Blog entries

Previous |

Next |

All

hi folks!
Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 12:08AM / Video / Members only
3 comments
My goodness, I just came back from watching maybe the saddest movie I've ever seen. Nanjing! Nanjing! For some reason, they call it The City of Life and Death now in English when last year I had learned it as its original (Chinese) name It's the story of Japan's atrocious acts of terror against the Chinese way back when. Talk about a sore subject point. They did an amazing job in telling the story - maybe a little too good. It's important to deal with this subject matter and quite frankly, I'm surprised there haven't been more films about it. I've often thought of the repercussions of this event and how it's affected my parents generation's feelings about Japan and also how today, myself, my friends, and anyone of Japanese or Chinese descent generations removed from this history interact with one another. I wonder -- what if our ancestors could see us now? Would they believe it? I mean, what happened generations ago cannot necessarily be something we live and breathe by today, but I've heard the off-handed remarks while growing up that "the Japanese did this to us" or that "I will not buy a Toyota" and I wonder how long this could/will carry on. The Japanese government still denies any atrocities they did back then, which is stunning. The Chinese people won't let it go. I think this film will reopen some wounds but it'll be interesting if it serves as a tool to perhaps heal some as well. Is this something we can simply say "bury the hatchet!" or "let by-gones be bygones" to? Methinks not, but what else can be done?

And on that note....greetings!!

Entry comments (3)

Please login or sign up for FREE in order to add a comment.
RenRen
posted on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 10:56AM [Report]

I remember hearing my grandma talk about it when I was younger. She seriously disliked the Japanese back then, but now, she's practically gotten over it.
rottendoubt
posted on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 7:35AM [Report]

ya, not sure when this will pass. it was definitely horrible, but you should blame the people that committed it, not the race....
peachey
posted on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 1:27AM [Report]

I wonder....if the Japanese govt would finally admit the atrocities did take place, would this eventually help their victim countries to move on.... As long as they're in denial, others will be compelled to keep the argument, and animosity, alive.

My blog More entries >

reel stuff

Wednesday, Nov 4, 2009 3:47PM
people

Wednesday, Nov 4, 2009 3:19PM (2 comments)
Angry Asian Shirt

Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 12:44PM (2 comments)
fallin' into autumn

Tuesday, Sep 29, 2009 2:33AM (3 comments)
when in rome...

Monday, Aug 31, 2009 11:57AM (11 comments)
More entries >

Brian Yang

Stats

Brian is a Chinese-American actor who was born in Columbus, Ohio, raised in the Bay Area, California, and currently lives in New York, New York...
More

Brian is a Chinese-American actor who was born in Columbus, Ohio, raised in the Bay Area, California, and currently lives in New York, New York. While at school at UC Berkeley, he fell into acting by taking a Dramatic Arts course for fun and he's never stopped since.

He began his acting and modeling journey as a model in the Macy's Passport Fashion Show in San Francisco before making a stop in Los Angeles for a couple years before eventually setting into New York. Along the way, he's worked in film, television, and theatre as an actor.
Stage highlights include "Free Country" at the San Francisco Asian American Theatre Company, the Pulitzer-Prize winning play "Wit" at the Philadelphia Theatre Company, and "OneFamilyOneChildOneDoor", a play about China's one-child policy, with the Yangtze Repertory Theatre in New York.

Brian has had parts on General Hospital and VIP with Pamela Anderson on television and has done commercials that have aired worldwide for HSBC, Buick, The Wall Street Journal, and Microsoft. On screen, he was perhaps best known for his role as "Little Yu" in Alice Wu's 2005 Sundance hit "Saving Face" where he was Joan Chen's younger secret love. At the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, Brian's short film "Red Shoes", directed by Singaporean director Li-Anne Huang, made its premiere.

He's also had print campaigns running globally for companies such as: Goldman Sachs, Toshiba, Microsoft, and Royal Carribean.

Recently, Brian has turned his attention to producing as well and thus has started a production company, 408 Films, along with some partners, with the intent of producing features that hold international cross-over appeal.

More
Occupation: Actor , Film/TV Producer
Gender: Male
Total visits: 53,329

User menu

RSS feed

alivenotdead spotlight

Bey Logan - On Location for 'The Blood Bond'

Read Bey Logan's accounts from the set of his new movie "The Blood Bond". Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, The Interlude, Casting Call.