Interface News Reporter | Intern Reporter Huang Dongjie Reporter Yin Qinglu
Interface News Editor | Jiang Yan
As a classic image in film and television works, the dragon shows different characteristics in Chinese and Western cultures, and it also changes from simple to complex with the development of time. Within the framework of the Chinese dragon, the dragon often appears as a symbol of justice and bravery, representing the Chinese nation. In Western dragon narratives, dragons often appear as ferocious and cruel evil, demonstrating the long-standing dragon-slaying culture.
However, if you compare more film and television works about dragons, you will find that the image of dragons in Chinese and Western cultures is not static. In the process of the dragon being personified, it no longer just acts as a giant beast that creates a terrifying atmosphere, but becomes a full-bodied and three-dimensional character, revealing a more contradictory aspect in addition to the good and evil sides.
Dragon in China: The Spirit of Justice and National Culture
Dragon plays an important role in Chinese culture. It is mysterious, majestic and just. In Chinese film and television works, dragons often have a certain symbolic meaning, transcending legends and myths and becoming specific cultural symbols.
The image of the dragon in Chinese film and television works has a courageous and indomitable spirit, representing strength and authority, and at the same time embodies the pride and self-confidence of the Chinese people. For example, Zhang Fengyi played the role of Fu Dong, a young criminal police captain in the movie "The Year of the Dragon" (1990). In his ordinary daily work, he faced the problems of criminals escaping from prison and seeking revenge and his wife's divorce, and finally arrested the criminals. And reunited with his wife. In the film, Fu Dong risked his life and captured the criminal after a life-and-death struggle; when he found that his subordinates had only eaten four bags of instant noodles despite working for 38 hours, he invited them to dinner regardless of the risk of being punished; when he saw his wife When he hugged General Manager Chen, he didn't fight. He just poured his anger on the table with his fists. Director Huang Jianzhong mentioned in the director's notes that Fu Dong in "Police Officer in the Year of the Dragon" is loyal to his faith, passionate about his career, and firm in his feelings. It is this kind of person who supports our country and nation. Huang Jianzhong also talked about the double meaning of the title "Police Officer in the Year of the Dragon" in the behind-the-scenes footage of the film. One is that the year the film plot refers to is 1988, which happens to be the Year of the Dragon; the other is the use of "dragon" to emphasize The valuable image of Chinese criminal police.
"Year of the Dragon" (1990) movie poster. Image source: Douban
Like "Police Officer in the Year of the Dragon", the dragon in domestic movies often appears as a symbol, rather than as a "dragon" itself. It can be combined with Chinese martial arts and kung fu to become action movies and martial arts movies. important elements in. "The Spirit of Dragon Horse", released in 2023 and starring Jackie Chan , tells the story of the protagonist Lao Luo and the BMW "Red Rabbit". Lao Luo is a dragon and tiger martial artist who hopes to train Chitu into an action star on the set. The "Dragon Horse Spirit" in the film is not only reflected in the fighting spirit of Lao Luo and Chi Tu when they cross ditches, hoist wires, and bombs on the set, but is also reflected in Lao Luo's determination to give up a dangerous career and prevent Chi Tu from risking his life. time, cherishing life and living.
Similarly, many movies do not directly tell the legend of dragons, but often use "dragon" as the title, or subtly incorporate dragon elements. In 1989, the movie "The Dragon in the End of the World", a collaboration between Jet Li and Stephen Chow, showcased Chinese Kung Fu in San Francisco, USA; in "The Dragon in Shaolin" (1996), starring Shi Xiaolong walked on the streets of a big city. Seeing injustice and finding the Buddha's head after going through hardships along the way; "The Dragon" in 1998 and "Dragon on the Edge" in 1999 respectively replayed the gangster stories of the Young and Dangerous series. In short, in similar action movies or martial arts movies, the spiritual connotation of Long Cheng coincides with the spirit of martial arts, and together they convey the values of justice, bravery and protection of the weak.
"On the Edge" (1999) movie poster. Image source: Douban
Dragons in the West: The Evil Dragon and the Dragon-Slaying Boy
In Western film and television works, the image of dragons has completely different characteristics from Eastern dragons. Dragons are huge, scaly reptiles that usually have wings and the ability to breathe fire. They are regarded as majestic guardians or symbols of evil. They are mysterious, powerful and very sacred.For example, "Smaug" (or translated as Smaug) in the movie "The Hobbit" (2012) is a fantasy dragon and one of the most terrifying and impressive creatures in Tolkien's world. This movie is adapted from Tolkien's novel of the same name published in 1937. The author describes it in the book:
"There is a particularly greedy, strong and evil insect called Smaug. One day, he jumped up Flying into the sky, heading towards the south."
"A blazing red light rose from the end of the rocky ground near him - that was the light emitted by the dragon Smaug! A golden red light The dragon lay there sound asleep, snoring from his jaws and nostrils, and emitting wisps of black smoke."
The dragon in the book has a long, winding neck and a crocodile-like appearance in the movie. The face, with spikes and long tail, brings a strong visual impact to the audience.
Official stills from "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" (2013). Image source: Douban
In Western movies, brave men often fight dragons, which leads to a journey with themes of challenge, growth and heroism. This is because, as an important symbol in Western culture, the dragon not only has the charm of visual special effects, but also symbolizes mankind's exploration of the unknown and the desire to transcend one's own power. "China Daily" once wrote an article about the dragon-slaying culture in the Western tradition. Warriors in European mythology need to kill an evil dragon to prove their strength. In the process, they can also obtain treasures to fill their storehouses, and become the owner of the land in the eyes of the public. king. In the mythical story "Saint George and the Dragon", the dragon demanded human sacrifices for food. The hero St. George drew his sword and killed the dragon, thus becoming the patron saint of England. What's more, once a hero with powerful power is contaminated by evil forces, he himself will turn into a dragon. In the Germanic mythology "The Ring of the Nibelung", the prince Fafnir was greedy for treasure and was eventually cursed by a gem and turned into a dragon. He could only spend the rest of his life guarding the stolen treasure. Therefore, whether dragon slayers are real warriors or new evil dragons is a controversial question in Western culture.
Caitlin Stevenson, a doctor of medieval history and a young American scholar, once unveiled the medieval dragon-slaying culture in the book "How to Slay a Dragon: A Guide to Medieval Heroes' Adventures". She was interviewed in the "Hardcore Reading Club" Zhong said that whether in the Christian Bible or in medieval Europe, people once regarded dragons as the embodiment of evil. There is an important reason behind this: you cannot kill evil or hell, but you can kill evil. Symbol of the dragon. She mentioned that in medieval Christian art, people depicted the entrance to hell as the mouth of a dragon, and that God could stab the dragon to death and release the believers in hell. However, the image of dragons in the West has also undergone changes. By the 20th century, people began to tell a narrative called the "good loser", so many misunderstood dragons appeared in popular culture: they were initially regarded as Villains who do all kinds of evil, but in the end people discover that they just want to be loved.
[US] Caitlin Stevenson/"How to Slay a Dragon: A Medieval Hero's Adventure Guide"/Beijing United Publishing Company/June 2023
The personified dragon: a round head, a round head, a cute body, a handsome young man
Regardless Whether it is the justice and bravery of the Chinese dragon, or the greed and evil of the Western dragon, they are not real characters. But dragons can also appear as protagonists, with their own personalities, thoughts, and experiences. This is the case with Bailong who lives in the Kohaku River in the movie "Spirited Away" (2001). He transforms into a handsome young man, learns magic under the guidance of Yubaba and gradually becomes cold and severe. Finally, with the help of Chihiro, he recovers his magic. name.
In the context of Western dragon-slaying culture, the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" breaks the Western narrative tradition of the boy and the dragon being in opposition to each other, and also creates a personalized dragon. Hiccup, a Viking teenager, longed to follow the tribe's tradition and become a dragon slayer. However, when he finally caught the first dragon and had a chance to gain acceptance from the tribe, he found that he was no longer obsessed with killing dragons, but fighting with them. The dragon "Toothless" became a friend.After that, Hiccup and "Toothless" successfully united the Vikings and dragons, and the island of Berk where they lived became a paradise where humans and dragons coexist peacefully.
"How to Train Your Dragon" is adapted from the children's book "How to Train Your Dragon" (How to Train Your Dragon) published by Gracieda Coville in 2003. It is different from the mainstream evil images in Western movies. This book has created cute dragons, such as the naive Gronco, the colorful and deadly Nard, the round-headed terrifying dragon, and the night dragon "Toothless" who experiences adventures with the young protagonist. Dean DeBlois, the film director of the "How to Train Your Dragon" trilogy, said in an interview that the audience will be able to see "Toothless" grow up, and it will look a lot like himself and the people around him to some extent. People, because he drew on the characteristics of his friends during the creative process. The director believes that the story of "How to Train Your Dragon" is universal, and since dragons are so popular around the world, he is proud to be able to create a world where dragons actually exist.
A similar example is the 2019 animated film " Nezha: The Devil Boy Comes into the World ". In it, Prince Ao Binglong changed his previous identity as a dragon from the dragon clan and became a man trapped on the bottom of the sea by gods and suppressed many ghosts. In order to get rid of the fate of being trapped under the sea for generations, the Dragon Prince had no choice but to shoulder the expectations of the whole family and destroy Nezha. When scholars Song Yizheng and Wang Shuhui analyzed the image of Ao Bing in the film, they believed that Ao Bing's true body was a "blue dragon", also known as "Cang Long", who was considered to be one of the "Four Spirits of the Sky", the Eastern God, in charge of Rainfall protects farming. With the blessing of the animated story, Ao Bing has the image of "a stranger is like jade, and a son is unparalleled in the world", and the "green dragon" spiritual quality in him is more humane and has a sense of justice.
Official stills of "Nezha: The Devil Boy Comes into the World" (2019). Image source: Douban
Scholar Wang Zheng once elaborated on the evolution of Ao Bing's image in an article. He pointed out that the movie "Nezha Haohai" (1979) tells the traditional myth of Nezha, and Ao Bing appears in a domineering manner. , not only spoke rudely to Nezha, but also said without any remorse that the dragon clan had eaten the young girl. Nezha and Ao Bing represented a single good and evil respectively. But in "Nezha: The Devil Boy Comes to the World", Ao Bing's nature is not bad, but he is forced to do evil due to helplessness. His character is also complex and changeable. In this way, the relationship between Ao Bing and Nezha is no longer an absolute conflict between good and evil, but becomes a conflict between two fates. Ao Bing's image transformation also shows the changes of Long in film and television works - from a cultural symbol to a concrete character, from a single one-sided to a three-dimensional and complex one.
Reference:
Huang Jianzhong: "<龙年警官>: The Fusion of Commerciality and Artistry", "Director Huang Jianzhong's Notes", Writers Publishing House, 2011
[English] J.R.R. Tolkien (j.r.r. Tolkien), translated by Wu Gang: "The Hobbit" ", Shanghai People's Publishing House, 2013
China Daily: "What is the difference between European and American dragons and Chinese dragons? 》
https://column.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202402/04/ws65bf34d4a31026469ab17728.html
Hardcore Reading Club: "Traveling to the Middle Ages, I decided to rely on this book to pass the level",
https://mp.weixin.qq .com/s/bfdqh9jzluhnfvt5k5erqg
allociné, interview with Dean DeBlois, https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18682029.html
Song Yizheng, Wang Shuhui: "The Diverse Forms and Cross-Media of "Dragon" in Ancient Mythology" "The Possibility of Narrative", "Media and Art Research", Issue 2, 2023.
Wang Zheng: "Changes in the Concept of Good and Evil in Ancient and Modern Times - Taking the Images of "Nezha" and "Ao Bing" as Examples", "Morality and Civilization" Issue 2, 2020.
