the Time 100

This week's Time magazine is a special issue-- the lives and ideas of the world's 100 most influential people. I am not surprised to find there Condoleezza Rice, who is probably the most powerful black female in the world, Jon Stewart, the naughty Jewish (fake-)newsman and Oprah Winfrey, probably the most popular black female talk show host in the country. And of course, G.W. Bush, Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, Jamie Fox, Rick Warren...

These are the Chinese names among the 100 (Which is what i am really interested to find out):
Chen Shui-bian and Hu Jintao among the 22 Leaders&Revolutionaries;
Ren Zhengfei, the CEO of the Huawei company, among the 21 Builders&Titans;
None among the 17 Heores&Icons;
Lee Kuan Yew, the Prime Minister of Singapore in the Scients&Thinkers category (16 in total). He is called the "the Philosopher King";
Finally, Ziyi Zhang among the 24 Artists&Entertainers.

Here are some interesting notes.

"Chen Shui-Bian, taking it to the Brink---- he symbolizes Taiwan's transition from Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorship to democracy and from a stituation in which politial power was dominated by refugees from the mainland to one in which ntive Taiwanese like himself lead the nation.......let's hope it's becauseChen Shui-bian proves to be a force for reconciliation across the Taiwan Strait, not for war over it."

The undertone is: Chen is a good guy. But we don't want to see him getting into war with the mainland.

"Hu Jintao, China's Puzzle of a President---- ...Two years after taking power, President Hu, 62, remains an enigma to the outside world and to the Chinese he rules. Here's what we know: Hu has evinced concern for the plight of ordinary peasants; there are rumors he likes ballroom dancing; some say he is a liberal at heart. Hu rose through the ranks of the Communist Party by not being outspoken and not offending important personages.
But if the record reveals little about Hu, it says plenty about China. Today's leaders are reserved and ascetic, willing to forgo grandstanding, bold position taking and self-promotion. As the economy motors ahead, what's needed is not a grandiose leader but the equivalent of a skilled hotel manager who, by coordinating complex forces, factions and egos and without becoming too partisan or revealing too much, can keep things functioning. Hu's reluctance to write himself more boldly may also show he hasn't fully prevailed over the Shanghai faction associated with his predecessor, Jiang Zemin. If he can accomplish that, we'll see if he lives up to the hopes that he has a plan for political reform."

The talking point is: Never say you know the Chinese.

"Ren Zhengfei, Modeled after Mao----The CEO of a Chinese firm that gives fits to its competitors and the U.S. government is a former soldier who fashions himself after Chairman Mao. Like China's former leader, Ren Zhengfei is known for spouting folk witticisms, purging associates and challenging U.S. power.......Ren founded Huawei in 1988, and it became a top builder of the Chinese army's communication networks.......Because its ledgers are secret, analysts can only wonder if Huawei is headed for a financial crisis. "

Such a combination: a military background, Mao's follower and the military provider. Besides, Ren looks depressed in the picture along with the passage.

Finally,

"Ziyi Zhang, China's gift to Hollywood----The first impression is of a china doll, porcelain pretty, fragile to the touch. It takes a moment to see the resolve in Ziyi Zhang's perfect posture, the ardor in a gaze with laser intensity. The little princess she played in Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the movie that introduced her to world audiences, had a sense of drama: a girlish petulance that ripened into mature strength, a will growing steelier before our eyes. ......Can Zhang achieve Western stardom? She would be the first Chinese-born actress to do so. But we wouldn't bet against the slim charmer whose dreams are as big as her awe-inspiring talent. "

From Zhang Ziyi to Ziyi Zhang... She looks beautiful in the black-and-white picture in the magazine. Whatever people say about her in China, she has earned a place in Hollywood.