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Tag: Shanghai

  • Chloe Bennet Says Acting Career Took Off When She Changed Her Name

    Actress Chloe Bennet believes her luck in Hollywood changed within days of adopting a new surname.

    The 22-year-old actress was born Chloe Wang, the daughter of a Chinese father and Caucasian mother in Chicago, IL.

    “I was having trouble booking things with my last name. I think it was hard for people to cast me as an ethnic, as an Asian American woman,” Bennet told The Toronto Star. “But I still wanted to keep my dad’s name, and I wanted to respect him, so I used his first name.”

    Bennet says that within a matter of days, she landed her first big role, a recurring spot on ABC’s hit musical drama Nashville.

    Bennet appeared in seven episodes of Nashville’s first season.

    From there she went on to become what some consider one of the breakout stars of the 2013-2014 television season when she landed the role of computer hacker Skye on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

    Bennet is joined on the Marvel adaptation by another actress of Chinese decent, Ming-Na Wen, who was born in Macau and lived in Hong Kong before moving to the United States as a child.

    “It’s been great to be a part of a show which is groundbreaking in terms of being an American woman and being Asian on television because there’s people who don’t see a lot of that and I’m really proud of it,” Bennet has said.

    Bennet disagrees with critics who say the cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is too homogenous:

    “It’s funny to see people say it’s not an ethnically diverse cast,” she says. “This is the first show where two of the regulars are Asians of Chinese extraction.”

    Far from being out of touch with her Asian roots, Bennet has embraced them throughout her life.

    When she was 15-years-old, she left her investment banker father, doctor mother, and ethnically diverse set of six brothers (“two African American, one Mexican American, and the rest half-Chinese,” according to Bennet) behind in Chicago to pursue a music career in Shanghai.

    “It was pretty difficult,” Bennet admits. “I didn’t know anyone there and didn’t speak the language. For the first few months, every day was the same: six hours of dance and four hours of Mandarin. But I had to grow up fast. I like to call it my high school job.”

    After a few years in Shanghai and Beijing, she returned to the US, changed her last name, and set her sights on an acting career.

    “I wanted to be racially ambiguous,” she says.”It must have worked. The first audition I went to was for Nashville.”

    Bennet keeps her Mandarin skills sharp by practicing with Ming-Na on the set of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

    “It’s a lot of fun,” she says. “We’ll talk in a nasty tone and pretend we’re saying bad things about the other actors when really we’re paying them compliments.”

    Image via Chloe Bennet, Instagram

  • Chinese Court Rules In Favor Of Apple, Can Keep Selling iPads

    It looks like Apple’s arguments yesterday in court worked as the Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court is going to allow the company to keep selling iPads in the city. Three out of the five Apple stores in China are in Shanghai so this a massive win for the company.

    Reuters is reporting that sources in China are saying that Apple has won its first major battle against Proview. If you’ve been following the story at all, this is a major win for Apple as they had been ruled against in the smaller courts across the country.

    As we reported yesterday, Apple was arguing that Proview didn’t own the rights to the iPad name. Apple had acquired the iPad name from Proview’s Taiwanese branch and the sale accounted for all the Asian countries that the name was used in. Proview claims that the Taiwanese branch had no right to sell the Chinese trademark.

    While Apple has avoided an injunction against the sale of their massively successful iPad, they’re still fighting another case in the Shanghai courts. Proview is seeking compensation from Apple for what they see as trademark infringement. It remains to be seen if the court will side with Proview or Apple in regards to that decision.

    Regardless, this is great news for Apple as it would allow them to sell the iPad 3 in China. The device is already rumored for a March launch and an injunction now would have thrown a monkey wrench into their plans.

    It almost looks like we’re at the end of the legal drama between Proview and Apple. We’ll keep you updated on any developments. I doubt that Proview will be able to take the case to U.S. courts now after this ruling, so expect a settlement within the next few days.

  • Apple Begins Fight Over iPad Name In Shanghai Court

    The legal drama between Apple and Proview hit new heights today as arguments from both sides were heard in a Shanghai court.

    As you’re all probably familiar with by now, Proview claims to own the iPad trademark in China. A claim that Apple says is bogus as they claim to have bought the iPad trademark across numerous Asian countries, including China, years ago.

    Reuters is reporting that the case in Shanghai today has Proview arguing for the immediate halt of iPad sales in the city. If enacted, the injunction would be a major hit against Apple as three out of five Apple stores in the country are located in the city.

    Apple fought back with the best defense they had – Proview can’t even do anything with the iPad name. Hu Jinnan, a lawyer representing Apple, said that Proview “has no product, no markets, no customers and no suppliers.” In essence, Apple is suggesting that Proview is only seeking monetary gain. An accusation that Proview has denied.

    Apple also possibly made the best argument of the day by linking iPad sales with state interest. They said that the ban “would not only hurt Apple sales but it would also hurt China’s national interest.”

    The Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court, where the case is being heard, has not made a decision yet and there’s no timeline for when we will get one. Proview seems to think they will receive a verdict soon.

    Even if the court was to rule in favor of Proview, Apple would have the chance to appeal the decision to a higher court. The lower courts have proven to be in favor of Proview, but as the case climbs the court system, there’s bound to be a judge that will rule in Apple’s favor.

    We’ll keep you updated as this fascinating case continues.