Nationalism in Once upon a Time in China
As being the new remake of the continuation of Huang Fei-hung series from Kwan Tak-hing, Tsui Hark has used the new Huang Fei-hung(played by Jet Li) to illustrate a new from of kung fu film in terms of the derivation from the 70s martial art films and to express his own cult style in his production. In Once upon a Time in China, won a big success in box office and also brought along with a new representation nationalism form to foreign audience. In contrast with the defined perception in Encyclopedia Britannica of nationalism: loyalty and devotion to the state such that national interests are placed above individual or global interest, the "nationalism" in Tsui Hark's mind should be featured in the form of national style, instead of the blindly expression of nationalism. Here, I will try to use Once upon a Time in China to illustrate the nationalism from Tsui Hark, and indicate its significant.From rational to irrational style in expression nationalism
The national style of Once upon a Time in China was in irrationality (or extraordinary) rather than in rationality (or ordinary). The reason in stating the rationality will be Tsui's response to the rational dominant Western style national cinema, for instance, citizens are intrinsically loyal to their nation or country. While in Once upon a Time in China, the gangsters of Sand River (shahe) went on to kidnap Chinese girls for being sex slaves in Gold Mountain and dealt with foreigners. With this, the Chinese are not presenting like as patriotic as commonly formulated in nationalistic film. Further, When Huang Fei-hung was being imprisoned in the government office, those prison officers asked Huang Fei-hung to leave. But Huang Fei-hung refuse the request, said there were both rules for country and home. However, when Soh came and voiced Aunt Yee was being kidnapped, Huang Fei-hung decided to leave the prison immediately which indicate he was not putting country at first place. Upon this, we can see Once upon a Time in China is not a purely rational style of nationalistic film for the fitting of the taste of foreign audience.Even though Tsui's works are expressing the style of irrational, there is still the expressing sentiment of nationalism. By further being irrational, Stephen Teo suggested Tsui is continuing with the use of imaginary world of jianghu from the style of famous old masters in 60s -70s, for instance, Zhang Che and King Hu. Commonly for a jianghu hero in the old time, they were only interested in searching for vengeance and justice through time, which can be demonstrated in the ideal future of Master Yim. However, I think Tsui is trying to put imaginary world and the reality world for contrast. Huang Fei-hung's idea of martial artist will be practices for physical health, self defense and spiritual enlightenment. Martial art practice in Once upon a Time in China seems to be a way to save the nation. And also, we can also see only a very small portion of jianghu conflict in Once upon a Time in China when compared with the issue of nation. Hence, the focus will be on Chinese ad foreign powers rather than internal jianghu conflict.
Xenophobia and anti-Orientalism
Once upon a Time in China processes an upswing sentiment of anti-foreign. The foreigners were first being welcomed by the government officials according to the Self-Strengthening Movement, but the later unmasking of the slavery deal of Americans tended to project the corrupting and the degrading of moral values of the Westerners. Besides Americans, British, France and other powers were also present in that period of time to engulf China. On the other hand, the presented China was in homogenization from: the races of Chinese and the cultures were not being emphasized. In Qing dynasty, China was under the Manchu's rule. The conflict between Manchu and Han was not being demonstrated. Instead of pointing out the dispute between Manchu and Han, the China in Tsui's eye is illustrated as a homogenous China. This homogenization can be found in the tea house: citizens and civilians are with similar unattractive colors cloths. There is no distinct difference within the Chinese, which implies the conflicts within China are not Tsui focus. More importantly, the focus will be the expressing of anti-foreign sentiment. By confronting the powers and national belief of homogenized China, the xenophobic vision and illustration can significantly signify the belief of nationalism as the single and only key of the film.In addition to the style of being ordinary Western style, the purely dichotomy separation between good and bad are being blurred. Even the xenophobic sentiment is rich in Once upon a Time in China, but Huang Fei-hung have to be helped with a foreigner. The priest is the only one man who stands out and be the witness for arson, while other Chinese civilians are not willing to evidence the Sand River leader for the collecting of money for protection. Obviously, this is the alternating viewing angle for Western audience for the reversing of the typical dogmas of Orientialism. According to one doctrine mentioned by Edward Said, the expression of Orientialism can be "Absolute and systematic difference between the West which is rational, developed, humane, superior and the Orient, which is aberrant, undeveloped, inferior." This form of propose of the better of western than the orient can be seen to be deconstructed in Once upon a Time in China. Intrinsically, this is the similar generic effect as Cheng Zhen's (by Bruce Lee) masculine expression of tearing of the words of "sick man of east Asia" in Fist of Fury.
When compared with Cheng Zhen in Fist of Fury, the body of Huang Fei-hung is used differently to express the message of nationalism when compared with previous martial art films. As an illustration like Fist of Fury, Agnes Ku suggested: "The muscular bodies on screen are sublime bodies that 'occupy an empty space without any positive content or intrinsic meaning, and their void can only subsequently be filled through the specificity of their particular historical milieu'". In this sense, the configuration of a hero in Huang Fei-hung is different from Cheng Zhen. Huang Fei-hung is in the form of romanticization of the masculine body, while this romanticization come from the uses of fully covered body by clothes, instead of the half-naked body of Cheng Zhen. Huang Fei-hung is more like a folk hero, a Chinese patriot and a bold thinker who tinkers with the idea of a Westernized China. In the film, Huang Fei-hung refuse Aunt Yee for the making of the new suit. But soon after this scene, he has worn a dark glass and a western style hat commonly for gentlemen and took a western style umbrella before going out. With these, Huang Fei-hung is symbolizes to show a hybrid way in identity in the expressing of nationalism.
Overall, the xenophobia is the first step in deconstructing the idea of dogma of Orientialism. Then, the using of and the blurring of good and bad, and the romanticized body instead of the masculine one is being used to redefine hybridity as the root to redefine national identity.
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