Sharon Stone: Heart of Stone?

By Keen Zhang

American actress Sharon Stone again showed the world how ignorant some Hollywood stars may be, by remarking that the Chinese earthquake that has claimed 65,000 lives was "karma".

Sharon Stone made this cold-blooded statement while she stood on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on May 24, after accepting an interview with Hong Kong Cable TV.

She was asked if she had heard about the disaster that recently hit China's Sichuan Province, and her answer was:

"Of course I have. You know it was very interesting, because at first, you know, I wasn't very happy about the way the Chinese are treating Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And so I have been very concerned about how to think and what to do about that, because I don't like... that.

"And I've been concerned about how should we deal with the Olympics because they've not been nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine. And all this earthquake stuff happened and I thought: 'Is that karma? When you are not nice the bad things happen to you.'"

Hong Kong Cable TV later interviewed several other international reporters onsite; none agreed with her a bit.

Sharon Stone may have an agenda to defend her "friend" the Dalai Lama at all times. Is that why she dares to make such inhuman and hurtful statements about tens of thousands of innocent Chinese victims?

The so-called high IQ 154 of Sharon Stone hasn't saved her from becoming a political clown desperate to mix politics with a natural disaster that could happen in anywhere on Earth.

Ironically, Wenchuan, the 8.0-magnitude epicenter, is a part of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, one of most significant Tibetan residential areas in China. So is it "karma" for the Dalai Lama and ethnic Tibetan people of China? I guess her "friend" the Dalai Lama wouldn't be happy to hear her talk like that.

Anyway, if her theory stands, then every natural disaster from the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake to the 2006 Katrina hurricane which swept New Orleans, are all of these "karma" for American people?

Sharon Stone's remarks have ignited widespread Chinese rage around the nation. Chinese show business insiders, such as the actors Tong Dawei, Tang Fei, and Huang Yi, all expressed their anger and refused further participation in any of Sharon Stone's films.

"Was it because you had no awareness of the horrible physical and mental pain the Chinese people have to suffer in this earthquake? Or were you just born a cold-blooded mannequin?" the TV star Huang Yi wrote about her in a blog article called The One Who Ignore Lives, Has No Right to Discuss Lives.

Maria Cordero, a Hong Kong presenter, directly called Sharon Stone a "State Enemy" of the Chinese people. She asserted that she would throw away all the Hollywood actress' works in the future. "When this tragedy happened in China, it's okay for her not to offer to help out, but it's not okay to curse the Chinese," she added.

See-Yuen Ng, the Hong Kong movie mogul, said Sharon Stone's remarks lacked basic morality and his cinema line will consider banning the star's films in the future.

"Sharon Stone's remarks shocked and angered all the Chinese and everybody else around the world, " Hong Kong singer Nicholas Wu said. "To call a natural disaster, which killed tens of thousands of people, as 'karma', shows no respect for the Chinese people and no respect for life."

Tens of thousands of furious posts also appeared on Chinese Internet forums. A Shanghai bookstore has removed all the actress' movie products going on sale in China, to voice their protest. Simultaneously, a new nationwide boycott campaign against Stone's sponsor, the fashion giant Christian Dior SA under LVMH group, quickly followed suit.

A Dior rep for their Chinese branch said that their company was "absolutely in disagreement with her opinion". Company executives were holding urgent discussion in hopes of resolving the issue. This is yet another new public relations emergency for LVMH since the French goods and Carrefour boycotts and protests were held in China a month ago. The boycotts were initiated due to some disgraceful behavior by several Paris politicians and Tibetan separatists who tried to cast a shadow on China's Olympic torch relay but backfired.

Sharon Stone's acting career has fallen into an abyss. Clearly her self-anticipated "revival" via Basic Instinct 2 bombed after earning only US$3,200,000 during its debut weekend on March 31, 2006. Ironically, she was invited to the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2007, where she praised China as "a great country".

Qingming Festival (Tomb-sweeping Day)

Qingming Festival (also known as Pure Brightness Festival or Tomb-sweeping Day), which falls on either April 4th or 5th of the solar calendar, is one of the Chinese Twenty-four Solar Terms. From that date temperatures begin to rise and rainfall increases, indicating that it is the crucial time for plowing and sowing in the spring. Qingming Festival therefore has a close relationship with agriculture. However, it is not only a seasonal symbol; it is also a festival of paying respect to the dead, a spring outing, and other activities.

Origin:

It is said that the Qingming Festival was originally held to commemorate a loyal man living in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC), named Jie Zitui. Jie cut a piece of flesh from his own leg in order to save his hungry lord who was forced to go into exile when the crown was in jeopardy. The lord came back to his position nineteen years later, and forgot Jie Zitui but later felt ashamed and decided to reward him. However, Jie had blocked himself up in a mountain with his mother. In order to find Jie, the lord ordered that the mountain should be set on fire. Later Jie was found dead with his mother. In order to commemorate Jie, the lord ordered that the day Jie died was Hanshi (Cold Food) Festival - the day that only cold food could be eaten.

The second year, when the lord went to the mountain to sacrifice to Jie, he found willows revived, so he gave instructions that the day after Hanshi Festival was to be Qingming Festival. Later, the two festivals were combined as one - Qingming Festival.

Traditional Customs:

Qingming Festival is a time of many different activities, among which the main ones are tomb sweeping, taking a spring outing, and flying kites. Some other lost customs like wearing willow branches on the head and riding on swings have added infinite joy in past days. The festival is a combination of sadness and happiness.

1. Tomb Sweeping

Tomb sweeping is regarded as the most important custom in the Qingming Festival from which the name of Tomb-sweeping day is got. Cleaning the tomb and paying respect to the dead person with offerings are the two important parts of remembering the past relatives. Weeds around the tomb are cleared away and fresh soil is added to show care of the dead. The dead person’s favourite food and wine are taken to sacrifice to them, along with paper resembling money. This is all burned in the hope that the deceased are not lacking food and money. Kowtow before the tablets set up for the dead are made.

Today, with cremation taking over from burying, the custom has been extremely simplified in cities. Only flowers are presented to the dead relatives and revolutionary martyrs. No matter how respect is shown, good prayers for the deceased are expressed.

2. Spring Outing

Not only is it a day for commemorating the dead, is it also a festival for people to enjoy themselves. During March, everything in nature takes on a new look, as trees turn green, flowers blossom, and the sun shines brightly. It is a fine time to go out and to appreciate the beautiful scenes of nature during the festival. This custom can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) and followed by each dynasty later till today. So visitors can be seen everywhere during the month of the festival.

Spring outings not only add joy to life but also promote a healthy body and mind.

3. Flying Kites

Flying kites is an activity favored by many people during the Qingming Festival. Kites are not only flown during the day time but also in the evening. Little lanterns are tied to the kite or to the string that holds the kite. And when the kite is flying in the sky, the lanterns look like twinkling stars that add unique scenery to the sky during the night. What makes flying kites during this festival special is that people cut the string while the kite is in the sky to let it fly free. It is said this brings good luck and that diseases can be eliminated by doing this.

All in all, the Qingming Festival is an occasion of unique characteristics, integrating sorrowful tears to the dead with the continuous laughter from the spring outing.

The Purpose-driven Media, Now I'm Realized

For a long time, I trusted BBC (UK) and CNN (USA) are both objective to their report, just as the western society advocates. However, I was absolutely awakened by the demoniac act of what they have "shown" on the issue of riot in Tibet, China. These two purpose-driven media are the symbol of some other media, including BILD (Germany), Washington Post (USA), etc, with flubdub and gulf. (The "you" in the following passage refers to those media not only above but also not been mentioned).

Where is your objective attitude and fairness? Who authorizes you to deliberately and consciencelessly modify the truth of events by cropping the original pictures and borrowing the unrelated ones? Then where is your evidence to support your jaundiced viewpoint?

Your purposes are so obvious and ugly. You are so darkminded in collusion with each other, but unfortunately, all of you lost your credibility from the global readers. At least I recognized that you are blind and uncivilized as functional illiteracy. China is not so bad in your publicity. Even though I admit that every country has its problems, however, your purposes to destroy others could not demonstrate your own good. So why don't you supervise your national problems and your government? You are not privileged to concoct false news about China.

From these events which obviously proves the purpose of splitting China. Under the guise of inhuman of Chinese government, some politicians in western countries planned whatever they can to foment unrest in China. For instance, acts to anti-Olympics 2008 by slander, and uglifies China by purposively reports wrong. At all costs, even to make the well-known media to become notorious. Then I know, the more famous media are in the western country, the more insidious means they may use to blame China.

Above all, you fake news makers are useful idiots for your government, what a shame that you lose your professional ethics. It is a kind of unprofessional and irresponsible behavior in the news industry. Thus, I strongly object this kind of rubbish news to be released in the future. No matter how you quibble what you have done, and what you will report in the future, I would not trust you if the liars at large in your company.

And finally, what pleased me most is that justice still exists among other western media, and the foreign tourists objectively described their experience in Tibet. I am here to express my most sincere gratitude to them for sticking to the truth and to welcome everyone in the world to have a visit in China. I think you will have a new and positive image of China in the right perspectives.

P.S. CNN is one of the world's sophisticated leading liars, good at warping some words and adding its own hidden meaning. BBC is a faker even the Queen will sue its shameless editing technique. And so on......

Openning Day

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