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Projecting the ‘Chineseness’: Nationalism, Identity and Chinese Martial Arts Films

2014; Routledge; Volume: 31; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/09523367.2013.866093

1743-9035

Lu Zhouxiang, Qi Zhang, Fan Hong,

Philippine History and Culture

AbstractWushu, also known as Kung Fu, is a traditional Chinese martial art. It also symbolises the strength of the Chinese and their pride in their history. Wushu came to be associated with Chinese nationalism after China's various defeats at the hands of foreign imperialist powers at the turn of the twentieth century. This relationship has been further strengthened through martial arts films. In the first half of the twentieth century, martial arts films helped to construct national identity among the Chinese. They also facilitated the development of Wushu, making it a symbol of indigenous virtue and strength. From the late 1960s, influenced by a defensive strain of nationalism, Chinese film-makers began to adopt a new approach to the portrayal of Wushu. Martial arts films were endowed with political and cultural significance, and evolved as a unique representation of Chinese nationalism. Several decades later, martial arts films still retain at their core a sense of 'Chineseness'. From Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury to Donnie Yen's IP Man, Chinese martial arts films have demonstrated not only the important place of Wushu in Chinese nationalism, but also the influence of nationalism on Chinese cinema.Keywords:: WushuChinese martial arts filmidentitynationalismcinema Notes 1.CitationRenan and Girardet, Qu'est-ce qu'une nation?, 26. 2.CitationLin, "The Development of Wushu Societies." 3.CitationAnderson, Imagined Communities, 44. 4.CitationLu and Yeh, "Introduction," 2. 5. 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Her main research interests are in the areas of culture, politics, gender and sport.