Zhang Ziyi Puzzled By Olympic Protests: "I Don't See Why People Are So Negative"

HONG KONG — "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" star Zhang Ziyi has told Vogue magazine that she is puzzled by the protests against China's human rights record before the Beijing Olympics.

Activists have criticized China's rule in Tibet and its alleged failure to do more to help stop mass killings in the Sudanese region of Darfur. Protests marred several international legs of the Olympic torch relay.

The actress served as a torch bearer for the Chinese leg of the relay.

"I don't see why people are so negative. The games are about friendship," Zhang was quoted as saying in the current issue of Vogue. "I'm Chinese and I'm proud of my country."

Zhang's manager didn't immediately respond to an e-mail from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Zhang's film credits also include "Rush Hour 2," "House of Flying Daggers" and "Memoirs of a Geisha."

Comments

[shengirl]

If that system is all she's ever known, why should she know anything different? And she's making out quite nicely under that system, so I'm sure investigation or rocking the boat is not high on her agenda. People in prison for daring to blog might not agree with her, tho.

[Titonwan]

She's just like the stupid Democratic "centrist" in this country. Ignorant or stupid. Centrist's are caving skuzzbuckets of lamprey oil mixed with squid entrails.

[tasukibeth1]

I don't blame her - the Chinese govermnent censors everything. They might not be on North Korea levels, but they're up there. She probably is honestly not aware of what her government is doing because of the media and the internets are censored.

Like it or not, we're not much better. How much aid are WE sending to these ailing nations? Yeah.

[SouthFloridaDem]

Finally, someone who gets it. No one understands that this woman doesn't know anything else. I wish everyone would stop bashing her. But it doesn't help that this blog and other media outlets use her quotes and run stories just to elicit responses such are being posted here. They make her look stupid and elitist when she's actually clueless -- and I mean clueless in the nicest sense of the word, that she actually doesn't have a clue what is going on with her government.

[vorpalmusic]

How long have you been friends with her? I'm not going to bash her like some people here are, and furthermore I'm of the opinion that all governments are as evil as they can be. But why does being totally uninformed get you a free pass?

[mexamerican]

much as i deplore american policies under bush/reagan/nixon, etc, chinese social policy is draconian, and under mao countless millions perished from starvation, torture, execution, etc. let's not get too crazy in our comparisons.

[vorpalmusic]

I don't know about you, but I'm too poor to send aid to anything. Regardless, if the olympics were in the US and people were boycotting my government for human rights offenses, I wouldn't try to pretend it's not true.

[CKieffer]

It might be a safe bet to say that she is not anywhere near the people who are the most abused in her country and, it might also be safe to say that her dog was not clubbed to death when China chose that path as a response to a possible rabies outbreak.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt.

[marymansour]

America, under the Bush nut, has no room to whine about human rights. HOWEVER, the air is going to decimate the athletes with its extreme pollution. That would be my concern.

[MagisterLudi]

HOWEVER, the air is going to decimate the athletes with its extreme pollution. That would be my concern."

I highly doubt this is your concern. Your concern was to post a negative comment about China. Mission accomplished.

[mexamerican]

can no one critique your precious china? you'll note that on the huff, people continuously criticize the u.s. and its policies. how about a bit of critical distance? you don't have to get huffy because people are rightly calling out china on human abuse.

[disqo21]

i'm, like, proud of my despotism! lolz!

[Titonwan]

So are we. N.Pelosi, head of the house? LOL

[Political Voyeur]

Hey we had the Olympics here didn't we? I guess the only difference is that we don't completely deny the human rights of *our own* citizens. Oh wait...

[robXdion]

republicratfascists - So true. After the Hurricane Katrina levee and rescue debacle, slavery, then undercover defacto slavery until 1941, Black Codes, Jim Crow, lynchings, FBI Cointelpro racial surveillance, JFK - Malcolm X - MLK - RFK questionable shootings, Civil Rights Marches, Native American genocide, Trail of Tears, Southern Strategy, Japanese American internment camps, using atomic weapons on civilians, politically racialized gerrymandering and subversion tactics, blatant racial discrepancies in criminal enforcement and sentencing, Black/Jewi­sh/Irish/C­atholic/It­alian stigmas and willful economic obstruction, archaic sexism and misogyny, the Rwanda failure, South African apartheid-era business investments AND the Iraq mess . . . . . .after all of this, Americans REALLY shouldn't give the Chinese lectures. Many of us are just as delightfully clueless as Zhang Zyi.

[republicratfascists]

tell it

[mexamerican]

uhh, just because the u.s. has engaged in hateful actions, does that mean that china or other countries which do the same, cannot be criticized? i'm not a nationalist. human rights abuses are human rights abuses, WHEREVER they are practiced.

[robXdion]

Maybe YOU should start criticizing the US and avoid the idiocy of pointing fingers to make yourself feel better. Because that's what that hypercritical attitude is really about. A real patriot keeps his country in check. It's in the Constitution.

[republicratfascists]

It's pretty hypocritical for Americans to criticize other countries human rights abuses. It's called a mirror, take a look in it sometime.

[watchingthings]

An old saying comes to mind......­."There are none so blind as those who have eyes and will not see"

[tlgeiger62]

She must have blond roots.

[MagisterLudi]

And you have unshaved armpits roots...

[MagisterLudi]

As opposed to your unshaved armpits roots...