Hong Kong porn star now on China’s legislative body

A Chinese actress, who has starred in soft-porn films, has appealed to citizens to judge her by her performance as a legislator and not by her screen image after public criticism of her appointment to an influential legislative body.

"For the past three days, I've attended the annual session on time and carefully taken notes about other advisors' proposals, despite the fact that I should be busy promoting my upcoming film and TV series," Peng Dan told state-run Xinhua news agency following public resentment questioning the legitimacy of her political role.

An actress who used to star in Hong Kong's soft-core porn movies, or "Category III" films according to Hong Kong's motion picture rating system, Peng was appointed to the Gansu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the news agency report said.

CPPCC bodies at the provincial and national level are regarded as advisory bodies and the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) appoints noted public figures as members.

Her appointment lead to more than 3 lakh comments on popular Chinese microblogging website Sina Weibo with many web users saying Peng's past experience in porn movies means it is inappropriate for her to participate in the country's political process.

On her microblog, Peng asked web users to assess her political work in the next five years before they rush to deem her incompetent.

She urged people not to stereotype her, pointing out she had starred in different types of movies, including more than 30 films on Chinese revolutionary history.

"I understand people who do not know me think I became a political advisor only for show, but actually I see it as a huge responsibility," Peng said, adding that she considered the annual session a learning opportunity.

Others have raised suspicions that she got the position because of her fame or money instead of a political commitment, the Xinhua report said.

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