China Censors Ang Lee’s Speech

Posted on Mar 7, 2006

Kevork Djansezian / AP

Director Ang Lee poses with the Oscar he won for best director for his work on “Brokeback Mountain” at the 78th Academy Awards Sunday, March 5 in Los Angeles. Chinese state TV censored the parts of his acceptance speech pertaining to Taiwan and homosexuals.

BBC: The Chinese media praised Taiwan-born Ang Lee for his best director Oscar win but state TV cut part of his speech mentioning China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Lee thanked everyone in all three regions. Beijing regards Taiwan as sovereign territory and Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

“Ang Lee is the pride of Chinese people,” said the China Daily.

State television also cut Lee’s words of thanks to the two gay cowboys in his film, Brokeback Mountain.

Lee said: “They taught all of us so much, not just about the gay men and women whose love is denied by society but, just as importantly, about the greatness of love itself.”

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