Help from Hollywood

• Source: Global Times
• [10:19 July 19 2010]
• Comments

Coming home

Wu has achieved fame in China from several roles she has played in Chinese movies and TV shows, including Madame Soong Mei-ling, Chiang Kai-shek's wife, in The Founding of a Republic, and a lonely middle-aged wife trying to win her husband back in last year's popular television series Dwelling Narrowness.

In 2004, Wu returned to Chinese cinema with a starring role in the movie Shanghai Red, which she also produced. As one of the film's investors, Wu wanted it to be an experiment in which she tried to bring the Hollywood style of filmmaking to the Chinese market, she said. The result was a moderate success.

Wu was satisfied with the project, which she considers the first step in introducing what she learned in the West to her homeland.

Because she has worked in both China and the US, Wu said she was honored to be part of the bridge between the East and West, and she hopes to improve the quality of Chinese films so they will have a greater impact on the international stage.

She's regularly spotted on the Chinese mainland and has confirmed that she's determined to try to make a Hollywood blockbuster on China.

Active in charity

Wu has also become active in philanthropy in China, an idea that she got from Hollywood. "In Los Angles, I heard about how Michael Douglas organized the Annual Michael Douglas and Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament, which inspired me to set up one of my own. It's no pressure, just a group of friends hanging out and making donations."

So last year, she established Vivian Wu & Friends Charity Foundation, which in November sponsored a charity golf tournament and auction to help less fortunate students continue their education. Wu was able to raise more than 540,000 yuan ($79,704) and has decided to make it an annual event.

The idea didn't come out of nowhere. Wu remembered the gratitude she felt when she received help and encouragement from friends while she was a poor student studying in the US. When asked how she would ensure the transparency of the fundraising, Wu gave her word that she will personally make sure that all the students receive their first grants before the new semester starts in September of this year.

The foundation is determined to help those students with disadvantaged backgrounds afford a high school and college education. Each student will receive 5,000 yuan a year to cover tuition and other living expenses.

The program will continue to provide the students with financial aid after they get into college.

"It is quite rare to see programs that give away this much money over such a long duration," said Zhu Haojun, a representative of the Shanghai Youth Development Foundation.