In to Mortal World: a New Evolution of the Cowherd and the Weaver Myth
Today is Qixi Festival, which falls on the 7th of the seventh lunar month. Whereas Valentine’s Day is also now celebrated in China, as is Lantern Festival for first romances, Qixi is the occasion to celebrate enduring love. And as arts and commerce increasingly turn their focus on it, more couples in China are choosing tie to knot on this day. The origins of this festival, is of course, associated with the story of Niulang and Zhinüng, the mortal Cowherd and the Weaver goddess, China’s story of star-crossed lovers and one of its four greatest legends, which you can read out in my book Chinese Myths. If you’re interested in the supreme goddess who played a key role in the tale, read my guide to Chinese deities). For the traditions and customs, read my article. This year, I wanted to write about a brilliant continuation of the myth by the donghua film Into the Mortal World (落凡尘, 2024), which I managed to catch on the plane on a recent trip.
Posted in Articles, Events and tagged animation, Cantonese, china, Chinese, Cowherd and Weaver, donghua, film, Guangdong, Guangzhou, myth
The Awesome Panda Power of Turning Red
There is something special about seeing yourself on the big screen, and if not yourself, then someone who you can see yourself as, or recognise yourself in. This is one reason why Pixar’s Turning Red has been such a big thing, coming out at a time when it looked as though the studio would sooner do another movie following Bugs’ Lives, than putting an East-Asian in the protagonists driving seat.
Now, I’ve never been a ‘Disney kid’, so I was still cautious as I sat down to watch the film, having been stung twice by the mouse’s Mulan. But… I was charmed, enthralled, and thoroughly entertained by the story, and of course, characters who looked like me.
Posted in Events and tagged animation, china, Chinese, culture, deity, Disney, film, panda, Pixar, Turning Red
A Brief History of Chinese Animation (Amecon 2008, Leicester)
Donghua (Chinese for animation) has spread its wings internationally over the last decade, so impressive have been the currents it’s generated that even big Western studios like Disney, are capitalising on the trend. But its history of donghua goes all the way back to the early twentieth century. This is a talk I delivered for at Amecon in 2008, at the UK premier of Storm Rider: Clash of Evils. Having discovered that certain ageing white academics have helped themselves to my talk for ‘research’ without crediting me, I removed it from Myspace. Today, I’m making it available, in honour of the release of Domee Shi’s Turning Red. If you do use it for whatever project, put my name in the sources, and in return, put a little towards my research materials, or, buy me a cup of tea.
Posted in Curated & Translated and tagged animation, china, Chinese, culture, donghua, film, history
The Legend of White Snake: From Cautionary Tale to Tragedy, and Beyond
Recently, White Snake 2: The Tribulation of Green Snake came out on Netflix. This release brings us a unique experience of the Legend of White Snake in a contemporary adaptation, in the most accessible of media and platforms. As the tale of these (literally) millennium-old snake spirits become part of the global cultural consciousness, here’s a quick look at how they came into being.
Posted in Articles and tagged animation, china, Chinese, culture, film, folktale, legend, literature, mythology, Netflix, White Snake
Introductory Talk to Big Fish & Begonia: A Taster
This screening is part of the April Anime season. Anime is faux-French term predominantly used to refer to Japanese animation. Chinese animation is called Dong Hua.
That animation you’ve just seen, “Where is Mama” is a product of the first golden age of Chinese animation. The director, Te Wei,broke a lot of the established rules of the time, and instead of just imitating western animators like Disney, he attempted to create a very eastern style.
Posted in Events and tagged after life, animation, Big Fish and Begonia, china, Chinese, culture, Dong Hua, film, indie, mythology, tradition, Zhuang zi
Next Gen and the Progress of Donghua
I don’t just love China and culture. I like robots and movies too, so I’ll always take the opportunity to look at any area where these loves collide.
“Next Gen” is an animated film currently available on Netflix, set in a futuristic society in which advanced robots look after every stage of human existence, from home appliances, to drones, doors, even education. Justin Pin, the man-bunned CEO of IQ Robotics is adored like a superstar, and his Q-Bots are the must-have personal assistants. Angry, disillusioned high school student Mai Su (Charleyne Yi), bullied at school and trying to cope with her father’s abandonment, made worse by her robot-obsessed mother Molly (Constance Wu), ends up dragged along to a product launch for the latest bot. Getting lost in the labs, she accidentally activates a prototype robot, codenamed “77”, who becomes attached to her, and escapes the lab to find her. The two begin an unlikely friendship, whilst the robot’s original creator finds more sinister things afoot than a missing robot.
Posted in Events and tagged animation, china, Chinese, culture, robots
Big Fish and Small Gods
As a public speaker who saw the oncoming wave of Chinese animation in the early 2000s, and who spent the last decade promoting these to West, it was my absolute joy to introduce Big Fish & Begonia this spring to the general public at various venues in London for the cinema release. Summer brings the home media release, set for the 9th of July, which coincides with the UK publication of my new book From Kuan Yin to Chairman Mao: An Essential Guide to Chinese Deities. Many of the beings I have written about are also featured in this 21st-century animation, and one of the reasons I have written the book is to demonstrate the contemporary relevance of these deities. In this article, I take a look at their origins and their reinterpretation in the film.
Posted in Articles and tagged animation, Big Fish & Begonia, china, Chinese, culture, Daoism, deities, fantasy, pop culture
Bao: A Review
After the delays due to the World Cup, I am very happy to see “Incredibles 2” released at last. The major reason for my anticipation for seeing this film in the cinema, is the short preceding the main feature, “Bao”, the first Pixar production with a female director, and one of Chinese heritage, no less. Needless to say, my expectations were high, and this adorable work has met them.
Posted in Articles, Events and tagged animation, china, Chinese, cinema, cuisine, culture, Disney, film, food, Pixar
Have a Nice Day
When I first heard about this Chinese animation, it was in the context of bankable dissent, so I was pre-disposed to dismissing this work, but when I actually had a chance to see some of the footage, I was thoroughly impressed, and subsequently, very happy to hear it was being screened at the Genesis.
Posted in Events and tagged animation, china, Chinese, culture, Dong Hua, film, indie, pop culture, synth pop