  7. AVL says:

    I’m wondering why the Chinese “Family Planning” officials didn’t haul away his wife and give her a forced abortion regardless of gestational age, as they do to so many other women in the country. Maybe they know he can afford the massive fines. Or they fear his ability to get word out of what happens to his wife and babies. Just speculating. I wish I could remember the name of that website that brings awareness on the issue of forced abortions in China. I’ve seen it on Life Site News a few times and it would freeze your blood in your veins, its so heinous.

  8. dans0622 says:

    Matt R: I’m not sure about that. This is very limited experience/information, but when my family was in China, our guide told us that she wanted to have more children but to have one more would cost her a $50,000 fee/tax. So, it does seem possible for anyone to go about having more than the allowed, “free” children, if they pay the fee. (I suppose people would usually be made to pay this first, then have the child.)
    Dan

  9. chantgirl says:

    AVL- you may be thinking about this website.

    http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/

  10. Johnno says:

    Remember folks! People Like Hillary Clinton greatly admire China’s population control methods and sodomite activists like Dan Savage openly speak about wanting women to be forced to abort their children to control the population and protect the precious Earth goddess. These are people in prominent places and billions of dollars at their ideological disposal!

  11. Desertfalcon says:

    Another great wuxia film I would suggest Father, is ‘House of Flying Daggers’. It has a great story but I watch it repeatedly, just for the spectacular beauty of the cinematography. It is a real work of art.

  12. AVL says:

    Thank you chantgirl, that is the exact website I was thinking about! You know, the ridiculous thing about China is that we (I) complain about their policies but by buying cheap clothing and goods we are supporting their economy and enabling them to do what they do. I say this while pointing the finger back at myself. I am quite guilty of that. And I feel guilty when I do it, too. But I tried once to avoid buying anything from China and failed (I told myself I would spend a year boycotting anything made in China, just to see if I could). I lasted less than 2 months.

    When I realized kids shoes are made only in 2 places – China and Italy – and I that would have to spend $45-50 per pair of Italian shoes, I cracked. Kids grow out shoes in 6 months or less. I can’t afford that. Granted, this was before I discovered consignment shopping, but if you think the selection is slim for non-Chinese goods in a regular store just try it in a consignment store! Not to mention how exhausting it is to examine every item you buy to find the “made in” label….

    So…I’m not sure what the solution is…but I don’t like the status quo one bit.

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