"Sex for roles" scandal in Chinese show business
25/9/2006 15:12
The world of Chinese show business is reeling from another scandal. At the
end of August, 22-year-old Chinese actress Xiao Qiong wrote on her blog that
director Xiao said she was furious and refused pointblank. She poured her anger
into her blog which immediately stirred hot debate on the Internet.
"Do I
have to go to bed with somebody to get a part in a TV drama?" Xiao said in her
blog. "I just want to improve my acting, but how difficult it is to be an
actress!"
Netizens are divided on the scandal. Some claim that China's show
business has become seamy and lawless with more and more scandals about
so-called "hidden rules" involving sex and money hitting newspaper
headlines.
Others believe that by making up and publicizing the story Xiao
can quickly become well-known.
Director Yang Yichao issued a statement via
his lawyer on September 1, saying Xiao's action constitutes a libel that has
seriously damaged his reputation.
Yang is demanding an apology from Xiao as
well as one million yuan (US$125,000) in compensation. The case has not yet come
to court.
Is "sex for roles" prevalent?
"In Chinese show business it
happens all the time," said veteran cameraman Cheng, "The 'casting couch' is a
well-known phenomenon. Assistant directors may demand sexual favors from
inexperienced actresses in return for roles in films or TV dramas."
Everyone
in the entertainment field knows the rules and more or less accepts them, said
Cheng, who added that if someone is cheated by the dirty trade and gains
nothing, he or she may reveal the hidden practice out of anger.
Cheng said
hundreds of thousands of girls dream of becoming stars in China and assistant
directors in charge of casting selection often take advantage of their wish to
become famous by demanding sex.
"It's widespread. You have to adapt to the
rules, no matter how ridiculous or offensive they are, in order to get ahead in
show business," Cheng admitted.
A fashion designer surnamed Li who claims to
have inside stories estimates that "sex for roles" affects at least 60 percent
of aspiring young talents in the field.
Li said unknown actresses who
desperately dream of fame are often victims of the hidden rules.
She said
dozens of actresses wait at the gate of Beijing Film Studio everyday for roles
to be offered by passing film directors.
Actresses are not the only victims
of the hidden rules. Actors and male models also face the same pressures.
A
Hong Kong model once confessed to the media that male models sometimes have to
make extra "sacrifices" to get modeling opportunities they dream of.
He said
a film producer once hinted to him that if he became her lover, he could get the
leading role in a film.
"About 20 percent of male models have had this kind
of experience, and the phenomenon is more common on the Chinese mainland than in
Hong Kong or Taiwan," he revealed, adding that it's high time the air of the
entertainment world should be purified.
Return of morality
"Hidden rules
such as sex in exchange for an exciting opportunity prevail not only in show
business but in other fields as well," said Xue, a teacher at Beijing Film
Academy.
But show business attracts public attention because it involves
pretty girls and shining stars, Xue said.
"The law can only deal with things
that can be proved. If there are no witnesses, a plaintiff who claims he or she
was humiliated by someone else cannot provide evidence in court, which makes it
difficult for the court to hand down a decision," said Li Yunqiu, associate
professor at China University of Political Science and Law.
Li said sexual
harassment cases are very personal and hard to prove without evidence.
Wei
Yingmin, professor at the philosophy department of Beijing University, said
people in show business should work hard to improve themselves and be honest
instead of soliciting roles through immoral means, and decision-makers in the
entertainment field must also contribute to cleaning the air of the
sector.
"Show business people must boycott immoral practices in the field or
else the dirty hidden rules cannot be swept away," Wei
suggested.
xinhua
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