Traditional Family Coalition located at Sunnyvale California issued newsletters to show concern for Se jie by famous Chinese director Ang Lee and called on Christians to boycott this movie.
Se jie was adapted from a short story written by famous woman writer Zhang Ailing. Set in Shanghai occupied by Japan in WWII, it centers on a young Chinese woman Wang Jiazhi working in Chiang Kai-shek's "National Government of the Republic of China. Wang agrees to ensnare a powerful political figure who collaborates with occupying forces during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The story is supposed to be based on a real event that 中统 secret agent Zheng Pingru acted under order to kill Ding Motun.
Crowned with the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival, Se jie was a major talking point largely due to its long, and sometimes violent sex scenes between the leading actress Tang Wei and actor Tony Leung.
The exaggeration of sex relations by media does not only leads crimes but also make people more free in sex. As a conservative Christian organization, Traditional Family Coalition comes up with its protest.
General Secretary of Traditional Family Coalition Dr Tan Kecheng says,“It is shocking that the selling point of Se jie is its bold sexual scenes.”
In addition, the plot of Se jie is controversial. In WWII Chinese women were forced to be Comfort Women during Japanese invasion, which every Chinese takes as a disgrace. However, a woman agrees to sell herself to get something in Se jie. This makes a sharp contrast with Comfort Women.
Dr Tan considers the Director of Se jie Ang Lee as a Culture Traitor to China who loses the last conscience to get fame and benefit. “Ang Lee, a famous Chinese director, requires Chinese actors to appear naked on screen just to attract foreigners. He is said to be the light of Chinese, but I think that his film is a disgrace to all the Chinese and he is almost a culture traitor to China.”
This is not the first time that Ang Lee is severely criticized. In 2005 Brokeback Mountain featuring on the story of two gays also received the Golden Lion Award at Venice Festival. Set in the 1960s, Brokeback Mountain describes a couple of two cowboys who develop from friendship to homosexual relations. They got married to women later separately and had children but could not control the homosexual lust. They deceived their wives to tryst at Brokeback Mountain, which resulted divorce of one party. The other required cohabitation but failed because of social environment. Brokeback Mountain closes with the accidental death of one cowboy.
Many Christian leaders of San Francisco held joint press conference to discuss harms to families and society brought by Brokeback Mountain. In this film love between the same sexes is rationalized, bringing great injuries to families, society and youth.
Se jie is Lee's return to the theme of forbidden love after Brokeback. Dr Tan appealed to responsible Chinese to boycott Se jie hand in hand.
I cannot find how to say 中统. Sorry.
