To mark the centennial anniversary of Chinese movies in 2005, China will launch an awards ceremony based on box-office earnings. A ceremony will be held in Beijing in March with awards being made to 2004's most successful box-office hits.
   
The nominations for the best actress award were announced Tuesday in Beijing, with Li Bingbing, who starred as a beautiful thief in Feng Xiaogang's film A World Without Thieves, heading the list of nominees.
   
Zhang Ziyi, who has not yet returned from her Oscar trip to Los Angeles in the United States, joins Li on the list for her role in House of Flying Daggers. 
  
Other nominees are actress and singer Zhou Xun, who starred in Li Shaohong's Baober In Love, and controversial actress Zhao Wei who won a nomination for her outstanding performance as a complicated anti-drug policewoman.
   
Ju Xue, the final name on the list, was recognized for her performance in Sunshine Season. In 2004 she won the best actress award at the 10th Huabiao Awards, a government-sponsored event for China's film industry.
   
The winner will be decided by a public poll and announced at the ceremony later this month. Jointly sponsored by the Chinese Director's Association, Film Publishing Association and Cinema Association, the box-office chart is the first of its kind in China.

(Shenzhen Daily March 2, 2005)