Taiwan director Ang Lee speaks during a premiere of Chinese movie star Jet Li's new movie "Fearless" in Hong Kong in this January 22, 2006 file photo. (Photo/Reuters) 

TAIPEI, Mar 3 (AP) -- He's spent most of his adult life in the West, where he's now one of Hollywood's top directors -- and a favorite to win an Academy Award on Sunday.

But Ang Lee still has his gentle smile and shy, modest demeanor -- the classic traits of a Chinese gentleman.

His Chineseness also shows through in his movies, especially in "Brokeback Mountain," which might win him the best director award at the Oscars. The Taiwan-born Lee would be the first Asian to get the honor.

In many ways, the movie seems distinctly un-Chinese, focusing on the gay relationship between two cowboys in the rugged American West. But the film also has themes popular in Chinese cinema, like the repression of the true self in a conservative society.

Movie buffs familiar with Chinese film will also note how "Brokeback Mountain" is rich in understated communication that's popular in Asian movies. There's the incremental buildup to the cowboys' love affair -- fleeting glances fraught with subsumed passion, minute gestures of heart-wrenching tenderness.

This might help explain why "Brokeback Mountain" has been a box office hit in Taiwan -- the leaf-shaped island off China's southern coast.

More than a month after the film's debut, it continues to draw large audiences that usually flock to big-budget kung fu movies, action thrillers and traditional love stories.

Unlike many other Asian countries, the film screened uncensored and with a rating equivalent to PG-13 -- lower even than in the United States and reflects what Lee said is Taiwan's more open attitude toward homosexuality.

No doubt, the film's sterling reviews and hometown pride have also helped the movie.

Taiwanese director Chen Yao-chi explained why the 51-year-old Lee was so special.

"Taiwanese talents have long exported computers and other technologies to the world, but Ang Lee is among a rare few who have excelled in the field of culture and arts," Chen said.

He also lauded Lee for moving beyond the action genre that occupies many of the Asian directors who have gained a Hollywood foothold.

Lee has also tackled English period drama with "Sense and Sensibility." In "The Ice Storm" (1997), he explored moral ambiguities in 1970s suburban America. He brought a classic American comic book character to the big screen in "The Hulk" (2003). His "Ride with the Devil" (1999) revolves around renegade southern fighters in the U.S. Civil War era.

His highly acclaimed "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000) was one of his few Chinese endeavors in recent years. Others included "Wedding Banquet," a 1993 comedy about a gay Taiwanese man hiding his homosexuality, and "Eat Drink Man Woman," a 1994 hit about a chef and his three daughters.

The son of a school principal, Lee left Taiwan for the United States when he was 23. The future didn't look promising for him in Taiwan because he flunked the grueling university entrance exam twice _ a major setback in Taiwan's academic-oriented society.

He studied at film New York University before struggling to break into the film business. During his early years, his microbiologist wife, Janice Lin, supported the family.

Lee's brother, director Lee Kang, said his brother meets the Chinese ideal of mixing tenacity with humility, kindness and courtesy.

"He's true to himself, but he's also a rebellious person" who constantly reflects on himself and looks deep into social events, he said.

Those qualities have helped Lee to respect and appreciate the merits of foreign cultures, he said.

Liao I-mei, a Taiwanese office worker, said she was deeply touched by "Brokeback Mountain" for portraying the gay cowboys as ordinary lovers, not perverts.

"Ang Lee made me realize that being gay is not a crime," she said. "If my husband fell into the same situation with another man, I possibly could be more understanding."