FROM THE ARCHIVES...

"GONG LI: THE LAST EMPRESS OF CHINA"

Paris Match - May 7, 1998

[Webmaster's note: I translated this article from the original French text.]

Hollywood has fallen under her spell. Gong Li will be one of the queens of the Cannes Film Festival, where she will go with [director] Chen Kaige. It is thanks to her international celebrity that his historical epic could be made, the first co-production between Europe and China. [Webmaster's note: Chen Kaige served on the Cannes jury in 1998; "The Emperor and The Assassin" was screened in competition in 1999.]

Since the Palme d'Or for "Farewell My Concubine" in 1993, her previous film with the same director, the Chinese star, named by People magazine as one of the most beautiful women in the world, has become the face of L'Oreal in the East. The ex-protestor, whose opinions at one time stirred the anger of the authorities in Beijing, is from now on her country's best Ambassador of Charm. The biggest star of Asia goes to Cannes.

Before her departure, she granted us a private audience in her home on the 21st floor of a Hong Kong skyscraper. Meeting with the Chinese actress, who is well known on five continents, is a challenge. Continually postponed, the appointment with Gong Li turns into a game of hide and seek. Finally, the star assures us of the time and place of the meeting. The interview will be done at her home. We thus depart in the direction of the "chic" part of Hong Kong, towards the buildings on the slope of a mountain. The actress lives there, on the 21st and top floor of a posh building, in an apartment that she shares with her husband, Huang Hexiang, who she discreetly married in 1996.

When we ring the bell on the wrought-iron door, it is he who opens it. It is in perfect English that Huang Hexiang invites us to take a seat on a small settee, and offers us a drink that he serves himself, excusing the absence of personnel who are off for the weekend.

We exchange courtesies. Huang Hexiang volunteers to give us a guided tour of the apartment, while Gong Li stays behind the scenes; we haven't yet seen her. In the house, traditional objects coexist alongside Western style, which dominates. On the tables, one finds Lalique crystal fish, antique vases, silver chandeliers and a multitude of candlesticks.

"My wife adores collecting, she finds it amusing," confesses Huang. On the dining room buffet we find a small crystal fountain, traditionally decorated in a manner that is supposed to bring good luck and the assurances of a happy and calm life. On a shelf, a sculpture of an old saint symbolizes longevity. Above the stereo system is enthroned a lithograph representing the Emperor of the Ming dynasty and his wife.

Gong Li appears. She is dressed entirely in black, barefoot, hair tied back, hardly a drop of make-up, lips in the shape of a heart, a refined profile of femininity. Gong Li keeps her distance at first, not coming too close to us, but smiles, sensuously, and takes our hand after having invited us to take off our shoes and sliding us into visitors' slippers.

Huang poses with his wife, and he translates our remarks for her. Gong Li converses with Huang with amorous, tender gestures. The couple have a dog, Boa Boa, who leaps on his mistress with love. It's a kingdom of true harmony in this serene universe.

Gong Li leaves to change her clothes, and she glides into silk pajamas, then reservedly opens her clothes closets for us. These contain primarily traditional tunics by David Tang, the celebrated creator of the "traditional Chinese clothing reexamined and revised". On the actress' vanity table, there are few beauty products, except for some creams by Lancome.

Gong Li is the first Asian to sign on with L'Oreal (she keeps her financial transactions a secret). For the photo shoot, the actress emphasizes her dark eyes with a blue-gray eyeliner and a little mascara. She has a flash of auburn L'Oreal color in her hair, and allows being photographed in her bedroom only after being assured by her husband that we can't see too much of her legs in the pose. A burst of modest laughter punctuates her remarks. But Gong Li is already tired, so she makes an appointment with us for the following day, for a walkabout in Hong Kong.

The next day, she arrives accompanied by her driver, who is at the wheel of a gold colored Mercedes with beige leather. We go to Victoria Place where a traditional junk [boat] awaits us at the dock. Gong Li has hardly put a foot on board when she feels sea sick. We quickly return to firm ground where Gong Li calls her driver, then her husband to tell them about her misadventure. The star isn't without her cell phone for a minute.

When we move in the direction of the heart of the city, Gong Li moves slowly, always answering the hellos of the passersby gracefully. Before the interview, we were warned not to question her about her private life. Gong Li simply stresses that, in this regard, she is very happy.

First question, first blunder. We ask, "What is your birth date?" Gong Li responds, a bit stunned, "December 31". Her biography says that she is 32 years old. But we later learn that a Chinese woman never talks about her age. Nor her beauty secrets, although Gong Li acknowledges that she sometimes sleeps more than ten hours per night.

A Chinese proverb summarizes her recipe: "It is necessary for the man to eat and the woman to sleep." Her perfume? She doesn't wear any, like the women of her country. Each one of her gestures and remarks reminds us of China, mysterious and captivating.

Paris Match: What type of character have you wanted to learn to interpret the most?

Gong Li: I see myself as a romantic actress. I like to play queens, concubines, wearing period costumes, or better yet to play a woman of today, but those are character roles. I believe in emitting a romantic aura, and someone has proposed this kind of character to me.

PM: How was it working on "The Emperor and the Assassin"?

GL: Very good, I have great memories of it. The resources deployed were enormous, that is to say that it's a grand production and it's the first time that I filmed under those conditions. Obviously, with time and money, everything is easier, the costumes are the most beautiful, the crew is larger. I am delighted to present this film at Cannes.

PM: And how were your previous experiences?

GL: I liked working on "Chinese Box", with Jeremy Irons, a lot. It was a very nice experience and we remain friends. It was the first time that I made a film in a language other than my own. I had to speak English. It wasn't easy but I will do it again with pleasure if a film is proposed to me that I feel is a good fit for me. I have preferred to be surrounded by a Chinese crew who understand my culture and my education. The majority of foreign scripts that are sent to me seem too harsh.

PM: Which foreign actors would you like to perform with?

GL: Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Isabelle Adjani or Lauren Bacall, for example.

PM: You were a national star, and now you are an international star. How have you handled this transition?

GL: Well. There are those who have changed their behavior towards me, but, especially, it has opened up for me the possibilities of foreign films.

PM: Have there been a lot of changes in your life?

GL: Yes, but not in the professional field, rather in the emotional area. I lost my only sister and my father four years ago. They are the people that I have loved the most in my life. Sometimes, I can't believe that they have disappeared.

PM: What role do you dream about?

GL: I would love to have the opportunity to play the Empress Wu, the first Empress of China.

PM: To what do you owe your success?

GL: To the great directors, of course, and perhaps being able to keep a cool head.

PM: Do you have the desire to have children?

GL: Yes, of course.

PM: How many?

GL: Many - if it's possible...

PM: Day-to-day, when you are at home with your husband, do you cook?

GL: As it happens, I cook small dishes on the weekend when the personnel of the house are off. I especially like the food of Northern China, noodles. In fact, I eat a lot and am lucky not to have a weight problem. From a culinary point of view, I place China at the top of my list of preferences. I also appreciate French and Italian cuisine.

PM: Do you like Hong Kong?

GL: Let's say that it is my place of residence, the place where I work, where I can entertain my friends from around the world. The living conditions here are superior to those that one can have in China, and are those I dreamed about when I was a child. But Beijing remains my heart's home, the one that fits me. Also, Hong Kong has a climate that is too humid for my taste, and my mother lives in Beijing. So, I return there when I can and I pay a visit to all my friends in a Jeep that I keep over there.

PM: Hong Kong has become Chinese again. What is your feeling about this?

GL: I find that it's normal. Hong Kong was Chinese and now it has been returned to China, that's the point. Some of my friends have left, one of them has settled in Canada, for example, but nothing has really changed here. I don't understand them.

PM: A few days ago, you had a meeting with members of the government. For what purpose?

GL: Because I have a role as a representative of the film industry. I went for the session of the People's Congress. I have been chosen by the government in order to participate in this Congress. They ask my advice on the decisions that concern culture and, particularly, cinema. I was nominated for five years and it's the second time that I have attended. Assembled there were representatives from different branches of industry. We tackle various subjects concerning living conditions, and I am pleased to give my advice and to vote on matters concerning Chinese life.

PM: Would you consider leading a political life?

GL: Yes, I would very much like that. Until then, I try to help others. I sometimes go to schools deep within China in order to try to improve the living conditions and to meet the children. I am very involved in the evolution of the country, and I have worked in disadvantaged areas.

PM: What do you think of Chinese cinema?

GL: I believe that our cinema must be more creative and that it must open up to foreign influence in order to grow richer and to develop more.

PM: According to you, what should the female roles be in contemporary Chinese cinema?

GL: I believe that we have the responsibility to show portraits of strong women who rely on themselves. At the same time, a woman must know how to remain kind and tender within her circle of friends.

PM: How do you see China in the year 2000?

GL: As a country that will open more towards the outside world.

PM: What are your projects?

GL: I have a film in preparation, but I can't talk more about it yet, and I am considering making a [vocal music] recording. When I was 18 years old, I dreamed of being a singer. I would love to fulfill this wish and make a record in Mandarin, in Japanese and, why not, in French.