The inclusion of actress Gong Li on this year's shortlist for a
"Green Chinese" award has sparked a mixed response.
While some people believe she deserves the nomination for her
efforts to promote environmental protection, others have condemned
her for "talking about the environment while wearing fur".
Gong was seen wearing a fur during a session of the National
Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
(CPPCC) in March, at which she presented a proposal on
environmental issues.
Although it has not been confirmed if the fur was real or fake,
the incident still sparked debate.
The annual Green Chinese awards are co-sponsored by seven
government departments, which select between five and 10 Chinese
who have made significant contributions to protecting the
environment.
Wang Panpu, secretary-general of the China Environment Culture
Promotion Association (CECPA), which organizes the awards,
yesterday explained the reasons for Gong's nomination.
"We have included a number of controversial figures to make
people really think about the issue," he said.
Voting for this year's awards was held between September 5 and
October 20, when more than 50,000 people cast their votes by mail,
phone and over the Internet.
Comedian Ge You is another of the controversial nominees.
The entertainer was criticized for his endorsement of the Yilin
Wood Co, which is alleged to have used pyramid-selling techniques
to cheat investors in a land-purchase deal out of 1.6 billion yuan
($214 million).
However, Ge also earned support from voters for taking part in
commercials to promote green issues.
Neither Gong Li nor Ge You has been directly involved in
sabotaging the environment, but both have been criticized for
discrepancies between their words and deeds on environmental
issues, Wang said.
The Green Chinese awards attracted the public's attention last
year following the controversial nomination of film directors Chen
Kaige and Zhang Jizhong, although neither of them made it to the
final shortlist.
While shooting The Promise, Chen's film crew was said to have
damaged the environment near a pristine lake shore in Shangri-la in
Yunnan Province.
Similarly, the company behind Zhang's film was accused of
damaging the environment in the Jiuzhaigou National Park in Sichuan
Province.
Zhang later agreed to make a documentary as recompense, while
Chen was given a fine.
The organizing committee announced its list of 280 nominees
Tuesday. It includes people from all walks of life across China and
even in other countries.
Favorites to win an award include Wang Yongchen, the founder of
Green Earth Volunteer, a non-governmental organization involved
with environmental protection; Chai Jing, a CCTV journalist who has
conducted numerous reports on environmental issues; and Zhao Xihai,
a retiree who has spent the past decade planting hundreds of
thousands of trees.
Movie star Jackie Chan and director Zhang Yimou are also on the
list.
(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2007)
