Happy Lunar New Year from the USC US-China Institute!
Lust, Caution
The Smithsonian Freer/Sackler Museums present a screening of Lust, Caution by Ang Lee.
Where
Sexual passion and political intrigue prove to be a combustible mix in this powerful espionage thriller that won Lee the coveted Golden Lion at the 2007 Venice Film Festival. Set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai in the years leading up to World War II, it stars Tang Wei as a college student who is drawn into a daring plot to seduce and assassinate brutal intelligence agent Mr. Yee (Tony Leung). The couple’s notoriously explicit sex scenes earned the film an NC-17 rating, but they are necessary to maintain the ambiguity of each character’s motives: Do they truly desire each other, or is it only a sadomasochistic game echoing the violent political turmoil around them? “A brooding meditation on the unnerving power and terrible cost of emotional and political masquerades … Lust, Caution gets under your skin with its examination of what qualifies as love and what does not” (Ken Turan, Los Angeles Times). Intended for mature audiences. (Dir.: Ang Lee, United States/China/Taiwan/Hong Kong, 2007, 157 min., Mandarin with English subtitles)
Featured Articles
We note the passing of many prominent individuals who played some role in U.S.-China affairs, whether in politics, economics or in helping people in one place understand the other.
Events
Ying Zhu looks at new developments for Chinese and global streaming services.
David Zweig examines China's talent recruitment efforts, particularly towards those scientists and engineers who left China for further study. U.S. universities, labs and companies have long brought in talent from China. Are such people still welcome?