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NEW YORK Jean-Christophe Bahebeck Jersey , May 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks closed mixed on Friday ahead of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, as investors were digesting the latest economic data from the country.


The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.67 points, or 0.01 percent, to 21,080.28. The S&P 500 added 0.75 points, or 0.03 percent Javier Pastore Jersey , to 2,415.82. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 4.94 points, or 0.08 percent, to 6,210.19.


U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 1.2 percent in the first quarter of 2017, according to the "second" estimate released by the Commerce Department.


The latest reading was higher than the "advance" estimate of a 0.7-percent gain issued last month but still way below the 2.1-percent real GDP growth in the fourth quarter.


Another report by the department showed U.S. durable goods orders fell 0.7 percent in April after rising 2.3 percent in March Hatem Ben Arfa Jersey , missing market expectations. The downturn was also the first since durable goods orders fell 4.6 percent in November.


Meanwhile, consumer sentiment in the U.S. was virtually unchanged in May, according to revised data released by the University of Michigan on Friday.


The University of Michigan said the consumer sentiment index for May was downwardly revised to 97.1 from a preliminary reading of 97.7. The May reading is slightly higher than the final April reading of 97.0 but below market expectations.


The U.S. equity market will be closed on Monday due to Memorial Day, which could lead to subdued trading volumes.


For the week, all three major indices saw strong gains, with the Dow Grzegorz Krychowiak Jersey , the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq going up 1.3 percent, 1.4 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively.


Data expo opens in southwest China


Traditional Duanwu Festival greeted around China


Canadian naval ship arrives in Shanghai for visit


Tourists enjoy scenery among flowers in NW China


Bottlenose dolphins relocated in NE China's Heilongjiang


China's Xiamen to hold 9th BRICS Summit


Yoga fans practise yoga on flower farmland in N China's Hebei


Chinese submersible Jiaolong descends to 4,811 meters in Mariana Trench

The military-themed movie Wolf Warrior 2 features Wu Jing in multiple roles, including director and star, and is set in an unnamed African country facing a civil war. (Photo provided to China Daily)

by Xinhua writer Gao Wencheng


BEIJING Goncalo Guedes Jersey , Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Wolf Warrior II, an action film written by, directed by and staring Chinese actor Wu Jing, has become the first non-Hollywood movie ever to crack the list of 100 global box office champions, a dose of Chinese kung fu to Western-dominant movie markets.


While Hollywood superheroes who save the earth are taken for granted, some Western critics misjudged Wolf Warrior II as "propaganda stunt." It was a classic example of sour grapes.


Moviegoers shrugged off the prejudice. The film received a rating of 86 percent on Rotten Tomatoes Giovani Lo Celso Jersey , a famous U.S. review aggregator for film and television.


The action is set deep in Africa, where Leng Feng, portrayed by Wu, reaffirms his duty as a soldier and battles Western mercenaries to rescue innocent Chinese civilians and African workers at a Chinese company.


Leng's sense of responsibility with the belief of "Once a Wolf Warrior, always a Wolf Warrior" is applauded on the screen and beyond. Tears were shed at the movie's end, and many returned for a second or third viewing.


But some Western critics saw the film differently.


Ignoring the value of loving one's homeland Edinson Cavani Jersey , something widely shared in China, the British Broadcasting Cooperation called the Chinese action movie "nationalist action movie."


Even the growing confidence of Chinese people etched in the movie is called great-power chauvinism. But is there really something wrong with having faith in one's country to carry out the quintessential job of protecting its own people?


In fact, such heroism claimed in the movie is commonly-articulated in Western war and action movies, including a number of Hollywood films.


During a press conference, Wu lashed out at the bias held by Western critics, saying "Why is that a problem? America makes movies that promote the American spirit. Why can't I do that for China?"


Actually Dani Alves Jersey , the U.S. superheroes are inherently political creatures. In the backdrop of World War II, U.S. superheroes including Captain America glamorized war in comic books. The U.S. government even used comic books to promote conscription.


From then on, superhero images in comic books and movies have been devoted to the adventures of powerful individuals compelled to use their abilities to impose a personal morality on the world.


It is not hard to find a political complexion in them. People cannot help wondering whether these U.S. superheros promote war while maintaining their own country as a defender of peace.


Different from most U.S. superheroes who fight in a world of make believe, Wolf Warrior II is inspired by reality.


China's evacuations of people from such conflict-torn countries as Yemen and Libya have been hailed by the international community over the past few years.


At one point in the movie, Leng unfurled a Chinese flag with his arm as the flagpole to assure safe passage through a war zone.


China's emergence as a key player in Africa is a tough pill for Western countries to swallow. Some critics say Wolf Warrior II is merely propaganda whitewashing China's role on the continent.


But Wolf Warrior II is a microcosm of China's friendship with Africa.