I have seen her in two films and she was the best part of both, COTGF and Geisha, and will rent some others. But I see why she is is considered one of the most beautiful women in the world. A Chinese article I read recently, said she has been the "Queen of Chinese cinema for over 20 years". Can't believe she is 41, she looks 27 or 28.
41 is not that old for a woman who takes care of herself, or a man. She is truly poised and beautiful ... but there are lots of things they can do in movies to help too. Older women who are beautiful are even more beautiful that younger women in my eyes, they have more depth ... teenage girls while they are soooo cute look to me like they just popped out of the barbie mold.
Though in all cases there are the exceptions that disprove the absolute rule.
Most women want to look like that. I mean it is attractive sometimes in a physical sense, it is over time though that someone's real life force or human competence comes out .. or bad genes depending on how you want to look at things.
I enjoy Gong Li's performances because she seems to consummately professional and perfect ... this from someone who has to read the subtitles ... so I imagine she must be really great if you can understand her.
All the performances were top rate here.
I wonder if there are some discussions on the themes in this movie. Dysfucntional family was one ... Father Knows Best is what I think.
Where does the dysfunction start, is it all about power? Not for the eldest or middle son obviously. This is the dysfunction of all of us having free will and free perception and living in a non-free world.
Yes, she is the most beautifule Chinese actress EVER.
My family have a claim on her cos she lived most of her life in my home town. lol.
I fell in love with her from Raise the Red Lantern.
There is a movie she did called Piao Liang Ma Ma, which translated to "beautiful mother", but I don't know if that's the actual western title of the movie. Anyway, in it, she plays a mother who is trying to bring up her deaf son, and it's all very hard etc etc. Anyway, in it, she famously wore NO make-up in any of it.
Look it up, if you want. she portrays a beautifuly strong every day woman.
Also, I like her beauty because it isn't dazzling "Hollywood" beauty. It isn't big eyelashes, and pouty lips, and sculpted cheekbones, and bronzed skin, and beautifully sculpted hair.
Instead, it is much more earthy and real. It is like "girl-next-door", but more mature, and more actual "girl-next-door".
I agree, Gong Li is an amazingly beautiful woman... and this is coming from an Anglo-ancestry American who is definitely NOT one of those guys with the "fetish" for Asian women... Gong Li is someone who has the real beauty that shows with or without makeup and I agree she looks much younger than her years.
it's not just taking care of herself. asians are well-known to look younger than many other types of people. I had Caucasian friends in uni who were already balding by the time they were 19 or 20, but most of my Asian friends looked like mid-teens. it might be genetic, it might be diet, or healthier lifestyles, or a combination of all these things.
traditional Asian food didn't include a lot of meat (though that's changing as Asian countries adopt western eating habits and lifestyles, particularly fast food). lots of good stuff that nutritionists will tell you about: soy protein, fish (omega fatty-acids), green tea (anti-oxidants and catechins that fight cancer), etc. Okinawans (from the southern-most island of Japan) are recorded to have the longest average lifespan, though that's reversing, no thanks to Army bases and the influx of high-fat foods like spam and burgers.
sorry for the tangent. Gong Li has aged visibly to me tho she's still really beautiful. I've been following her films since she was in her 20's. what she was doing in that ***-awful role in Miami Vice is beyond comprehension... a Chinese lady playing a Cuban-Chinese druglord's lover.. was really unnatural.
I never found Gong Li extremly beautiful, but she's THE most charismatic actress out there (this movie is another proof) her charisma make her SO beautiful on screen !
"a Chinese lady playing a Cuban-Chinese druglord's lover.. was really unnatural.
"Why? There are Cuban/Chinese."
"Cuban" and "Chinese" are nationalities, not races. "Chinese" are Asian, of the "Mongoloid" race -- as are all other Asians of other nationalities. Thus a person of "Chinese" decent, born in the US, is USian, not Chinese.
And "Cuban" is "Hispanic" (a designation to which "Hispanics" not from Hispaniola/Spain object), which includes individuals of at least wo of the three races: Caucasian and Negroid.
Thus one can be Cuban or Chinese -- but not both, unless one has dual citizenships in Cuba and China, in which instance the duality is national, not racial.
Personally I don't like her but... i agree with the 'Queen of Chinese Cinema for over 20 years' thing cos... she's just the one and only, who else, what other Chinese actress, can u think of who have her beauty, talent, fame, aura, and international status, and can still charm the (world) audience as she does at her age?
Not even close. Not even after she had plastic surgery on her eyes, a well known fact. Watch Qiu Ju Da Guan Si and you will know Li's beauty doesn't necessarily come from her make-uped face. She is very causal in person and doesn't wear much make up.
^^That's a very good point, and that's why I admire her beauty so much. Most people say Michelle and Maggie are very beautiful and still youthful for their ages, but they LOOK like they are in their forties. They are just very beautiful forty-somthing-year-olds. Whereas Gong Li does not look like she is 41 at all, and everyone, just about everyone who learns of Gong Li's age is shocked at how amazing she looks.
Not even close. I prefer the high Checkbones and shapley figure of Gong Li. Ziyi(and Maggie) are flat and have a round face (although some prefer that).
They are both in Memoirs together and are both very beautiful. But I thought in that, Gong Li was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen on film.
To describe Gong Li in a word...BOINK! Ok, that takes care of the hormones.
She is an amazing actress. A cross between Sally Field and Marilyn Monroe by way of China. The way she went from a frumpy bumpkin in "The Story of Qui Ju" to total sex bomb in "Shanghai Triad". Not to many actresses could do that with ease as she did. At 41 she has the looks many actresses in their 20's would kill for and the acting talent and range many actresses in their 60's would kill for.
Chow Yun-Fat putting poison in her medicine? I would be putting aphrodesiac in her medicine if I was in his shoes. What's wrong with that boy? I hope he's not playing for the pink team!
I've heard many people/journalists/whoever talk about how amazing fabulously beautiful she it. But I don't see it. She's beautiful, yes, in the same way that a lot of Chinese women are. But not that superb, to me.
I dunno why so many westerners (I am myself one) thinks that Asian woman are ugly (Perhaps some racist reminiscences?). IMO they are among the prettiest women on earth.
Why has everything got to be explained away by racism?
I think Gong Li is beautiful, like you I find all Asian women beautiful, but I rarely find black women attractive let alone beautiful. It isn't racism it's just what appeals to you.