Podcasts about guo jingming

Guo Jingming was ordered to issue a public apology after being accused of plagiarism in 2003. He didn't apologize until the final day of 2020.

As the year draws to a close and the industry is yet to make a full recovery, we look back on major tourism stories of the year, marking a tumultuous period of ups and downs. / Author-turned-director Guo Jingming has finally issued a public apology for implication in plagiaism. / Owner may bear criminal responsibility if their pet hurts people and causes severe consequences. / China launched age-based rating system for video games

Guo Jingming is one of the most controversial published authors in China. He has dominated the writer&`&s rich list in recent years and is considered the most popular writer of youth literature in contemporary China. But his success has arguably been eclipsed by plagiarism accusations throughout the years. His work Rush To The Dead Summer is going to be turned into a TV series. In the meantime, the novel that has been adapted to a TV drama called 锦绣未央 has been exposed of copying from 60 online or published novels. Have the Chinese audience been too tolerate towards plagiarism?

更多内容，请关注我们今天的微信，搜索：英语环球 NEWSPlusA new study suggests that infertility cannot be successfully treated with stem cells.The study, by researchers in Sweden, casts doubt on an old theory that it is possible to create new eggs with the help of stem cells.Ever since 2004, the studies on stem cell research and infertility have been surrounded by hype. There has been a great amount of media interest in it, and the message has been that the treatment of infertility with stem cells is about to happen. However, many researchers have tried to replicate these studies but not succeeded.According to the old theory, infertile women, such as those who have entered the menopause, could be given new eggs. However, experiments on mice showed that the only eggs female mice have are the ones they have had since birth.The results show that not only the use of stem cell research in the clinical treatment of childlessness is unrealistic, but also that clinics should focus on using the eggs that women have had since birth in treating infertility.infertility n. 不孕不育 对应形容词infertile，不能生育的stem cell n. 干细胞（干读第四声，来源于“茎干”，即stem）它是形成哺乳类动物的各组织器官的原始细胞，具有多向分化潜能和自我复制能力。人体内的干细胞分两种类型，一种是全功能干细胞，可直接克隆人体；另一种是多功能干细胞，可直接复制各种脏器和修复组织。人类寄希望于利用干细胞的分离和体外培养，在体外繁育出组织或器官，并最终通过组织或器官移植，实现对临床疾病的治疗。cast doubt on… v. 使人对…产生怀疑例句：He has been drunk out of his mind for three days in a row now. It definitely casts doubt on his chance of taking over as the next news anchor. （他已经连续三天喝得烂醉如泥了。这肯定让人对他接手新闻主播岗位的前景产生怀疑。）egg n. 卵子，卵细胞 （这个意思的使用频率也很高，不亚于“鸡蛋”。）hype n. 大肆宣传，炒作例句：Haven't you heard of that saying? No publicity is bad publicity. If everybody keeps telling you how ridiculously bad a certain film is, it only creates more hype, and you are more tempted to see it. That's why those horrible reviews of Tiny Times never bothered Guo Jingming. （你没听说过那句话吗？没有什么所谓的“坏宣传”。如果每个人都不停地跟你说某部电影多么糟糕，这只会带来更多的宣传效应，让你忍不住想去一探究竟。所以《小时代》收到的那些恶评从来没破坏过郭敬明的心情。）replicate vt. 复制 对应名词replica，复制品 replicate，reproduce和duplicate是很容易搞混的一组词。简言之，它们的程度有所区别。duplicate必须是复制出和原来一模一样的东西，replicate是复制出一模一样或相近的东西，reproduce则是简单复制，不保证结果跟原来的东西一模一样或相近。menopause n. 停经，绝经期（通常在五十岁左右）

详细内容请关注今天的V信:) Having dominated China's box office rankings for about a week, the notorious teen fantasy film Tiny Times 3 gave way to yet another controversial Chinese movie. But to be fair, first time director Han Han's film-making debut is not marred by low taste. The criticism mostly comes from a demanding audience with high expectations. In 1999, Han Han shot to fame after winning a national writing competition, one year ahead of Guo Jingming, the director behind the Tiny Times franchise. But it seems that good writing skills are the only thing the two have in common, and after acquiring a sizable readership, the young lads went down totally different paths. Unlike Guo Jingming, who is determined to tap the pockets of his fans and has made himself quite wealthy, Han Han seems to have chosen to enjoy life. As a professional racing car driver and a blogger who publishes thought-provoking and sometimes controversial articles from time to time, he has proven his talent in the things which interest him. Over the years he has attracted both support and opposition, and both sides take pride in critical thinking and high taste. This is why Han Han's film "The Continent" could generate enough earnings to topple the dominance of "Tiny Times 3" and at the same time spark serious discussion about the film's production value and ideas. This road movie follows three young men on a journey across China. Han Han's supporters may be able to identify his distinctive style. Instead of a commercial blockbuster, carefully calibrated to stir the appetite of innocent adolescents, "The Continent" seems very much like Han's blog, where he tosses out ideas as he comes across them. If you are willing to join the ride, you MAY be led to brooding over contradictory life styles. That's because the film depicts random encounters intermittently from the perspective of two different characters. Both mange to reconstruct their understanding of the world during the journey, but one has his obsessions cured, another has them entrenched deeper in his way of living. The most critical viewers will not be happy with this arrangement: they will perhaps believe that the different parts of the film are rather loosely connected, if connected at all. Others may pick on the dialogue: some of which sounds so out of place that people suspect entire scenes have been invented to accommodate them. I'm afraid I have to agree with such well-targeted criticism, but still I believe it is something a more mainstream viewer will appreciate. I went to see the film after an extremely intense day at work, but after an hour and a half when I walked out, I felt completely refreshed, as if I had taken off my jacket of weariness and left it in the dimly-lit screening room. The funny jokes, the touching score and the beautiful scenery certainly helped, but it was the free spirit that really emancipated me from the yoke of my daily routines.

Having dominated China's box office rankings for about a week, the notorious teen fantasy film Tiny Times 3 gave way to yet another controversial Chinese movie. But to be fair, first time director Han Han's film-making debut is not marred by low taste. The criticism mostly comes from a demanding audience with high expectations. In 1999, Han Han shot to fame after winning a national writing competition, one year ahead of Guo Jingming, the director behind the Tiny Times franchise. But it seems that good writing skills are the only thing the two have in common, and after acquiring a sizable readership, the young lads went down totally different paths. Unlike Guo Jingming, who is determined to tap the pockets of his fans and has made himself quite wealthy, Han Han seems to have chosen to enjoy life. As a professional racing car driver and a blogger who publishes thought-provoking and sometimes controversial articles from time to time, he has proven his talent in the things which interest him. Over the years he has attracted both support and opposition, and both sides take pride in critical thinking and high taste. This is why Han Han's film "The Continent" could generate enough earnings to topple the dominance of "Tiny Times 3" and at the same time spark serious discussion about the film's production value and ideas. This road movie follows three young men on a journey across China. Han Han's supporters may be able to identify his distinctive style. Instead of a commercial blockbuster, carefully calibrated to stir up the appetite of innocent adolescents, "The Continent" seems very much like Han's blog, where he tosses out ideas as he comes across them. If you are willing to join the ride, you MAY be led to brooding over contradictory life styles. That's because the film depicts random encounters intermittently from the perspective of two different characters. Both mange to reconstruct their understanding of the world during the journey, but one has his obsessions cured, another has them entrenched deeper in his way of living. The most critical viewers will not be happy with this arrangement: they will perhaps believe that the different parts of the film are rather loosely connected, if connected at all. Others may pick on the dialogue: some of which sounds so out of place that people suspect entire scenes have been invented to accommodate them. I'm afraid I have to agree with such well-targeted criticism, but still I believe it is something a more mainstream viewer will appreciate. I went to see the film after an extremely intense day at work, but after an hour and a half when I walked out, I felt completely refreshed, as if I had taken off my jacket of weariness and left it in the dimly-lit screening room. The funny jokes, the touching score and the beautiful scenery certainly helped, but it was the free spirit that really emancipated me from the yoke of my daily routines.

The last time I got angry in a cinema was when Wong Kai Wai released his incomplete martial arts drama film "The Grandmaster". He showed no respect for cinema-goers and the movie business as he peddled an unfinished product. But that sentiment was nothing compared to what I felt while watching Tiny Times 3. The latest outing by novelist and businessman Guo Jingming witnessed a catastrophic downgrade from the previous installment, which itself barely breached the level of mediocracy in the first place. The narratives in both films are practical jokes just the same, but at least the cinematography in Tiny Times 2 almost reached an average standard. In comparison the third installment is just a circus freak show suffering from the incurable disease of overblown slow motion. The symptoms start showing right from the beginning. The movie is about the relationship between four female friends where the girls go on a business trip to Rome. Nothing of real business significance happens in the Italian capital, but that doesn't stop the girls from dressing up in elaborate outfits as they invade the ancient city with their posing and flaunting. I think the director's message is: look, I can afford to shoot this film in Rome, at least some part of it. The good for nothing opening is followed by a make-believe business espionage story. It seems as though the director is trying to make this part funny, but he only achieves silliness. Like I said, the narrative is a joke, what can you expect, except for plenty of slow motion shots to highlight the not-so-intense action? After that, the director decides to drown his beloved audience in shots after shots of slow motion. When the girls get mad at each other for various unreasonable reasons, just as happened in previous installments, only endless slow motion shots can explain the magnitude of their heartbreak, and hopefully distract the audience from the scant story. As someone who certainly haven't been converted to Guo Jingming's style, I began to look around in the cinema. On a Monday afternoon, the screening room was surprisingly full. The audience largely consists of young girls, who were most likely students on their summer vacations, and apparently they were having a good time. Some could even predict what was going to happen on screen because they've read the original novel. For a moment, I was unsettled by the fact that our youth is being manipulated by such nonsense, but then again, each generation has their own dragons to slay, perhaps battling the bad influence in the sub culture is their way of becoming responsible adults. And we have to live with the fact that some, like our dear director, never make it through.

The last time I got angry in a cinema was when Wong Kai Wai released his incomplete martial arts drama film "The Grandmaster". He showed no respect for cinema-goers and the movie business as he peddled an unfinished product. But that sentiment was nothing compared to what I felt while watching Tiny Times 3. The latest outing by novelist and businessman Guo Jingming witnessed a catastrophic downgrade from the previous installment, which itself barely breached the level of mediocracy in the first place. The narratives in both films are practical jokes just the same, but at least the cinematography in Tiny Times 2 almost reached an average standard. In comparison the third installment is just a circus freak show suffering from the incurable disease of overblown slow motion. The symptoms start showing right from the beginning, when the four female friends go on a business trip to Rome. Nothing of real business significance happens in the Italian capital, but that doesn't stop the girls from dressing up in elaborate outfits as they invade the ancient city with their posing and flaunting. I think the director's message is: look, I can afford to shoot this film in Rome, at least some part of it. The good for nothing opening is followed by a make-believe business espionage story. It seems as though the director is trying to make this part funny, but he only achieves silliness. Like I said, the narrative is a joke, what can you expect, except for plenty of slow motion shots to highlight the not-so-intense action? After that, the director decides to drown his beloved audience in shots after shots of slow motion. When the girls get mad at each other for various unreasonable reasons, just as happened in previous installments, only endless slow motion shots can explain the magnitude of their heartbreak, and hopefully distract the audience from the scant story. As someone who certainly haven't been converted to Guo Jingming's style, I began to look around in the cinema. On a Monday afternoon, the screening room was surprisingly full. The audience largely consists of young girls, who were most likely students on their summer holiday, and apparently they were having a good time. Some could even predict what was going to happen on screen because they've read the original novel. For a moment, I was unsettled by the fact that our youth is being manipulated by such nonsense, but then again, each generation has their own dragons to slay, perhaps battling the bad influence in the sub culture is their way of becoming responsible adults. And we have to live with the fact that some, like our dear director, never make it through.

Hello and welcome to "Life Upclose", your weekly show where we discuss people, lifestyles and China's ever-changing society. Coming up on this edition: --Online financing platforms have flourished in China in recent years, posing challenges to conventional banking. We will take a look at the emerging trend among Chinese consumers of managing their money in a Cyber Bank; --Speaking of money, Guo Jingming is probably one of the most commercially successful writers in China; he is also the most controversial one, with many of his Chinese readers, those born before the 1980s in particular, think the young writer has not fully developed in literature and his showy persona is unacceptable by traditional Chinese standards. A little later on today's show, we will get to know a bit more about Guo Jingming, whose stellar career has been dogged by controversy. Interesting stories lie ahead, so stay tuned. ---------------------- Intro: A recent survey shows that about 66 percent of Chinese are planning to divert some proportion of their bank deposits to Internet finance products. The online survey, conducted by the China Youth Daily newspaper with over 10,000 respondents, also indicates that about 84.7 percent of Chinese people have invested in some kind of Internet wealth management product. Eighty-two percent of the people surveyed said they are content with their investment income and most of them listed higher return rates and greater convenience as major reasons to choose Internet finance. Over 70 percent of the respondents were born in the 1980s and 1990s. They seem to be interested in taking "new" risks, saying online investments will not only save time, but also enable them to perform small-asset investments between 10 and 20 thousand Yuan, which could never be realized in China's traditional banks. We finds out why internet financing is now such a hit in China. Rpt: Xu Xiao, a resident in LuoYang city, central China's Henan Province, started a new hobby after spending 22-thousand Yuan, or 3,600 US dollars, to buy into Yu'E Bao, a popular online money-market fund. Each morning, the 28-year-old checks her Alipay, China's Paypal, account through an app on her mobile phone to find how much more dividends have been added to it. Despite the small amount, Xu says she is filled with joy every time she finds new earnings. "It's very convenient: I don't need to go to the bank to make investments. All I need to do is get on the internet through my mobile phone and click on the screen. The interest rate is much higher than that of the banks." As a typical fan of Yu'E Bao - which is designed to make it easy for Internet users to invest idle cash from their Alipay accounts and earn a higher interest rate than what traditional bank savings accounts offer �C Xu's enthusiasm is what makes the concept such a success in China and has made "Internet finance" a new catchphrase in the business world. Xie Ke ,a manager from Ever Bright Bank's Luo Yang Branch, explains in detail what Yu'E Bao is: "Yu'E Bao is an internet money-market fund co-developed by Tian Hong Asset Management Corporation and Alipay, the online payment arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba. Basically, it offers higher interest returns for investors than traditional deposit accounts with banks do. For example, Yu'E Bao could offer over 6 percent in annualized returns, while the big four Chinese commercial banks only offer around 3 percent yields for a one-year-term deposit. In addition, the investment threshold is one Yuan and investors can redeem their money anytime." According to Tian Hong Asset Management Corporation, 51 percent of which is owned by Alibabam, Yu'E Bao has become the largest money market fund in China within four months of launching last June. In just 260 days, the Internet money fund has accumulated 350 billion Yuan and gathered a colossal customer base of 81 million users, surpassing the number of China's share investors. No wonder other internet companies have rushed to follow e-commerce king Alibaba by providing similar financial offerings. Baidu, Inc,, China's biggest Internet search provider, also has moved into financial services, launching an online finance product called Baifa in late October. In fact, Baifa's rumored annual yield of 8 percent attracted so many prospective customers that Baidu reported that their financial service brought the company about 1 billion yuan within five hours of the launch. Online retail giant, Jingdong.com, also has made Internet finance one of the main engines in driving the company's future growth. Just as the Internet has changed the landscape of retail business around the world, insiders believe it will reshape China's financial sector. Professor Qian Jun, from Shanghai-based Jiaotong University, views the widespread use of Internet financing as a very positive trend: "Overall I think it's positive; I think it can play a positive role in the near future. I believe that two sectors, one is the payment sector, basically, it facilitates transactions, you do online much quicker, we see there is already a big boom in this sector; the other sector which is more interesting, is the online lending, because more and more they are behaving like banks, they collect money and they invest them. So I think in the near future, this is an important role for this sector, because, there are still ways for the formal banking and market sector to mature and develop in that they can provide a more mature and diversified basket products for investors. We know a lot of Chinese investors they have the capital but other than the stock market, which is not doing great, or the real estate market, which is clearly risky, they don't have a whole lot of opportunities to go. And also for many good small firms, they have very hard time to secure lending from banks.

China's huge market potential has encouraged many novice directors to join the film rush. These fledgling newcomers fall into two categories: smart ones like author and businessman Guo Jingming who use modern information technology to pinpoint their target audience, and the others, who waste no time on the trivial, but design their products to target people of all age groups. Chen Sicheng obviously belongs to the second category. His chick flick "Beijing Love Story" bears the same name as his popular TV series from 2012, but includes five incongruent stories about the least romantic aspects of love that could happen in any place outside Beijing. Chen himself and new wife Tong Liya lead the first story as two mismatched lovers, whose relationship is put to the test against an uncompromising mother-in-law and a seductive ex-boyfriend. Next, a married woman hesitates about getting back with her infidel husband. A middle-aged couple seeks to renew their passion. A high school student has a crush on his schoolmate. And an old man finds himself in a love triangle. Each of the stories depicts a love-related dilemma that could get the viewers brooding for a while; however, the director allows very little time for such brain activity as he sweeps past the stories like a storm on a Gobi desert. According to Chen, "Beijing Love Story" is an artistic film in a commercial guise. But apparently his understanding of art goes no further than singling out the so-called "issues of reality". I know that some contemporary Chinese people are obsessed with the "realistic" aspect of things, but I've always hated that notion, because the word is so often abused by people to justify their low taste and lack of imagination. Viewers who can actually get over the realistic whining still need to tolerate some of the actors and actresses. Notably, the quality of acting corresponds with the age of the characters; the veterans, led by Siqin Gaowa and Wang Qingxiang are the most memorable, while the younger ones, including the director and wife, still need much weathering. Before I went to see this film, a colleague of mine, based on her experience with the 2012 TV series, told me to be ready for naivety. Well, director Chen Sicheng has tried very hard to sound sophisticated in the movie version, only to prove that wisdom and skill cannot be acquired overnight, not even a wedding night.

No.10 Zhang Ziyi wins Best Actress at Golden Horse Awards Iconic Chinese movie star Zhang Ziyi won the best leading actress award at the Golden Horse Awards, for her performance in the film "The Grandmaster." The Golden Horse Awards is considered as the Chinese-language Oscars. Zhang shed tears of joy as she delivered the acceptance speech. "I've been nominated a few times for the Golden Horse Awards. I finally captured one today. Thank you director Wong Kar-wai for allowing me to encounter Gong Er at the most difficult time of my life and for encouraging me to be brave and confident and I made it." No.9 Director Zhang Yimou sued over family planning breach Two lawyers filed a public interest lawsuit against film director Zhang Yimou for his violation of the family planning policy. Family planning authorities in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, found that Zhang fathered three children with his wife Chen Ting before they married in 2011. Under the one-child policy, Zhang can have only one child. (In his previous marriage, Zhang has a daughter with his ex. ) The lawyers filed the lawsuit with the Intermediate People's Court in Wuxi and requested the court fine Zhang 500 million yuan, more than 80 million US dollars in compensation for public resources and another 500 million yuan for punishment. No.8 Feng Xiaogang to helm CCTV annual gala show China Central Television has invited director Feng Xiaogang to helm the Spring Festival Gala 2014, which has more than 700 million viewers. This is the first time for a film director to direct the show in 30 years. At a news briefing of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, Feng admitted that being the general director of the gala is quite demanding. "All my efforts will pay off if half of the audience members are satisfied. I will try my best." The CCTV Spring Festival Gala has been an annual fixture for most Chinese families on the eve of Chinese New Year since 1982. However, its popularity has declined in recent years as Internet users scorned the gala as rigid and outdated which lacks a grassroots foundation. No.7 Li Yuchun wins 2013 MTV EMA Best Worldwide Act Chinese singer Li Yuchun outdid superstar Justin Bieber, winning the award for Best Worldwide Act at the 2013 MTV European Music Awards gala held in Amsterdam in November. Rising from the nationwide singing competition Super Girl, Li has released seven albums, and had 52 No. 1 singles. She was also named "Icon of Chinese Pop Culture" by Time Magazine. No.6 Wang Feng expresses his love to Zhang Ziyi Chinese rock singer Wang Feng openly expressed his admiration to actress Zhang Ziyi during a concert in Shanghai in November. "I imagine one day we can be blessed for our sincere love as celebrities without being criticized and vilified by people. I imagine one day we can tell each other 'I love you' without seeing the tears in each other's eyes." This is the first time Wang has openly admitted his love to Zhang, ending speculation that the superstar duo have been dating ever since Wang's second divorce in September. No.5 Guo Jingming's 'Tiny Times' sweeps box office Best-selling author Guo Jingming's directorial debut "Tiny Times," based on his novels by the same title, has swept the Chinese box office since its debut in June. The movie has grossed 500 million yuan at the Chinese box office. The film, mostly popular among young women, idealizes materialist lifestyles that reflect Guo's super-rich value system. No.4 Faye Wong and Li Yapeng divorced Asian pop diva Faye Wong announced in September that she has divorced her second husband, former actor turned businessman, Li Yapeng. They had been married for eight years. Fans reposted her Sina Weibo microblog announcement more than 100,000 times in the first hour. The post read: "Our destiny as husband and wife ends here. I'm well. You take care, too." Li later confirmed the news on his microblog, posting: "I wanted a normal family, but you are a legend, referring to The Legend, her famous song. Li continued to say that "I miss the good days we spent together over the past 10 years." The posts received 200,000 comments and more than 700,000 reposts. No.3 Leehom Wang discloses romance Chinese-American singer-songwriter Leehom Wang for the first time disclosed that he has a girlfriend. The superstar said in his micro blog that his girlfriend is named Li Jinglei, 27 years old, and now studies in Columbia University. Wang wrote in his micro-blog (to his fans ) that "I'm very lucky to meet a girl who can hold hands and enjoy the future with me. She's not a person in showbiz, so you don't know her. And I don't want you to know her by other means. My dad and mom love her, hope you love her too." The 37-year-old singer later revealed that he got married on November 27. At Wang's first concert after his marriage, he talked about his wife to his fans for the first time. "You've always stood up for me, so I will always stand up for Jinglei". No.2 Reality show "Where are we going, Dad" become a hit One of this year's hottest Chinese reality shows is "Where are we going, Dad?" produced by Hunan Satellite. The show which based on a similar show in South Korea features five celebrity fathers taking their young children out to explore the real world in front of cameras. No.1 Ang Lee wins best director Oscar Director Ang Lee from Taiwan won the Best Director Academy Award for "Life of Pi" in Los Angeles in February 2014.

2013 has seen many Chinese actors try their hand at directing for the first time. Of these, Charlie Yeung is one of the more interesting. While most first-time directors tap the market's demand for nostalgia or bemoaning the bygone of their own youth, the Taiwan-born director has chosen a more serious topic. In courtroom drama "Christmas Rose", Kwai Lunmei plays a handicapped piano teacher who accuses a famous surgeon of sexual harassment. Zhang Zhen plays the surgeon and Aaron Kwok is the public prosecutor who does everything he can to incriminate the accused, only to discover the case is not as simple as it first seemed. The story develops in multiple suspense-filled steps according to court procedure. Many details are explained in flashbacks during the trial. The theme is unusual for a Chinese film, so the story has potential, but regrettably fails to fulfill. For example, suspect Doctor Zhou's character is incomplete. Despite efforts to show the impact of the case on his family, this doesn't develop into a compelling part of the main plot. Kwai Lunmei clearly worked hard to portray a disabled victim, but the twist at the end is a little too much. Aaron Kwok, on the other hand, conveys a powerful performance of emotional development. In fact, Aaron Kwok and Kwai Lunmei's performances clearly show the movie's failings are not due to the cast, but the story itself. Despite this the pacing works well, with each stage well-timed to maintain interest, so perhaps the assistance of producer Hark Tsui finally paid off. Compared with other directorial debuts, such as "So Young" by Zhao Wei and "Tiny Times" by novelist and businessman Guo Jingming, Yeung's movie is more personal and thought provoking. Instead of being trapped in nostalgia or watching a meaningless display of wealth, audiences may enjoy a little intellectual stimulation about something other than the contents of their dinner. "Christmas Rose" deserves a six out of ten.

Lately there has been no shortage of controversy in China's film market. A few weeks ago, the Chinese movie "Switch" raked in nearly 300 million yuan for being an incredibly awful product. Now, "Tiny Times", the first film by Chinese author and businessman Guo Jingming has provoked heated debate between Chinese viewers of different generations. Guo is a successful writer-turned-businessman. His novels were able to tap into the wallets of China's young adolescent readers to bring him quick fame and fortune. Last year, his books sold for 1.4 million US dollars, making him the biggest earner among Chinese authors. But Guo is never too shy to boast about his fortune and often posts pictures about his extravagant life style, so he is constantly criticized by more conservative members of society. Now with Guo's first film to hit Chinese movie theatres, the conservatives have a fresh fish to fry. The story of "Tiny Times" is about the friendship of four college girls. Unlike Zhao Wei's "So Young" about a month ago, the girls in "Tiny Times" don't attend schools. Instead, they wear magnificent outfits, live in spacious apartments, work for fashion shows and break up with their boyfriends over expensive gifts. In a word, it is "Gossip Girl – the Shanghai freshmen special". Now some opinion leaders are lambasting the so-called twisted values portrayed in "Tiny Times", they believe the film's abundance of luxury items may lead our youth to harbor unrealistic longings for material wealth. So Guo's obsession with luxury has once more become a topical issue. In fact, the dispute over the blatant display of material wealth has clouded people's observation of the movie from an objective perspective. For example, despite the lackluster performance of the good-looking, superstar actors and actresses, the movie actually tells a decent story that one can understand without difficulty, beating average Chinese films that are usually weak in script. From time to time, actress Xie Yilin even pokes some fun at the audience to spice things up a little. Cinematography is slightly above average, but two long takes are instantly effective, including one which lasts for 2 minutes and 40 seconds and another for 4 minutes. Both are challenging shots, especially the latter where the camera follows the lead actress through swarms of people in a 4-storey building. The pictures may look a bit gaudy, but they are quite in line with the lavish costume and setting. If the film were made by any director other than Guo Jingming, it may not have caused such serious opposition from orthodox critics. But then again, the film may not have sold so well without all the fuss. So be aware, critics, your censure may have promoted the very ideas that you tried to suppress. We humans never stop seeking material wealth. Our youths, born in an age of prosperity, may have a rightfully higher aspiration than their parents could envision. So instead of giving empty talks on so-called "healthy" virtues, it is better to encourage them to work hard for wealth, both material and spiritual. On ascale from one to ten, I give "Tiny Times" a five.