A Third Video

This third video invites an interesting contrast. From the 02:28-04:54 mark, we witness the sheer frenzy of the media as it descends on Faye Wong (王菲), swarming around her and forcing her to dodge and cut in different directions just to get through them. You have to simultaneously admire and feel sorry for her: admire her agility, peripheral vision, and grace under extreme duress (she would’ve made a great running back in the NFL); and feel sorry for the extreme media onslaught that she endures wherever she goes.

In contrast, from the 05:15-end mark, we see the media politely interviewing Carina Lau and Tony Leung as they make their way through the airport. There are only a handful of reporters, in comparison to the throng that surrounded Faye. We have to remember that Carina Lau (刘嘉玲 Liu Jia Ling) and Tony Leung (梁朝偉) are the official stars of this event in Bhutan. It’s their wedding, after all,  that’s supposed to be at center stage.

Yet, judging by the media’s focus and attention, the real attraction is Faye. And this is always true. Wherever she goes, whatever she does, regardless of the situation, Faye literally becomes the attraction. That she would garner infinitely more coverage than anyone else, including the wedding couple, is no surprise to anyone. That she has no intention of upstaging her very close friend Carina is also very clear by Faye’s dress and demeanor. She is trying her best to dress down and totally ignore the media, hoping to avoid attracting their attention. But all is for naught. Regardless of how simply she’s dressed and how unfriendly she is to the reporters, she is still mobbed.

Such is Faye’s attraction and significance to the Chinese people. She excites them like no one else in the country — in the world. Wherever she goes, she becomes the star, and this includes concert performances where she’s sitting quietly in the audience, earthquake sites where she’s privately visiting injured children, Buddhist ceremonies in huge arenas where she’s trying to blend in among thousands of worshippers, and, yes, a good friend’s wedding where she’s trying in vain to downplay her presence.