Winners of China's annual "Green Chinese" award were announced
at a grand ceremony Saturday night.
The award caught public attention more than a month ago when it
gave a controversial nomination to Chinese film director Chen
Kaige.
Chen's film, The Promise damaged the environment near a
pristine lake shore in Shangri-la in southwest Yunnan Province, according to the State
Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).
Together with Chen, director Zhang Jizhong, accused of damaging
the Jiuzhaigou National Park during filming also got a
controversial nomination.
Organizers argued that "sometimes a negative example can serve
as a warning".
Neither of the two nominees made to the short list.
The final eight winners, the Green Chinese, were awarded for
their significant contribution to protecting the environment.
The winners include, Du Shaozhong, vice director of the Beijing
Environmental Protection Bureau, who initiated the campaign of
"drive one less day a month" and refuses to drive a car but walks
70 minutes to his office every day; Ma Jun, director of the Beijing
public environment study center, who developed China's first water
pollution database and released a map of China's water pollution;
Ke Lan, the Phoenix TV anchor woman who exposed environmental abuse
associated with a film that she starred in and Liao Xiaoyi, who
made a documentary on traditional eco-culture.
Co-sponsored by seven government departments and supported by
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the "Green
Chinese" awards were selected by social survey, Internet voting,
review of a judge panel and public voting.
(Xinhua News Agency December 10, 2006)