The Tao of Lee

by Raymond Zhou

Taiwanese-born Ang Lee won his

second Best Director Oscar on February 24， 2013， for Life of Pi， one of the most acclaimed films of the year both artistically and commercially. Technically， the production is considered to eclipse Spielbergs Lincoln in terms of direction and artistic achievement， not to mention its breakthroughs in 3D technology.

Lee is a master of cross-cultural communication. His deep understanding of both Chinese and Western cultures has fueled his career. In 2006， he earned his first Best Director Oscar for Brokeback Mountain， the first Chinese director to take the coveted trophy. Similar to Sense and Sensibility， which was also highly-acclaimed， on its surface， the film has nothing to do with anything Chinese. However， Ang Lees personal philosophy is deeply influenced by Confucianism and Taoism， which inevitably seeps through into his most Western films， nourishing Western art with Chinese aesthetics while reinforcing the bridge between Eastern and Western cultures.

Many believe that Ang Lees personality is tempered with Confucian demeanor， which has become part of his nature. But for him， the trait is about speculative philosophy. His “Father Knows Best” trilogy including Pushing Hands， The Wedding Banquet， and Eat Drink Man Woman is strongly flavored with Confucian elements and highlights the majesty of fatherhood. Like most Chinese people， Lee was raised in a family with strict hierarchy headed by his father， in which both father and son rarely stray from their roles. Such features become sublime through Lees art， silently communicating culture. The respective climaxes of his films usually occur in the most seemingly peaceful places – expressing the strongest passion in the most restrained way.

Even more invisible and more deeplyhidden than Confucianism are the traces of Taoism in him. “I think of myself an outsider，”Lee asserts. Although he grew up in Taiwan， he considers himself culturally rooted in Chinas mainland. He felt like only a “visitor” upon arriving in the United States. When he returned to the mainland after many years of dramatic changes， he still didnt find a sense of belonging. These factors have created his unconventional world. That explains his unconventional approach to any topic. While making films， unlike many other directors who throw themselves into the context， Lee prefers the perspective of a spectator， so that he can gain a broader vision. “Im not gay，” he smiled， “but I made movies about gay people； Im not a woman， but many of my movies are about women.”

Throughout the course of his career， cultural misunderstandings have also arisen. For example， when filming The Ice Storm， Lee asked the production designer to place a hockey stick against the wall to enhance the setting. The idea was dropped when he was informed that in that particular region， hockey was only for girls.

But as for his sense of propriety， an outsider can often better handle the macro-situation than an insider. One who is too familiar， even obsessed with a films topic， might not be the best director. Bernardo Bertoluccis The Last Emperor provides one good comparison. Bertolucci didnt spend much energy depicting details of the royal court in China， but focused proper attention on the central theme of the struggle between the characters and the environment.However， the Chinese version of the same story was modeled more after period soap operas， with less artistic merit. Of course， Western directors tackling Eastern-themed films dont always work out as well. Director Rob Marshall depicted the life of a Japanese geisha in Memoirs of a Geisha based on Arthur Goldens book. One critic dubbed it “a feast for the eyes， but lacking internal force，” a common critical reaction to many period Hollywood films.

Ang Lee is undoubtedly a role model for other “outsiders.” He understands where to find universal traits of a subject， to depict truths of human nature. Hence， he has accomplished successful crossovers in both subject and content. Sense and Sensibility， his film version， for example， is considered a Westernized version of Eat Drink Man Woman. Crouching Tiger， Hidden Dragon has been called a martial arts version of Sense and Sensibility. And， Brokeback Mountain has been referred to as a homosexual incarnation of Crouching Tiger， Hidden Dragon. The success of Brokeback Mountain lies in its transcendence beyond the topic of homosexuality. Through Lees adept direction， the film showcases conflict and contradiction involved in the universal struggle between self suppression and free expression. It encourages tolerance without preaching， touching the audience with a special tenderness like tai chi.

Confidence and comfort with cultural diversity help Ang Lee stand out regardless of the films subject. The director has set sterling examples for the belief that “what belongs to the nation belongs to the world.”