In China’s official discourse on soft power, traditional culture emerges as the richest resource (Renmin Ribao 2016) and an essential component of Xi Jinping’s concept of “China’s story” (Renmin Ribao 2014). Xi himself has been described as a master narrator who draws inspiration from the stories of heroes in China’s tradition he recounts in his speeches to move the audience (People’s Daily Commentary Department 2020). One of these patriotic tales is that of Song dynasty General Yue Fei 岳飞 (1103-1142), who fought the invading Jurchen in the 12th century. As a long-established legend, throughout history, strategic narratives leveraging different aspects of Yue Fei’s legacy have shaped his imagery: loyalty, ethnic nationalism, patriotism, people’s hero (see Matten 2011; Carter 2021; Du Yue 2023). Taking its lead from the latest mediatic cultural depiction of Yue Fei’s story and its aftermath – Zhang Yimou’s 2023 historical comedy thriller Full River Red (满江红) – this paper offers a critical analysis of the storytelling around this well-known historical event and the representation of the characters involved. Specifically, by looking at the narrative and lexical strategies employed in the movie, it reflects on whether and to what extent it functions as a place of (re)interpretation of China’s ancient history. A qualitative analysis of related Chinese scholarly articles in specialized magazines, official media reports, and viewers’ reviews on Douban will help to put the creative rewriting of China’s cultural tradition in correlation with the process of national identity-building through entertainment promoted by the Chinese Party-State.

Authors:
Natalia Riva, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Natalia Riva is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy

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