China says no to ‘Geisha’ film in their country

Thu., Feb. 2, 2006

Jason Straziuso Associated Press

The Chinese government has canceled the release of “Memoirs of a Geisha” – a decision made amid speculation that officials are worried the sight of Chinese actresses playing Japanese geishas would stir a backlash.

The film originally was cleared for distribution in China next Thursday, but the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV reversed itself over the weekend, a U.S. film industry official said.

The official reasons weren’t immediately clear, and Chinese authorities couldn’t be reached because offices were closed for a national holiday.

“Memoirs,” based on the best-selling novel by Arthur Golden, features “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” star Ziyi Zhang, former Bond girl Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li from “Raise the Red Lantern” as geishas – entertainers skilled in dance, song and conversation.

The casting choices had stoked traditional Sino-Japanese tensions even before its scheduled release, with postings on a Chinese Web site denouncing Zhang as an embarrassment to China.

Many Chinese are still upset about Japanese World War II-era military atrocities in China and the lack of what they feel is a proper apology for them.

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