The patriotic narrative of Donnie Yen: how martial arts film stars reconcile Chinese tradition and modernity
2019; Routledge; Volume: 10; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/19392397.2019.1601427
ISSN1939-2400
Autores Tópico(s)Chinese history and philosophy
ResumoMainland China's rejection of various traditional institutions and the Maoist political doctrine in the period following Chairman Mao's death in 1976 resulted in ideological disorientation. To address this, the Chinese government has begun to promote traditional martial arts as a practice and as a cultural object to foster a renewed sense of national identity. However, this process of ideological fortification is complicated by Chinese martial arts' connection to the country's imperial system, which collapsed in the face of colonial aggression at the end of the 19th century. This article will explore how Chinese film star Donnie Yen negotiates traditional Chinese martial arts' problematic ideological position via the Ip Man film series (2008–2015). It draws on Ellis Cashmore's notion of celebrity narrative and Richard Dyer's concept of star image to examine how these films have rendered Yen as a patriot and allow him to reconcile ideological contradictions within Chinese martial arts' status. Finally, it establishes that this operation is reinforced through Yen and the Ip Man franchise's relationship with the deceased star Bruce Lee, and concludes that martial arts film stars' images may effect ideological reconciliations between contemporary and traditional Chinese culture.
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