Beijing Pops: Chloé Zhao's "Nomadland" Wins Best Drama Picture and Best Director at Golden Globes, Gets China Release Date

Feeling left out when your Chinese colleagues are gossiping about a trending star? Puzzled by those glamorous Chinese faces in subway ads, but can't even tell who they are? Beijing Pops will help you get through it all with the latest pop culture and celebrity news.

[Addendum: The original version of this article stated that Nomadland would premiere in China in April. It has been edited to reflect that the premiere has been canceled.]

Chloé Zhao's Golden Globe winner Nomadland China premiere canceled

Nary a week goes by without Chloé Zhao featuring prominently in headlines, and today that news reached its penultimate scene. First, as was expected, on Sunday Nomadland took home the Golden Globe for Best Drama Picture and Best Director, making her only the second woman in 78 years to enjoy the latter honor. All told, Zhao has been making history left and right, and that is perhaps best summed up by the simple fact that at this point, she's actually become the most awarded filmmaker in a single awards season.

Second, it was announced  that the film had been approved for release in China, and will hit theatres on Apr 23, three days before it's expected to sweep the Academy Awards (therein lies the final scene). However, the release was canceled, possibly due to public backlash over the director's statements she made at a younger age. 

Still, Nomadland' did get a Chinese title,  无依之地 Wú Yī Zhī Dì, which roughly translates to "a place where nothing can be relied on." Incidentally, a number of Chinese film buffs noticed that the translation seems to be an homage to the title translation for the Coen brothers' 2007 film, No Country For Old Men – 老无所依 Lǎo wú suǒ yī, or "the old have nothing to rely on." The screenings come courtesy of the National Alliance of Arthouse Cinemas (NAAC), a government-backed organization that operates around 3,700 screens across China and is responsible for importing various international releases.

Zhao's next film – set for a US release of Nov 5 – will be the Marvel film, Eternals, which is somewhat of a departure from her signature style of dramatic storytelling, bolstered by non-actors who bring a level of realism to her films that is otherwise lacking in Hollywood productions. 

38-year-old Zhao was born in Beijing. At the age of 16, she attended boarding school in London and subsequently moved to the US where she studied film production at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. 

Reality show breathes new life into singer Na Ying's career

With the release of the second season of Sisters Who Ride Waves (乘风破浪的姐姐 chéngfēng pòlàng de jiějie) – a reality survival show tailored to female celebrities aged 30 and above – 54-year-old singer, Na Ying is back in the spotlight and once again the subject of heated online debate. True to form, she’s still the frank and witty woman who many consider "too real" to be a celebrity, never afraid to express herself freely and always willing to say "no" to unreasonable demands. As far back as 2011, a post on her Weibo account simply stated, “Damn it! I hate pretentious people the most!” While the sentiment doesn't seem all that shocking, netizens have forwarded it 85,000 times, with people citing the post as one of the many reasons why they love her. In fact, one fan created an account that boasts 30,000 followers, in which he/she merely records Na's comments from programs and interviews.

For China’s post-60s and post-70s generations, Na is a household name, famous for her catalog of classic tunes and award-winning albums. In 1990, her career took off after winning first prize in the CCTV National Young Singers TV Contest. Likewise, she was invited to perform at the Spring Festival Gala every year from 1992 to 2000. After giving birth to two children, Na gradually faded from the spotlight, however, in recent years she's been enjoying a comeback, serving as a judge on shows like The Voice of China. As a result, she's quickly becoming as popular among young people today as she was 30 thirty years ago.

Volleyball player Hui Ruoqi gets pregnant

Last Thursday, Feb 25, 30-year-old retired volleyball player Hui Ruoqi took to Weibo to announce her pregnancy. Accompanied by a set of photos taken in her home, Hui's post read, “I’m upgraded. Hope the house is big enough for the upcoming little fellow.”

In 2007, at the age of 16, Hui was selected for China's national women's volleyball team. By 2013, she had been appointed team captain and in 2014, Hui and her team won a silver medal in the world championships. Then, at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Hui led her team to a 3-1 gold medal victory over Serbia. Hui retired in 2018 due to an athletic injury, and announced her marriage to the Beijing doctor, Yang Zhenbo, one month later. The wedding, held in Beijing, was attended by her former coach, Jane Lang, and many of her former teammates. Aside from being an all-star athlete, Hui made her acting debut last year when she played herself in Leap (夺冠 duóguàn), a film about the Chinese women’s volleyball team.

Hi Mom turns Zhang Xiaofei into overnight sensation

A week after we introduced Jia Ling’s (slightly) autobiographical directorial debut, Hi Mom, the dramedy has grossed over RMB 5 billion at China’s box office, beating out the previous total-box-office-sales record holder, Avenger: Endgame, by nearly RMB one billion. Aside from sweeping the box office, however, the movie also turned Zhang Xiaofei – who plays Jia's mother in the movie – into an overnight sensation.

Having graduated from Beijing Film Academy, Zhang always dreamed of becoming a successful actress. And yet, for much of her career, she's served supporting roles in 小品 xiǎopǐn skit shows and TV dramas. Meanwhile, her classmates such as Yang Mi (yes, the plum girl) were reaching the top of the industry. In 2016, Zhang signed with Jia's company, Beijing Big Bowl Entertainment, and the two started to partner in comedies and TV shows. Although she's slowly gained recognition over the year, the success of Hi Mom brought Zhang unprecedented stardom and a slew of commercial endorsements. What's more, yesterday, Feb 28, she was awarded Best Actress on Weibo Award Ceremony. During the ceremony, Zhang performed the film's theme song in Fendi’s latest dress and a BVLGARI Serpenti’s diamond ring, with some estimates putting her outfit at more than RMB 100,000.

READ: Beijing Pops: Jia Ling’s "Hi Mom" Makes a Box Office Splash During CNY

Images: Weibo, Douban