Clearing her name[1]

A video monitor shows Zhang Ziyi giving an interview, in which she gives her side of the story regarding donations to earthquake relief. Provided to China Daily

Zhang Ziyi has been criticized for not replying to accusations of charity fraud leveled against her, but in an exclusive interview with Raymond Zhou she tells all.

Zhang Ziyi's troubles started with a splash - literally. In late December, last year, a bunch of people stormed into Beijing's Park Hyatt and splashed black paint over a window advertisement with Zhang's image on it.

Shortly afterwards, a woman named Zhao Xinyu told the press she was behind the incident and the reason was Zhang, a former confidante of hers, had received jewelry and gifts worth 200 million yuan ($29.3 million) from a businessman who was married and thought Zhang was serious about him.

Zhao said she was the one who introduced them.

That story could not be confirmed because Zhang refused to respond.

Then, someone found discrepancies in Zhang's charity account. It soon ballooned into a full-scale scandal as new allegations popped up almost on a weekly basis.

Millions of netizens participated in the digging for dirt. After an initial attempt to explain through her representative, Zhang remained silent while the public reaction turned negative.

China Daily initiated contact with Zhang's people before the Spring Festival. Her schedule was so tight it was hard to fit in an interview of this nature, which might take several hours - and much longer to prepare.

After long deliberation, the interview took place in the wee hours of last Friday, in a small city in Liaoning province, not far from the location where she is shooting her current film.

Zhang appeared gaunt and exhausted. She had been working several long nights in a row, doing action scenes. She was solemn most of the time, quite unlike the jovial persona she projects for her public appearances.

She frequently consulted a legal document prepared by a Los Angeles law office, Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard & Shapiro, llp, that contains details of her donations.

The document was released at the same time as the interview, available in both English and Chinese, as well as the entire interview, in both video and transcript form in Chinese, on China Daily's Chinese website.

It was predetermined the interview would focus on the donation controversy. She gingerly stepped around questions about her fallout with Zhao.

Zhang Ziyi discusses "Donations Gate" at a hotel in a small city in Liaoning, near where she is shooting her new movie. Provided to China Daily

Q & A | Zhang Ziyi

CD (China Daily): You donated 1 million yuan ($146,500) out of your own pocket (for Sichuan earthquake relief), right?

ZZY (Zhang Ziyi): Yes.

CD: You gave it to the China Red Cross?

ZZY: Yes.

CD: But only 840,000 yuan ($123,000) was transferred.

ZZY: That's correct.

CD: You made up for the shortfall only recently (Feb 8, 2010). Why was that?

ZZY: I was not in China (May 2008). I just gave the instruction to donate and did not follow up. I traveled from the United States to Cannes, France. I take the main responsibility for the lapse and causing my staff to mix it up.

CD: When did you first realize your donation was short of what you had announced?

ZZY: Later, when news came out and we did an investigation.

CD: What exactly went wrong?

ZZY: Some kind of communication problem.

CD: Have you ever said things like: "Please give money to the Red Cross?"

ZZY: Yes.

CD: At Cannes?

ZZY: Yes.

CD: Were you encouraging people to donate to the Red Cross? Or, were you asking them to give you the money and you would pass it to the Red Cross?

ZZY: I was encouraging them to give directly to the Red Cross. Not a penny of other people's money passed through me to the Red Cross.

CD: Have you ever raised money in the name of the Red Cross, but for your own foundation?

ZZY: Never.

CD: Have you ever thought of putting the 1 million yuan you gave to the Red Cross into your own foundation?

ZZY: No.

Fundraising in Cannes

CD: Your fundraising in Cannes (May 21, 2008) got a lot of media coverage in China. But there have been different reports about the sum raised. The oft-quoted amount for cash is $50,000, which includes some Hong Kong dollars and euros converted into US dollars. Is that correct?

ZZY: That's not correct.

CD: Then, what was the amount of cash raised?

ZZY: About $1,300.

CD: How come it was so little?

ZZY: The fundraising event was hastily arranged. We did not have a place. It was lent to us. I did not have many people with me, and I'm grateful to the volunteers from Sohu. Not many people showed up. At Cannes, everyone was busy watching movies and attending parties. And people do not carry much cash around, especially non-Chinese.

CD: How much did you raise in pledges?

ZZY: We got a little more than $400,000.

CD: How much of that has been honored?

ZZY: Around $39,000.

CD: Did the "almost $500,000" include the $100,000 pledged by Wendi Deng (Rupert Murdoch's wife)?

ZZY: Yes.

CD: In the past two years did you try to get the pledged money?

ZZY: I made calls and corresponded with the pledged donors.

CD: What was the result?

ZZY: I hope to have a concrete project to show them and see whether that will interest them.

CD: What if you fail to collect the whole?

ZZY: (Long pause) If they do not honor their pledges that will give me another chance to give. I'll make up for the shortfall of $400,000 (the amount earmarked for a Sichuan Children's Center).

CD: Have you ever mentioned that you raised more than $500,000, say, $1 million, which is often mentioned in media reports? What about $2 million, $5 million, and the highest I've read, $7 million? Do you know where those figures came from?

ZZY: None of these is right. In the interviews after that fund-raising party, I said we raised "almost $500,000" and my goal is to raise $1 million. I have seen the $2 million report, which seemed to have something to do with Vivi (Nevo, Zhang's fianc). But he did not have a clue when I asked him about it. As for the other numbers, I have no idea.

Zhang Ziyi Foundation

CD: Some say you have two foundations, one in California and one in New York. The one in New York is actually an ESL school. How is that?

ZZY: We have only one foundation, which is registered in California. But we added a New York mailing address for convenience of correspondence.

CD: Some say your foundation is registered as a business.

ZZY: That's not true. It is a not-for-profit organization, a charity.

CD: Some say (the registration) has expired.

ZZY: It is always in good standing.

CD: Some say you have only $45,471 in the account, others say the foundation's assets are zero. Which is correct?

ZZY: There have never been zero assets in the account. The $40,000-plus should be $39,000 in donations plus $5,000 in expenses, which came from my own pocket.

CD: Did all donations go to this account?

ZZY: Yes.

CD: Did anyone send money to your own account and you had to transfer it to the foundation?

ZZY: This never happened.

CD: Is this money managed by a professional, say, an accountant?

ZZY: Yes.

CD: Has there been any withdrawal - for any reason?

ZZY: Never. It has always been there. I want to say that all information about the foundation is open and we have never done anything not transparent or illegal. Everyone can go and check on it.

CD: There was a full-page ad in Hollywood Reporter, in which the editor-in-chief and you appeal for funds for the relief of the Sichuan earthquake. Is that true?

ZZY: Yes.

CD: Did you pay for the ad?

ZZY: No. They wanted to help me when they found out what I was doing and they were moved.

CD: Did anyone donate because of the ad?

ZZY: It was a pity we did not receive any donations (induced by the ad).

Care for Children

CD: You said this money will be given to Care for Children and be used for building a Children's Center in Deyang, Sichuan province. Can you give us a brief description of the organization?

ZZY: Care for Children is an international charity headquartered in the United Kingdom and with an office in Beijing. It has handled 38 projects in 27 provinces and autonomous regions across China.

CD: Why did you pick Care for Children?

ZZY: I had worked with them before the 2008 earthquake. What they do is to help those children who are deserted by sending them to foster homes. I wanted to cooperate with them and help the children left homeless from the earthquake.

CD: But your money has not reached Care for Children yet. Why?

ZZY: We had to get government approval for the project. It took a long time.

CD: Now it has been approved, right?

ZZY: The approval came in November 2009.

CD: When will the money enter the account of Care for Children?

ZZY: Within three weeks of breaking ground on the center.

CD: How much will the center cost? And how much do the monies from your foundation and Care for Children account for?

ZZY: The total cost will be 9 million yuan ($1.3 million), and our donations will be 4.5 million yuan, which is about $658,000. Of this amount, $400,000 is from my foundation.

CD: Will you shut down the foundation once this project is over, or keep running it?

ZZY: This project has just been approved. We'll put our energy into it. I'll think about other things later.

Learning about charity

CD: What qualities do you think are required for doing charity work, besides passion?

ZZY: Besides passion, I think one needs a lot of energy, a professional team and enough knowledge.

CD: Do you think you possessed them?

ZZY: I had passion and energy, but not a professional team, or the right approach.

CD: When entertainment celebrities engage in charity work, it usually gives people the impression that they want to spruce up their public image. Have you considered a low-profile or anonymous approach to charity?

ZZY: I wish I could do that. But ... I still hope to use my name and influence to raise awareness for the issues involved.

CD: What position does charity work occupy in your life and career?

ZZY: A very important position. The achievements I have made today are the result of the many years that my country invested in me If the country suffers, we have to do our part. You cannot make up the feeling that you have with the country and the people. It is real.

CD: What's your philosophy for charity?

ZZY: My interest is in kids, especially disabled children. When I see them - whatever country they come from, I hope I can work for them, to improve their welfare.

CD: Since the controversy about your donation, you have hired a Los Angeles law firm to investigate. Now it has issued its report, which is quite detailed. There are four donors who each pledged $100,000, and one for $50,000, but they have not yet honored their pledges. Why are their identities not revealed?

ZZY: Donors have the right to reveal or conceal their names. It's about privacy.

CD: If they end up not honoring those pledges, basically you'll take the responsibility for them. Right?

ZZY: Yes, it can be interpreted this way.

CD: You kept silent for two months. Why didn't you come out earlier and explain?

ZZY: I wanted to clarify it from the very beginning. But then I found out I should use legal means to clarify everything. That'll be more convincing. We sent all the evidence to the US. The process took a long time.

Impact of the controversy

CD: Do you think there was someone manipulating the controversy, or it was the netizens who wanted to find out the truth?

ZZY: I believe most netizens have a sense of justice and will seek truth from facts. When they know the truth, they can judge for themselves.

CD: What impact has the controversy had on you and your family?

ZZY: A lot. It's about me and I have to face it. But I don't want to see my family getting worried because of me ... (fighting back tears)

CD: Did you get angry and feel it's unfair?

ZZY: Of course there were moments I felt bad. I wanted to do something good, but we had our problems, such as my lack of experience, my failure to disclose to the public, my limited knowledge about philanthropy and other reasons.

CD: Would you see this as a setback?

ZZY: It was certainly a setback. But I learned something new from it.

CD: Some say you quit (the Wendi Deng-produced movie)Snow Flower and the Secret Fan because of this, and some brands dropped you as their spokeswoman. Is that true?

ZZY: No. I prepared for this movie for two years. But I underwent a surgery after doing an action scene, which prevented me from proceeding with that (Wendi Deng) movie.

CD: What about endorsements?

ZZY: Nothing unusual has happened.

Black paint incident

CD: When the current controversy first broke out, it had nothing to do with donations. A certain Zhao (Xinyu) accused you of something. Would you care to respond?

ZZY: This incident has already caused trouble for a lot of people, especially my family. I have endured much, and I don't want others to go through the same pain.

CD: Do you think the public has a right to know the private lives of celebrities?

ZZY: There should be limits.

CD: What about your love and marriage?

ZZY: If it's nothing unethical, there's a need to let the public know.

CD: Do you think a star should be a role model of morality?

ZZY: Stars are ordinary people, too. But they should conduct themselves better.

CD: You have international fame. Some say what you do represents the whole country and you should receive special protection or be placed under special constraints. What do you think?

ZZY: I want to do better, but I don't want to give myself too much pressure or a sense of mission. I want to be an ordinary person, but I'll work to make it as perfect as possible.

CD: A professor once said, you, Zhang Ziyi, are more powerful than Confucius in promoting Chinese culture overseas. What's your take on it?

ZZY: How can I be compared with Confucius ...

CD: What do you want your public image to be?

ZZY: I want to be compassionate, responsible, hard working and full of personality.

Words to the wise on charity

Zheng Yuanchang, director of the Ministry of Social Affairs' charity and social donation office

"Stars should bear some things in mind when engaging in charity.

First, charity is professional. You must understand relevant laws and rules, or you could turn good intentions into misdeeds.

Second, charity requires adhering to certain techniques. For example, when you have not collected an amount of money, how can you tell the media and public you have? You could have said that you might, or hopefully would, collect that much. As an organizer, you can make public the names of pledge-makers, enabling the public to help supervise them. Or you could work with professionals in the field, such as foundations. In China, people cannot raise money on their own behalves.

Third, you should publicize relevant information and ensure its transparency. Passion is not enough. Stars feel fantastic about the public's praise when doing charity work but often forget to follow up on the project. You should inform the public of the deadlines for handing over the money and of any problems you encounter. And you should make sure you communicate with the public continuously throughout the process.

Finally, I think we should reflect on not only Zhang Ziyi's case but also on the fact that most people in our society do not know how to do charity. Thinking about this will help charity's development in China. Ask yourself: If you were in Zhang's shoes, could you do it right? You will find 80 percent or 90 percent of us might end up like her or even worse off. Therefore, we should learn how to do charity together."

Zhang Yiwu, Peking University professor, who once compared Zhang Ziyi with Confucius in terms of promoting Chinese culture overseas

"I don't believe she meant to cheat. But I do think that if she had not promised too much or had lived up to what she had promised, things would be much better.

One should know his or her limits. Nobody is omnipotent. Charity is something that really should be done by professionals. Too much idealism or romanticism may not always lead to a happy ending. I think Zhang Ziyi does not have an objective opinion of the abilities of those who promised to donate but failed to do so. But after all, she has donated much money - more than most of us have - and we should encourage any positive contributions.

Zhang plays an important role in China's international communications. Popular and traditional culture are both important elements of a country's image. Zhang is one of the most important symbols of China's popular culture. Today, I still think we need more people like her. There are few Chinese stars with her level of influence."