From the New York Times (link):
AFTER Ang Lee accepted his Oscar as best director for “Brokeback Mountain,” he was hailed by fellow Chinese in Hong Kong and his native Taiwan. Here in mainland China, the government-controlled English-language daily newspaper went so far as to call him the “pride of Chinese people all over the world” and the “glory of Chinese cinematic talent.”
Never mind that the fruit of that cinematic talent ” a movie about gay cowboys in love ” has not been and probably won’t be approved for showing on the mainland. Or that Mr. Lee’s Academy Award acceptance speech, though televised here, was censored by the authorities, who omitted references to gays and Taiwan.
Film is like most everything else in China: nothing comes easy. Only a few dozen foreign films a year are approved for showing here, although those that aren’t are widely watched on pirated DVD’s. American movies, legally or illegally obtained, are particularly popular. The official inclusion of four Hollywood blockbusters last year led to record box office figures in 2005, although the top-grossing movie was a government-financed Chinese film ” watched but also ridiculed by the public.
