HONG KONG: Time magazine has included Taiwanese director Ang Lee on its list of 100 people who are shaping the world. An essay on the magazine’s Web site says that Lee, recent winner of the Oscar for best director for Brokeback Mountain, belongs on the list because of his talent for crossing cultural lines. “He creates characters that draw in an audience no matter what language they speak.

His insight into the human heart crosses all boundaries,” according to the essay, written by Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi. “I know he is also making a huge influence in the lives of younger filmmakers and actors,” Zhang said.

Zhang starred in Lee’s Oscar-winning martial arts epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000. She praised the director for casting her in the movie despite her lack of experience.

“When I went to audition for him, I had made just one film (The Road Home) and had

never done any martial arts,” she said.