DAILY BRIEF: Jan 29, 2021

NEWS YOU SHOULDN’T MISS

• 1

  What If China No Longer Needs Hollywood? That's Bad News for the Film Industry

  "If China doesn't need US movies, Hollywood studios will have to dramatically reduce their spending on big budget blockbusters," Aynne Kokas, the author of "Hollywood Made in China," told CNN Business. "The current budgets are unsustainable without access to the China market. That could fundamentally change the model of the US film industry." CNN

• 2

  New Documentary by Japanese Director Reveals How China Lifted 750 Million People From Poverty

  In the documentary, which took two years to film, the director connects the real stories of poverty reduction to an ancient Chinese fairy tale in which an elderly man decides to take on the seemingly impossible task of removing the mountains that isolate his village from the outside world and with perseverance and dedication succeeds. Global Times

• 3

  ‘Do Western Media Expect Us to Cry All Day Long?’ Wuhan Residents Rebut BBC Video for Prejudice

  The BBC has released news items recording the situation in Wuhan one year after the coronavirus lockdown, but these reports have not been welcomed by Wuhan residents, as many believed the carefully chosen settings, lighting and biased voiceovers showed some Western reporters'"sour grapes" mentality. Global Times

• 4

  Epic Xinjiang History Documentary Debuts

  A documentary series about the history of China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region made its debut on TV on Monday. It showcases an array of significant archaeological findings as a testimony that Xinjiang is an integral part of China, according to the producers speaking at a press conference in Beijing. China.org

• 5

  Hong Kong Is Trashed in Yet Another Hollywood Blockbuster

  In the film’s new trailer, Hong Kong is used as a battleground for a climactic stand-off between the two titans, causing considerable collateral damage. It uncannily echoes Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 kaiju slugfest "Pacific Rim," while Marvel’s "Doctor Strange" also left the city in ruins. South China Morning Post