N. º 2019100600
An Analysis on he Cul u al Func ion o Films om he
Pe spec i e o he Comme cializa ion o Chinese Films
Zhou Jiayin
Disse ação
de Mes ado em Ciências da Comunicação
O ien ado a: P o esso a Dou o a Ma ia I ene Apa ício
Se emb o, 2021
Abs ac
In 2019, China eleased his i s ha d science ic ion1 ilm by Hollywood
s anda ds, which is an impo an s ep o he explo a ion o he de elopmen o
Chinese comme cial ilms. Much o he li e a u e on his ilm is de o ed o he
analysis o i s isual e ec s o o compa ing i o Nolan's In e s ella (Ch is ophe
Nolan, UK & USA, 2014). A he same ime, mos documen s ocus oo much o he
“science ic ion” label o his ilm, sepa a ing i om non-sci- i comme cial ilms. Fo
he Chinese ilm indus y, which is s ill in he ini ial s age o de elopmen , linking his
epoch-making ilm wi h he p e ious ilms on he oad o Chinese ilm de elopmen
is bene icial o he explo a ion o he u u e ilm de elopmen . The ocus o his
disse a ion, a e linking hese ilms, is o explo e he ela ionship be ween
comme cial ilms and cul u e, aising ela ed ques ions, such as: wha a e he ac o s
ha a ec he sp ead o ilms o e seas, o how does he ilm a ec he cul u al
sel -con idence o he coun y he belongs o? The ules ep esen ed by hese
ela ionships may be one o he conside a ion me hods o he explo a ion and
p edic ion o u u e ilm de elopmen . On he basis o explo ing he ela ionship
be ween comme cial ac o s and cul u e as he goal, he expe ience summa y o he
co ec pa h, ways o a oiding making de ou s as well, in he de elopmen o he
Chinese ilm indus y may be a e e ence o o he coun ies o ilm g oups in he
wo ld.
Keywo ds: Comme cial Films; in e cul u al communica ion; Chinese ilms;
Hollywood; Kung Fu;
1h ps://en.wikipedia.o g/wiki/Ha d_science_ ic ion
Acknowledgemen s
I would like o ex end my hea el hanks o a hos o people, wi hou whose
assis ance he accomplishmen o his disse a ion would ha e been impossible.
Fi s and o emos , I am deeply indeb ed o my supe iso , P o esso Doc o
Ma ia I ene Apa ício o he pa ien guidance du ing he w i ing o his disse a ion as
well as in he cou se o my mas e deg ee s udies and o he aking p ecious ime o
om he schedule, eading my disse a ion ca e ully du ing he w i ing, o e ing me
aluable sugges ions and enligh ening ins uc ions, which con ibu e o he
comple ion o my disse a ion as well as in he cou se o my mas e deg ee s udies.
I am also g a e ul o many o he p o esso s, whose aluable ins uc ion and
enligh ening lec u es ha e bene i ed me a g ea deal and ha e highly inspi ed me in
my c i ical hinking and s udy du ing he mas e deg ee cou se.
I am also g a e ul o all my classma es and iends who ha e gi en me gene ous
suppo and help ul ad ice in he pas wo yea s.
Las bu no leas , big hanks go o my belo ed amily who ha e always been
helping me ou o di icul ies and o e ing me cons an encou agemen h oughou he
whole pe iod.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUTION............................................................................................................ 1
CHAPTER ONE: FIRM ONE COUNTRY’S CULTURE IN THE WAY OF CINEMA
........................................................................................................................................7
1.1 Basic conce ns on in e cul u al communica ion............................................... 7
1.2 The Wande ing Ea h and he de ensi e pos u e o cul u e.............................. 8
1.3 Na a i e based on cul u e a he mac o le el.................................................13
1.4 Na a i e based on cul u e a he mic o le el..................................................16
CHAPTER TWO: THE CULTURAL EXPORT IN THE ASPECT OF
COMMERCIAL FILMS.............................................................................................. 18
2.1 Two g adien s o he e ec s in he p ocess o expo ing cul u e.................... 18
2.2 The h ee dimensions o in e cul u al communica ion.................................. 21
2.2.1 The basic dimension - People............................................................... 21
2.2.2 The second dimension - Social iden i y................................................ 28
2.2.3 The hi d dimension - Pu pose.............................................................. 30
2.3 Limi a ions o he "Kung Fu" elemen and a new way ou ............................. 32
2.3.1 The essen ial objec i e o Kung Fu and all he o he cul u al elemen s32
2.3.2 The explo a ion beyond Kung Fu......................................................... 34
CHAPTER THREE: ADVANCED DISCUSSION ON THE JOINT VENTURE
FILMS.......................................................................................................................... 37
3.1 Join en u e ilm pe spec i e om The G ea Wall...................................... 37
3.2 Symbols o ilms............................................................................................. 40
3.3 O ien alism in The G ea Wall........................................................................44
3.4 The Th eshold E ec .......................................................................................46
3.5 Halo e ec and “seek no el y”....................................................................... 53
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................60
Filmog aphy................................................................................................................. 61
Re e ences....................................................................................................................62
1
INTRODUTION
The eason why I chose his subjec is ha due o he guidance o neolibe alism,
globaliza ion has been inc easing since he 1990s. And his change in he wo ld
pa e n became he g ea es change in he pos wa e a. A he same ime, he ilm
indus y is also emb acing many o i s digi al echnology e olu ions, c ea ing a
lou ishing de elopmen o he ilm exp ession space and he ilm language, which
g ea ly s eng hens he uppe limi o he ilm comme cializa ion. The e o e, he
con ex o globaliza ion combined wi h he highly digi alized ilm indus y made he
consume socie y become he mains eam o mos coun ies. This is no only an
oppo uni y o e e y coun y in his e a, especially he eme ging na ions in he ilm
indus y, o p omo e i s own economic de elopmen , bu also an impo an way o
coun ies o sp ead hei cul u e ab oad. The e o e, I hink ha in addi ion o ca ing
abou he a is ic alue o he ilm i sel , we should also pay a en ion o he g adual
enewal o he ole o he ilm in he high-speed socie y and he guiding di ec ion o
he ilm ma ke . Because o he in luence o he digi al age, ilms a e now ha ing a
sub le cul u al impac on many people in a coun y. I ep esen s alues, ways o
hinking, o ideology. The e o e, he ocus on his aspec o i enables he ilms o
become a be e messenge be ween na ional cul u es.
Wi h he abo e backg ound in mind, his disse a ion a emp s o add ess a
ques ion ha is conce ned wi h he sea ch o he ules ha exis be ween he
comme cial ilms and na ional cul u e. Some o he s udies in he li e a u e ha e
sugges ed he possible connec ion be ween he wo, bu hey ha e a ely been
explo ed in dep h. In his disse a ion, we y o analyze some ypical cases o ind he
ules and ela ions o in e ac ion be ween he comme cial ilms and na ional cul u e.
Objec i es o he s udy
In his disse a ion, I will ake China, he wo ld’s second-la ges ilm ma ke , as an
example, o explo e se e al aspec s o he impac o a s ong o eign cul u e on

2
ano he coun y’s inhe en cul u e in he con ex o globaliza ion and i will ake
se e al ilms as main cases o analyze such as The Wande ing Ea h,In e s ella ,
He o (Zhang Yimou, China, 2002), as well as how can a de eloping coun y like
China main ain i s own cul u al ilm de elopmen po en ial unde he dual impac o
economy and cul u e in he ilm indus y, so ha he local ilms can be expo ed o
o eign coun ies wi hou being des oyed by o eign ilms, and hen based on his
hei ilms can “seek common g ound while ese ing di e ences” wi h all he o he
ilms om di e en cul u al backg ounds in he globalized wo ld. This may also be a
e e ence o o he coun ies in he wo ld ha wan o de elop local cul u e wi h he
ool o ilms in a consume socie y in he new global con ex .
Con ibu ion o he a ea o s udies’ knowledge
On he one hand, summa izing he ules o he ilm ma ke in his new e a can
p o ec and enhance he de elopmen o local ilm cul u e and adi ional cul u e, so
ha he coun y’s so powe - cul u e can be u he packaged in he ilm indus y.
Fo example, Wang Chuansong w o e:
I Nolan’s ilms ha e ul illed hei cul u al mission in a c oss-cul u al con ex , hen
inding a way o educe he “cul u al discoun 2” by making up o cul u al di e ences in
disguise is he main opic o Chinese ilms in a c oss-cul u al con ex ...... Chinese ilms
mus ind a balance poin in line wi h he cul u e o o he coun ies on he basis o
p omo ing i s own cul u e. Only om his balance poin can hey uly en e he wo ld
cul u al communica ion o de . (Wang, 2017, p.141)
The disse a ion will imp o e on hese esea ches o make he me hods and ules
o he communica ion o ilms among coun ies mo e conc e e. And I may e en play
a ce ain ole in p edic ing he u u e de elopmen o one’ coun ies’ domes ic ilms.
2Cul u al discoun is an impo an heo y pu o wa d by Ame ican media economis Colin Hoskins. He belie es
ha cul u al p oduc s will ine i ably su e di e en deg ees o loss and de alua ion due o huge cul u al
di e ences when hey b eak h ough cul u al bounda ies and sp ead ac oss coun ies and e hnici ies.
3
On he o he hand, i supplemen s he achie emen s o some in es iga o who ha e
esea ched he Chinese ilm ma ke and he global ma ke , so ha mo e people can
unde s and he signi icance o he ilms which a e bundled by comme cial and
cul u al elemen s in China, he Uni ed S a es and o he coun ies. A he same ime,
om he comme cial ilms in China in ecen yea s, we could see he possible ways
o some coun ies o ilm g oups o de elop hei own ilm and cul u al indus ies,
and make good use o he ilm ma ke in coun ies such as China in he new e a.
Me hodology
The me hodology used in his disse a ion o s udy his issue is s ill mainly an
analysis o ilms, bu also an analysis o his o ical de elopmen s, h ough which he
in e ac ion be ween ilms and socie y is obse ed in o de o ob ain a possible ule.
This ule will be pa ly applied o he ilm unde analysis as a hypo hesis, o obse e
i s applica ion.
Th ough he ele an bibliog aphic esea ch in his a ea and he li e a u e e iew,
his disse a ion will s udy he unique cul u al alue and egional philosophy hidden in
he ilm being analyzed, and hen unde s and hei ole in cul u al communica ion
be ween coun ies, such as be ween China and he Uni ed S a es. A he same ime,
based on he analysis o Eas e n and Wes e n cul u al elemen s, some accu a e su eys
and s a is ics will be quo ed o analyze he de i a i e e ec s o cul u al in luences on
hei espec i e socie ies.
Con en s
1. The Wande ing Ea h (Guo Fan, China, 2019). A new miles one in Chinese cinema.
As an in oduc ion, i con ains an analysis o he dis inc i e Eas e n alues and
Chinese philosophy in he ilm. The ilm is adap ed om a no el by he w i e Liu
Cixin, who is amous o his sociological and philosophical hinking in his enowned
se ies The Th ee Body P oblem. Rega dless o whe he i is The Wande ing Ea h o
4
The Th ee Body P oblem, i is a mani es a ion o enhancemen o he China's so
powe as a de eloping coun y. F om a na ional pe spec i e, China began i s e o m
and opening up in 1978 and joined he WTO in 2001. The economy has imp o ed
signi ican ly. Bu , since he de elopmen o cul u e usually depends on he guiding
ole o he economy, he e-de elopmen o Chinese ilms is nea ly 10 yea s behind
a e he economic ise, and so a , i doesn’ ha e a g ea in luence in he wo ld. And
wha is wo se is ha he Hollywood ilms ha e a domina ing in luence on he Chinese
ilm ma ke .
The e o e, he main poin in his pa will be ha o ind he eason why The
Wande ing Ea h could be a possible way o de ense China’s own ilm ma ke , and o
ind he signi icance o p o ec ing one’s coun y’s domes ic ilm ma ke . And o
achie e he goal, some analysis on he The Wande ing Ea h as well as he In e s ella
will be conduc ed. The analysis gene ally desc ibed he collision o he Eas e n and
Hollywood philosophy: om Ch is ophe Nolan o Liu Cixin. The discussion includes
he “cul u al uncon idence” be o e he ise o Chinese local pop cul u e and
comme cial ilms, which has always been a shadow o he coun y's so powe
de elopmen . Hollywood's cu ing-edge ilm echnology and unique alue packaging
skills make i occupy he spi i ual li e o many young people. Wang Chuansong
w o e:
A e his ea men (o Hollywood), bo h local and o e seas audiences can gain a
p o ound and i id unde s anding o he ma e ial cul u e, ins i u ional cul u e and
spi i ual cul u e o Ame ican cul u e in he ilm. (Wang, 2017, p.106)
This sec ion con ains he explo a ion o Hollywood in he Uni ed S a es as he wo ld’s
domina o o comme cial ilms and he Chinese ilm indus y as one o he
challenge s. The analysis o he hidden cul u e and alues in he ilms o he wo
pa ies ends o seek common g ound while ese ing di e ences, and explo e how
one coun y combines i s own na ional alues o o m i s own gen e unde he impac
o Hollywood.
5
he way o pass he na ional cul u e, social hinking and alues w apped in science
ic ion o ma ial a s and o he comme cial elemen s, in ellec ual p ope y, and
popula cul u e o he whole wo ld is he only way o China's ilm indus y.
2. Based on he esul s o he abo e discussion and analysis, we i s conclude ha in
o de o sp ead cul u e ab oad we should i s y o p o ec ou own cul u al ma ke .
So ha ou own cul u e canno lose i s way o de elopmen when some in luen ial
o eign cul u e en e s. Only on his basis can we be quali ied o expo ou cul u e.
This sec ion ocuses on he analysis o he sp ead o Chinese Kung Fu cul u e on
ilms. A he beginning o he analysis, his pa pu s o wa d some hypo he ical
concep s, such as he s udy o h ee dimensions ha may be encoun e ed when ilms
a e sp ead o e seas, which o a ce ain ex en de e mine he e ec i eness o
in e cul u al communica ion ab oad. In his sec ion, Kung Fu cul u e is chosen o
analysis because i is a a e and classic case o China, which is weak in so powe , o
success ully sp ead Kung Fu cul u e ab oad. The case mainly includes h ee s a s who
ha e made unmis akable con ibu ions o he Kung Fu cul u e: B uce Lee, Jackie
Chan and Je Li. The disse a ion will so ou hei backg ounds, con ibu ions and
Kung Fu philosophy. Th ough his case, he sec ion will analyze his his o y in he
con ex o he ilm, as a way o in u n es he hypo hesis p esen ed a he beginning
o he sec ion. In his way, he ideas in his sec ion on he me hods and p ocesses o
o eign cul u al expo a e u he s eng hened.
3. A e he analysis o Kung Fu ilms in he p e ious pa and he e i ica ion and
explana ion o he hypo he ical heo y, i is possible o see he ad an ages o his
communica ion me hod while no ing i s limi a ions. Based on he esul s o he second
pa , he hi d pa is a complemen o he second pa . And he complemen aken in
second pa is de eloped by he analysis o join en u e ilms. Unde he discussion
he e, i is easie o unde s and how he join en u e ilm makes up o he
abo e-men ioned limi a ions. A he same ime, in he case s udy o The G ea Wall
12
ou s anding poin s o his mo ie is ha i success ully links amily a ec ion wi h
human des iny. Fo he p o agonis Coope sa ing his own daugh e equals sa ing he
human wo ld, and his op imal solu ion o his Ame ican na a i e me hod is indeed
ied o indi idual he oism, because in his way he con adic ions a e concen a ed o
a oid he heme being gene alized, which also allows he audience o easily b ing
emo ions in o a pa icula cha ac e . And his cha ac e is usually being modeled as an
eli e like in many Hollywood mo ies who is enci cled in an “ins i u ionalized
sys em”(He e we can unde s and i simply as a social g oup o people who a e used o
ixed hinking, who do no wan o change he s a us quo, e en i he s a us quo is
w ong) ha needs o be b oken by he eli e. In In e s ella , he “ins i u ionalized”
o dina ies wouldn’ allow spending on space explo a ion. Ne e heless, i is he eli e
who b oke he ins i u ion sa ed hem.
And we may ha e o analyze his case. I we only do he ela ed discussion abou
i s mo i o disas e ilm and do no in ol e some o he Ame ican cul u e o he ime
being, i is a “conc e iza ion” o e en s ha ha e no happened in eali y. Then he
alue o de e mining he choice o mos people by he beha io o a sole he o is pa ly
included in he Ame ican comme cial blockbus e wi h huge box o ice, and i has
become he only solu ion o he hypo he ical disas e in he Chinese ilm ma ke . I is
inapp op ia e, nei he because o he choice be ween indi idualism o collec i ism,
no be ween G ea Man Theo y4o People's His o y5, bu because o he choice’s
“uniqueness”. I means we need mul iple choices when we ace he hypo he ical
disas e . This disse a ion ends o belie e ha b eaking he “uniqueness” o impo ed
ilms on di e en ilm mo i s can be a de ensi e pos u e o one coun y’s cul u e and
so powe .
Like in his case, China i sel has o p oduce a ilm wi h i s own solu ions based
on i s own cul u e. A he same ime, being equi alen o ilms wi h he o eign
in asion cul u e, like he Hollywood, he ilm eam conduc s a comme cial
blockbus e o he same mo i wi h i s own cha ac e is ics (like The Wande ing Ea h
4h ps://en.wikipedia.o g/wiki/G ea _man_ heo y
5h ps://en.wikipedia.o g/wiki/People%27s_his o y

13
is o he same ilm mo i wi h In e s ella ), so ha he ilm can be popula among as
many people as possible o he coun y, o a ac hei own people’s a en ion, making
hem be awa e o ha in on o he hypo he ical disas e , hey can ha e he solu ion
o The Wande ing Ea h ins ead o ha o In e s ella . Wha we look o wa d o
ge ing in his way is o gain a choice o a solu ion belongs o ou na ion based on ou
cul u e and alues o a hypo he ical o me apho ical p oblem and con lic poin in he
na a i e o his ilm. And his choice could p obably seem o be inco ec o he
momen since in eali y di e en pe iod needs di e en choices, bu a leas i is
de ini ely a way ha can’ be abandoned. In his way, i could lead o a p omising
esul s, namely, subconsciously making one's own coun y belie e in one's own
coun y's cul u e, and one could di ec ly wi ness he “implemen a ion p ocess” o
one's own coun y's alues a he le el o comme cial ilms (in o he wo ds, one can
see how he alues o his coun y a e pu in o p ac ical applica ion when acing he
hypo he ical o me apho ical p oblem), du ing which he na ional con idence is
widely sha ed among he people o he coun y. I ’s impo an o he posi i e cycle o
he de elopmen o cul u e. A e all, “people a e he c ea o s o cul u e, and cul u e is
he shape s o people”6.
1.3 Na a i e based on cul u e a he mac o le el
The e o e, The Wande ing Ea h in his science ic ion heme shows o he i s
ime an al e na i e o Ame ican pe sonal he oism, making Ame ican alues no he
only solu ion o he di icul ies ha people appeal o, ha is, China's own alue
o ien a ion. To be mo e speci ic, in he wo ilms when acing he di icul y (disas e ),
The Wande ing Ea h o e ed a way o solu ion, which is mo e collec i is ic, and his
migh be a sui able way o he Chinese ins ead o he Ame ican solu ion in on o
he hypo he ical disas e . And in his way, i could be called “b eaking he uniqueness”
as men ioned abo e.
6 K ause and Rosas (eds.). “Economic, Social and Cul u al Righ s, Do d ech : Ma inus Nijho , 1995, p.230-231”
14
Thus, based on his backg ound, in he mo ie we can see ha he e a e se e al
ypical s o ylines:
1. A e p oblems occu ed o he ea h engines, he p o agonis 's eam esponded
o he Uni ed Ea h Go e nmen 's call o suppo he epai o ea h engines. They
wen h ough a lo o ha dships bu e en ually we e old ha due o “sa u a ed escue”,
coun ies o he han China had al eady a i ed and es a ed he engines.
2. When in o med by he Uni ed Ea h Go e nmen ha e en i he engine was
now epai ed, i was oo la e. The ea h has no ime o escape Jupi e 's g a i y. In
despe a ion, he p o agonis eam hough ha people could ligh up pa o Jupi e 's
hyd ogen wi h he ea h's oxygen ha had been aken away and use shock wa e o
push he ea h away om Jupi e . Howe e , jus like he “communi y wi h sha ed
u u e o mankind” alue o he mo ie men ioned ea lie , he plo o he mo ie he e
is a anged in a di e en di ec ion om he s anda d Hollywood plo , ha is, while he
p o agonis eam was ying o conduc he plan, hey we e old ha be o e hey came
ou o he solu ion o sa ing he Ea h, some Is aeli scien is s had al eady p oposed
his me hod, and hey also p o ed ha i could no be done.
3. Be o e he p o agonis eam knew ha his me hod was no easible, hey ied
e e y means o implemen his me hod o he equa o ial ea h engine. Bu a e ge ing
he e, hey ound ha hei manpowe was no enough o igni e he engine. The e o e,
wi h he consen o a F ench liaison in he Uni ed Ea h Go e nmen , he emale
s uden Duo Duo in he eam made a oice o he escue eams in all di e en
coun ies a ound he wo ld on he global b oadcas , asking hem o suppo he e.
Many escue eams in despai , a e hea ing Duo's call, decided o choose hope
oge he o sa e hei common home- he Ea h. Then e e yone o di e en na ions
ied hei bes o push he “pe cussion pin” o igni ed he equa o ial engine. A he
same ime, in he in e na ional space s a ion Pei Qiang, an as onau , wi h he help o
his Russian colleague, was able o use his engine lame o sac i ice he space s a ion
o igni e Jupi e .
This is he esul o he join e o s o he people o he wo ld. When acing he
hypo he ical disas e , The Wande ing Ea h assume ha i a e he eams om all o e
15
he wo ld who sa ed he Ea h, no jus one eam om a ce ain coun y. This
na a i e can be a e y classic in e p e a ion o he “communi y wi h sha ed u u e o
mankind” on he sc een, showing he heme ha people in all coun ies a e he oes in
he ace o his disas e .
Mo eo e , one o he mos ambi ious na a i es in he mo ie is he 2500-yea
long- e m s a egy o mankind o p opel he en i e plane o he new galaxy, which
seems o be di e en om he Hollywood na a i es. This may also be he pa ha
can mos a ouse he empa hy o Chinese audiences. In China, which is deeply a ec ed
by he Con ucian cul u al c ea ed by Con ucius. Almos all adi ional cul u e and
alues come om Con ucianism7, which is a sys em o hough and beha io
o igina ing in ancien China. “A ached o he Land and Unwilling o Mo e” (A
adi ional Chinese idiom, simila o he nos algic p o incialism) is one o he
impo an concep s. I depic s he Chinese people's special eelings o he land - we
and he land unde ou ee a e insepa able. The e o e, ins ead o he Hollywood
escape ship plo like in he ilm In e s ella , in The Wande ing Ea h he concep o
escaping wi h he “land” is ac ually a kind o o ien al unique me hod. As men ioned
abo e, as a mo ie ha a emp s o be equi alen o a Hollywood comme cial ilm, he
The Wande ing Ea h’s main pu pose is o le audiences in his coun y see he
ealiza ion o hei coun y’s cul u e and alues on he sc een. Only based on his i is
possible o ca y ou cul u al ou pu in he nex s age.
The e o e, he disse a ion he e in his con ex is mo e willing o summa ize his
poin in his way: In he p ocess o he in e cul u al communica ion among coun ies,
i he ex e nal cul u e, o we could say he cul u e om ano he coun y, and alues
a e oo s ong on a ce ain p oposi ion, hen on he equi alen mo i he pu pose o he
ilms o he coun y wi h ela i ely weak cul u e in luence is bes no o ush o
conduc ou pu , bu o gain he la ge-scale ecogni ion as much as possible o he
ci izens o i s own coun y, which could be consumed as a de ensi e ac ion. This also
de e mines ha a ilm wi h his pu pose canno be a ilm o some ce ain small
g oups. I needs o use he exis ing cul u al consensus o he people o he coun y ( o
7h ps://en.wikipedia.o g/wiki/Con ucianism
16
example, in his disse a ion, he cul u al consensus o Chinese can be he
Con ucianism o collec i ism) on his p oblem a i me consensus, like he case o he
The Wande ing Ea h. In e ms o o m, in o de o include mo e people g oups, a
leas unde hese ci cums ances i is gene ally bes o include cul u al s ance in
a ious comme cial elemen s. Fo example, The Wande ing Ea h is an a emp o
ha e he cul u al s ance o he In e na ionalism, and hen he ilm buil a u u e
spaceship as a comme cial elemen , and inside his spaceship you can see he aces o
people om di e en coun ies in he wo ld. Acco ding o Zhang:
In he 1990s, he wo ld s uc u e has unde gone he mos d ama ic changes in he
pos -wa e a. The end o globaliza ion led by neolibe al ideology has become
inc easingly ob ious, and he g adually o med consume socie y has made economic
de elopmen a hegemonic. (Zhang, 2012, p.1)
The e o e, in e a o globaliza ion, he comme cial alue o mo ies also
ep esen s i s “hegemony” o a ce ain ex en . He e he alue only e e s o money.
1.4 Na a i e based on cul u e a he mic o le el
As men ioned abo e, he exp ession o he in luence o he communi y wi h
sha ed u u e o mankind con ained in he ilm is a mac o exp ession o he
ealiza ion o his na ional consensus. Howe e , he mic o na a i e is he backg ound
o he en i e s o y, so i may no be as in ui i e as he mic o exp ession. The e o e,
d i en by he pu pose o allowing mo e people o each a consensus and make i
su icien ly “comme cial”, exhibi ing he unique cha ac e is ics o he coun y ha i s
people a e amilia wi h, such as daily li e, common landma ks, amilia sen ences
and o he mic o-le el exhibi ion, is a mo e in ui i e way o sho en he cogni i e
dis ance be ween he audience and he mo ie. I is wo h no ing ha since China has
17
no made a “Hollywood blockbus e ” be o e, his mic o exp ession is e y
s aigh o wa d in he ilm The Wande ing Ea h. This s aigh o wa d app oach is
e en a bi oo " ulga ". Fo example:
1. A he beginning, he mo ie showed he li e pic u es o people al eady li ing
in he dungeon unde he ea h engine. E en in he unde g ound ci y, he e is s ill a
Chinese-s yle class scene, in which s uden s a e eading aloud he junio high school
ex books ha Chinese s uden s a e all amilia wi h. 2. When he mo ie was eleased
in 2019, i was on he i s day o Chinese New Yea , and people in he mo ie also
played adi ional New Yea songs and pe o med a ious adi ional New Yea
pe o mances.
These “seems oo ulga ” scenes which showed o he audiences ha “He e is
China” a e due o he ac ha in he comme cial blockbus e ield and in he same
con ex as Hollywood science ic ion mo ies, people including Chinese audiences
ha e ne e pu he image o “China” and “science ic ion blockbus e s” oge he on
he sc een. I was somehow ha d o hem o be linked isually and o be imagined.
I 's no like in he amous Hollywood di ec o Nolan's in e s ella ha i ha dly needs
“hin ” o p o e ha he e is he Uni ed S a es o his is Ame ican scien is s because
unde he in luence o Hollywood, science ic ion has almos become an Ame ican
label. So wha he disse a ion wan s o u he exp ess he e is ha unde a ce ain
heme in he con ex o he ilm, o enhance he cul u al in luence o he coun y’s
ilms, especially hose in a “cul u al de ense pos u e” could gi e up some o he ilm’s
a is ic o expe imen al ambi ion, and mo e di ec ly use unde s andable images o
show hese mic o ea u es o con inuously allow he audience o accep he
s eng hening o he connec ion be ween he coun y and his ype o ilm a he
psychological le el. The link be ween he coun y and he a ge label migh need a
numbe o s eng hening be o e i ’s o med.
Among hese mic o ea u es, landma ks a e he mos common. In Hollywood
supe he o mo ies, ci ies such as New Yo k, Los Angeles, and San F ancisco a e o en
used di ec ly o indi ec ly as “ he key poin s ha de e mine he des iny o mankind”.
The e o e, whe he i is ha d powe o so powe , hese ci ies and he coun y whe e

18
hese ci ies a e loca ed will be like some commodi ies which a e p e e ed by he
people o he wo ld. The Wande ing Ea h also uses he landma k app oach, o we
could say o show a special place o a coun y, bu i is wo h no ing ha his app oach
has bene i ed om he coun y's adjus men o ilm censo ship policies. In ano he
wo d, The Wande ing Ea h would no ha e been able o use he coun y’s ci y as he
landma k in he ilm. Acco ding o he p e ious ilm censo ship policy, i may be
di icul o images like F ozen Beijing o F ozen Shanghai o appea on he sc een,
la gely because i damages he appea ance o he ci y. Bu in ac , whe he i damages
he appea ance o he ci y depends on he backg ound in oduc ion o his change o
look o his ci y on he sc een and does no necessa ily depend on he pic u es i
di ec ly p esen s. The wo ozen ci ies on The Wande ing Ea h a e jus wo o all he
ci ies des oyed in he wo ld, and in a sense, i we compa e he ci ies o human beings
hese ozen ci ies a e ac ually he oes who sac i iced hemsel es. The wo des oyed
ci ies a e also he “monumen ” o hose who sac i iced hemsel es in he s o y. In his
way Hollywood is no a aid o show he des oyed ci y o i s coun y, since i b ings
audiences psychologically some label o he ci y as “he o” o “key poin ” and he
bene i s o s eng hening he imp ession o a leading ole o he coun y. And om
his we see a good case in which he coun y’s policy was able o suppo i s own
cul u al indus y.
CHAPTER TWO: THE CULTURAL EXPORT IN THE ASPECT OF
COMMERCIAL FILMS
2.1 Two g adien s o he e ec s in he p ocess o expo ing cul u e
In he p e ious chap e , we explo ed he ole o ilm in p o ec ing. The Chinese
cul u e, especially h ough he China’s exp ession o building a communi y wi h
19
sha ed u u e o mankind in The Wande ing Ea h. The p ocess o es ablishing a clea
s and poin and symbol o he na ion’s own cul u e, is also he ini ial p ocess o
expo ing he cul u e. The e o e, based on he p emise ha China’s own cul u e has
been ini ially p o ec ed, his chap e ends o explo e he u he ole o ilms. in he
s age and p ocess o sp eading he cul u e. Bu in ac , he ex e nal ou pu also
oughly con ains wo g adien s, which we could see as wo achie emen s o he esul
o expo ing: he i s g adien is being able o ac i ely educe some ex e nal
s e eo ype. I e e s o a si ua ion when his coun y hasn’ gained he igh o become
powe ul enough o speak o i s own cul u e, bu al eady been assumed by o he
coun ies in he wo ld some inaccu a e de ini ions, o a s e eo ype wi h a s ong
subjec i e iew. As a phenomenon ha is gene ally encoun e ed wo ldwide, i also
ine i ably occu s in China, which is s ill a de eloping coun y. Like he image o Fu
Man Chu and Cha lie Chan ha we would alk abou in he ollowing discussion.
Ne e heless, i migh be somehow a good example o s udy owing o i s ela i ely
as and concen a ed changes and e olu ions du ing ecen decades. The second
g adien is he abili y o expo cul u e, so ha o he coun ies can accep some
elemen o he cul u e o his “ce ain coun y” o a ce ain ex en . Mo eo e , in his
g adien , i may e en cause some g ea e impac on some o he coun ies, like when
one o hese o eign coun ies’ cul u al sel -p o ec ion capaci y is insu icien as we
men ioned in he i s chap e , hen he cul u e o his “ o eign coun y” will be
in luenced excessi ely by ou “ce ain coun y”. In his disse a ion, his “ o eign
coun y” could be China, and he “ce ain coun y” could be Ame ica and he
Hollywood. The de elopmen o comme cial ilms in China is la gely based on he
de elopmen o imi a ion o Hollywood models. Fo example, al hough he ilm Wol
Wa io 2 (Wu Jing, China, 2017) is a pa io ic ilm o Chinese abou he Chinese
a my o e seas. Because o he pa io ism, he ilm eaped a huge box o ice income,
becoming he numbe one ilm a box o ice in China wi h $874 million. Bu such a
Chinese pa io ic ilm is on he Hollywood model in e ms o s o y and na a i e
s uc u e. I s s o y is simila o he Rambo: Fi s Blood Pa II (Geo ge P. Cosma os,
USA, 1985). As o he na a i e s uc u e:
20
In he la e 1970s, a Hollywood na a i e s uc u e called he h ee-ac s uc u e
was con i med in Sid Field's book Sc eenplay: The Founda ions o Sc eenw i ing in
e ms o echnical heo y, and he h ee-ac s uc u e became he basic s uc u e o
Hollywood ilms. And Wol Wa io 2 ollows exac ly his h ee-ac s uc u e o
Hollywood. (Han, 2018, p. 19)
This imi a ion s a ed om he i s Chinese comme cial ilm He o and has
con inued un il now. The di ec eason o adop ing he Hollywood model om he
pe iod o He o was ha “S a ing om he ea ly 1990s, he Chinese ilm ma ke was
sh inking and he e o m o ilm managemen was p og essing e en mo e slowly.”
(Zhang, 2013, p. 2) The undamen al eason is he lack o accumula ion o expe ience
and he need o ime o de elop since “A e he yea o 1949, a socialis planned
economy was in oduced, and comme cial ilms los hei basis o exis ence. Since
hen o a e y long ime, hey ha e been ex inc in mainland China.” (Zhang, 2013, p.
2) And a e he ilm He o, “Kung u Cybo g (Je e y Lau, China Hong Kong, 2009)
was modelled on Hollywood ilms such as Mu an (John Bud Ca dos, USA, 1984),
T ans o me s and Blade Runne (Ridley Sco , USA, 1982) [...] Fu u e X-Cops (Wong
Jing, China, 2010), which is an imi a ion o Hollywood's The Te mina o (James
Came on, USA, 1984) [...] The ea men o he plo o C azy S one (Ning Hao, China,
2006) is a copy o Mission Impossible (B ian De Palma, USA, 1996)” (Zhao, 2013, p.
5) Fo nea ly wo decades, Chinese comme cial ilms ha e had a ha d ime making
some impac in e ms o s o y and na a i e s uc u e, and ha e bo owed much om
Hollywood. As an a emp o b eak his si ua ion, Guo Fan, he di ec o o The
Wande ing Ea h, exp essed his conce n in an in e iew a e he ilm's elease ha
“By oday Hollywood will g adually u n he Chinese ma ke in o a Hollywood
ma ke [...] The mos impo an hing we need o do now is o imp o e he
indus ializa ion o Chinese ilms and ind ou own “pen and pape ” as soon as
possible, o he wise in ano he en yea s, when Hollywood lea ns o make ilms ha
Chinese people like, we Chinese ilmmake s will no ha e he ad an age in ou own
21
coun y.” (Guo, 2019, p. 32) F om his poin o iew, di ec o Guo Fan is inclined o
ake he ilm The Wande ing Ea h as an impo an s ep in s eng hening i s
sel -p o ec ion capabili y.
2.2 The h ee dimensions o in e cul u al communica ion
When discussing he ealiza ion p ocess o hese wo g adien s, we can in oduce
he " h ee dimensions", which a e he h ee h esholds in he p ocess o cul u al ou pu
in e ms o ilms. The analysis o hese h ee dimensions is done mainly h ough he
his o y o China's changing p ocess on he Hollywood sc een. I mainly includes
i ual images such as Fu Manchu and Cha lie Chan, as well as eal images such as
B uce Lee, Jackie Chan and Je L. The i s dimension is he people. This dimension
is mainly abou he image o people displayed on he sc een, and his image mainly
con eys an imp ession, including empe amen and abili y. The second one is he
social iden i y. The main ocus is on u he explo a ion o he people on he sc een,
such as he image o socie y ha his image ep esen s. And he hi d one is he
pu pose. This is a kind o summa y based on he i s wo, such as he alues
ep esen ed by his image. As s a ed abo e, his disse a ion conside s hese
dimensions as a kind o judgmen , each o which is a h eshold in e ms o cul u al
ou pu and ep esen s h ee di e en le els. This chap e hopes o s udy he ule and
unc ion o hese dimensions. We will un old hese concep s as we s udy some cases.
2.2.1 The basic dimension - People
2.2.1.1 The con ex o one case s udy o Kung Fu
28
ilm was s ill in he adi ional image o a g ace ul gen leman wi h a beau i ul ace,
and his image was like he image o Cha lie Chan. Bu B uce Lee’s body is clea ly
mean o be shown o Hollywood o see, o coun e Hollywood's p ejudice agains
Chinese. By using he Ame ican iden i ica ion o “muscula masculini y” o ebuild
he digni y o Chinese. The B i ish schola Ch is Be y commen ed on he poli ical
signi icance o B uce Lee's physical display: B uce Lee's p esen a ion o his body as a
weapon o win he s uggle be ween na ions and be ween aces has been la gely seen
as a ic o y o he opp essed in China. (Be y, 2014, p. 94)
2.2.2 The second dimension - Social iden i y
In he discussion abo e, we see how China e-shaped i s image. A leas , i
changed he Chinese image on he sc een o Hollywood. F om his we may be able o
see he second dimension b ough abou by i , ha is, he issue o “social iden i y”.
This dimension is sligh ly obscu e, no as in ui i e as he "people". Fo example,
al hough B uce Lee, Jackie Chan and Je Li all ep esen a powe ul image o Chinese
people, he Kung Fu hey seem o use is basically indis inguishable, and hei images
in gene al seem o be he same. Wha is no in ui i e is he social iden i y hey
ep esen , he kind o Chinese people hey me apho ically ep esen in eal li e. The
p o agonis s o B uce Lee’s Kung Fu ilms a e cynical bu ci ilian-s yle na ional
he oes, physically ough and highly skilled in Kung Fu. The comedic s yle o Jackie
Chan’s Kung Fu ilms mee s he aes he ic needs o mode n people, and his ilms a e
all abou en husias ic, esponsible, medioc e bu he oic ci ilian he oes wi h medioc e
ma ial a s skills. Jackie Chan accele a es he sp ead o ma ial a s in he wo ld, and
om he oles he o en plays as police o ice s and sec e agen s, his Kung Fu is mo e
o a common social a ibu e, assuming his social iden i y o main aining he law and
o de o daily li e. Je Li, on he o he hand, shocked he wo ld wi h his ilm Shaolin
Temple, which se o a end o ma ial a s. His Kung Fu ilms po ay a e ined

29
mas e o u ban mas e wi h supe b ma ial a s skills. His ilms in e p e ed Kung Fu
medi a ion, and his Kung Fu ep esen s an iden i y o Buddhis mas e , assuming a
kind o social esponsibili y o soo he and s eng hen people’s spi i ual wo ld by
ex e nal Kung Fu assis ance. The h ee people’s Kung Fu ilms sp ead he ue social
iden i y o ma ial a s, because he concep o Kung Fu is no only skill ul ma ial a s,
bu also includes a socie y o med by hose who p ac ice ma ial a s, which has been
p ese ed in Chinese his o y along wi h ma ial a s, and he na u e o his socie y is
collec i is , and i is simila o he Japanese samu ai socie y, which ep esen s he idea
ha e e yone is a he o and e e yone has he obliga ion o se e he collec i e.
The social iden i y dimension could be oughly unde s ood as he combina ion o
he “people” and he ilm elemen s a ached o he “people”. And i we ake Jackie
Chan’s Kung Fu ilms ha a e men ioned abo e as ou example: Jackie Chan as an
indi idual in he ilms, he is an image o a Chinese who can do Kung Fu on he sc een.
Mos o he Hollywood ilms he has s a ed in con ain elemen s o police, sec e
agen s, and o dina y ci izens. And as Chen has summa ized in his essay:
To sum up, Jackie Chan has wo ypes o oles in Hollywood ilms: police and
ci ilian, especially he o me . Fo example, he inspec o in Rush Hou (B e Ra ne ,
USA, 1998-2007), he gua d in Shanghai Noon (Tom Dey, USA, 2000), he Hong Kong
police o ice in The Medallion (Go don Chan, USA, 2003), he sec e agen in The Spy
Nex Doo (B ian Le an , USA, 2010) and so on [...] The police image has opened a
window o Jackie Chan’s “second handshake” wi h Hollywood. (Chen, 2013, p. 79)
On his basis, Jackie Chan’s Kung Fu image akes on a social iden i y. And he
ole ha a Chinese who knows Kung Fu in socie y is ha o a medioc e ci ilian he o
who main ains social s abili y. Jackie Chan’s Kung Fu ilms a e one o he impo an
ca ie s o shaping he iden i y o Kung Fu p ac i ione s, and he iden i y o hese
people is also he main con en exp essed in B uce Lee’s and Je Li's Kung Fu ilms.
Among hem, Jackie Chan’s Kung Fu ilms ha e bo h inhe i ed and inno a ed oles in
shaping he cul u al image o Kung Fu, inhe i ing he bene olen hea o ma ial
30
a is s and c ea ing sc een ma ial a he oes in mode n socie y, which a e ecognized
by he wo ld and play an impo an ole in he social posi ioning o Kung Fu. (Zhao,
2009, p. 4) The image o Kung Fu police o Kung Fu agen s po ayed in Jackie
Chan’s Kung Fu ilms has shaped a new he o o he wo ld, which is he medioc e
ci ilian he o men ioned abo e. Al hough di e en coun ies, na ions o egions in he
wo ld ha e he oes o hei own, and each wo ships a di e en image o he oes, he
eelings o he oes a e he same. In he his o y o de elopmen o ma ial a s be o e
mode n imes, ma ial a is s we e synonymous wi h he oes, and Jackie Chan’s ilms
show he eelings o he ma ial a is s on he sc een and le he wo ld app ecia e he
magical ma ial a s o China by shaping his image h ough ilms, and he wo ld is
amazed and ascina ed by hem a he same ime. O e all, Jackie Chan’s ilms ha e
been one o he bes mediums o de elop he social iden i y o Kung Fu om he ea ly
1980s o he p esen . In addi ion o Jackie Chan, he p ac ical signi icance o B uce
Lee’s and Je Li’s Kung Fu ilms o he de elopmen o he social iden i y is ha hey
no only c ea e hei own image as Chinese, bu also comple e he social signi icance
o Chinese people and Kung Fu o eal li e, cla i ying hei posi ion in he socie y o
he mul i-e hnic cul u es in he wo ld. This is how his chap e unde s ands he
meaning o he social iden i y o Kung Fu.
2.2.3 The hi d dimension - Pu pose
In ou discussion o The Wande ing Ea h in he i s chap e , we no ed ha as
he i s Chinese ha d science ic ion ilm, i p ima ily sp eads an idea o collec i ism,
which a emp s o make assump ions in he ilm abou building a communi y wi h
sha ed u u e o mankind. And we can see his concep o collec i ism as he ilm’s
pu pose. Compa ed o The Wande ing Ea h,In e s ella is a ilm wi h a di e en
pu pose unde he same ilm mo i - disas e . In In e s ella , he p o agonis Coope
shows an eli is empe amen ha is di e en om ha o he gene al public,
31
speci ically when he majo i y o human beings do no wan o make g ea changes o
hei exis ing li es in he ace o disas e s, Coope opposes he ine ia o hinking ha
he gene al public has. And he ine ia o hinking is ha he public do no wan o
seek change, which we will also men ion in hi d chap e . So, as an indi idual, Coope
shows a spi i o esis ance. This spi i o esis ance is one o he mani es a ions o
indi idual he oism, and i is o en ound in Hollywood supe he o ilms. While a he
same ime, i also appea s in many Kung Fu ilms, such as Je Li’s Shaolin Temple. In
Shaolin Temple, he spi i o esis ance becomes he pu pose o he ilm, and his is
pa ly in line wi h he indi idual he oism. This may also make Kung Fu ilms ha e a
highe a ing and a b oade in luence in he Uni ed S a es and he wo ld han o he
ypes o Chinese ilms. Acco ding o Tian and Chen:
In 2014, he esea ch eam o he Chinese Na ional Academy o A s esea ched on
he “Feasibili y o Chinese Film O e seas Ma ke Compe i i e S a egies" conduc ed a
ques ionnai e on "Fo eign Audiences' Aes he ic Accep ance and Consump ion T ends o
Chinese Films". The esul s showed ha : Among he Chinese ilms liked by he
in e iewees, he mos selec ed is He o (Zhang Yimou, China, 2002), he second is
Rumble in he B onx (S anley Tong, China, 1995), he hi d is Fis o Fu y (Lo Wei,
China, 1972), he ou h is Fa ewell My Concubine (Chen Kaige, China, 1993), and he
i h is Shaolin Temple (Chang Hsin Yen, China, 1982). Among hem, B uce Lee, Jackie
Chan and Je Li a e among he op h ee who a e well-known, among which Je Li has
he highes ecogni ion in No h Ame ica. (Tian & Chen, 2018, p.126)
Excep o "Fa ewell My Concubine", he o he ou o he abo e i e ilms a e
all Kung Fu ilms. Jus like he nex dimension, he “pu pose” based on hese wo
dimensions, hese comme cial ilms o en ca y mo e o less he mission o expo ing
and sp eading cul u al, changing he image o he coun y, o igh ing o he igh o
speak o i s own cul u al elemen s. As men ioned abo e, he Shaolin Temple in 1982
is essen ially showing a spi i o esis ance. The p o agonis played by Je Li li ed in
ancien China. A ha ime, he coun y was domina ed by e il men and became
32
di ided. He and o he people’s amilies we e being pe secu ed by hose wicked people,
he whole ilm con eys a spi i ha opposes di ision, longs o uni y, and hopes ha
e e yone in he wo ld can li e a good li e. Up on ha , wi h such cha ac e is ics, he
goal o he ilm e lec s ha he Kung Fu b ough by he Chinese has a empe amen
and ea u e o esis opp ession and meanwhile bene i s o dina y indi iduals. The
same ea u e also appea ed in he He o in 2002. This kind o empe amen and ea u e
is close o he needs o Hollywood comme cial ilms.
This cul u al symbol has g adually been pa ially accep ed by he Ame ican
comme cial ilm indus y. In subsequen ilms, we can see he eme gence o elemen s
o Chinese Kung Fu om ime o ime, such as The Ma ix (Wachowskis, USA, 1999),
Kill Bill (Quen in Ta an ino, USA, 2003), Mulan (Ba y Cook and Tony Banc o ,
USA, 1998), and The Fo bidden Kingdom (Rob Minko , USA, 2008) and Kung Fu
Panda (Ma k Osbo ne and John S e enson, USA, 2008). To a ce ain ex en , his
achie es he second g adien o ex e nal e ec s, ha is, cul u al ou pu , so ha o eign
coun ies can accep his elemen o he cul u e o a ce ain ex en . Based on he abo e,
we can oughly obse e how he h ee dimensions o ex e nal ou pu a ec he sp ead
o he elemen o Chinese Kung Fu. The deg ee o comple ion o hese h ee
dimensions also p edic s and de e mines how a he wo g adien s could each unde
ce ain ci cums ances.
2.3 Limi a ions o he "Kung Fu" elemen and a new way ou
2.3.1 The essen ial objec i e o Kung Fu and all he o he cul u al elemen s
In many cases, he cul u e o a coun y will also change dynamically wi h he
de elopmen o na ional s eng h, he p og ess o esea ch on i s own his o y, and he
change o ideology. This disse a ion belie es ha one's own coun y should ha e
33
ce ain "so e eign y" o e he cul u al elemen s ha i has p oduced o ha ha e no
been sp ead ab oad, and he ini ia i e o change and upda e i should s ill be e ained
wi hin he coun y ins ead o becoming an elemen ha belongs o o he s and a e
con olled by hem. This sec ion will y o explain his poin o iew by explo ing he
limi a ions o Kung Fu.
The cul u al elemen o Kung Fu, as desc ibed be o e, i s ise is a phenomenon o
being en us ed wi h a mission a a c i ical and di icul momen . Fo Chinese ilm
indus y, which has unde gone he Cul u al Re olu ion, he only hope was b ough by
B uce Lee in he se en ies and eigh ies when so powe was weak. Somehow, his
e u ns o he key wo d a he beginning o his chap e , which is s e eo ype. One o
he pu poses o ou cul u al expo is o en ich he image o ou coun y and become
mo e au hen ic and conc e e, so ha misunde s andings will become less and less.
Like B uce Lee used his Kung Fu image o squeeze ou a pa o he Chinese Fu
Manchu image a ha ime. Coinciden ally, ha pe iod was he pe iod o
no maliza ion o diplomacy be ween China and he Uni ed S a es. Acco ding o
Zhang’s disse a ion, in he 1950s and 1960s, he Uni ed S a es had long imposed an
economic blockade and poli ical isola ion on China, while in he 1970s, wi h a se ies
o diploma ic ac i i ies such as Nixon’s isi o China, Sino-US ela ions began o
no malize, ade be ween he wo sides de eloped conside ably, and cul u al
communica ion g adually became equen . (Zhang, 2015, p. 21) Al hough he ilm
didn’ ha e a di ec impac on his, i was undoub edly bene icial o he u he
elimina ion o p ejudice among he people. Wi h he de elopmen o he imes, jus
like he ad ancemen o ilm echnology, he elemen s o cul u al symbols con ained
in he con en s o ilms also need o be imp o ed. The elemen o Kung Fu also needs
o be imp o ed and enewed. In he pas decade o so, some Chinese ilms ha e
o e used his elemen o Kung Fu, imi a ing ilms like C ouching Tige , Hidden
D agon and He o, o using Kung Fu o ca e ing o he wo ld’s o ien alism (Chen,
2013, p. 82) as we will alk abou i in he hi d chap e , bu none o hese ilms ha e
gained enough in luence. The e is a ce ain decline o his elemen o Kung Fu. In he
hi d chap e we will analyze he decline o Kung Fu ilms and a he same ime

34
analyze how The G ea Wall made a change and imp o ed he elemen o Kung Fu.
2.3.2 The explo a ion beyond Kung Fu
In addi ion o he ac o s men ioned abo e abou he elemen o Kung Fu,
ano he ac is ha a e Jackie Chan, Je Li and o he in e na ional Kung Fu
supe s a s g adually e ea ed, he elemen o Kung Fu showed a clea decline.
Acco ding o s a is ics, he en highes -g ossing o e seas mo ies (all o hem a e
Kung Fu mo ies) we e dis ibu ed in he yea s om 1992 o 2009. A la ge pa o his
decline is e lec ed in his aspec : Kung Fu in Jackie Chan and Je Li’s Kung Fu ilms
a e s o ies in bo h mode n and ancien socie ies, so i is easy o become popula ilms.
A e hem, he e a o “Kung Fu” almos all e ea ed o ancien imes, which no only
caused aes he ic a igue, bu also made he image on he sc een mono onous. Like he
case o B uce Lee, a oiding ha he image becomes mono onous is on accoun o
a oiding misunde s andings and s e eo ypes.
So, a e his, new cul u al elemen s a e being sea ched. Bu whe he i can
achie e he sel -de ense unc ion desc ibed in he i s chap e is s ill a p oblem. The
ilms o he han Kung Fu ilms a e basically limi ed o comedy ilms, oman ic ilms.
This pe iod o ime, a ound 2000 o 2010 also coincides wi h he popula i y o
Hollywood's A a a (James Came on, USA, 2009), Incep ion (Ch is ophe Nolan, UK
& USA, 2010), he Ma el Uni e se se ies and so on. The esul s o “2011-2012
Chinese Mo ie Audience Su ey Repo ” desc ibed in he i s chap e a e no
su p ising. In his pe iod, he Kung Fu elemen can only play a p o ec i e ole on a
small scale, and China aces he isk o being occupied by Hollywood om he
cul u al o ma ke aspec s.
Facing his si ua ion, in acco dance wi h he poin o iew o he i s chap e in
he disse a ion, he s andpoin should be s abilized i s on comme cial ilms, ha is,
in e nally, ilms o equi alen hemes o o eign ilms like he Hollywood ilms
35
should be made o coun e balance he cul u al inpu . Ex e nally, i is necessa y o ind
a pa h ha can comple e " he h ee dimensions" as much as possible. Fo ins ance,
a e he pe iod o ough nea ly 10 yea s o Chinese ilm indus y, he new
explo a ion o he new blockbus e mode has been concen a ed a ound 2018,
including he science ic ion ilm The Wande ing Ea h (2019), he anima ion ilm o
he adi ional my h Nezha (Jiaozi, China, 2019) and he wo wa ilms Wol Wa io s
2(Wu Jing, China, 2017) and Ope a ion Red Sea (Dan e Lam, China, 2018). These
ou mo ies consecu i ely b oke China's box o ice eco d. And hey a e he second
ime ha China explo es he combina ion o i s own cul u e and ilms since B uce
Lee's Kung Fu ilms. Howe e as o ou pu p ocess, hese ilms ailed o achie e a
b eak h ough in he h eshold o he " h ee dimensions". Na u ally, he o eign box
o ice was no good, and i was di icul o o m new cul u al elemen s o cul u al
expo , because hese ilms a e Chinese e sions o Hollywood ilms, o example,
Wol Wa io 2 is c ea ing a Chinese e sion o Rambo, and hey a e no essen ially
c ea ing new cul u al elemen s, bu ying o eplace some o he Hollywood elemen s
wi h Chinese images. A big pa o he eason is ha hese ilms a e o he domes ic
ma ke . And as he i s chap e said, as a kind o de ensi e ac ion, and also as an
impo an way o enhance na ional con idence. Thus, hey do no showcase and
package hei own cul u al elemen s like The G ea Wall ha we will alk abou in he
hi d chap e .
A p oblem a ises he e, ha is, some imes a ilm made is expec ed o achie e a
ce ain cul u al sp ead, bu some con en s o he ilm ha need o make he audience
esona e wi h he na a i e o he ilm such as he emo ion o expe ience o he
cha ac e s in his ilm, and also need a ce ain cul u al backg ound o unde s and, bu
o a domes ic p oduce , i migh no be easy o unde s and he cul u al needs o
o eign coun ies. Zhang said in his disse a ion:
The eason lies in he ailu e o sol e he p oblems o di e ences and in eg a ion o
di e en cul u es, esul ing in cul u al discoun s... hey can ouch he pas expe iences
and sec e desi es in he hea s o local audiences, bu i is di icul o be unde s ood by
36
Wes e n audiences who a e no well awa e o Chinese social his o y and cul u e.
Coupled wi h language ba ie s and ansla ion di icul ies, i is di icul o hem o
accep elemen s om he ilm. Since audiences canno unde s and, hey canno ha e
emo ional esonance, and i is di icul o gene a e in e es in wa ching i . (Zhang, 2013,
p. 98)
In o de o sol e his p oblem, we migh ind a model ha could be used as a
e e ence, ha is, join en u e ilms (Co-p oduc ions). Al hough he join en u e ilm
is a kind o comp omise, some o his changes o he ilm elemen s may make local
audiences uncom o able, bu i is indeed a leas a he p oduce le el ha he op imal
solu ion o cul u al con lic s and con adic ions has been discussed and gene ally
sol ed, so ha i migh bene i s he ilm’s ma ke income i s by gaining mo e
audiences o e seas and based on which, he cul u al elemen s could be sp ead mo e
b oadly, especially o he pa whose so powe is empo a ily weak, such as China
in his case. He e quo es Zhang:
The wo comme cial blockbus e s The Mummy 3 (Rob Cohen, USA, 2008) and The
Ka a e Kid (Ha ald Zwa , China & USA, 2010) co-p oduced by China and he Ame ica,
wi h he help o Hollywood's global dis ibu ion ne wo k and pe asi e ma ke ing
channels, soon sp ead globally. Among hem, "The Ka a e Kid" won 2.4 billion RMB
o China’s o e seas box o ice (abou 37 million USD). Howe e , in 2011, al hough 23
p oduc ion companies in China launched 52 ilms (including 50 co-p oduced ilms) o
22 coun ies and egions, because none o hem we e co-p oduced wi h Hollywood, he
o al o e seas box o ice d opped o 2.024 billion yuan, which is no as good as he
box o ice eco d o one single ilm "The Ka a e Kid". (Zhang, 2013, p.99)
In his way, in he nex chap e , we would con inue wi h he discussion o join
en u e ilms o explo e mo e possibili ies o ca y ou cul u al dissemina ion as well
as o ind a be e mode o cul u al communica ion among di e en coun ies.
37
CHAPTER THREE: ADVANCED DISCUSSION ON THE JOINT VENTURE
FILMS
3.1 Join en u e ilm pe spec i e om The G ea Wall
In he p e ious sec ion we showed he e ec o comme cial ilms in in e cul u al
communica ion and he h ee dimensions hey ha e o go h ough by explo ing mainly
he Kung Fu ilms. Howe e , we also no ed ha he di e ences be ween cul u es can
make a blockbus e less in luen ial o e seas. One o he solu ions o comme cial
ilms whose main pu pose is he box o ice is o s a wi h he capi al, ha is, use
o e seas capi al o d i e o e seas publici y. Wo king wi h Hollywood, which is
expe ienced in global publici y, one can lea n abou hei app oaches. Wang alked
abou he cha ac e is ics o Hollywood in he disse a ion:
Hollywood mus p esen i s dis inc i e cul u al ai s o audiences a ound he wo ld
in o de o achie e he desi ed communica ion e ec . Unlike Eu ope and Eas Asia,
which ha e long and illus ious his o ies, he Uni ed S a es has a simple and sho
his o y, so Hollywood ocuses on p o iding audiences wi h an Ame ican cul u e wi h
he ollowing cha ac e is ics. The i s one is high- ech [...] Second, simplici y and
s aigh o wa dness [...] Thi d, he i al impo ance o indi idual he oism. (Wang, 2017,
p.129)
This chap e a emp s o add o he issues le in he second Chap e by a case
s udy o The G ea Wall, he join en u e ilm be ween China and Hollywood, he
cen al poin o which is o explo e possible solu ions o he obs acles encoun e ed in
in e cul u al communica ion o ilms om he pe spec i e o join en u e ilms.
The ilm The G ea Wall, a Sino-US co-p oduc ion di ec ed by Zhang Yimou and
44
idea ha symbols ha e wo aspec s o composi ion, namely, ha he ‘signi ie ’ and he
‘signi ied’ a e opposi ely uni ied. The signi ie + he signi ied = he symbol. (Huang,
2017, p. 166) The signi ie he e in ou case is abou he conc e e sound, a pic u e such
as he abo e-men ioned bamboo, a sky lan e n o a wa ch, while he signi ied is a
psychological concep , such as he abo e me apho s. F om his poin o iew, symbols
need o ha e me apho s and meanings, and he absence o me apho s o he lack o
clea me apho s may make a pic u e o a sound ha dly cons i u e he meaning o he
symbols, and a leas in comme cial ilms i canno be conside ed as a comple e
elemen packaging p ocess, his disse a ion belie es ha symbols can be conside ed
as a commodi y in comme cial ilms, and he elemen s dissemina ed in he ilm a e by
and la ge packaged in o hese symbols. In his disse a ion, we a gue ha he symbols
can be conside ed as commodi ies in comme cial ilms, and he elemen s ansmi ed
in he ilms a e la gely packaged in o hese symbols.
3.3 O ien alism in The G ea Wall
O ien alism11 is an imagina ion o he Wes e n wo ld abou he ancien Eas , as
sugges ed by Edwa d Said. He poin ed ou ha he O ien is almos a Wes e n
in en ion, a place o s ange expe iences ha has su ounded people's memo ies and
ho izons since ancien imes, ull o oman ic legends and exo icism. "O ien alism"
has a unique de elopmen p ocess in he con ex o Hollywood in he Uni ed S a es.
The Fu Manchu and Cha lie Chan men ioned in he second chap e a e ac ually in he
low poin o he en i e O ien alis pe iod, and hese wo images cons i u e he ea ly
ep esen a ion o O ien alism in he ilms. The mono ony image o he Eas in his
con ex is e y likely o p e en no mal communica ion be ween cul u es. In he
pos -wa pe iod, especially in he “pos -B uce Lee” pe iod, O ien alism g adually
11
h ps://en.wikipedia.o g/wiki/O ien alism#:~: ex =In%20a %20his o y%2C%20li e a u e%20and,and%20a is s%
20 om%20 he%20Wes .

45
e u ned o i s no mal posi ion o in o he wo ds, he image o O ien alism g adually
began o be en iched. I is wo h no ing ha , in he con ex o globaliza ion,
O ien alism is no only cons uc ed by Hollywood, bu some Chinese di ec o s ha e
begun o sel -O ien alize and add elemen s o i . Yu and Lin explain
"Sel -O ien alism" as ollows:
"Sel -O ien alism" means ha o ien alis s ake he logic o Wes e ne s in discussing
he O ien as a e e ence and s a ing poin , solidi ying and essen ializing he beha io
and discou se exp ession o "O ien alism". (Yu & Lin, 2015, p. 8)
The main mani es a ion o sel -O ien alism is he ans o ma ion o elemen s
om he pe spec i e o he O ien als o he Wes e ne s, in o de o con o m o he
ine ia o he inhe en O ien alis de ini ion o he Eas . This kind o ac i i y in ol ing
bo h sides is ac ually mo e conduci e o he expansion o he in luence o he ilm,
and e en o a ce ain ex en can u n he opposi ion in o in eg a ion and coope a ion
be ween bo h sides. Fo example, he case we ha e chosen he e is The G ea Wall, a
join p oduc ion be ween China and he Uni ed S a es, which is a ypical example o
such ac i i y in p ac ice. Bu in ac , as Said said, “ he Eas ” is an in en ion, because
i is so a om he eal Eas . Ne e heless, as a as he ilm is conce ned, we migh
be able o ind no way o show he eal Eas o he Wes di ec ly h ough ilms.
Cul u al discoun s a e ine i able in he p ocess o he communica ion o e seas, and
he in ensi y o he discoun s depends on how many e o s a e made by bo h sides,
such as he use o O ien alism and sel -o ien alism men ioned abo e o shape he
image in ilms in o de o educe discoun s. Raymond Williams desc ibes "image" as
an a i ac o public imp ession ha is c ea ed o appeal o he public a he han o
ep oduce eali y; i implies a deg ee o alsi y in which eali y does no co espond o
he eal image. (Wang, 2018, p. 148) The p ac ice o O ien alism in cinema con i ms
his s a emen o Raymond Williams. I should be added he e ha his "un eal" image
(Fo example, he sel -O ien alized image is an un eal image) is less necessa y in he
ilms ha do no a emp ex e nal and o e seas publici y. Like in The Wande ing
46
Ea h, i wen wi h he de ensi e pos u e as men ioned in he i s chap e , and has no
sel -O ien alism in i .
The G ea Wall is a ilm wi h a numbe o such o ien alis ans o ma ions o
concep ual enhancemen s, and hese c ea ed elemen s a e mos in ui i ely imagined
by o e seas audiences ou side o China: he winding and majes ic G ea Wall a he
bo de , he eli e a my s anding a a en ion on he G ea Wall, he black gunpowde
hidden inside he G ea Wall, he ancien singing paying ibu e o he dead soldie s,
hese elemen s a e symbols ha a e mo e in line wi h he wo ld's pe cep ion and
imagina ion o China a he ime o Song Dynas y12. Wha is depic ed inside he ilm
is an image o huge eudal machine, an a my ha se ed he o ali a ian powe o
gua d he bo de s o he empi e, and an in en ion o black gunpowde ha shocked
he wo ld. These imagina ions o he Eas ha e led people om o he pa s o he
wo ld coming he e. The wo wes e n me cena y soldie s in he ilm a e he
embodimen o his mys ical an asy, and hey b eak in o China wi h a pe spec i e ha
belongs o he Wes e n wo ld, an a angemen like his eally alls in o he na a i e
s uc u e o O ien alism and ca e s o he expec a ions o he Wes e n audience's
ision.
3.4 The Th eshold E ec
A his poin , he disse a ion also wan s o look a he essence h ough he
phenomenon. In ac , The G ea Wall could ha e been made wi hou being a
high-concep ilm pe se, o wi hou such a simple Hollywood classic mo i
(mons e s). I could ha e added some dep h o he con en , bu di ec o Zhang Yimou
keep i simple anyway. Wang alked abou Hollywood ilms in his disse a ion:
Unlike Asian and Eu opean ilms, he s o ies in Hollywood ilms end o be simple
and he in e ac ions be ween people end o be mo e s aigh o wa d, a cha ac e is ic ha
12 Song Dynas y (A.D. 960 - 1276) h ps://en.wikipedia.o g/wiki/Song_dynas y
47
is e y di e en om he sub le y o Asian and Eu opean cul u es and makes Hollywood
ilms easie o enjoy. (Wang, 2017, p. 130)
As a i h-gene a ion Chinese di ec o , Zhang Yimou has excellen wo ks wi h
dep h like Red So ghum, and o he i s ime, he made his ilm ex emely simple,
g ea ly lowe ing he h eshold o wa ching his ilm, wi h he huge ame o Hollywood
ilm s a s, making o eign audiences i s accep he exis ence and se ing o he ilm,
keeping hem om esis ing, and hen he use his bes e o s o “sell” hese cul u al
symbols, making hem mo e easily accep ed by o e seas audiences. As we men ioned
he h eshold, we could ge a be e unde s anding o his h ough he h eshold e ec ,
which could be also men ioned as he Foo -in- he-doo echnique13, which e e s o a
compliance ac ic ha aims a ge ing a pe son o ag ee o a la ge eques by ha ing
hem ag ee o a modes eques i s .
In ac , The G ea Wall i sel is mo e signi ican han he con en . As men ioned
abo e, symbols a e like commodi ies in comme cial ilms, and The G ea Wall
happens o be a collec ion o comple e O ien alis symbol sys ems ha ha e appea ed
in o he O ien alis ilms be o e, and in his join en u e ilm, di ec o Zhang Yimou
has ga he ed he symbols oge he as much as possible in a new a angemen , which
gi es o e seas audiences he oppo uni y o econs uc in hei minds he Chinese
image in hei minds. (Huang, 2017, p. 168) I also has he signi icance o using i s
s a us as a join en u e ilm o con ey ha Chinese cul u e is open and ole an and
willing o accep o he ou s anding cul u es om a ound he wo ld. In he ilm, he
G ea Wall i sel ep esen s he in en ion o de end he empi e agains o eign a acks,
and he i s ime he G ea Wall ga es a e opened passi ely because o he a ack o
he mons e Tao Tei. This seems o con i m he idea ha he opening o he G ea Wall
is ha m ul, bu he second opening o he G ea Wall ga es implies coope a ion, wi h
wa io s om he Wes e n wo ld. Bo h sides we e a i s suspicious and dis us ul,
wi h he Chinese emale gene al Lin (also p o agonis ) elling William ha "we a e
di e en ". In he end, when he indi idualism o William and he collec i ism o
13 h ps://en.wikipedia.o g/wiki/Foo -in- he-doo _ echnique
48
Chinese soldie s collided and me ged, he wo sides began o y o unde s and each
o he and o compensa e o hei own sho comings wi h each o he 's poin s. The
emale gene al Lin exp essed he meaning ha "We a e he same". In his way, he
meaning o he G ea Wall is concei ed as a de ense agains g eed, no agains he
beau y o u h. In addi ion, he ilm does no shy away om some nega i e
phenomena in he de elopmen o Chinese socie y, such as he g eedy and igno an
Song empe o , who hid behind he h one because o he siege o he Tao Tei in he
p e ious momen , bu immedia ely became a ogan once he saw he ein o cemen s
coming, as well as he sycophancy o he minis e s a ound he empe o , all o which
o eshadowed he g adual demise o Chinese eudal socie y. Al hough he ilm uses
Tao Tei, he enemy ou side he G ea Wall, as a symbol o g eed, i does no neglec o
conside he human na u e o g eed in he o m o eudal socie y. The Tao Tei is a
symbol o human g eed, signi ying he punishmen o human g eed. The me cena ies
ep esen ed by William came all he way o China because hey co e ed Chinese
black gunpowde ; he de ained William's pa ne s ook he ho ses and black
gunpowde because o g eed, and be ayed hei ellows. Because o g eed, he
minis e s a ound he empe o wan ed o b ing he Tao Tei o he capi al, in o de o
ask ewa ds om he empe o , bu i a ac ed mo e Tao Teis and b ough ex inc ion o
he empi e and he people. All hese show ha he g eed o human na u e has no
disappea ed wi h he p og ess o mankind. This po ayal o he g eed o he Tao Tei
and he g eed o human na u e can ac ually be conside ed a kind o an i-o ien alism,
which con eys a message h ough he po ayal o he common e il in human na u e,
ha no ma e wha ci iliza ion i comes om, i will e en ually e u n o he
discussion o he common humani y o mankind, and in his ega d, bo h Eas and
Wes need o be wa ned. This ilm-based ad ocacy ep esen s he econcilable
di e ences as well as commonali ies be ween he Eas and he Wes . This common
opic made he ilm mo e accessible o a wide ange in he wo ld, and in his way he
ilm’s h eshold is lowe ed. In his way, he ilm's h eshold is lowe ed. F om his
pe spec i e, e en hough The G ea Wall has been de-Chineseized and ins ead i
Hollywoodized as much as possible o comp omising easons, and meanwhile
49
lowe ing he h eshold, he ilm s ill succeeds in packaging a lo o Chinese cul u al
elemen s beyond hese h esholds, which is he unc ion o he h eshold e ec and
has achie ed di ec o Zhang Yimou's eal goal - o c ea e s ong symbols o Chinese
cul u al elemen s o he wo ld. And a he same ime, his "Hollywood" ilm, in u n,
becomes less Ame ican and indi idualis ic wi h he addi ion o he Chinese side. In
con as , The Wande ing Ea h has a much highe h eshold. Zeng and Zhang alked
abou he collec i ism in The Wande ing Ea h, which could be a huge h eshold:
The p inciple o collec i ism ejec s and condemns he pu ing o indi idual
in e es s abo e na ional and collec i e in e es s, and does no allow indi idual in e es s
o nega e na ional and collec i e in e es s... The ac ha only hal o he global
popula ion, 3.5 billion people in he ilm ha e mig a ed unde g ound shows ha a he
c i ical momen o human su i al and he con inua ion o ci iliza ion, all people should
pu he in e es s o humani y i s , subo dina e indi idual in e es s o collec i e in e es s,
and maximize he p o ec ion o collec i e in e es s. (Zeng & Zhang, 2019, p. 60)
A he beginning o he ilm, he di ec o akes he ini ia i e o ell he audiences
ha he i s wa e o human c isis b ough abou by he Ea h’s ac i e cessa ion o
au obiog aphy will kill and inju e many people, be o e he i s c isis humans will
decide h ough a lo e y which pa o he people can en e he sa e dungeon o ake
e uge. This sac i ice se in he ilm is he only way o he immedia e su e ing o he
ex inc ion o he human ace, bu his s aigh o wa d and speci ic “T olley issues14”
will ine i ably be e y di icul o audiences o accep . In In e s ella o 2012
(Roland Emme ich, USA, 2009), he ilms ha e a oided he eme gence o such
p oblems, such as in In e s ella , he human ace i sel is slowly dying, he main eam
is jus going o gamble on hope, e en i hey ail, i won’ ha e in luence o human
a e. In 2012, mos people do no e en know o do no belie e ha he disas e will
14 O T olley P oblem
h ps://en.wikipedia.o g/wiki/T olley_p oblem#:~: ex =The%20 olley%20p oblem%20is%20a, o%20sa e%20a%
20la ge %20numbe .& ex =Opinions%20on%20 he%20e hics%20o ,imma e ial%20 o%20 he%20abs ac %20dil
emma.

50
come be o e i ac ually happens, hey do no know he li e-sa ing ship was sec e ly
buil be o e he disas e happened. “T olley issues” like his a e igno ed, and he e o e
i ’s no easy o ha e con o e sy ou side o he ilms. The Wande ing Ea h was
announced a he beginning o he “T olley issues” ha seemed eal and cold-blooded,
which o some people made hem esis a he beginning, equi alen o inc easing he
ini ial h eshold, so ha he es o he con en inside The Wande ing Ea h may be
di icul o hem o accep because o his ini ial h eshold.
A his poin , a hough de i ed om his concep is p esen ed o us. Tha is, how
would The Wande ing Ea h change i i we e no a local Chinese science ic ion ilm,
bu like The G ea Wall, a Hollywood-led join en u e ilm? Fo example, wi h
ega d o he h eshold issue explo ed in his sec ion, we imagine ha he p o agonis
o The Wande ing Ea h is eplaced by an Ame ican Hollywood supe s a , and ha he
s o y mo es away om he ilm’s o iginal plo , which is: he p o agonis eam is one
o he many eams who y o sa e he wo ld, and he he oes who sa e he wo ld a e
ac ually he escue eams o a ious coun ies a ound he wo ld and he Uni ed Ea h
Go e nmen who o e s ul ima e suppo o he escue plan. Thanks o all coun ies,
mankind inally sa ed hemsel es in o a new plo : he Uni ed S a es o Ame ica’s eli e,
ou p o agonis do no app o e o he cu en plan, and he makes his way h ough
disas e and dange o he ea h engines, uses i o igni e Jupi e , acciden ally pushes
he plane away, and hen sa es he wo ld. This change can make he h eshold o The
Wande ing Ea h lowe , speci ically because om he pe spec i e o he second
dimension o he second chap e , he social di ision o labo and social iden i y e u n
o ha Ame icans lead he plan, which is a common heme o comme cial ilms, so
ha he one o he new e sion o The Wande ing Ea h would no be so agg essi e.
A e all, acco ding o Bai and Li in hei s udy, 17.3% o he English e iews on he
In e ne we e nega i e “Sings he p aises o he Chinese; O e emphasizes pa io ism;
Sac i ices he in e es s o he people; Re lec s China’s global ambi ions; Conceals
cul u al supe io i y”. (Bai & Li, 2021, p. 75)
I , as men ioned abo e, hese changes b ing down he h eshold o he ilm o
some ex en , hen pe haps o he elemen s o he ilm will be mo e easily accep ed. Fo
51
example, he p o agonis eam seems kind o medioc e compa ed o some adi ional
Hollywood ilms. We al eady know he eason, ha is, The Wande ing Ea h ends o
con ey he in o ma ion he mankind can uni e oge he , o build a communi y wi h
sha ed u u e. Howe e , i means ha he p o agonis eam canno ha e abili ies ha
exceed hose o o dina y people, and he p o agonis eam is jus one o all he eams
who y o sa e he wo ld. This concep and elemen could be good. Howe e , i he
ilm i sel is ha d o accep because o he ela i ely high h eshold, his elemen may
no be accep ed as well. Like I said, he concep o being one o all he escue eam
could be medioc e. Wha is easy o be accep ed is s ill he concep om some
Hollywood ilms, making audiences be eli e. In he In e s ella , Nolan se a c uel
scena io o human beings ha may exis a e many yea s: The Ea h’s ecological
des uc ion is se ious, dus s o ms ampan , c ops coinciden ally die, he quali y o
human li e se iously de e io a ed. In such an en i onmen , humans shu down NASA,
esul ing in as onau s like Coope becomes a me s, and e en he ex books o U.S.
moon landing we e banned om public, and all because sho -sigh ed humans ake o
g an ed ha he mos impo an hing a he momen is o p oduce ood, a he han
explo e he uni e se. The ine ia o hinking was s ill pe asi e a ound Coope , e en
a e his son had go chance o ge in o college bu was de e mined by his eache s ha
he should become a a me ins ead o enginee . Mu phy's eache also said “We need
o each ou kids o abou his plane , no ales o lea ing i .” As i u ned ou la e , i
was by lea ing he plane ha humans e en ually egained i s li e. This na a i e is a
ela i ely common one in Hollywood, and i is a con as be ween he “medioc e” and
“eli e”. “Medioc e” he e does no exac ly e e o a medioc e social iden i y, bu
mainly ep esen s he ine ia o hinking bound o i . In In e s ella he majo i y o
people is bound by his ine ia, and hey seemed o be “Boiling og15” in he
en i onmen on Ea h. Coope , he p o agonis , is he opposi e o his medioc i y. He
condemns he eache who says he U.S. moon landing was a ake, no only because
as an o dina y indi idual, Coope ’s wi e los he chance o be ea ed because
mankind abandoned mos o he explo a ion o ad anced echnology, including some
15 h ps://en.wikipedia.o g/wiki/Boiling_ og
52
medical ea men , bu also because as a o me eli e pilo , he says “we a e explo e s,
pionee s, no ca e ake s", exp essing his dissa is ac ion wi h his policy o s eady
demise.
La e , P o esso B and could no sol e he p oblems in his g a i a ional
equa ions e en he spen o y yea s on i . O cou se, in he Ame ican cul u e o
indi idual he oism, Coope was he ul ima e mys e y sol e . He lea es behind he
adi ional pe cep ions o he pas , en e s he space, and inally c ea i ely passes he
da a o his daugh e by swinging he hands o he wa ch. I is h ough hese da a om
he black hole, Mu phy sol e he p oblems o he g a i a ional equa ions, and
success ully sa e he humans on Ea h. In e es ingly, in he ilm, i is Coope who has
he c ea i e hinking o success ully make humans ou o he ha sh Ea h en i onmen ,
and i is Coope who sa ed hose medioc e people deeply a ec ed by he ine ia o
hinking. F om his poin o iew, Nolan seems o gi e us a small i ony: Al hough he
ine ia in he adi ional mode o hinking has c ea ed he basic pe spec i e o ou
unde s anding o he wo ld, i also inc easingly becomes he uling economic,
poli ical, and especially in ellec ual and cul u al hinking shackles. Coope ’s di e en
hinking and his s ong sel -con idence and pe sonal abili y make him ou o he
shackles, becoming an eli e, and in a sense, i is ac ually ano he o m o supe he o
ilm, and h ough his con as o medioc e and eli e, he e is a g ea e emphasis on
he abili y o he indi idual in his meaning.
And in The Wande ing Ea h, he e has also been a simila human’s choice o
ace disas e s wi h In e s ella . One o he di e ences is ha he me apho o The
Wande ing Ea h is mo e ob ious, and he o he di e ence is ha he pe son who
makes his choice in In e s ella is he p o agonis Coope , while he pe son who
makes his choice in The Wande ing Ea h is he en i e human ace. Bu in ac , hese
p oposi ions in he wo ilms a e bo h essen ially abou human na u e, and al hough
he e a e di e ences be ween di e en cul u es, he e a e also many commonali ies.
Howe e , he “ h eshold” magni ies hese di e ences, making some exo ic elemen s
a e no easily accep ed. Some imes when he h eshold is lowe ed and he audience
accep s he gene al di ec ion o he ilm, he small di ec ions inside may be easily
53
accep ed. P obably o The Wande ing Ea h i is possible o educe he a gumen o
“sac i icing he in e es s o he people o e lec ing China's global ambi ions”. F om
he no el The Wande ing Ea h, as well as his au ho Liu Cixin's o he wo ks: he
ilogy Th ee Body P oblem, Liu Cixin's wo k ends o add ques ions ha a e s ill
being deba ed abou among ou socie y o e oke hinking abou humani y. F om he
Chinese pe spec i e, hese elemen s o ques ions added in o he ilm a e on he same
le el wi h o he ilms a ound he wo ld, and he lowe ing o he h eshold may be
mo e conduci e o sp ead hese e lec ions and elemen s. O cou se, o The
Wande ing Ea h, “lowe ing he h eshold” could be one o he comp omised
solu ions, and we could y o explo e o he ways ou .
3.5 Halo e ec and “seek no el y”
The halo e ec 16, e e s o in people’s pe cep ion in he in e ac ion wi h o he s,
he o he pe son’s pa icula ou s anding cha ac e is ics, quali ies will co e a pe son’s
co ec unde s anding o his pe son’s o he quali ies and cha ac e is ics. This
phenomenon o illusion is called he “halo e ec ” in psychology.
Fo example, o many Ame ican audiences, he Kung Fu ilms o B uce Lee,
Jackie Chan and Je Li cons i u e he Chinese wo ld o hei expe ience, he wo ld o
ma ial a s. These Kung Fu ilms ha e had a la ge sha e o ans. In he 21s cen u y,
hese ac o s ha e aded om ilm indus y and new s a s ha e aken o e hei wo k.
Fo example, C ouching Tige , Hidden D agon and He o a e he signs o he
beginning o he new gene a ion. Al hough hese new Kung Fu ilms ha e new
cul u al elemen s and na a i e backg ounds, in he case o He o, i is much less
accessible han in he case o Jackie Chan. In he ilm He o, compa ed o he easy o
unde s and ilms o Jackie Chan, which a e mos ly based on he in e p e a ion o
ma ial a s, he p o ound cul u al exp ession in he new gene a ion ilms is mo e
16 h ps://en.wikipedia.o g/wiki/Halo_e ec
60
2002. Chinese ilm also needs o go mode n (like he case o The Wande ing Ea h),
ins ead o speaking as an ancien o a long ime o say wha he di ec o o p oduce
wan o exp ess o mode n socie y, and also, maybe in he u u e he Chinese ilms
indus y could escape he o e whelming dominance o Hollywood and become able
o de ine O ien alism by i sel . In ha case, his new, sel -de ined and mode n
O ien alism may be ano he Chinese elemen ha c osses he h eshold o in e cul u al
communica ion o be accep ed by he audience o he wo ld a e he elemen o Kung
Fu. I migh ha e he oppo uni y o become ano he success ul case and empla e o
he cul u al unc ion o ilms in addi ion o he case o Kung Fu, which could ha e a
posi i e e ec on he u he s udy and p ac ice o his unc ion in coun ies a ound
he wo ld.
CONCLUSION
This disse a ion is mainly based on some Chinese comme cial ilms and hei
de elopmen his o y. As s a ed a he beginning o he disse a ion, his disse a ion
a emp s o ind pa e ns om he analysis o hese cases. These ules a e mainly
abou he connec ion be ween comme cial ilms and in e cul u al communica ion. The
main pu pose o looking o hese connec ions is o ha e a be e unde s anding o
comme cial ilms in his e a o in o ma ion whe e he in luence o ilms is inc easing
and he in luence sp eads as e and as e , especially he cul u al in luence o
comme cial ilms. A he same ime, he seemingly simple cul u al elemen s in
comme cial ilms will ha e many sub le e ec s on ou socie y, which may be easily
o e looked in in e cul u al communica ion.
The disse a ion mainly analyzes and esea ches h ough h ee chap e s. The
esea ch p ocess is p omo ed mainly h ough he analysis o he ilm, he
in e p e a ion o pa o he his o y and li e a u e, and o iginal a gumen s abou he
ilms. Fi s o all, he ilm The Wande ing Ea h is in oduced in he i s chap e o
discuss he cons uc ion o domes ic so powe . The main indings a e as ollows:

61
Comme cial ilms and he in luence i can b ing a e o g ea impo ance o he
p o ec ion o one coun y’s cul u e. In in e cul u al communica ion, cul u al elemen s
need o achie e some poin s o p o ec he ilm and na ional alues o one’s own
coun y. Nex , in Chap e 2, h ough he ex e nal dissemina ion o Chinese Kung Fu
ilms, we ound ha based on he p emise o ce ain p o ec ion o ou coun y’s
cul u e and alues, i we wan o expo cul u e o he ou side wo ld, we will gene ally
unde s and he h ee dimensions, and he wo le els o e ec i achie es. Finally, we
ha e seen a iable me hod o expo ing cul u e o he ou side wo ld, bu a he same
ime i has i s limi a ions. On his basis, in Chap e 3 we u he analyze he o m o
join en u e ilms, and mainly disco e he main easons why join en u e ilms can
ha e a s onge cul u al in luence, including he packaging o symbols and he
applica ion o h eshold e ec s. A he same ime, h ough u he analysis and
compa ison o ilms, we ha e s eng hened ou u he unde s anding o he easibili y
o in e cul u al communica ion. In conclusion, his disse a ion belie es ha i is
necessa y o ind he ole and unc ion o comme cial ilms in in e cul u al
communica ion and he way hey conduc i . The scope o his s udy is limi ed, mainly
based on some landma k ilms in China as a s a ing poin , combined wi h Hollywood
ilms o compa ison and esea ch. In ac , a wide ange o compa isons and case
s udies be ween di e en cul u es should be ca ied ou . In his way, he ela ionship
and ules based on he exis ence o cul u e and ilm can be mo e accu a ely desc ibed.
By his means, he impac o ilms a home and ab oad is easie o be o eseen, and i
is o g ea signi icance o he cons uc ion o he coun y’s so powe and he heal hy
communica ion o wo ld cul u e.
Filmog aphy
A a a (James Came on, USA, 2009)
Blade Runne (Ridley Sco , USA, 1982)
Cha lie Chan in he Chinese Ring (William Beaudine, USA, 1947)
C ouching Tige , Hidden D agon (Ang Lee, China, 2000)
62
Fa ewell My Concubine (Chen Kaige, China, 1993)
Fis o Fu y (Lo Wei, China, 1972)
Fu u e X-Cops (Wong Jing, China, 2010)
He o (Zhang Yimou, China, 2002)
Incep ion (Ch is ophe Nolan, UK & USA, 2010)
In e s ella (Ch is ophe Nolan, UK & USA, 2014)
Ka a e Kid (Ha ald Zwa , China & USA, 2010)
Kill Bill (Quen in Ta an ino, USA, 2003)
Kung u Cybo g (Je e y Lau, China Hong Kong, 2009)
Kung Fu Panda (Ma k Osbo ne and John S e enson, USA, 2008)
Mission Impossible (B ian De Palma, USA, 1996)
Mulan (Ba y Cook and Tony Banc o , USA, 1998)
Nezha (Jiaozi, China, 2019)
Ope a ion Red Sea (Dan e Lam, China, 2018)
Rambo: Fi s Blood Pa II (Geo ge P. Cosma os, USA, 1985)
Red So ghum (Zhang Yimou, China, 1988)
Rumble in he B onx (S anley Tong, China, 1995)
Shaolin Temple（Chang Hsin Yen, China, 1982）
The Fo bidden Kingdom (Rob Minko , USA, 2008)
The G ea Wall (Zhang Yimou, China & USA, 2016)
The Ma ix (Wachowskis, USA, 1999)
The Mummy 3 (Rob Cohen, USA, 2008)
The Te mina o (James Came on, USA, 1984)
The Wande ing Ea h (Guo Fan, China, 2019)
Wol Wa io 2 (Wu Jing, China, 2017)
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