Tang Wei has been seen and photographed over the past few weeks in Hong Kong while shooting Michael Mann's tentatively titled "Cyber". She is joined by her "Lust, Caution" co-star Wang Leehom and hulking Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, who plays a white guy.

CRI English; One Asian World

Tang Wei in Finding Mr. Right

A romantic comedy about two disparate people who meet in Seattle--but without Nora Ephron, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and including social commentary ripped from the headlines. Tang Wei plays Jiajia, a young woman living in Beijing being supported by her rich boyfriend. Finding that she is pregnant she heads for Seattle so that her child will be born an American citizen something that is not uncommon among wealthy couples in the PRC. Known as "maternity tourism", it involves a pregnant woman coming to the US and staying in what is called a maternity hotel, generally a single family home in a quiet area near the hospital where the birth will take place. It isn't cheap: one couple paid $27,000 to an agency in China that arranges U.S. tourist visas, lodging, and medical care. The fourteenth amendment to the US Constitution guarantees citizenship to all those born in this country. An additional reason for giving birth in the US is that the Chinese "one child" policy doesn't apply to children born abroad.

So Jiajia has a very good reason to be in Seattle and, judging from one still continues to be supported in the manner she has become accustomed to--here carrying a big wad of one hundred dollar bills while talking with co-star Wu Xiubo.

Complications arise--which they must--and she loses contact with her wealthy sponsor and has to navigate American culture norms and bureaucratic indifference on her own. Until she meets up with Frank (Wu Xiubo) who offers helps with the complexities of the American system and makes her think twice about who her Mr. Right actually is.

Sina; CRI English. This CBS News story has some information on maternity tourism from China.

Tang Wei celebrates her birthday (again) at BIFF

This is the third birthday in a row that Tang Wei has had while at the Busan International Film Festival where she was the first non-Korean host in the event's history. During a question period with co-host Ahn Sung Ki, veteran star dubbed "The National Actor" by the Korean press, Tang Wei was given a cake and was serenaded by the audience.

She killed it on the red carpet in a color-block dress that looked like a long-sleeved version of the Stella McCartney Miracle dress.

What dreams are made of:

Projected one hundred feet high on a brick wall.

Check out Darcy Paquet's invaluable blog for information on Ahn Sung Ki (this link goes to actors biographies, he is the first one listed) and everything else about Korean film. If this is your first visit prepare to spend some time looking around. Yahoo China; Sina; Yahoo Philippines

Tang Wei builds a drain in Shanxi

Here is Tang Wei taking part in either re-enactment of part of the bourgeois element send into the countryside for reeducation by the peasants or in one of the worst planned and executed publicity photo-shoots ever.

Taken at face value the pictures tell a story of public improvements in remote areas of the People's Republic of China being done by young girls without tools, proper protective gear or even gloves and boots. In Shanxi, necessary drainage is constructed with bricks placed by hand at the bottom of a ravine. No earth-moving equipment is required; picks and shovels aren't necessary. Or it may simply be a movie star with a photographer and a few others in tow arrives at a school in the mountains. The girls at the school serve as props in a muddy ditch while Tang Wei hands them a few bricks.

The whole affair has such an air of unreality that one wonders why it was staged and recorded for fans of Tang Wei (or for fans of child labor).

Xinhua

Tang Wei poses for W Korea

Tang Wei knocks it out of the park in leather and Louboutins for the Korean edition of "W".

Xinhua

Tang Wei in fight rehearsals for "Speed Angels"

Tang Wei was put through her paces in "Speed Angels". Jingle Ma, the film's director and not the most unbiased commentator, said that the audience will see her beautiful, agile skill while Tang Wei herself said that she tried hard and had a feeling of accomplishment in her first fight scenes.

More images at Yahoo China

Red carpet from the 48th Golden Horse Awards

For those interested in the state of relations across the Taiwan Strait, the English language web service of Xinhuanet said that the award ceremony took place in "Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan". A few highlights-- Kara Hui looked fit and relaxed, as glamorous as ever on the red carpet:

And at a nominees party beforehand:

Shu Qi was quite ShuQi-ish:

Hao Lei went with a (very) casual look at the party:

but cleaned up very nicely when it was time to hit the red carpet:

In case anyone missed that Vivian Hsu was wearing an extreme split skirt:

she gave everyone another good look:

Angelica Lee was lovely in red while Rene Liu tries to recall if she brought her travel iron:

Tang Wei wondered if it was going to rain:

Xinhua English; Yahoo China; Xinhau

Charlene Choi goes to school, Li Bingbing in pink, Tang Wei for Bulgari

Charlene Choi wields huge syringe to vaccinate Hong Kong kids against HPV:

Apparently in Hong Kong, like most of the world, public health initiatives like vaccination of children against human papillomavirus isn't a matter of political controversy as it in other places--or at least one other place, the United States. Charlene Choi was looking relaxed and lovely while appearing as ambassador for the "primary and secondary students in Hong Kong HPV vaccine program", the sixth year she has served in that capacity.

Xinhua ran the story.

A few days before Charlene dropped in at the graduation of Emperor Academy first-generation college students in creative entertainment (I think, based on an inadequate translation) to hand out diplomas and look quite fetching in an eclectic outfit. The Academy is sponsored by Emperor Entertainment Group, a mega talent, producing and financing conglomerate in Hong Kong.

Sina had the story.

Li Bingbing celebrated the end of filming for the comedy "I Do" at at press conference with co-stars Sun Honglei and Duan Yihong. In a hot pinkish dress and leather elbow length gloves, she was every inch the movie star at work unlike Charlene Choi who was able to dress down for her more low key events.

Xinhua and China.org

In other fluffy movie star news, Tang Wei, sporting an asymmetrical hair style, fronted for yet another Bulgari show/exhibit/reception. Bulgari is well entrenched in China as a luxury brand--one of the reasons LVMH bought out the Bulgari family is to increase its already significant penetration in China.

Tang Wei images from Xinhua. Jing has some background on Bulgari in China along with speculation of them appointing a local celebrity as brand ambassador. Tang Wei would probably be the frontrunner--she has been ubiquitous with them recently.

Bulgari exhibit at National Museum of China: Tang Wei sparkles

Hoping that the demand for super-luxury goods in the People's Republic of China continues, Bulgari staged its not ungrandiloquently named "Bulgari-125 Years of Italian Magnificence" exhibit in Beijing. Tang Wei, Song Jia, Pace Wu and many others were there to be photographed wearing some of their host's products.

Song Jia

Pace Wu

Ifeng; Sohu; China Daily; Bulgari