document_title: Izzie Stevens

question_text: what season does izzie die on grey's anatomy

question_tokens: what season does izzie die on grey 's anatomy

text: Izzie Stevens

text: Storylines[edit]

text: Izzie appears in the first episode of Grey's Anatomy, meeting fellow interns Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Alex Karev, and George O'Malley.[1] She and George move in with Meredith and become best friends.[2] Izzie's boyfriend, hockey player Hank (Jonathan Scarfe), struggles to accept her new role as a surgeon, and the two break up.[3] Izzie is hurt when Alex exposes her past as a lingerie model.[4] However, the two later go on to begin a friendship and then a romance.[5] Alex experiences sexual dysfunction with Izzie and cheats on her with nurse Olivia Harper (Sarah Utterback).[6] When Izzie finds out, she breaks up with him, though they briefly reunite following a bomb incident at the hospital.[7] Izzie reveals while treating a pregnant teenager that she had a daughter at the age of 16 and gave her up for adoption. Izzie falls in love with cardiothoracic patient Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and the two become engaged. When Denny's condition deteriorates, Izzie deliberately worsens his health further by cutting his LVAD wire to move him up the donor register.[8] Although Denny receives a new heart, he has a stroke hours later and dies.[9] Izzie is the sole beneficiary of Denny's will, inheriting $8.7 million.[10] She uses the money to open a free clinic at the hospital: the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic.[11]

text: Izzie disapproves of George's relationship and marriage to orthopedic resident Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez).[12] She and George sleep together, and attempt to keep their liaison a secret.[13] George and resident Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) are the only people aware that Izzie gave birth to a daughter at the age of sixteen; ultimately the child was given up for adoption. He supports Izzie when her daughter Hannah (Liv Hutchings), diagnosed with leukemia, arrives at Seattle Grace Hospital in need of a bone marrow transplant from Izzie.[14] Izzie's feelings for George grow, and she reveals that she has fallen in love with him.[15] When Callie discovers George has been unfaithful, the two separate,[16] and George and Izzie embark on a short-lived relationship, only to discover there is no real chemistry between them.[17]

text: Izzie supports Alex when he discovers his new girlfriend has psychiatric problems, and convinces him to have her committed. She is also handed primary responsibility for the clinic, as Bailey cuts back on her responsibilities.[18] Izzie and Alex go on to rekindle their relationship, though Izzie is concerned when she begins hallucinating Denny.[19] She discovers she has metastatic melanoma (Stage IV) which has spread to her liver, skin, and brain, causing the hallucinations. Her survival chances are estimated at only 5%.[20] She is admitted to Seattle Grace as a patient, and Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) successfully removes a tumor from her brain.[21] Izzie spends her time in the hospital planning Meredith and Derek's wedding, but when her condition worsens and Derek discovers a second brain tumor, they give the ceremony to Izzie and Alex, who marry in front of all their friends.[22] The procedure to remove the second tumor from Izzie's brain causes her to lose her short-term memory, and although she soon regains it, she flatlines moments later. The fifth season ends with her friends ignoring her DNR order and attempting to resuscitate her, transposed with images of Izzie in an elevator encountering George, who has been in an accident and is also currently flatlining.[23] Though George dies, Izzie is resuscitated and recovers enough to return to work.[24]

text: Izzie makes a treatment error that endangers the life of a patient, and is fired from the hospital's surgical program. Believing Alex is partially to blame, she writes him a Dear John letter and leaves.[25] Izzie later learns that Alex was not responsible for her lost job, and returns to make amends with him, but Meredith informs her that Alex is moving on. Izzie informs Alex that she no longer has cancer. Although he is pleased, Alex officially breaks up with Izzie, telling her that he loves her but deserves better. She leaves Seattle to start fresh.[26] Several episodes later, Alex informs Meredith that Izzie sent divorce papers, which he signs in the episode "How Insensitive".[27] In the sixth-season finale, Alex is shot and asks for Izzie. Imagining that Meredith's half-sister Lexie (Chyler Leigh) is Izzie, he apologizes and asks her never to leave him again.[28] In the 300th episode, Alex reveals he never found out what happened to Izzie, but envisions a perfect, happy life for her, always smiling, now that he has moved on.

text: Development[edit]

text: Casting and creation[edit]

text: Izzie was created by Grey's Anatomy producer Shonda Rhimes, with actress Katherine Heigl cast in the role. Heigl originally wanted to play Izzie as a brunette, but was requested to retain her natural blond for the part.[29] Heigl's comprehension of medical procedures and terminology is slight; the actress explained that while she has an admiration for doctors, she is not as fascinated by medicine as other cast members.[30] When Kate Walsh's character Addison Montgomery left Grey's Anatomy to launch the spin-off show Private Practice, Heigl disclosed that she had hoped for a spin-off for Izzie.[31]

text: Heigl declined to put her name forward for consideration at the 2008 Emmy Awards, claiming that she had been given insufficient material on the series to warrant a nomination.[32] Following Heigl's statement, speculation arose that her character would suffer a brain tumor and be killed off Grey's Anatomy, substantiated by the announcement Jeffrey Dean Morgan would return to the series as Denny, who died at the end of season two.[33] ABC's entertainment president Steve McPherson denied the rumor, stating: "There is an unbelievable storyline for her this year, which is really central to everything that's going to go on this season".[34]

text: Speculation resumed, however, when Dean Morgan returned to the show for a second time in its fifth season.[35] Cast member James Pickens, Jr. announced that both Heigl and T.R. Knight were set to depart from the show,[36] but he later retracted his comment.[37] During the course of the fifth season, Izzie was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma (Stage IV) which spread to her liver, skin and brain. Following the show's one-hundredth episode wrap party, Heigl revealed she did not know if Izzie would survive, as no one on the production team would disclose her character's fate to her.[38] It was confirmed in June 2009 that Heigl would return as Izzie for the show's sixth season.[39] Heigl's appearances in the season were sporadic, seeing Izzie depart and return twice.[40] Although she was scheduled to appear in the final five episodes of the season, Heigl requested that she be released from her contract 18 months early, and made her final appearance on January 21, 2010.[41] Heigl explained that she wanted to spend more time with her family, and did not think it would be respectful to Grey's Anatomy viewers to have Izzie return and depart yet again.[40] Michael Ausiello spoke further on Katherine Heigl's perspective on Izzie's departure. He said, "[Katherine] thinks her Jan. 21 farewell - while not originally intended to be her last episode - oddly works as a bookend to Izzie's story. "Even though there's a part of me that would like to go back and do the quick Izzie farewell, " she says, "I also think that my last scene - where Meredith says to Izzie, 'Don't go, we're your family,' and Izzie's response was, 'No you're not, you're just a bunch of people I worked with, and I can find that anywhere' - was kind of tragic and appropriate all at the same time. When I was playing the scene I was really trying to convey that, for Izzie, that was a lie that she had to tell herself to have the courage to have to move on."[42]

text: In August 2010, Rhimes stated that she did not feel Izzie's character arc—specifically her relationship with Alex—had fully concluded, and hoped to give proper closure to their relationship in the seventh season.[43] She later confirmed that she had intended to kill off Izzie off-screen, but opted against this a day later as she felt that it would destroy Alex, rather than give him closure. Instead, she concluded: "I'm open to seeing Izzie again. So if she [Katherine] were to come back, we would be thrilled to [wrap up her story]. But if she doesn't, we'll just move on."[44] Heigl also went on to say in October 2010 that the character returning to show looks bleak because, "that chapter is closed, and it's sad. And it's hard." She also felt that Izzie coming back to the show would, "just feel manipulative."[45]

text: However, in January 2012, Heigl stated in an interview that she has asked the producers if she could return to the show to give closure to Izzie's storyline: "I've told them I want to [return]," she said. "I really, really, really want to see where [Izzie] is. I just want to know what happened to her and where she went and what she's doing now. My idea is that she actually like figures it out, and finds some success and does really well in a different hospital. She was always floundering you know, and so she was always one step behind the eight ball and I want to see that girl take some power back."[46] She later went on to say that she regrets leaving the show, "Oh yeah, sometimes, yeah. You miss it. I miss my friends. It was a great work environment ... and it becomes a family. I spent six years together with these people every day ... you grow up together, in a way," and again commented on Izzie possibly returning to the show, "I always felt that if they wanted me to come back and sort of wrap up that storyline ... I want them to know that I'm down with it if they want me to, but I completely understand if it doesn't necessarily work ... They've got a lot of story lines going on there."[47] But in March 2012, Shonda Rhimes said that there are no plans at the moment for the character to return, "I think it was really nice to hear her appreciating the show. At the same time we are on a track we have been planning. The idea of changing that track is not something we are interested in right now."[48] Three years later, Rhimes said she has completely moved on from the idea of Izzie coming back, “I’m done with that story. I’ve turned that idea over in my mind a thousand times and thought about how it would go. And I don’t think so.”[49]

text: Characterization[edit]

text: Heigl believes that the Grey's Anatomy writers incorporate much of the actors' personalities into their roles, and that Izzie is a "super moral" version of herself.[50] Episode "Bring the Pain", which aired as the fifth episode of the second season, was originally intended to be the final episode of the first season. Rhimes explained that Izzie's character in this episode came "full circle" from her role in the pilot: "Izzie, so vulnerable and underestimated when we first meet her, is the girl who removes her heart from her sleeve in "Bring the Pain"."[51] Discussing Izzie's personality in a 2006 Cosmopolitan interview, Heigl assessed that she is "immensely kind" and patient.[29] When Denny died in the season two episode "Losing My Religion", Rhimes discussed the impact it had on Izzie, noting that Izzie is forced to abandon her idealism, which in turn leads to her letting go of medicine.[52] In the aftermath of Denny's death, Heigl came to believe that Izzie was not cut out to be a doctor.[50] Executive producer Betsy Beers explained, however, that Denny's death served to make Izzie more mature,[50] and Heigl affirmed that "At the beginning of the [third] season they were trying to show how lost Izzie was. She lost her optimism. She realizes now that life is difficult, but she still tries very hard to see the best in people."[50] In order to demonstrate Izzie's dislike of George's love-interest Callie, Rhimes penned a scene which she deemed one of her favorite moments on the show, in which Callie urinates in front of a stunned Izzie and Meredith. Rhimes assessed that: "I love that Mer and Izzie respond with all the trauma of having viewed  a car crash [...] the point is Callie pees and Izzie tortures her a tiny bit about the hand washing and that made me overjoyed because that’s the kind of thing people do."[53]

text: Discussing Izzie's relationship with Alex in a 2006 Cosmopolitan interview, Heigl assessed that "Even when Alex was a complete dirtbag to her [Izzie], she forgave him and gave him another chance. And he really screwed her over. [...] To go for a guy like that is to say I want to be damaged.'"[29] Writer Stacy McKee deemed Izzie's moving on from Alex to patient Denny Duquette "karma", as Alex previously treated Izzie badly, yet as he begins to realize his true feelings, he is forced to watch her embark on a romance with "the undeniably handsome - and totally charming" Denny.[54] Series writer Blythe Robe commented on Izzie and Denny: "I love the way Izzie lights up when she's around him. I love their relationship because it's so pure and honest and completely game free."[55] Writer Elizabeth Klaviter noted at this time the way Izzie "seems to be sacrificing her reputation because of her feelings for Denny."[56] When Izzie deliberately worsened Denny's condition to move him up the transplant list, series writer Mark Wilding questioned the morality of the actions, asking: "is Izzie bad for doing it? Is she tremendously irresponsible?  She cut the LVAD wire for love so does that make her action understandable?"[57]

text: Rhimes discussed costuming choices in the scene which saw the interns gather around Denny's deathbed, explaining: "Meredith and George and Cristina and Callie and Alex are all dressed, not for a prom, but for a funeral. Everyone in dark colors, everyone dressed somberly. As if they were in mourning. Only Izzie is in happy pink. Only Izzie looks like she didn’t know this was coming."[52] Following Denny's death, Heigl approached Rhimes to ask when her character would next have a romantic liaison. Rhimes explained that "Izzie doesn't sleep around".[50] Heigl expressed a desire for Izzie to reunite with Alex, explaining: "I believe on some level, there's a connection between Izzie and Alex. He can do honorable things even though he's cutting and sarcastic. I would like to ultimately see them together, if not this season, then next."[50]

text: Yahoo! Voices wrote that Stevens  in the third season "has become more condescending and passive aggressive herself, more than anyone else."[59] Heigl was critical of her character's development in the show's fourth season, particularly her affair with George, which she deemed "a ratings ploy".[58] Heigl explained: "They really hurt somebody, and they didn't seem to be taking a lot of responsibility for it. I have a really hard time with that kind of thing. I'm maybe a little too black and white about it. I don't really know Izzie very well right now. She's changed a lot."[58] Attempting to rationalise Izzie's actions, Heigl later assessed that:

text: People who are so infallible, perfect and moral tend to be the first to slip and fall. But I would love to see how she deals with the consequences of what she's done, because what’s interesting is when people make decisions that shake their world, they suddenly have to go, 'Woo, I didn't know I was capable of this.' I'd like to see Izzie take some culpability.[60]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Heigl was nominated for the "Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series" award at the 2007 and 2008 Golden Globe Awards for her role as Izzie.[61] She was named "Favorite Female TV Star" at the 34th People's Choice Awards,[62] and awarded "Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series" at the 2007 Emmy Awards.[63] Prior to the ceremony, considering Heigl's chances of winning the Emmy, Variety's Stuart Levine assessed of her performance: "Heigl has little difficulty reaching Izzie's highest highs and lowest lows. Showrunner Shonda Rhimes puts a lot of pressure on Heigl to carry many intense storylines, and she's up to the challenge."[64] Levine also noted, however: "There are times when Izzie becomes completely irrational during crisis situations, which may bother some."[64] Fox News included Izzie in its list of "The Best TV Doctors For Surgeon General".[65] The character was listed in Wetpaint's "10 Hottest Female Doctors on TV" and in BuzzFeed's "16 Hottest Doctors On Television".[66][67]

text: During the show's third season, the New York Post's Robert Rorke deemed Izzie to be "the heart and soul" of Grey's Anatomy. He deemed her the show's heroine, and wrote that: "Izzie is a welcome, calming presence, despite the devastation she experienced when she failed to save her patient and fiance Denny Duquette. [...] Besides the formidable Dr. Bailey (Chandra Wilson), Izzie seems to be the only adult intern at Seattle Grace; the character has achieved a depth lacking in her fellow interns."[50] Eyder Peralta of The Houston Chronicle was critical of Izzie's ethics in cutting Denny's LVAD wire, writing that she "should not be practising medicine" and stating: "That's the reason I don't watch Grey's Anatomy, anymore, because the super hot blond chick can make an earth-shattering, fatal decision and she doesn't get canned."[68]

text: The season four romance between Izzie and George proved unpopular with viewers, and resulted in a fan backlash among Alex and Izzie fans.[69] The return of Izzie's deceased fiancé Denny and the resumption of their romance during the show's fifth season also proved unpopular with fans,[70] and was deemed "the world's worst storyline" by Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times.[71] McNamara was also critical of the episode "Now or Never", which saw Izzie flatline following neurosurgery, opining that Izzie ought to die.[71] The episode in which Izzie married long-term love Alex received 15.3 million viewers, the largest television audience of the night.[72]

text: Izzie's cancer storyline received a mixed response from the medical community. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, commented that Izzie's treatment options were unrealistic. Whereas in the show she was offered the drug interleukin-2, in reality the drug is never recommended to patients when melanoma has spread to the brain, as it can cause bleeding and strokes. Brawley explained that such patients would instead be offered radiosurgery.[73] Conversely however, Tim Turnham, executive director of the Melanoma Research Foundation, praised Grey's Anatomy for bringing about greater public awareness of melanoma, stating: "We welcome the national spotlight Grey's Anatomy has created for melanoma and its efforts to encourage viewers to learn more about the importance of prevention, early detection and research."[74]


document_title: Arathorn

question_text: who is arathorn in the lord of rings

question_tokens: who is arathorn in the lord of rings

root

text: Arathorn

text: In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Arathorn (Lord-eagle) is the name of two Chieftains of the Dúnedain:

tag: p

text:
Arathorn I
Arathorn II

tag: ul

text: Arathorn appears too as the father of Aragorn, but he was never seen in any part in The Lord of the Rings movie series.


document_title: Timeline of the South China Sea dispute

question_text: when did the south china sea conflict start

text: Timeline of the South China Sea dispute

text: Timeline of events[edit]

text: 1000 BC–2nd century CE[edit]

text: The Sa Huynh culture flourished in coastal South China Sea, especially in southern to central Vietnam, from Mekong Delta to Quang Binh province. The people that support Sa Huynh civilization were sea faring Austronesian-speaking people. The Sa Huynh relics can be found in several sites on the coasts of South China Sea, from Palawan in the Philippines to Orchid Island near Taiwan, suggesting that they sailed, settled and traded around the coasts of South China Sea.[1]

text: 3rd century BC[edit]

text: It has been claimed by the People's Republic of China on the argument that since 200 BC Chinese fishermen have used the Spratly islands.[2]

text: 3rd century[edit]

text: Two famous Chinese books authored by Wan Zhen of the Eastern Wu State and published during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD) and a work titled Guangzhou Ji (Chronicles of Guangzhou) authored by Pei Yuan of the Jin Dynasties described the Paracel and Spratly islands.[3] The local government of the Jin Dynasties exercised jurisdiction over the islands by sending patrolling naval boats to the surrounding sea areas.[4]

text: 5th–13th centuries[edit]

text: Naval forces of the Song State of the Southern Dynasties (420–479 AD) patrolled the Paracel and Spratly islands.[5] In the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD), the islands were placed under the administration and authority of the Qiongzhou Perfecture (now Hainan Province).[5] Chinese administration of the South China Sea continued into the North and South Song dynasties (970–1279).[5]

text: Archaeologists have found Chinese made potteries porcelains and other historical relics from the Southern dynasties (420–589), the Sui dynasties (581–618), the Tang dynasty (618–907), the Song Dynasties (960–1279), the Yuan dynasties (1206–1368), the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and later eras up to modern times on the South China Sea islands.[5]

text: 6th–15th centuries[edit]

text: The South China Sea was known as the "Champa Sea" by sailors and traders in the region. It was named after a Hindu thalassocratic empire Champa that flourished in the area around that period.[1]

text: 19th century[edit]

text:
1816 – Annamese emperor Gia Long ordered a company to the Paracel Islands to make a survey and draw a map.[6][7]
1835 – Annam erects a pagoda in the Paracel Islands[8]
1870 - Captain Meads explores the islands and lays official claim to both Spratly and Parcel groups. The Kingdom of Humanity is established.
1876 – China makes its earliest documented claim to the Paracel Islands[citation needed]
1883 – When the Spratlys and Paracels were surveyed by Germany in 1883, China issued protests.[9][10]
1884–1885 Sino-French War. In December 1884, alarmed by Japanese ambitions in Korea, Empress Dowager Cixi ordered her ministers to extricate China from the undeclared war with France that had broken out on 23 August. Important French victories in Tonkin and Formosa in February and early March 1885 strengthened her desire to end the Sino-French War, and although the Chinese won an unexpected victory in Tonkin in late March, defeating General de Négrier's 2nd Brigade at Bang Bo and reoccupying Lang Son, this success was counterbalanced by the simultaneous French capture of the Pescadores Islands. China's position in early April 1885 was critical. Seizing the opportunity offered by the fall of the Ferry ministry, the Chinese agreed to implement the provisions of the May 1884 Tientsin Accord, which recognised France's protectorate over Vietnam. In return, the French dropped their longstanding demand for an indemnity for the Bac Le Ambush. After a flurry of negotiations in Paris in the first days of April 1885, peace was made on this basis.[11]
11 May 1884 - The Tientsin Accord or Li–Fournier Convention, concluded on 11 May 1884, was intended to settle an undeclared war between France and China over the sovereignty of Tonkin (northern Vietnam). The convention, negotiated by Li Hung-chang for China and capitaine de vaisseau François-Ernest Fournier for France, provided for a Chinese troop withdrawal from Tonkin in return for a comprehensive treaty that would settle details of trade and commerce between France and China and provide for the demarcation of its disputed border with Vietnam.[12][13]
9 June 1885 - The Treaty of Tientsin, signed on 9 June 1885, officially ended the Sino-French War. The unequal treaty restated in greater detail the main provisions of the Tientsin Accord, signed between France and China on 11 May 1884. As Article 2 required China to recognise the French protectorate over Annam and Tonkin established by the Treaty of Hue in June 1884, implicitly abandoning her own claims to suzerainty over Vietnam, the treaty formalised France's victory in the Sino-French War.[13]
1887 – In the 19th century, Europeans found that Chinese fishermen from Hainan annually visited the Spratly islands for part of the year, while in 1877 it was the British who launched the first modern legal claims to the Spratlys.[14][15]
1887 – The Convention Respecting the Delimitation of the Frontier Between China and Tonkin between France and the Qing Empire set the maritime boundary in the Gulf of Tonkin.[16][17][18] The 1887 Chinese-Vietnamese Boundary convention signed between France and China after the Sino-French War said that China was the owner of the Spratly and Paracel islands.[2][9][19] The 1887 Convention Respecting the Delimitation of the Frontier Between China and Tonkin between France and the Qing Empire set the coastal boundary in the Gulf of Tonkin but did not state that China was the owner of the Spratly and Paracel islands because these islands are not in the Gulf of Tonkin nor was administered by Tonkin but belonged to the realm of Annam in Central Vietnam.[20] The purpose of this treaty was for a better control of the border by having it follow the Ka Long river in Móng Cái coastal city, but doing so, the French gave an enclave to China of 7 Vietnamese fishermen's villages.[21] Currently there are some suggestions that this part of Fangchenggang district, Guangxi, China belongs to Vietnam, especially after North Vietnam was established and announced to cancel all treaties signed by French colonial Vietnam. Thus Fangchenggang was supposed to be returned to Quang Ninh province in Vietnam, but this has not been done yet. Most people living in the area are Vietnamese fishermen who became one of the 56 ethnic groups of China, known as ethnic Vietnamese people of China or Gin people.
1898 – The Philippine Islands were ceded by Spain to the United States in the Treaty of Paris following the Spanish–American War. The Spratly Islands were not part of the Philippines per the Treaty.
12 April 1898 - France seized Guangzhouwan as a treaty port, and took its own concession in the treaty port of Shanghai. Kwangchow Wan, (Guangzhouwan), was leased by China to France for 99 years (or until 1997, as the British did in Hong Kong's New Territories), according to the Treaty of 12 April 1898, on 27 May as Territoire de Kouang-Tchéou-Wan, to counter the growing commercial power of British Hong Kong[22] and was effectively placed under the authority of the French Resident Superior in Tonkin (itself under the Governor General of French Indochina, also in Hanoi); the French Resident was represented locally by Administrators.[23] The French wanted to develop the port, which they called Fort-Bayard, to serve southern China, in parts where France had exclusive rights to railway and mineral development. Their efforts, however, were hindered by the poverty of the surrounding land. The French retained control of the region until 1943 when the Japanese occupied the area during World War II. At the end of the war, the region returned briefly under French rule before being formally returned to China in 1946 by General Charles de Gaulle, the French head of state. The old spellings "Tsankiang", "Chankiang" and "Tsamkong" were replaced by the pinyin romanisation "Zhanjiang" by the Chinese government in 1958. Zhanjiang is headquarters of the South Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army Navy South Sea Fleet.[24] The Zhanjiang Port is one of the eight major ports in China, with an annual throughput of more than 2,600 million tons. As a natural port, it has about 60 kilometers depth and three islands outside to support.[25]

text:
1902 – China sends naval forces on inspection tours of the Paracel Islands to preempt French claims.[26] "Several authors writing about the Chinese claim to the Paracel Islands have dated the first official Chinese expedition to these islands to 1902. However, none of these writers have been able to show any records of this expedition taking place. In fact, Chinese records show that the expedition never happened."[27][28]
1907 – China sends another naval force, this time to plan for resource exploitation.[26]
1911 – The newly formed Republic of China, successor state to the Qing Dynasty, moves administration of the Paracel Islands to Hainan,[26] which would not become a separate Chinese province until 1988.
1914 - A MEad family dispute splits the young country of the Kingdom of Humanity.
1917 - Japanese exploited phosphate deposits (guano) in the main Spratly island, Itu Aba. It was noticed by Japan in July 1938 to the France's ambassador in Tokyo who was recalling the earlier annexation of the Spratly by France.[29]
1927 – Japan makes its earliest documented claim to the Paracel and Spratly Islands[citation needed]
1928 – The Republic of China states that the Paracel Islands are the southernmost limits of its territory[citation needed]
1931 – France claims the Paracel Islands[29]
June 1937 – China sends Huang Qiang, the chief of Chinese military region no. 9 on a secret tour in four islands in the Amphitrite Group of the Paracels. His boat was loaded with 30 backdated sovereignty markers. Because the mission was confidential Huang Qiang carried no markers dated 1937. The team buried a total of 12 backdated sovereignty markers, including 3 true old markers dating from the Qing dynasty, bearing the date 1902, gathered in the city of Guangdong:

On Lin Dao (Woody Island): 2 markers dated 1921
On Bei Dao (North Island): 2 markers from 1902 and 4 dated 1912
On Ling Zhou Dao (?): 1 marker from 1902, 1 dated 1912 and 1 dated 1921.
On Shi Dao (Rocky Island): 1 marker dated 1912.

text: PLA troops and PRC archaeologists 'discovered' these markers between 1974 and 1979 and the fiction of the primary sources less 1902 expedition was created.[27][28]

text: 31 March 1939 - Tokyo, notified to the ambassador of France that the Spratly Islands were inhabited by Japanese, were under the Japanese jurisdiction and administratively attached to the territory of Formosa (Japan); the occupation was carried out by a police detachment.[29]

text: World War II[edit]

text:
1939 – Japan invades the islands and takes control of the South China Sea. The local government and many residents escape to Australia. The Spratlys and the Paracels were conquered by Japan in 1939. Japan had set military bases on Woody and Pattle islands in the Paracels and Itu Aba in the Spratlys. Japan administered the Spratlys via Taiwan's jurisdiction and the Paracels via Hainan's jurisdiction.[30]
2 July 1945 – Woody Island surrendered to the USS Cabrilla submarine after having been attacked by US forces on 6 February and 8 March.[20]
20 November 1945 – A US Navy reconnaissance mission landed on Itu Aba and found the Japanese forces had already pulled out.[31]

text:
1945 – In accordance with the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations and with American help, the armed forces of the Republic of China government at Nanjing accepted the surrender of the Japanese garrisons in Taiwan, including the Paracel and Spratly Islands. Nanjing then declared both archipelagoes to be part of Guangdong Province.[32][33] At the same time, the Government and exiles of the Kingdom of Humanity returned to the islands.
1946 – The R.O.C. established garrisons on both Woody (now Yongxing / 永兴) Island in the Paracels and Taiping Island in the Spratlys. France protested. The French tried but failed to dislodge Chinese nationalist troops from Yongxing Island/Woody Island (the only habitable island in the Paracels), but were able to establish a small camp on Pattle (now Shanhu / 珊瑚) Island in the southwestern part of the archipelago.[33][34][35] The Republic of China drew up The Southern China Sea Islands Location Map, marking the national boundaries in the sea with 11 lines, showing the U shaped claim on the entire South China Sea, and showing the Spratly and Paracels in Chinese territory, in 1947.[26] The Americans reminded the Philippines at its independence in 1946 that the Spratlys was not Philippine territory, both to not anger Chiang Kai-shek in China and because the Spratlys were not part of the Philippines per the 1898 treaty Spain signed with America.[34]
1950 – After the Chinese nationalists were driven from Hainan by the People's Liberation Army (PLA), they withdrew their garrisons in both the Paracels and Spratlys to Taiwan.
1952 – Japan renounced any claims of sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos in accordance with Article 2 Clause (f) of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, but no beneficiary was designated.[36]
1954 – The Geneva Accords, which China was a signatory, settled the First Indochina War end. French Indochina was split into three countries: Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Vietnam was to be temporarily divided along the 17th Parallel. Chapter I, Article 4 say: "The provisional military demarcation line between the two final regrouping zones is extended into the territorial waters by a line perpendicular to the general line of the coast. All coastal islands north of this boundary shall be evacuated by the armed forces of the French Union, and all islands south of it shall be evacuated by the forces of the People's Army of Viet-Nam."[37] On 26 October 1955, the Republic of Vietnam "South Vietnam" replaced the State of Vietnam (part of the French Union) and inherit of its rights. Nothing was said explicitly about offshore archipelagos, which was of small interest by that times, it was clearly understood by all the parties that the Republic of Vietnam inherit of all the French Indochina's Vietnamese territories under the 17th Parallel. As the Paracel and the Spratly archipelagos (which lay below the 17th parallel) were part of the French Indochina since 1933, they were part of "South Vietnam" territory. The French bestowed its titles, rights, and claims over the two island chains to the Republic of Vietnam.[38][39]
1956 – North Vietnam Communist government formally accepted that the Paracel and Spratly islands were historically Chinese. But, that same year, South Vietnam reopened the abandoned French camp on Shanhu Island in the Paracels and announced that it had annexed the Paracel archipelago as well as the Spratlys. About the same time, the PLA reestablished a Chinese garrison on Yongxing Island in the Paracels, while the Republic of China (Taipei) put troops back on Taiping Island in the Spratlys.[40] In 1956, Cloma proclaimed the establishment of a new country, "Freedomland" in the Spratly Islands. The sole function of Freedomland turned out to be issuing postage stamps to collectors. Cloma's announcement of Freedomland caused both Beijing and Taipei to reiterate China's claims to the Spratlys. Taipei sent troops to drive Cloma off Taiping Island. Its forces are still there. Cloma's proclamation of Freedomland was legal in the Philippines because, as Manila noted in its reply to protests of Cloma's actions from Beijing, Saigon, and Taipei, the Philippines had made no claim of its own to the Spratlys.
4 September 1958 – China published "Declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of China on China's Territorial Sea published on 4 September 1958" to lawfully describe true meaning of "nine-dotted line on South China Sea".
14 September 1958 – Communist Vietnamese Premier Pham Van Dong sent Premier Zhou Enlai a formal diplomatic saying respect China's decision on South China Sea.
1959 - The people of the Spratly and Parcel Islands reunite in the Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads and vote in a new government.

text:
1969 - A UN sponsored research team discovers oil under the sea floor of the island group.
1970 – China occupies Amphitrite Group of the Paracel Islands
1971 – Philippines announces claim to islands adjacent to its territory in the Spratlys, which they named Kalayaan, which was formally incorporated into Palawan Province in 1972. The Philippines President Marcos announced the claims after Taiwanese troops attacked and shot at a Philippine fishing boat on Itu Aba.[41]
1972 - The government of the Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads petitions for international recognition.
1972 - Present Various governments invaded and occupied islands of the Republic of Morac-Songhrati-Meads. While the government of the islands was evacuating during the Chinese invasion, the ship upon which they were traveling sank in a storm - as reported by the Chinese Military.
1972 – Bureau of Survey and Cartography under the Office of the Premier of Vietnam printed out "The World Atlas" says "The chain of islands from the Nansha and Xisha Islands to Hainan Island, Taiwan Island, the Penghu Islands and the Zhoushan Islands ... are shaped like a bow and constitute a Great Wall defending the China mainland."[42]
1974 – South Vietnam attempted to enforce its claims to sovereignty by placing settlers in the Spratlys and expelling Chinese fishermen from the southwestern Paracels. In the ensuing naval battle at Shanhu Island, China defeated Vietnamese forces. This enabled Beijing to extend its control to the entire Paracel archipelago, where it has not been effectively challenged since. China ousts South Vietnamese forces from the Crescent Group of the Paracel Islands at the Battle of the Paracel Islands.
14 February 1975, regretting the agreement with China in 1956. The Communist Vietnamese government reclaims the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos.[citation needed]
11 June 1978 - President Ferdinand Marcos, by virtue of the Presidential Decree No. 1596, asserted that islands designated as the Kalayaan Island Group and comprising most of the Spratly Islands are subject to the sovereignty of the Philippines,[43] and by virtue of the Presidential Decree No. 1599 issued on 11 June 1978 claimed an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the baselines from which their territorial sea is measured.[44]
1979 – Hanoi (now the capital of a united Vietnam) adopted South Vietnam's position, and claimed sovereignty over all the islands in the South China Sea. In the early 1980s, as Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and Taipei protested, Vietnam resumed vigorous settlement and garrisoning of the Spratlys.

text:
8 May 1984 – the Philippines ratified the 1982 Third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III) and declared themselves an archipelagic state.[45] The Philippines claimed all the Spratly islands and reefs lying within its 200 Nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone including Mabini (Johnson South Reef).[46]
1984年小平提出了两个选项："一个办法是我们用武力统统把这些岛收回来；一个办法是把主权问题搁置起来，共同开发。"

text: Translation: In 1984, Deng Xiaoping raised two options: "One method is that we use force to get these islands back. Another is to shelve the sovereignty issue, co-develop the place."

text:
1985 - President Meads of the Kingdom of Humanity sued the United States and others for $25 billion, claiming "unfair competition, harassment, [and] sabotage." The case was not heard.
March 1987 – Mr Luo Yuru was China's State-Member Representative at the IOC - 14th Session of the Assembly of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. During the meeting of the IOC, UNESCO 17 March – 1 April in Paris, the Delegate of the People'Republic of China, speaking higly of GLOSS (Global Sea Level Observing System), noted a few mistakes in the text of Document IOC/INF-663 rev.; for instance, "Taiwan" is listed as a "country" in relevant Tables contained in the Document.[47] The scientists from the GLOSS, who did not know that Taiwan is not a "country", agreed that China will install few tide gauges on "its coasts", in East China Sea and on its "Nansha islands" in South China Sea as they did not know it was a disputed area. Scientists of this era could not understand that Taiwan had an island in the Spratly but China (PRC) had none although it says it had.[48] In April 1987, the PRC chose to build a weather station on Fiery Cross reef as the reef was large enough for the purpose, and it was isolated from other disputed islands and reefs. On the contrary, Johnson South Reef is inside Philippines claimed 200 NM EEZ and close to Sin Cowe Island inhabited by Vietnamese in the same Union Banks drowned atoll; clearly a disputed area.
14 March 1988 – China defeats the Vietnamese navy in the Johnson South Reef Skirmish on Mabini reef (Johnson South Reef), killing 64 young Vietnamese, most of them unarmed,[49][50][51] after the Vietnamese tried to intercept a Chinese force commissioned by UNESCO to build a tidal gauge station[47] in the Philippines claimed 200 Nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone.[46]

text:
1992 - The Chinese government signs an oil exploration contract with Crestone, the first time any country has acted unilaterally to develop the natural resources in the southern part of the sea since 1974. [52]
1994 - Two Chinese warships blockade a Vietnamese oil rig built earlier this year in Wanan Bei block off the coast of southern Vietnam. The Vietnamese claim was being developed by a consortium of foreign oil companies led by Mobil in the same area where China had awarded drilling rights to the Crestone Energy Corporation of Denver. [53][54]
1995 – A Vietnamese ship was shot by Taiwan.[55]
1997 – Philippines begins to challenge Chinese sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal.[56]
1999 – Under President Lee Teng-hui, Taiwan stated that "legally, historically, geographically, or in reality", all of the South China Sea and Spratly islands were Taiwan's territory and under Taiwanese sovereignty, and denounced actions undertaken there by Malaysia and the Philippines, in a statement on 13 July 1999 released by the foreign ministry of Taiwan.[57] Taiwan and China's claims "mirrors" each other.[58] During international talks involving the Spratly islands, China and Taiwan have cooperated with each other since both have the same claims.[58][59]
9 May 1999 – The day after the U.S. bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Philippine navy sent BRP Sierra Madre and ran her aground on Second Thomas Shoal. China issued official protest afterward. Philippine refused to withdraw the ship.[60] Since then China deploys service ships to the corresponding water regularly.

text: 1 April – Hainan Island incident

text: ASEAN and China agreed to a code of conduct in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea[61]

text: 8 January – Chinese ships fired upon two Vietnamese fishing boats from Thanh Hoa province, killing 9 people and detaining one ship with 8 people on Hainan Island.[62] Chinese Foreign Ministry claim they were pirates that opened fire first and obtained confession from the arrested members.[63]

text:
March 2009 – The Pentagon reported that Chinese ships harassed US surveillance ship. According to the report, five Chinese vessels "shadowed and aggressively maneuvered in dangerously close proximity to USNS Impeccable, in an apparent coordinated effort to harass the U.S. ocean surveillance ship while it was conducting routine operations in international waters." The crew members aboard the vessels, two of which were within 50 feet, waved Chinese flags and told the US ship to leave the area, the statement said.[64]
13 May 2009 – The deadline for states to make seabed hydrocarbon claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This is suspected to have caused ancient island claims to surface and become inflamed.[65]

text:
25 February – The Chinese frigate Dongguan fired three shots at Philippine fishing boats in the vicinity of Jackson atoll. The shots were fired after the frigate instructed the fishing boats to leave, and one of those boats experienced trouble removing its anchor.[66][67]
26 May – The clash involved the Vietnamese Binh Minh 02 oil and gas survey ship and three Chinese maritime patrol vessels occurred 120 km (80 miles) off the south-central coast of Vietnam and some 600 km south of China's Hainan island. Vietnam says the Chinese boats deliberately cut the survey ship's cables in Vietnamese waters. China denies the allegation.[68] The event stirred up unprecedented anti-China protests in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city.[69]
9 June – A Norwegian-flagged seismic conducting ship hired by Vietnam Oil & Gas Corporation (PetroVietnam) clashed with another three Chinese fishery patrol vessels within Vietnam's Exclusive Economic Zone. Vietnam once again claimed its exploration cables were deliberately cut.[70]

text:
“
"China's systematic action is aimed at turning the undisputed area belonging to Vietnam into an area under dispute in order to materialize China's nine-dotted line claim in the East Sea. This is unacceptable"
”

— Vietnamese spokeswoman Pham Phuong Nga, following the June 9th incident

tag: table

text:
10 October – Vietnam and China agree to a new set of principles on settling maritime disputes[61]
November – Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad believed Malaysia could profit from China's economic growth through co-operation with China, and said that China was not a threat to anyone and was not worried about aggression from China, accusing the United States of provoking China and trying to turn China's neighbours against China.[71][72]
17 November – Obama made a policy announcement to Australian Parliament about US pivot or rebalancing towards the Asia-Pacific.

text:
April – The Philippine warship Gregorio del Pilar was involved in a standoff with two Chinese surveillance vessels in the Scarborough Shoal, an area claimed by both nations.[73] The Philippine navy had been trying to arrest Chinese fishermen who were allegedly taking government-protected marine species from the area, but the surveillance boats prevented them.[74]
14 April – The US and the Philippines held their yearly exercises in Palawan, Philippines.[75]
16 April – The Chinese Foreign Ministry urged a Philippine archaeological ship to immediately leave the waters of the Scarborough Shoal, which China claims is an "integral part of its territory."[76]
7 May – Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying called a meeting with Alex Chua, Charge D'affaires of the Philippine Embassy in China, to make a serious representation over the current incident at the Scarborough Shoal. China also warned its nationals against travel to the Philippines and raised trade barriers on imported pineapples and bananas.[77][78]
16 May – A fishing ban in the Scarborough Shoal by the governments of China and the Philippines became effective.[79][80] By mid June 2012, both nations had withdrawn their vessels from the waters around the disputed Shoal due to the arrival of the typhoon season.[81] By July 2012, China had erected a barrier to the entrance of the shoal,[82][83] and that vessels belonging to Beijing's China Marine Surveillance and Fisheries Law Enforcement Command were observed nearby the disputed shoal;[84] as of December 2012[update], Chinese government ships remain around the shoal and have been turning away Filipino vessels;[85][86] additionally, China has stated it would interdict, and board,[87] any foreign vessel that entered waters it claimed.[88] China later clarified that it would only conduct interdiction, and boarding, vessels within 12 nautical miles for which China has announced baselines.[89]
May – Taiwan rejected a pan-Chinese approach of co-ordinating with the PRC in asserting claims to the South China Sea.[90]
June – Indian Navy vessels sailing in the South China Sea received an unscheduled escort by a People's Liberation Army Navy frigate for 12 hours.[91][92]
11 July – a Jianghu-V type frigate of the PLA Navy, 560 Dongguan, ran aground on Half Moon Shoal just 60 nmi west of Rizal, well within the Philippines' 200 nmi-EEZ.[93] By 15 July the ship had been refloated and was returning to port with no injuries and only minor damage.[94] The 2012 ASEAN summit was taking place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia at the same time, where the mood was already tense over the escalating aggression in the region.[94]
July – The National Assembly of Vietnam passed a law demarcating Vietnamese sea borders to include the Spratly and Paracel islands.[95][96]
July – Citing reports from diplomats on-hand, Reuters wrote that Cambodia "batted away repeated attempts to raise the issue about the disputed waters during the ASEAN Meeting last week as well as the ASEAN Regional Forum."[97]
22 July – The Central Military Commission (China) decided to establish the Sansha garrison.[98] The move was criticised by the Philippines and Vietnam.[99] China responded by calling in a senior US diplomat and reiterating their "absolute sovereignty" over the region.[100]
1 September – Taiwan performed live fire military exercises on Taiping island in September 2012, reports said that Vietnam was explicitly named by the Taiwanese military as the "imaginary enemy" in the drill.[101][102][103][104][105][106] Vietnam protested against the exercises as violation of its territory and "voiced anger", demanding that Taiwan stop the drill.[107][108][109][110] Taiwan rejected Vietnam's protests, and Taiwan's Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs declared that "Taiping Island is part of the Republic of China's territory....We have noted Vietnam's dissatisfaction over the drill...No one has the right to protest over Taiwan's exercise of its sovereign rights there", while China voiced its approval and support of Taiwan's military drill on the island.[111][112] Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said, "Our sovereignty over the island is undisputable and all of our activities and deployments on the island are legal and will never cause regional tensions." in response to Vietnamese claims on the island.[113][114] Among the inspectors of the live fire drill were Taiwanese national legislators, adding to the tensions.[115][116][117][118]
5 September – Philippine president Aquino promulgated Administrative Order No. 29, naming maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago as the West Philippine Sea. The order declares that the Philippines exercises "sovereign jurisdiction" in its exclusive economic zone, an area declared by Presidential Decree No. 1599 of 11 June 1978 to extend to a distance of two hundred nautical miles beyond and from the baseline from which the territorial sea is measured.[119][120][121] The Philippine Baselines are defined by Republic Act No. 3046, as amended.[122] Official PRC media responded that this was a "fond dream".[123]
23 September – China launched a program to increase the number of UAVs monitoring the Scarborough Shoal, Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands and East China Sea, which follows a national marine zoning program approved by the State Council during the previous year as a part of China's 12th five year plan.[124]
December – In an interview with the Times of India, Philippines Vice-President Binay welcomed the statement made by Indian Navy Admiral Joshi who stated that the Indian Navy is prepared to operate in the South China Sea.[125]

text:
March – Malaysia displayed no concern over China conducting a military exercise at James Shoal in March 2013.[126]
August – Malaysia suggested that it might work with China over their South China Sea claims and ignore the other claimants, with Malaysian Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein saying that Malaysia had no problem with China patrolling the South China Sea, and telling ASEAN, America, and Japan that "Just because you have enemies, doesn't mean your enemies are my enemies".[127][128]

text:
10 January – China imposes a "fishing permit" rule in the South China Sea, over the objections of the United States, the Philippines, and Vietnam.[129]
11 March – Two Philippine ships are expelled by the Chinese Coast Guard from Ayungin Shoal in the Spratly group of islands.[130]
30 March – The Republic of the Philippines invokes the compulsory settlement of dispute clause under the Law of the Sea Convention, by submitting a case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in its case against China over competing South China Sea claims.
2 May – Vietnamese naval ships and Chinese vessels collide in the South China Sea. The incident occurred as China set up an oil rig in an area to which both nations lay claim.[131] On 26 May, a Vietnamese fishing boat sank near the oil rig, after colliding with a Chinese vessel. As both sides imputed the blame to each other, Vietnam released video footage a week later, showing the Vietnamese boat being rammed by the Chinese vessel before sinking.[132] Meanwhile, ASEAN leaders expressed "serious concerns" over the tensions, calling for self-restraint and peaceful acts from both sides. Many observed that this marked a change in tone by ASEAN members, who had previously avoided a collision of their economic interests with China.[133]
19 August – A Shenyang J-11 intercepts a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine warfare aircraft flying in international waters the South China Sea.[134]
7 December – the United States State Department released a report concluding that China's 9-dash-line claim does not accord with the international law of the sea.

text:
8 April – China is transforming Mischief Reef into an island.[135] According to UNCLOS, artificial islands do not afford the occupying nation territorial waters.[136]
8 June – Chinese coast guard vessel anchored at Luconia Shoals (Betting Patinggi Ali), leading to a protest by Malaysia.[137]
7 July - Philippines v. China is a pending arbitration case concerning the legality of China's "nine-dotted line" claim over the South China Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Philippines asked a tribunal of Permanent Court of Arbitration to invalidate China's claims. The hearings were also attended by observers from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.[138] The case has been compared to Nicaragua v. United States due to similarities of the parties involved such as that a developing country is challenging a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in an arbitral tribunal.[139]
15 August – Malaysia continues its protest as China did not move their vessel by sending diplomatic notes. In a statement by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim, "We have never received any official claims from them (China) and they said the island (Beting Patinggi Ali) belongs to them but the country is 400,000 kilometres away. We are taking diplomatic action but in whatever approach, they have to get out of our national waters".[140]
27 October – US destroyer USS Lassen navigates within 12 nautical miles of the emerging land masses in the Spratly Islands as the first in a series of "Freedom of Navigation Operation".[141]
29 October – The tribunal ruled that it had the power to hear the case. It agreed to take up seven of the 15 submissions made by Manila, in particular whether Scarborough Shoal and low-tide areas like Mischief Reef can be considered islands. It set aside seven more pointed claims mainly accusing Beijing of acting unlawfully to be considered at the next hearing on the case's merits. The tribunal is due to report in 2016.[142]
14 November – Indonesia announces that it is planning to take China to court over the Natuna Islands.[143]
31 December – China's Ministry of National Defense confirmed that they are building their second aircraft carrier. China's second aircraft carrier was being built in Dalian, a port city located in northeastern China according to Col. Yang Yujun, a spokesman from the Ministry of National Defense.[144]

text:
3 January – Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh said that the landing of a civilian aircraft in Fiery Cross Reef is "a serious infringement of the sovereignty of Vietnam on the Spratly archipelago".[145]
13 January – China has finished construction on a 10,000-ton cutter destined for patrols in the South China Sea.[146]
13 February – Satellite images shows that China is currently expanding the North Island and Tree Island, both part of the Paracel Islands. Water capture reservoirs and fuel bunkers are the newly constructed structures seen in Fiery Cross Reef. A newly visible helicopter base is under construction in Duncan Island suggesting that Beijing may develop a network of bases in the South China Sea to support anti-submarine helicopters.[147]
22 February – Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida cancels his plans to visit China.[148]
14 March – Beijing will set-up an International Maritime Judicial Center similar to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in order to help protect every countries sea rights. According to Chief justice Zhou Qiang, the Chinese judicial center will primarily focus on the case of countries with territorial issues with China.[149]
19 March – Indonesian maritime official involved in a clash with a Chinese coast guard boat over a Chinese trawler accused for illegal fishing off the Natuna islands. Chinese fishermen were under Indonesia's custody, while the trawler was set free after being rammed by Chinese coast guard boat.[150]
5 April – China has started to operate a new lighthouse in Subi Reef.[151]
22 April – Four A-10 Thunderbolt and two HH-60G Pave Hawks based in Clark Air Base conducted flying operations in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal.[152]
10 May – China's navy has launched annual war drills in the South China Sea with one of its most advanced warships. The exercises include simulations for breaking an enemy blockade and reconnaissance drills with submarine forces.[153]
10 May – The USS William P. Lawrence sailed within 12 miles of Fiery Cross Reef as part of the freedom of navigation patrol.[154]
10 May – China scrambled two fighter jets and three warships as the USS William P. Lawrence sailed within 12 nautical miles of Fiery Cross Reef.[155]
13 May – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that more than 40 countries support its stance on South China Sea dispute.[156]
17 May – Two Shenyang J-11 fighter jets intercepted a US Navy E-P3 military reconnaissance aircraft flying in international airspace over the South China Sea.[157]
19 May – Indonesian military General Gatot Nurmantyo says they are considering conducting joint patrols with Malaysia and Philippines.[158]
20 May – The USS John Stennis Strike Group patrolling the South China Sea visits Philippines.[159]
21 May – China objects to the presence of four Indian ships in the South China Sea. The ships sailed on Wednesday for a two-and-a-half month long operational deployment to the SCS and North West Pacific. The ships will also take part in the Malabar exercise in the waters of the Philippines.[160]
23 May – US President Barack Obama visits Vietnam aiming to strengthen bilateral ties.[161]
23 May – A Chinese government bureau is planning to build a base station in the Spratly Islands to aid fishing boats in trouble and shorten the distance they need to travel.[162]
23 June – Indonesian President Joko Widodo sailed on a warship off Natuna islands to send a "clear message that the nation was very serious in its effort to protect its sovereignty".[163]
8 July – Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said that the Philippines is willing to share the natural resources of West Philippine Sea to China.[164]
12 July – A tribunal of Permanent Court of Arbitration rejects Chinese Nine-dash line historical claims over South China Sea, concluding it has no legal basis. The tribunal ruled against China in the Philippines v. China case, and unanimously award in favour of the Philippines.[165][166]
12 July – Beijing promptly rejects the tribunal ruling and called it "void".[167]
12 July – Ethiopia supports China's stance in the dispute.[168]
25 July 2016 – in Vientiane, Laos, ASEAN issued a joint statement regarding South China Sea dispute, which stated their commitment to ensure and promote the peace, stability and security in the region.[169]


document_title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)

question_text: what was the order of the phoenix in harry potter

text: Plot[edit]

text: During another summer with his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, Harry Potter and Dudley are attacked by Dementors. After using magic to save Dudley and himself, Harry is expelled from Hogwarts, but the decision is later reversed after a hearing at the Ministry of Magic. Harry is whisked off by a group of wizards including Mad-Eye Moody, Remus Lupin, and several new faces, including Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt, to Number 12, Grimmauld Place, the childhood home of his godfather, Sirius Black. The building also serves as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organisation founded by Albus Dumbledore, informs Harry Potter that the Ministry of Magic is oblivious to Lord Voldemort's return. At the Order's headquarters, Sirius Black, mentions that Voldemort is after an object he did not have during his previous attack.

text: Back at Hogwarts, Harry learns that Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge has appointed a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor: Dolores Umbridge. She and Harry immediately clash, and she punishes Harry for his "lies" by forcing him to write a message with a magic quill, scarring his hand. When Ron and Hermione notice Harry's scars they are outraged, but Harry refuses to go to Dumbledore, who has distanced himself from Harry since the summer. As Umbridge's control over the school increases, Ron and Hermione aid Harry in forming a secret group to train students in defensive spells, calling themselves "Dumbledore's Army". Umbridge recruits the Slytherin students to expose the group. Meanwhile, Harry and Cho Chang develop romantic feelings for each other.

text: Harry has a vision involving an attack upon Arthur Weasley, from the point of view of Arthur's attacker. Concerned that Voldemort will exploit this connection to Harry, Dumbledore instructs Severus Snape to give Harry Occlumency lessons to defend his mind from Voldemort's influence. The connection between Harry and Voldemort leads Harry to further isolate himself from his friends. Meanwhile, Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius' deranged Death Eater cousin, escapes from Azkaban along with nine other Death Eaters. At Hogwarts, Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad expose Dumbledore's Army. Dumbledore escapes as Fudge orders his arrest. Umbridge becomes the new Headmistress. Harry's relationship with Cho falls apart, as he believes she betrayed Dumbledore's Army to Umbridge. Harry discovers through Snape's memories why Snape hated Harry's father James, who often ridiculed him.

text: Harry has another vision, this one of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort. Harry, Ron and Hermione rush to Umbridge's fireplace to alert the Order via the Floo Network, since hers is the only fireplace not being monitored, but Umbridge stops them before they can do so. As Umbridge tortures Harry, Hermione tricks Umbridge into entering the Forbidden Forest in search of Dumbledore's "secret weapon". She and Harry lead her to the hiding place of Hagrid's giant half-brother, Grawp, only to be confronted by centaurs who kidnap Umbridge after she attacks and insults them. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Neville and Ginny fly to the Ministry of Magic on Thestrals in an attempt to save Sirius.

text: The six enter the Department of Mysteries where they uncover a bottled prophecy, the object Voldemort was after. However, they are ambushed by Death Eaters including Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. Lucius reveals that Harry only saw a dream of Sirius being tortured; it was simply a ruse to lure Harry into the Death Eaters' grasp. Harry refuses to give Lucius the prophecy, and a fight between Dumbledore's Army and the Death Eaters ensues. The Death Eaters take everyone except Harry as hostages, threatening to kill them unless he surrenders the prophecy.

text: Harry obliges just as Sirius and Remus Lupin arrive with Order members Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Mad-Eye Moody. As they attack the Death Eaters, Lucius drops the prophecy, destroying it. Just as Sirius overpowers Lucius, Bellatrix kills Sirius. Voldemort appears, but Dumbledore arrives through the Floo Network moments before Voldemort can kill Harry.

text: A duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore ensues, destroying much of the Atrium, while Bellatrix escapes. After the two prove evenly matched, Voldemort possesses Harry to try to get Dumbledore to sacrifice Harry, but the love Harry feels for his friends and Sirius makes it impossible for Voldemort to remain in his body. Ministry officials arrive before Voldemort disapparates; Fudge is forced to admit that Voldemort has returned and is forced out of his position as Minister in disgrace. Umbridge is removed from Hogwarts and Dumbledore returns as headmaster. Dumbledore explains that he distanced himself from Harry throughout the year hoping it would lessen the risk of Voldemort using their connection. Harry comes to terms with the prophecy; "Neither can live while the other survives."

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, a 15-year-old British wizard famous for surviving his parents' murder at the hands of Voldemort as an infant, who now enters his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, Harry's best friend at Hogwarts.
Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Harry's Muggle-born best friend and the brains of the trio.
Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's most loyal Death Eaters and the cousin of Sirius Black.
Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, the half-giant Gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts and a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort, leader of the Death Eaters, a dark wizard intent on conquering the Wizarding World.
Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore, the legendary Hogwarts headmaster and leader of the Order of the Phoenix.
Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody, Harry's ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley, Harry's Muggle uncle.
Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, a falsely pardoned senior Death Eater.
Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, Harry's godfather and a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, the Potions teacher at Hogwarts and the Head of Slytherin
Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley, Harry's Muggle aunt.
Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts and a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and a plant from the corrupt Ministry of Magic.[8]
David Thewlis as Remus Lupin, Harry's ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney, the Divination teacher at Hogwarts.
Julie Walters as Molly Weasley, the Weasley matriarch and a mother figure to Harry, also a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

text: Casting[edit]

text: Casting began as early as May 2005, when Radcliffe announced he would reprise his role as Harry.[9] Across the media frenzy that took place during the release of Goblet of Fire, most of the main returning actors announced their return to the series, including Grint, Watson, Lewis, Wright, Leung, and Fiennes.[10][11][12][13][14][15]

text: The announcements of the casting of the rest of the new characters to the series was spanned across 2006. Evanna Lynch won the role of Luna Lovegood over 15,000 other girls who attended the open casting call,[16] waiting in a line of hopefuls that stretched a mile long.[17] Saoirse Ronan was considered for the role.[18]

text: Persistent rumours linked Elizabeth Hurley to the role of Bellatrix Lestrange, although Warner Bros. asserted there was "no truth whatsoever" to reports that she had been cast.[19] As early as August 2005, rumours began linking Helen McCrory to the role.[20] On 2 February 2006 it was announced that McCrory had indeed been cast as Bellatrix.[21] However, in April 2006 she revealed that she was three months pregnant and withdrew from the film because she would not have been able to perform the intense battle sequences in the Ministry of Magic in September and October 2006. The announcement that Bonham Carter had been recast in the role was made on 25 May 2006.[22] McCrory was subsequently cast as Narcissa Malfoy from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince onwards.

text: The inclusion or cutting of some characters sparked speculation from fans as to the importance of the characters in the final book of the series, which was released just ten days after the film. In April 2006, representatives of Jim McManus said he would be playing Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus' brother and the barman of the Hog's Head, in which Harry and his friends found Dumbledore's Army. A week later WB announced that the role was "very minor", allaying some of the speculation to the significance of the role, which, before the final book, was not even a speaking part.[23] MTV reported in October 2006 that Dobby the house elf, who appeared in the second film, Chamber of Secrets, and in the fifth book, would be cut, opening up "plot questions" as to how the role of the elf would be filled.[24] MTV also reported about a month before the release of the final book that Kreacher, the Black family's house-elf, was cut from the film in one draft of the script. However, after Rowling prodded the filmmakers to include him, saying, "You know, I wouldn't [cut him] if I were you. Or you can, but if you get to make a seventh film, you'll be tied in knots", he was added back into the script.[25]

text: Other minor roles were cut with subsequent drafts of the script. At the US premiere of Goblet of Fire, series producer David Heyman said that former Hogwarts professor Gilderoy Lockhart, played by Kenneth Branagh in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was in the first draft of the script for Phoenix.[26] However, neither Branagh nor the character of Lockhart appears in the final version. Tiana Benjamin was scheduled to return for the film in the role of Angelina Johnson, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, but she had to withdraw due to a commitment to playing Chelsea Fox in EastEnders. The character, as well as the entire Quidditch subplot, was ultimately cut from the film. She did, however, record sound clips for the Order of the Phoenix video game.[27]

text: The family of footballer Theo Walcott made a cameo appearance in the film. They were signed on by director David Yates, who is the partner of Yvonne Walcott, Theo's aunt.[28][29] Theo himself was due to appear alongside his family, though his commitments to Arsenal Football Club forced him to pull out.[30]

text: Production[edit]

text: British television director David Yates was chosen to direct the film after Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell, as well as Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Vaughn and Mira Nair, turned down offers.[31][32] Yates believed he was approached because the studio saw him fit to handle an "edgy and emotional" film with a "political backstory", which some of his previous television projects including State of Play, Sex Traffic and The Girl in the Café demonstrated.[32] Producer David Heyman supported Yates' comments about the film's political theme, stating that "[Order of the Phoenix] is a political film, not with a capital P, but it's about teen rebellion and the abuse of power. David has made films in the UK about politics without being heavy handed."[33] On the film's political and social aspects, Emma Watson stated that "somehow it talks about life after 7 July, the way people behave when they’re scared, the way truth is often denied and all the things our society has to face. Facing the fact that the authority is corrupted means having a non-conformist approach to reality and power."[34]

text: Steve Kloves, the screenwriter of the first four Potter films, had other commitments. Michael Goldenberg, who was considered to pen the first film in the series, filled in and wrote the script.[35]

text: Rehearsals for Order of the Phoenix began on 27 January 2006, filming began on 7 February 2006 and finished at the start of December 2006.[36][37][38] Filming was put on a two-month hiatus starting in May 2006 so Radcliffe could sit his A/S Levels and Watson could sit her GCSE exams.[39] The film's budget was reportedly between GB£75 and 100 million (US$150–200 million).[4][5] The largest budget of the other films in the series has been the £75 million it cost to make Goblet of Fire.[40]

text: Mark Day was the film editor, Sławomir Idziak was the cinematographer, and Jany Temime was the costume designer.[41] Choreographer Paul Harris, who had previously worked with David Yates several times, created a physical language for wand combat to choreograph the wand fighting scenes.[42]

text: Set design[edit]

text: Stuart Craig returned as set designer, having designed the first four films' sets.[43] There were a number of notable new sets in this film. The atrium in the Ministry of Magic is over 200 feet in length, making it the largest and most expensive set built for the Potter film series to date.[43] Craig's design was inspired by early London Underground stations, where, he said, architects "tried to imitate classical architecture but they used ceramic tile", as well as a Burger King on Tottenham Court Road in London, where "there's a fantastic Victorian façade which just embodies the age".[44][45] The set of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place contains the Black family tapestry spread across three walls; when the producers told Rowling they wanted to visualise the details of each name and birth year, she faxed them a complete copy of the entire tree.[46] The set of the Hall of Prophecies was entirely digitally built. During a fight scene which occurs there, prophecies crash to the ground and break; had it been an actual physical set, the reset time would have been weeks.[47]

text: The set used for Igor Karkaroff's trial scene in Goblet of Fire was doubled in size for Harry's trial in this film, while still protecting its symmetry.[45] New professor Dolores Umbridge, though she teaches in a classroom that has appeared in films two through four, inhabits an office vastly different from those of her predecessors. The set was redressed with "fluffy, pink filigree" and a number of plates upon which moving kittens were animated in post-production.[48] A 24-hour photo shoot was held to photograph and film the kittens for use on these plates.[49] The quill which Umbridge gives Harry to write lines is designed by the set designers.[48]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Though the producers explored options to film outside of the UK, Leavesden Film Studios in Watford was again the location on which many of the interior scenes, including the Great Hall, Privet Drive and Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place were shot.[50][51][52][53]

text: Locations in England included the River Thames, for the flight of the Order of the Phoenix to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, and the flight of Dumbledore's Army to the Ministry of Magic.[54] This sequence also includes such landmarks as the London Eye, Canary Wharf, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the HMS Belfast.[55] Filming at Platform 9¾ took place at King's Cross Station, as it has in the past.[56] A telephone booth near Scotland Yard was used as Harry and Arthur Weasley enter the Ministry,[57] while the crew closed the Westminster tube station on 22 October 2006 to allow for filming of Arthur Weasley accompanying Harry to his trial at the Ministry of Magic.[58] Other scenes were filmed in and around Oxford,[59] specifically at nearby Blenheim Palace in Woodstock.[60]

text: In Glenfinnan, the Hogwarts Express crosses a viaduct, as it has in the past films.[61] Aerial scenes were shot in Glen Coe, in Clachaig Gully,[61] and Glen Etive, which, at the time of filming, was one of the few places in Scotland without snow, making it ideal for a backdrop.[62]

text: Director David Yates stated in an interview that he had originally shot a three-hour film of Order of the Phoenix. However, some material had to be cut out in the final edit, as the movie was 45 minutes too long.[63] Therefore, several locations which were used for various scenes do not appear in the final cut of the film. In Virginia Water, scenes were shot where Professor McGonagall recovers from Stunning Spells,[64] and Burnham Beeches was used for filming the scene where Hagrid introduces his fifth-year Care of Magical Creatures class to Thestrals.[65] Harry skips stones in front of the Glenfinnan Monument in Glenfinnan in another cut scene.[61]

text: Visual effects[edit]

text: The film required over 1,400 visual effects shots, and the London-based company Double Negative created more than 950 of them. Working for six months on previsualisation starting in September 2005, Double Negative was largely responsible for sequences in the Room of Requirement, the Forbidden Forest, the Hall of Prophecies, and the Death Chamber.[66]

text: A new character in the film, Grawp, Hagrid's giant half-brother, came to life by a new technology called Soul Capturing, developed by Image Metrics. Instead of building the character from scratch, the movements and facial expressions of actor Tony Maudsley were used to model Grawp's actions.[66][67]

text: Music[edit]

text: Nicholas Hooper was the composer for the soundtrack of the film, following John Williams, who scored the first three films, and Patrick Doyle, who did the fourth. In the new score, Hooper incorporated variations on "Hedwig's Theme", the series' theme originally written by Williams for the first film and heard in all subsequent ones.[68] In March and April 2007, Hooper and the London Chamber Orchestra recorded nearly two hours of music at Abbey Road Studios in London. The score, like the film and book, is darker than previous instalments in the series. To emphasise this, the two new main themes reflect the sinister new character Dolores Umbridge, and Lord Voldemort's invasion of Harry's mind. A Japanese Taiko drum was used for a deeper sound in the percussion.[68] The soundtrack was released on 10 July 2007, the eve of the film's release.[69] For his work on the film, Hooper was nominated for a World Soundtrack Discovery Award. The trailer prominently features the cues "Divine Crusade" by X-Ray Dog and "DNA Reactor" by Pfeifer Broz. Music.

text: The film also featured the song "Boys Will Be Boys" by The Ordinary Boys.

text: Differences from the book[edit]

text: At 766 pages in the British edition and 870 in the American edition, Order of the Phoenix is the longest book in the Harry Potter series.[70] Screenwriter Michael Goldenberg described his task to cut down the novel as searching for "the best equivalent way to tell the story. My job was to stay true to the spirit of the book, rather than to the letter".[71] Goldenberg said that Rowling told him, the producers, and Yates that "she just wanted to see a great movie, and gave [them] permission to take whatever liberties [they] felt [they] needed to take to translate the book into a movie she would love".[71] Cutting down the book to meet the time frame of the film, Goldenberg explained, became "clearer when [he] figured out that the organising principle of the screenplay was to narrate Harry's emotional journey".[71] He and Yates "looked for every opportunity to get everything [they] could in there. And where [they] couldn't, to sort of pay homage to it, to have it somewhere in the background or to feel like it could be taking place off-screen".[72]

text: One cut Goldenberg had to make, which he "hated" to do, was the absence of Quidditch, the Wizarding sport.[72] "The truth is that any movie made of this book, whoever made it, that had included the Quidditch subplot would have been a lesser film", he said.[71] In the book, Ron grows as a character by trying out for the Quidditch team. "Ron facing challenges and coming into his own in the same way that Harry is, we tried to get that into the film in other ways, as much as possible. So, you feel like, if not the details of that story, at least the spirit of it is present in the film".[71] The change disappointed actor Rupert Grint who had been "quite looking forward to the Quidditch stuff".[73][not in citation given]

text: In a significant scene in the book, Harry sees a memory of his own father humiliating Snape in their school days, and Snape insulting his mother after she stood up for him. In the film, it is abbreviated to an "idea", in Goldenberg's words. "It's an iconic moment when you realise your parents are normal, flawed human beings. ... Things get trimmed out, but I kept the meat of that in there – and that was what really gave me the coming-of-age story."[71] Young Lily Potter did not appear at all, but promotional screenshots show unknown teenager Susie Shinner in the role.[74]

text: The scene at St Mungo's, the hospital where Harry and friends run into classmate Neville Longbottom and learn that his parents were tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange, was cut because it required the construction of a new set.[71] The main purpose of the action of the scene was relocated to the Room of Requirement after one of Dumbledore's Army's lessons. Also, to speed up the film's climax, several events in the Ministry leading up to Harry's battle with Voldemort were removed, including the brain room.[70] Mrs. Weasley's encounter with a boggart at Grimmauld Place, Ron, Hermione and Malfoy becoming prefects, the appearance of Mundungus Fletcher, and Firenze teaching Divination followed suit.[73]

text: The character of Kreacher the house-elf, who was included in the script only at Rowling's request, has a larger part in the book than the film. In the novel, he is seen saving some of the Black family's artefacts which the Order of the Phoenix throw away, one of which is a locket which becomes extremely important in the seventh book.[75] "It was kind of tricky to raise that in our story, because it's for so much later", Yates said. "We figured we can probably introduce it later, and that's the approach we took".[25] Whilst Kreacher remained, all scenes involving Dobby were cut, and his important actions given to other characters.[70]

text: Rita Skeeter, the journalist played by Miranda Richardson in Goblet of Fire, was also removed. In the book, Hermione blackmails her into writing an article that supports Harry as the rest of the Wizarding world denies his claims.[70] Richardson noted that "it's never gonna be the book on film, exactly. ... They'll take certain aspects from the book and make it something that they hope is going to be commercial and that people want to see".[76]

text: Distribution[edit]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: The first trailer was released on 17 November 2006, attached to another WB film, Happy Feet. It was made available online on 20 November 2006, on the Happy Feet website.[77] The international trailer debuted online on 22 April 2007 at 14:00 UTC.[78] On 4 May 2007, the US trailer was shown before Spider-Man 3.[79]

text: Three posters released on the Internet that showed Harry accompanied by six classmates, including Hermione Granger, generated some controversy by the media. They were essentially the same picture, though one advertised the IMAX release. In one poster, the profile of Hermione, played by Emma Watson, was made curvier as the outline of her breasts was enhanced. Melissa Anelli, webmistress of noted fan site The Leaky Cauldron, wrote:[80]

text: Emma Watson is playing a 15-year-old girl, and she herself is under 18. I get the full heebie jeebies thinking about the person who sat there thinking, 'Now, if we cinch her waist a bit, and inflate her bust a bit, and give her some dramatic lighting and more blonde hair, this would be a much better picture.'

text: Representatives for WB later wrote about the poster under fire, "This is not an official poster. Unfortunately this image was accidentally posted on the IMAX website".[81]

text: The video game version, designed by EA UK, was released 25 June 2007.[82] Lego produced just one set, a model of Hogwarts, the lowest amount of sets for a film so far.[83][84] NECA produced a series of action figures,[85] while a larger array of smaller figures was also produced by PopCo Entertainment, a Corgi International company.[86]

text: Theatrical release[edit]

text: The film was the third Harry Potter film to be given a simultaneous release in conventional theatres and IMAX. The IMAX release featured the full movie in 2D and the final 20 minutes of the film in 3D.[87] According to estimates in March 2007, by Warner Bros., the film would debut on over 10,000 theatre screens during the summer.[88]

text: The film was released in most countries in a two-week period starting 11 July 2007. WB has tried to stick with day-and-date releases for most countries, except the Middle East and a few minor markets which were to be in holidays at that point. The set of summer releases, even though the films are typically released in the winter, "really maximises our opportunity", said a representative for WB.[88]

text: Previews of the film began in March 2007 in the Chicago area.[89] Under tight security to prevent piracy, WB had security guards patrol the aisles, looking for cell phone cameras or small recording devices, at a preview in Japan.[90] The world premiere took place in Tokyo, Japan on 28 June 2007.[91] MySpace users could bring copies of their online profiles to gain free admission to sneak previews in eight different cities across the country on 28 June 2007.[92] The UK premiere took place on 3 July 2007 in London's Odeon Leicester Square, during which author J. K. Rowling made a public appearance.[93] The US premiere took place on 8 July in Los Angeles.[94] After the premiere, the three young stars of the film series, Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson, were honoured with a ceremony where their handprints, footprints, and "wandprints" were placed in the cement in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre.[95]

text: Originally, Warner Bros. set the Australian release date as 6 September 2007, nearly two months after the majority of other release dates. However, after complaints from the Australian community, including a petition garnering 2,000 signatures the date was pulled back to 11 July 2007.[96] The release dates of the film in the UK and US were also moved back, both from 13 July, to 12 and 11 July, respectively.[97][98]

text: Even though the book is the longest in the series (over 700 pages), the film is 138 minutes long (2 hours and 18 minutes), the second shortest in the entire film series.[99]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The DVDs included additional scenes, a feature showing a day in the life of Natalia Tena, who played Nymphadora Tonks, an A&E documentary about the films and books, and a featurette on film editing in Phoenix. The DVD-ROM features a timeline and a sneak peek of the next film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009). The HD DVD and Blu-ray contain additional features, such as the "in-movie experience", a video commentary in which members of Dumbledore's Army share their favourite moments from the production of the film, and "focus points" featurettes on how certain scenes of the film were made.[100][101] The HD DVD also includes an exclusive feature called "community screening", which enables owners of the HD DVD to watch the film together over the Internet.[102] Order of the Phoenix was the seventh best-selling DVD of 2007, with 10.14 million units.[103] The high-definition DVDs had combined sales of 179,500 copies,[103] with more units coming from the Blu-ray version.[104]

text: There was also a third DVD with extras featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the sets of the movie. This can only be found in those purchased at Target stores (Future Shop in Canada) since it is a Target exclusive. The package included a one-time-only code that activated a digital copy of the film, which may be played on a computer with Windows Media Player. The digital copy, however, is not playable on Macintosh or Apple Inc. iPod devices. This issue was partially addressed, with the film being made available on the iTunes Store in the UK but not the US.[105]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The film opened to a worldwide 5-day opening of $333 million, the fourteenth-biggest opening of all time. In the United States, tickets for hundreds of midnight showings of the film, bought from online ticket-seller Fandango, were sold out, making up approximately 90% of the site's weekly ticket sales.[106] In the US and Canada, midnight screenings (very early morning on 11 July) brought in $12 million[107] from 2,311 midnight exhibitions making the showings "the most successful batch of midnight exhibitions ever".[108] In one-night earnings, Phoenix is behind only At World's End, which had debuted four hours earlier on its date.[109] In studio documents leaked in July 2010, it was revealed the film lost Warner Bros. about $167 million.[110][111]

text: In North America, Phoenix earned an additional $32.2 million on Wednesday, post-midnight showings, making it the biggest single-day Wednesday gross in box office history, with a total of $44.2 million from 4,285 theatres.[112][113] That amount topped Sony Pictures' Spider-Man 2, which held the record since 2004 with its $40.4 million take on a Wednesday, until this record was broken in 2009 by Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with $62 million.[114] It was also the fifth-biggest opening day for a movie in history, at the time, surpassing At World's End's $42.9 million. It earned $1.9 million from a record-breaking 91 IMAX screens, the highest opening day ever for any IMAX day of the week, beating Spider-Man 3's $1.8 million. In the UK the result was similar. The film made £16.5 million during its opening 4-day run, breaking the UK box office record for the biggest 4-day opening weekend ever.[115]

text: Phoenix's gross is at $292 million in the US and Canada, making it the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2007 in these regions,[116] and at £49.2 million,[117] or $101.4 million in the UK[118] Overseas, it has grossed $647.8 million, the seventh-highest grosser ever overseas,[119] for a worldwide total of $939.8 million[3] making it the second-highest-grossing film of the year closely behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End's $963 million gross.[120] It became the sixth-highest-grossing film in history at the time, the second-highest-grossing Potter film worldwide,[121] and the second Potter film to break the $900 million mark.[122] As of March 2018, it is the 44th-highest-grossing film of all time[123] as well as the fourth-highest-grossing Potter film in the franchise behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2's $1.341 billion,[124] Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone's $974 million,[citation needed] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1's $960 million[125] and the highest-grossing 2007 film in Australia and the UK.[126][127] IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros. Pictures announced that the film has made over $35 million on IMAX screens, worldwide, with an impressive per-screen average of $243,000 making it the highest-grossing live-action IMAX release in history.[128] In South Africa the film opened at number 1 with a total of $944,082.00, being screened at 87 theatres.[129]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 78% based on 244 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It's not easy to take the longest Harry Potter book and streamline it into the shortest HP movie, but director David Yates does a bang up job of it, creating an Order of the Phoenix that's entertaining and action-packed."[131] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 71 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews"[132] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[133]

text: Charles Frederick of The Telegraph headlined his review "Potter film is the best and darkest yet".[134] Colin Bertram of the New York Daily News gave the film four out of four stars, calling it the best Potter film yet and wrote that "die-hard Potter addicts will rejoice that Yates has distilled J. K. Rowling's broad universe with care and reverence".[135] Mark Adams of The Sunday Mirror, while giving the film four out of five stars, called it "a dark and delicious delight [and] a must-see movie".[136] Rene Rodriguez of The Miami Herald gave the film three stars out of four and wrote that the film "is the first instalment in the soon-to-be series-of-seven that doesn't seem like just another spinoff capitalising on the money-minting Harry Potter brand name. Instead, Phoenix feels like a real 'movie'".[137]

text: Imelda Staunton's performance as Dolores Umbridge and Helena Bonham Carter's as Bellatrix Lestrange were widely acclaimed; Staunton was described as the "perfect choice for the part" and "one of the film's greatest pleasures", "coming close to stealing the show".[138] The Daily Mail described Staunton's portrayal of Umbridge as a "refreshing addition", with the character herself described as "a cross between Margaret Thatcher and Hyacinth Bucket".[139] Bonham Carter was said to be a "shining but underused talent".[140] Variety praised Alan Rickman's portrayal of Severus Snape, writing that he "may have outdone himself; seldom has an actor done more with less than he does here".[141] Newcomer Evanna Lynch, playing Luna Lovegood, also received good word from a number of reviewers including the New York Times who declared her "spellbinding".[142]

text: Peter Travers of Rolling Stone also lauded the three principal actors' achievements, especially Radcliffe: "One of the joys of this film is watching Daniel Radcliffe grow so impressively into the role of Harry. He digs deep into the character and into Harry's nightmares. It's a sensational performance, touching all the bases from tender to fearful". Rolling Stone's review also classified the film as better than the previous four instalments in the series, by losing the "candy-ass aspect" of the first two and "raising the bar" from the "heat and resonance" of the third and fourth.[143] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called the film "the best of the series so far, [with] the laughs, the jitters and the juice to make even nonbelievers wild about Harry".[143]

text: Leo Lewis of The Times (London) expressed disappointment that the three main actors were not able to fully advance the emotional sides of their respective characters, weakening the film.[140] The San Francisco Chronicle complained about a "lousy" storyline, alleging that the first twenty minutes of the film, when Harry is put on trial for performing magic outside of school and threatened with expulsion, but is cleared of all charges, did not advance the plot.[144] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Phoenix is "quite possibly the least enjoyable of the [series] so far", and that despite "several eye-catching moments", "the magic – movie magic, that is – is mostly missing". The review also criticised the under use of the "cream of British acting", noting the brief appearances of Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, David Thewlis, Richard Griffiths, and Julie Walters.[145]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: Before it was released, Order of the Phoenix was nominated in a new category at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet.[146] On 26 August 2007, the film won the award for Choice Summer Movie – Drama/Action Adventure at the Teen Choice Awards.[147]

text: The film was also nominated for several awards at the 2007 Scream Awards presented by Spike TV, in the categories of The Ultimate Scream, Best Fantasy Movie, and Best Sequel. Daniel Radcliffe was nominated in the Fantasy Hero categories, respectively.[148] The film won for Best Sequel and Ralph Fiennes won for "Most Vile Villain".[149] The film picked up three awards at the inaugural ITV National Movie Awards, taking Best Family Film, Best Actor for Radcliffe and Best Actress for Emma Watson.[150] The film was one of ten nominees for a 2007 Hollywood Movie of the Year.[151] It was also nominated for Best Live Action Family Film at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards[152] and won the 2007 People's Choice Award for "Favorite Movie Drama".[153] Having been nominated for six awards at the 13th Empire Awards, organised by Empire, including Best Film, David Yates won Best Director.[154] Yates later received the BAFTA Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in Directing for his four Harry Potter films, which includes Order of the Phoenix.[155]

text: Nicholas Hooper received a nomination for a World Soundtrack Discovery Award for his score to the film.[156] Imelda Staunton was nominated in the "British Actress in a Supporting Role" category at the London Film Critics Circle Awards.[157] At the 2008 BAFTA Awards, the film was nominated for "Best Production Design" and "Best Special Visual Effects".[158] Order of the Phoenix was also nominated for the awards from the Art Directors Guild and Costume Designers Guild,[159][160] and was awarded for "Outstanding Special Effects in a Motion Picture" by the Visual Effects Society out of six nominations.[161] The British Academy Children's Awards (BAFTA) nominated Order of the Phoenix for Best Feature Film in 2007[162] and the Hugo Awards nominated the film for Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form) in 2008.[163]