Zhuge Liang is a figure that is revered throughout the entirety of East Asia and has often served as a lesson for many young students. His depiction in history, however, has varied even up to the present date. By first looking at his original literary role in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written around the 14th century, he is a striking presence in the book. In time, his position as Liu Bei’s advisor becomes accentuated in importance and his character changes to reflect contemporary values in other pieces of literary work. In order to show this development, this article will focus on the two versions of the play Bowang shao tun and then John Woo’s film Red Cliff.
Zhuge Liang was an important literary figure in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Liu Bei’s three visits to the ‘Nangong’s Sleeping Dragon’ are central to the Shu-Han’s turning of the tide. With his promise of serving Liu like a ‘hound or a horse’ Zhuge Liang is immediately set up to be an immense and fearsome figure throughout the book.[1] His impact is immediately made in the fight against Cao Cao and is demonstrates when he promises Zhou Yu the acquisition of 100,000 arrows in three days which he fulfils thanks to his weather predictions and strategic mastery.[2] His intelligence is central to his character and is the definitive influence on the rest of the book. In proceeding centuries, his character would be developed into a much more nuanced figure in Chinese literature.
This is shown in the play Bowang shao tun which was written in two versions, the first residing in the period of the Yuan dynasty and the other during the Ming dynasty. Part of the zaju genre, the plays use the characters from the Three Kingdoms story cycle are written to encourage the use of orthodox Confucian values which is evident in the manner in which they are portrayed and how the story develops.[3] The Yuan and Ming version hold an important distinction in the way they depict Zhuge Liang. The former uses no dialogue but stage directions show how Yuan scripts made him seem just as intelligent but much less polite and decorous.[4] When compared with the Ming version, which includes a script packed with written dialogue, Zhuge is treated with much more nuance and reflects an idealised version of the renowned character. Instead of focusing solely on his intelligence, these works depict this historical figure in a way which reflects the values of contemporary society instead of making it akin to prior depictions.
This continues to be the case today as is demonstrated in the film Red Cliff directed by John Woo which was made in 2008. In the film, Zhuge Liang is played by Takeshi Kaneshiro and features prominently in the battle plans and strategy. His polite and knowledgeable appearance in the film are central in many of the scenes which proceed in this new Chinese epic. When doing an interview with the Japan Times, Woo mentions how he wished demonstrate Zhuge heroism through his restraint and mild manners.[5] He continues this says,
‘That was part of his strategy, part of the art of war. If the enemy underestimates you, you become that much stronger, which is something Zhuge taught the generals. He was also a romantic and a cultured man who thought his thoughts in poetry and played music; his presence transformed the battlefield and altered the course of history.’[6]
Whilst the medium of film presents a different spectacle from the other works I’ve analysed, this quote shows how Zhuge has been represented in modern day cinema compared to older forms of literature. He is no longer just a man of intelligence, but one who’s very demeanour and virtues reflect politeness to the upmost. The values of Confucianism and the importance of decorum have become much more central to the character of Zhuge Liang and Woo’s version of the strategist is but one of many that reflects this development.
[1] Luo Guanzhong, Romance of the Three Kingdoms trans. Moss Roberts (California, 2004) p. 140
[2] Ibid pp. 222-6
[3] Kimberley Besio, ‘Zhuge Liang and Zhange Fei: Bowang shao tun and Contemporary Masculine Ideals within the Development of the Three Kingdoms Story Cycle’ in Kimberely Besio and Constantine Tung (eds.) Three Kingdoms and Chinese Culture (New York, 2007) p. 74
[4] Ibid p. 76
[5] https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2008/11/06/films/war-as-wisdom-and-gore/ (accessed 20/11/20)
[6] Ibid