Taoism official demands apology from film director
A senior official of China's Taoist Association on Sunday called on a renowned Chinese director to apologize after it said a film smeared the image of Taoism and a Taoist priest.
"The Taoist priest in the movie broke the commandments as he robbed, killed, got intoxicated and had sex with a woman, which was misleading," said the statement of the association's vice-chairman.
Chen Kaige, the director of the film, Dao Shi Xia Shan (Monk Comes Down the Mountain), was asked to make a public apology and to cancel the film's screening, it added.
Chen was also the director of Farewell My Concubine, an Academy Award nominee and Best Film at the Cannes Film Festival.
The film Dao Shi Xia Shan was based on a best-selling novel, depicting a Taoist priest's attempts to discover his role in the world. It has earned 345 million yuan ($55 million) at China's box office since it premiered on July 3.
The statement sparked a lively discussion, but some netizens said people should not be so serious about the film.
"We need an open mind to allow for artistic expression," Taoist priest Liang Xingyang told the Global Times Sunday. Liang is the secretary-general of the Taoism Association of Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and a popular Taoist priest in China, with nearly 130,000 followers on Sina Weibo.
"More people came to know of Taoism because of the film, and people could interpret Taoism either way," added Liang.
Meng Zhiling, spokesman of the association, said on Sunday that the film's producer had contacted the association previously and revised part of the film's plot. Meng added that the association has not issued a statement and whether the vice-chairman posted the statement in the name of himself was yet to be confirmed, media reported.
