He had a simple coffee, toast and egg combo with relish, which surprised Director Zhang Yimou. In his opinion, Qin Guan should have been sad for not making it to the final round of the Oscars.
"It's alright. The Oscars are awarded to American films. I shifted my focus to China during the past year. It was only natural for the organizing committee to forget about me. Oh, I have to congratulate you, Director Zhang. Your film was shortlisted for the Best Foreign Film Award again, among other award nominations."
"It's not something worth congratulating me about." Zhang sighed. "Kung Fu movies are becoming outdated in China, and the American audience has gotten sick of the same patterns. I've come here to meet you and express my gratitude."
Zhang Weiping, who was the producer, broke in, "The box office of the film in North America was barely over 10 million dollars."
"Really? But you must have earned 322 million in China."
"That's not bad. 'House Of Flying Daggers' only earned a few million dollars after all. If it wasn't for your fan club in America though, the film would have flopped."
"This is a decent result both for us and the Chinese audience."
You are so good at consoling yourself.
Qin Guan accepted their invitation to the premiere of "Curse Of The Golden Flower" before saying goodbye to them and flying to California. He was about to become the third Chinese actor with a star on the Walk of Fame.
His star would not be on the street in front of the Chinese Theater though, as that spot required too much money to maintain.
According to an interview with the principal of the theater, the ceremony would be simpler, as those stars were not equal to the real ones. Compared to the real avenue, that street was a little dimmer. The Walk of Fame hosted film, TV and music stars.
Any listed star had to meet the following terms.
1. He/She should have made professional achievements in their respective field.
Qin Guan met that requirement. He had won plenty of awards for his work.
2. He/She should have at least 5 years of experience in their field.
That was why the committee had not accepted Qin Guan's application until 2007.
Sister Xue had started collecting the application forms as soon as Qin Guan had travelled to Los Angeles for the first time. She never went into battle unprepared.
3. He/She should have made a valuable contribution to society.
This was a vague requirement. Fortunately, Qin Guan had been advocating for the protection of wildlife ever since the Paris Fashion Week. Plus, he had participated in a public-interest ad in New York, so he had been involved actively both in public affairs and environmental protection.
He had also done a lot to protect the environment in China, which was the kind of thing that American people loved.
Thus, after a complicated procedure and strict investigation, Qin Guan finally qualified for a star.
The judge committee was composed of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the Hollywood History Trust. As the names suggested, the members were all businessmen.
The maintenance, construction, governmental cooperation and visitor management in Hollywood were all taken care of by the Hollywood History Trust, but the expenses were paid by the sponsors of the stars and businessmen that were active in Hollywood.