Mesmerising Mythical Mayhem: Jentry Chau V.s The Underworld Part 1
There have been a slew of fantastic YA animation projects recently that have captured fan’s hearts, such as She-Ra, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts and The Owl House, all of which I have loved, but none of them grabbed me by the face, and screamed at me “this has been made for you”, in the way that Jentry Chau vs the Underworld did. My excitement for the project was lit the moment I saw the announcement images and teasers, and I began to talk about it on social media, but duties and deadlines actually stopped me from sitting down and watching the show until Spring Festival. I was blown away, and consumed the whole thing in a couple of days. Like any rich banquet devoured so greedily, I knew I would have to sit and digest it before being able to convey how much I enjoyed it.
Posted in Articles and tagged Chinese, demons, Emmy's, fantasy, ghosts, horror, Jentry Chau, mythology, Netflix, occult, SFF, spirits, TV, underworld, YA
The Mythos of Kunlun
Earlier this year, I was asked to participate in Erland Cooper’s Mythic Island series, part of The Essay on BBC3, for which I had the pleasure of discussing the myth and cultures of Kunlun with the host. We only had a short time, so I’ve written this article based on further insights from my research, to supplement the conversation.
Posted in Articles, Events and tagged china, Chinese, culture, Kunlun, mountains, myth, mythology
The Phenomenal Popularity of Ne Zha 2
Ne Zha 2 hit the cinema screens this Spring Festival to phenomenal domestic success. This has been attributed to many things, including some secret technophile organisation of allegedly nationalistic Chinese entrepreneurs spreading their hidden agenda. The actual reasons are probably a mix of high production quality, the right place, the right time and as often is the case, cultural appeal. Nothing less than an icon in China, the legendary figure of Ne Zha has always enjoyed much love throughout the history of his cultural evolution. In this article I guide you through this development and explore the factors behind the immense appeal of his latest reincarnation. Nezha entered the Chinese pantheons during the Tang Dynasty with the spread of Buddhism, introduced into China in the previous centuries. Chinese Buddhist tales portray him as a deity sent to the mortal world to protect it against the rising number of yao. His legend evolved from the Song Dynasty, a tale of rage fights, heavenly judgements and gruelling atonement. Temples venerating him were found as late as the 1940s (if you’d like to learn more, you can read my book). In the contemporary times, he has been reborn in the modern temples of home and pocket entertainment. Most people in China will remember this figure from the 1979 Shanghai Animation classic Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (recently re-released), created in the style of the art of Dunhuang, a fitting tribute to the murals that his image first graced. Here he is the undaunted Continue Reading →
Posted in Articles and tagged china, Chinese, culture, film, mythology, pop culture
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
Space Myths Part II: China’s Scientific Future and Mythical Past
China is currently well into its age of space exploration. With the launch and landing of its Mars exploration programme Tienwen1 earlier in the year, and the docking of its first manned spacecraft, the Shenzhou12, this new frontier is at not only the forefront of China’s consciousness, but the world’s. A glance at the names of China’s space projects, and you’ll see that rather than paying tribute to the proletariat struggle, as programs did in the 1960s and 1970s, the country is now invoking its ancient scholars and scientists who mapped out the stars, and its mystical beings whom they thought lived in the skies. In the second part of this two-parter, I look at China’s Mars program, latest satellite launch facilities and Dark Matter exploration.
Posted in Articles and tagged china, Chinese, culture, Dark Matter, launch, Mars, mythology, myths, satellite, space, space age
Space Myths Part I: How China is Taking its Mythos to the Stars
China is currently well into its age of space exploration. With the launch and landing of its Mars exploration programme Tienwen1 earlier in the year, and the docking of its first manned spacecraft, the Shenzhou12, this new frontier is at not only the forefront of China’s consciousness, but the world’s. A glance at the names of China’s space projects, and you’ll see that rather than paying tribute to the proletariat struggle, as programs did in the 1960s and 1970s, the country is now invoking its ancient scholars and scientists who mapped out the stars, and its mystical beings whom they thought lived in the skies. In part one of this series, I look at China’s manned space programme, space station and lunar exploration programme.
Posted in Articles and tagged china, Chinese, culture, lunar, mythology, mythos, myths, Shenzhou, space, space station, spacecraft
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
Aquaman in China
So “Aquaman”, directed by James Wan, Australian director of Malaysian Chinese descent, with Chinese actor Ludi Lin (Power Rangers) as Murk, has been doing well in box offices in China. Some might be puzzled as to why the Chinese would be drawn to a story that seems so immersed in the world of Greek mythology. Although very much unique in their own right, the world’s mythologies do share certain commonalities, and there are many elements in this film that would make it popular with a Chinese audience.
Posted in Events and tagged Aquaman, Atalanta, china, Chinese, culture, dragon king, film, Monkey King, mythology, ocean
Digital Deities and Galactic Guardians – Why China is Invoking Ancient Gods in Cutting Edge Tech
In the recent past, China has been known to the West for its Great Wall and its Terracotta Warriors, a great ancient civilization that gifted the world with revolutionary inventions such as the compass, fireworks, and beautiful silks, that was subsequently torn apart in the early 20th century and closed off. Even when it re-emerged and became a global manufacturing powerhouse, by and large in the Western consciousness the country still remained a land enshrouded in legends and mystery, about which not much is known beyond the Cultural Revolution.
Now, in the 21st century, China is once more truly becoming the author of its own fate. A new technological golden age seems to be dawning, from innovations in AI and 3D printing, to developments in biomedicine and space exploration — both via private investment and state funding. With this new-found confidence, China has also begun to re-connect with its past and create a Chinese version of modernity that it didn’t have the chance to before. And it is doing so in in fascinating ways — sometimes this means reaching back thousands of years, to draw that connection.
In this article, I look at 13 (a lucky number to the Chinese) pieces of new technology that demonstrate in their conception and nomenclature how China is mapping out its gods and traditions in the cyberverse and the stars.
Posted in Articles and tagged AI, china, Chinese, culture, deities, exploration, Fintech, gods, mythology, science, space, technology
How SFF Is Changing
I have always maintained that diverse writers must be included in the main discourse of subject matters, rather than seconded into special interest groups, thus making them feel like oddities, rather than fully part of the community. It was with this in mind that I was so pleased to be invited to FanfiAddict’s author livestream on How SFF is Changing, which put me on a panel with a wonderful selection of authors from very different backgrounds, all writing about and working in different styles, content and traditions. There were a few points in the discussion I did not get to address at the time, or may not have been concise on, and thought I would take the opportunity to expand on them here.
Posted in Events and tagged Asian, china, commentary, diversity, fantasy, fiction, literature, livestream, mythology, representation, SFF