World News for Students of English

08-03-2021 07:00

Chloe Zhao, the Beijing-born director who now resides in the US, has become the first Asian woman to win a Golden Globe for best director.

The 38-year-old ’Nomadland’ director is only the second woman to win the award in that category with Barbra Streisand being the first in 1984.

Many people praised Zhao online for being a huge inspiration for young Asian girls, and they added that it was a win for women everywhere. The semi-fictional ‘Nomadland’, which also got awarded for best drama, tells a story of a woman named Fern who travels around America as a modern-day nomad.

Many people expressed regret that Zhao would probably never make such a powerful film about China given the country’s censorship environment. Her win was also celebrated on Chinese social media Weibo, where many praised her talent.

Difficult words: semi-fictional (partially based on a true story), nomad (a person who travels from place to place rather that living in one place all the time), censorship (when a government prohibits certain books or films because they are considered dangerous).