I am so happy for Li Na. She has accomplished so much for her country. http://www.tennisround.com

July 7th, 2011 at 2:34 am

Good on you Li Na !
The French Open Title is a just reward for all your hard work.
As I said at the Australia Open – “you can do this !”
There will be more great rewards in store in the future.

July 7th, 2011 at 10:17 am

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/123165763.html

Interesting article on the nature of freedom in Li Na’s China – its extent, and limits.

I thought Li Na’s reaction to the question on Tianmen massacre was very interesting. Because she didn’t attempt to deny it as you can imagine some state poodle would – she was just frightened, and also rather outraged at being put in this position.

Although her refusal to have anything to do with the question is completely understandable – you would have to have almost a martyr complex to get into that one – you can’t help wondering what would have happened had she responded in a calmly factual way. For the fact is, Li Na is hugely popular in China. The authorities couldn’t just stick her in a slave labour camp after a spot of torture and so on.

It is actually hard to imagine amything, anything at all more embarrassing for the tyrants in Beijing than a Li Na spilling the beans. That is the power a sports superhero has within his/her grasp. A power which it would be very frightening to use, however.

July 8th, 2011 at 9:24 am

jane, my last off topic entry – but on a thread which is dead, so hope no offence.
My son didn’t in fact get an internship – seems to have been a misunderstanding, nevertheless things look ok:

“That’s what I thought too, they shouldn’t drag a person half way across the world based on only a vague idea. Today went much better though, I received a call from Vicki, Beys assistant, asking if i could come in again today because Bey wanted me to help, but said I couldnt because there wasnt time what with moving places and then having the meeting with edko film person, but I asked if going in on monday would be ok and she said yes so hopefully that means my services are required! Dont know how long for though, wish they wouldnt be so vague but its good they called me back anyway. Bey was looking for a scene in a film with a sort of house made with silk yesterday and I happened to remember a HK film with exactly that which was just what he was looking for so maybe that helped, finally all the hundreds of hours of Hk film watching has been put to a practical use! Also, the meeting today with edko person went pretty well I think, we ended up chatting for about 40 minutes or so and I got the point across that I would be willing to do pretty much anything for free – she seemed to think there might be sth available, maybe editing write ups for film materials they translate but are translated by HK Chinese so the english isn’t perfect/natural. She asked me to send in a resume and some of my written work so I will send her my best 2 film essays – and a sample of my translation. Her boss gets back to HK on monday so she says she will let me know around that time, sounds quite hopeful anyway.”

This Bey is Bey Logan, a film producer, you may be familiar with his book Hong Kong Action Cinema, who is now directing his first film. Anyway, me and the lad’s younger brother are for ever teasing him about all those bloody HK films he watches -dividends at last? Also, maybe you can bribe your students with the thought that a decent film essay may lead on to other things..

It was my son, actually, who provided me with that Li Na link. I thought it was a pity there was no response, not to what I had to say but to the link itself. There’s quite a story there, which will run and run – and has huge implications, I should have thought, for the rest of China. Once you start freeing up in in one rather significant area of life, it’s apt to become contagious, I should have thought.

July 9th, 2011 at 8:08 am

It is interesting to see that Chinese athletes settle so slowly into the world elite.

July 10th, 2011 at 5:41 am