Another interview

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/film_award/shortlist/hero.shtml
Hero has been a huge commercial success both in China and around the world. Did you set out to make it as big a hit as possible?
I never expected that it would be so popular internationally. I am more in the habit of judging the tastes of Chinese audiences. I couldn't have predicted that so many foreigners would like it. I have been thinking about it a lot since completing the movie.

To what extent did you make this film appeal to a Western audience and their idea of China as exotic?
You can't really think that way. Appreciation of a good film is something universal. It is about feelings, characters, stories, colours, scenery, beauty - much of which is common to all human beings, especially feelings. As long as the film appeals to human emotions, all audiences will enjoy it.

Do you feel Chinese films are having an influence on Hollywood?
I used to think many Hollywood action movies were pretty stupid, but now the moves are becoming much better visually. Like John Woo's movies, the martial arts are quite poetic. Many big American movies are beginning to have Chinese Kung Fu scenes - The Matrix, for example. The action sequences in the films are more beautiful, more rhythmic. It's great to see Chinese ideology affecting Hollywood in a positive way. Kung Fu can influence people all over the world, it inspires hope, and it can help people learn about traditional Chinese art. Any Chinese person would be proud of that.