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Fun fact: this movie sparked a huge cultural debate in China because of how accurate to Chinese culture it was. The center of the debate was the perception that

Fun fact: this movie sparked a huge cultural debate in China because of how accurate to Chinese culture it was. The center of the debate was the perception that Westerners were better at making a movie with accurate Chinese cultural elements than the Chinese themselves. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-film-panda/kung-fu-panda-prompts-soul-searching-in-china-idUSPEK34047220080705 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-film-panda/kung-fu-...

autarch 5y ago
It's little more complex than that. The Accented Cinema YT channel has an excellent video on this topic - https://youtu.be/tCCRuUlJ_nA https://youtu.be/tCCRuUlJ_nA
- froggertoaster 5y ago
  How dare you one up me with nuance! :P Thanks for the link, I'll definitely give this a watch.
- MontagFTB 5y ago
  That was a great video - thank you for the share!
  - randmeerkat 5y ago
    It was excellent and is definitely worth the time. Thanks!
- moviewise 5y ago
  I feel that there is a difference between "believe in yourself" and "embrace who you are / love yourself." The former is about confidence, the latter is about ego.
kazinator 5y ago
Information about China is easily available outside of Chine, not to mention that there are large numbers of Chinese people living abroad. A movie made outside of China that contains elements of traditional Chinese culture won't be spoiled with corrections to fit communist ideals and narratives.
- pessimizer 5y ago
  No, it would be spoiled with corrections to fit US ideals and narratives.
  - kazinator 5y ago
    Since around the cultural revolution of the 1960's, a lot of the US ideals are just a mashup of eastern philosophies anyway, though. In the 1960's, large numbers of hippies became interested in alternative religions from the world, such as Buddhism and others. Today, for instance, finding the "Zen" in something is a household concept now, like ordering pizza.
chungy 5y ago
> The center of the debate was the perception that Westerners were better at making a movie with accurate Chinese cultural elements than the Chinese themselves. A large part of that likely has to do with people and their descendants that had escaped communist China, bringing along the traditional values of pre-communist China. Couple with the PRC actively trying to destroy the past, it's a recipe for Chinese culture to be best preserved outside of its homeland.
- byw 5y ago
  I wouldn't read too much into that narrative, as I find it often overstretched and coloured by stereotypes.
- temp8964 5y ago
  No reason for this comment to be downvoted. It is a major topic discussed by many Chinese intellectuals. Readers who are not familiar with the history of Communist China can read following Wikipedia pages: 破四旧 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Olds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Olds : The Four Olds or the Four Old Things (simplified Chinese: 四旧; traditional Chinese: 四舊; pinyin: sì jiù) was a term used during the Cultural Revolution by the student-led Red Guards in the People's Republic of China in reference to the pre-communist elements of Chinese culture they attempted to destroy. The Four Olds were: Old Ideas, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Customs (Chinese: Jiù Sīxiǎng 旧思想, Jiù Wénhuà 旧文化, Jiù Fēngsú 旧风俗, and Jiù Xíguàn 旧习惯).[1] The campaign to destroy the Four Olds began in Beijing on August 19, 1966 (the "Red August", during which a massacre also took place in Beijing[2]), shortly after the launch of the Cultural Revolution. 批林批孔 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticize_Lin,_Criticize_Confucius https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticize_Lin,_Criticize_Confu... The Criticize Lin (Biao), Criticize Confucius Campaign (simplified Chinese: 批林批孔运动; traditional Chinese: 批林批孔運動; pinyin: pī Lín pī Kǒng yùndòng; also called the Anti-Lin Biao, Anti-Confucius campaign) was a political propaganda campaign started by Mao Zedong and his wife, Jiang Qing, the leader of the Gang of Four. It lasted from 1973 until the end of the Cultural Revolution, in 1976. The campaign continued in several phases, beginning as an academic attempt to interpret Chinese history according to Mao's political theories. In 1974 the campaign was joined with another, pre-existent campaign to criticise Lin Biao, who had allegedly attempted to assassinate Mao in a failed coup before his death in 1971. In early 1975 the campaign was modified to indirectly criticise China's Premier, Zhou Enlai, and other senior Chinese leaders. In mid-1975 the Gang of Four introduced debate on Water Margin as a tool for criticism of their opponents. The campaign ended in 1976, when the Gang of Four were arrested.

autarch 5y ago

It's little more complex than that. The Accented Cinema YT channel has an excellent video on this topic - https://youtu.be/tCCRuUlJ_nA https://youtu.be/tCCRuUlJ_nA

froggertoaster 5y ago
How dare you one up me with nuance! :P Thanks for the link, I'll definitely give this a watch.
MontagFTB 5y ago
That was a great video - thank you for the share!
- randmeerkat 5y ago
  It was excellent and is definitely worth the time. Thanks!
moviewise 5y ago
I feel that there is a difference between "believe in yourself" and "embrace who you are / love yourself." The former is about confidence, the latter is about ego.

kazinator 5y ago

Information about China is easily available outside of Chine, not to mention that there are large numbers of Chinese people living abroad. A movie made outside of China that contains elements of traditional Chinese culture won't be spoiled with corrections to fit communist ideals and narratives.

pessimizer 5y ago
No, it would be spoiled with corrections to fit US ideals and narratives.
- kazinator 5y ago
  Since around the cultural revolution of the 1960's, a lot of the US ideals are just a mashup of eastern philosophies anyway, though. In the 1960's, large numbers of hippies became interested in alternative religions from the world, such as Buddhism and others. Today, for instance, finding the "Zen" in something is a household concept now, like ordering pizza.

chungy 5y ago

> The center of the debate was the perception that Westerners were better at making a movie with accurate Chinese cultural elements than the Chinese themselves. A large part of that likely has to do with people and their descendants that had escaped communist China, bringing along the traditional values of pre-communist China. Couple with the PRC actively trying to destroy the past, it's a recipe for Chinese culture to be best preserved outside of its homeland.

byw 5y ago
I wouldn't read too much into that narrative, as I find it often overstretched and coloured by stereotypes.
temp8964 5y ago
No reason for this comment to be downvoted. It is a major topic discussed by many Chinese intellectuals. Readers who are not familiar with the history of Communist China can read following Wikipedia pages: 破四旧 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Olds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Olds : The Four Olds or the Four Old Things (simplified Chinese: 四旧; traditional Chinese: 四舊; pinyin: sì jiù) was a term used during the Cultural Revolution by the student-led Red Guards in the People's Republic of China in reference to the pre-communist elements of Chinese culture they attempted to destroy. The Four Olds were: Old Ideas, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Customs (Chinese: Jiù Sīxiǎng 旧思想, Jiù Wénhuà 旧文化, Jiù Fēngsú 旧风俗, and Jiù Xíguàn 旧习惯).[1] The campaign to destroy the Four Olds began in Beijing on August 19, 1966 (the "Red August", during which a massacre also took place in Beijing[2]), shortly after the launch of the Cultural Revolution. 批林批孔 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticize_Lin,_Criticize_Confucius https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticize_Lin,_Criticize_Confu... The Criticize Lin (Biao), Criticize Confucius Campaign (simplified Chinese: 批林批孔运动; traditional Chinese: 批林批孔運動; pinyin: pī Lín pī Kǒng yùndòng; also called the Anti-Lin Biao, Anti-Confucius campaign) was a political propaganda campaign started by Mao Zedong and his wife, Jiang Qing, the leader of the Gang of Four. It lasted from 1973 until the end of the Cultural Revolution, in 1976. The campaign continued in several phases, beginning as an academic attempt to interpret Chinese history according to Mao's political theories. In 1974 the campaign was joined with another, pre-existent campaign to criticise Lin Biao, who had allegedly attempted to assassinate Mao in a failed coup before his death in 1971. In early 1975 the campaign was modified to indirectly criticise China's Premier, Zhou Enlai, and other senior Chinese leaders. In mid-1975 the Gang of Four introduced debate on Water Margin as a tool for criticism of their opponents. The campaign ended in 1976, when the Gang of Four were arrested.