She's known the world over for her stunning looks and acting
prowess. But she revealed another, and a much more serious, side of
her character yesterday. No, she was not talking about her latest
flick, Hannibal Rising, but the plight of our planet.
"Things will become really terrible if we don't take
environmental protection more seriously," said Gong Li, who has
recently received a lot of bad press for her dresses in The Curse
of the Golden Flower.
Talking to China Daily during a break in the Chinese People's
Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) group discussion, Gong said she had
submitted a proposal on environmental protection to the country's
top political advisory body.
Gong Li and Zhang Yimou
attending the CPPCC session this year.
This is not the first proposal that Gong has submitted, for she
has been doing so every year since being elected a member in
1998.
In this year's proposal, she addresses the importance and
urgency of processing garbage, sewage, and excess gas. Though
detailed measures are still being considered, she believes it is
important to first make people aware of the issue.
Garbage processing drew Gong's attention several years ago when
she learned from the media that the country was facing a large
number of garbage pile-ups. She said the "garbage hills" are
"terrible and dangerous.”
"If I had the time, I would like to take pictures of those
garbage heaps to make people aware of the dangers they pose," she
said.
Gong talked about a recent trip to her hometown in east China's
Shandong Province, where she found sewage and
excess gas had not been properly treated in many small cities,
posing a great threat to the environment.
As an international star, Gong travels abroad a lot. Some
countries, France in particular, she said on a lighter note, are
"more favored by God" because they seem to have a relatively better
natural environment.
Even though nature seems to have bestowed China with several
adverse elements, she believes the country can do a good job if its
people realize the importance of the environment and start doing
something immediately.
The interview was interrupted by other journalists and CPPCC
members requesting her autograph. Gong conceded that celebrities
could influence people, but she doesn't think fame alone will drive
a person to a good deed.
But the actress emphasized that if any institution wanted to
promote environmental protection, she would love to join in.
“If I had the chance to be an environmental image ambassador, I
would love to take on that role,” she said with a smile. "I just
feel very happy contributing to public welfare service."
(China Daily March 5, 2007)
