The concept of Chinese nationalism is not a recent development. The term Zhongguo or ‘Middle Kingdom’’ has its origins in the 3rd century CE and was used to denote the lands China occupied.[1] Sometimes translated as ‘all under heaven’, it separated Chinese citizens from the barbarians which surrounded them.[2] Since the Song era, China has developed a stronger form of nationalism that can now be seen in present day culture. This is especially true for the country’s cinema which has increasingly seen films being used for political messages. In order to show how this is the case, I will analyse Hero (2002) and the recent Mulan (2020).
Hero is a film directed by Zhang Yimou and centres on an assassination plot intended for the emperor. Through it’s uses of martial arts and prominent actors, it became a wild success both in Asia and the USA. At the end of the film, Zhongguo is an integral plot point. In order to prevent the emperor’s assassination, Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) uses this term to dissuade Nameless (Jet Li) from carrying out his mission. This ends up working as Nameless decides against the killing as he preaches a message of unity to the ruler whilst knowing this would mean his eventual death. This has a clear nationalist undertone ‘all under heaven’ encourages a China which is stronger as a united-state. Despite this apparent message, Zhang did not suggest the film was political. In an interview in 2004 he said,
‘The objective of any form of art is not political. I had not political intentions. I am not interested in politics.’[3]
Whilst this does not necessarily mean that the director was not intentionally leaving nationalism as a prevailing message in the film, it does show that it was a subtle approach. Whether accidental or not, the director does not openly suggest the purpose of the film was for political reasons nor involve himself in politics whatsoever.
This marks as a stark contrast from Disney’s Mulan (2020). First off, lead actress Liu Yifei openly supported Hong Kong police against the city’s protestors.[4] Then the film openly credits the help of the government agencies in Xinjiang where Uighur Muslims are currently being detained.[5] The film also removes itself from historical reality by placing the figure in Chinese territory despite the original poem suggesting she was a barbarian.
What is so striking with the difference of Mulan to Hero is the obvious political intent of the film. The lead actress is openly discussing her support of Chinese political actions and the film itself even thanks the government’s help. Whilst each movie clearly has a theme that centres around promoting nationalism, one is much more upfront and obvious about it than the other. The fact that Zhang steered clear about making comments on politics shows the lack of acknowledgement of the governments involvement or if it even took place at all. Mulan, on the other hand, is very clear in the fact that Chinese authorities had a large influence on how the film was made and how it would be promoted.
What this goes to show is a growing use of political messages in Chinese films that have become more apparent during the 21st century. Whilst it is not a new thing for Chinese cinema to have an undercurrent of propaganda, there has been an increasingly obvious change in how important this has become. Mulan demonstrates how Chinese cinema has become increasingly political and used for messages the government support instead of films getting made for the enjoyment of the viewer which I believe Hero is much more capable of doing.
[1] Wai-Yee Li, ‘Anecdotal Barbarians in Early China’ in Paul van Els and Sarah A. Queen (eds.) Between history and philosophy: anecdotes in early China (New York, 2017) pp. 113-5
[2] Nicolas Tackett, Origins of the Chinese Nation: Song China and the Forging of an East Asian World Order (Cambridge, 2017) p. 175
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/dec/17/1 (accessed 26/11/20)
[4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-49373276 (accessed 26/11/20)
[5] https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-new-mulanandnbsps-uncomfortable-relationship-with-chinas-past-and-present (accessed 26/11/20)