Loved the review! Wait for the 2nd part was worth it.
Especially regarding the longstanding cultural themes of rebellion, I can't help but wonder if this is what kept Wuxia such a popular genre. This might just be me but I've often found that it's media which tends to deal with either the past, or set in fictional dynasties and fantastical worlds (like Nezha 2) that are often able to be the most rebellious. Anything too close to the present is too literally disruptive.
Indeed, you touched on the enduring popularity of Wuxia. That the most famous writer of Wuxia, Jinyong, wrote his great novels in the peripheral location of Hong Kong is no coincidence. It’s also very interesting to see Wang Yi reciting Jinyong in Munich yesterday. The interaction between the “court” and the “jiang hu” is always fascinating.
I don’t want to take away from this great piece by Robert—I highly recommend reading its entirety. But I did want to point out that a student in the West, would’ve learned something slightly different about power in feudal Europe. In the West, including feudal Europe, God and Jesus Christ was above kings, lords, dukes— above all. The Lord of lords. All are answerable to God.
> “God’s power was at work in Christ when God raised him from the dead and sat him at God’s right side in the heavens, far above every ruler and authority and power and angelic power, any power that might be named not only now but in the future.”
There is some evidence to suggest that the legalization of pornography has contributed to a reduction in sexual violence-related crimes within society. This intriguing observation invites us to consider whether this model, which posits a correlation between media content and societal behavior, can be extended to other domains.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the liberalization of the media industry in the West led to an increase in on-screen violence and violent video games. Interestingly, this period was followed by a notable decline in crime rates across the Western world. This trend raises questions about the potential cathartic effects of media consumption on societal behavior.
Moving into the 2000s and 2010s, Western media began to feature more explicit sex scenes. This shift has been accompanied by what many have termed the "great sexflation," a phenomenon that has sparked considerable commentary and debate.
Extending this line of thought to a different cultural context, one might speculate that increased media portrayals of rebellion in China could potentially reduce the likelihood of actual rebellions within Chinese society. This hypothesis is grounded in the idea that media consumption can serve as a vicarious outlet for certain impulses, thereby mitigating their real-world manifestations.
What are your thoughts on this intriguing interplay between media content and societal trends?
It’s true, but only up to a certain extent. All the bloody rebellions in the history of China are real and is no entertainment, at least for policymakers.
"Since even the gods won’t be respected, why should China care about the opinions of bullies?"
Unfortunately this attitude has been too lionised.
The downsides can lead to pretty intense outcomes.
One would think given Xiwangmu has such prominence in Chinese "mythology", the Rujia scholars would not be so nonchalance about footbinding. Well 100 years as a failed state sorted that out.
Superstitious thinking? Well maybe then 8341 was Mao's rifle's serial number.
Or the commissioning of someone from the White Cloud Monastery to guide with I M Pei to create sha qi for the British in HK is just creating a story out of a coincidence.
Interesting take, thanks. I have a better understanding of Western history & ideology than Chinese history & ideology. Let me relate a comment on the West that I once heard a professor of ancient history. He contrasted Greek thought (which stressed “rationality”) and Jewish thought (which stressed historical judgement) and speculated that Western dynamism was due to the interaction between “rationality” and “judgment”.
I feel Chinese thought and Jewish thought have something in common, in that both societies seem to care about the judgement of history. While Christianity (under the influence of Greek thought) have tended to see salvation as going away to heaven, this is rather foreign to Jewish idea of salvation, which concerns the “here and now”. The Jewish idea of “judgement day” is largely about a belief that there will be justice here on earth, and didn’t really are so much about going to heaven. The Christian association of salvation with heaven is a departure from Jewish tradition.
The Chinese seem more like the Jews in caring about what happens under heaven than going to heaven. Whereas a lot of Western obsession about liberty, freedom, etc are quite abstract and have little to do with actual freedoms to live free of poverty and suffering. The freedom that is valued in the West tend to be abstract: freedom to own property, freedom to trade, freedom to say anything (even if unjustified), …
So when it comes to human rights, Western discourse tends to focus on procedural human rights, and ignore poverty, health etc. This suits the wealthy since they can always manipulate rules to achieve the outcomes that suit them. No need to ensure equal outcomes for everyone.
Loved the review! Wait for the 2nd part was worth it.
Especially regarding the longstanding cultural themes of rebellion, I can't help but wonder if this is what kept Wuxia such a popular genre. This might just be me but I've often found that it's media which tends to deal with either the past, or set in fictional dynasties and fantastical worlds (like Nezha 2) that are often able to be the most rebellious. Anything too close to the present is too literally disruptive.
Indeed, you touched on the enduring popularity of Wuxia. That the most famous writer of Wuxia, Jinyong, wrote his great novels in the peripheral location of Hong Kong is no coincidence. It’s also very interesting to see Wang Yi reciting Jinyong in Munich yesterday. The interaction between the “court” and the “jiang hu” is always fascinating.
Meiguoren living in Wuhan...This essay is brilliant. Superb. I'm forwarding it to my Chinese history professor wife to distribute.
Sharing my restack comment here:
I don’t want to take away from this great piece by Robert—I highly recommend reading its entirety. But I did want to point out that a student in the West, would’ve learned something slightly different about power in feudal Europe. In the West, including feudal Europe, God and Jesus Christ was above kings, lords, dukes— above all. The Lord of lords. All are answerable to God.
> “God’s power was at work in Christ when God raised him from the dead and sat him at God’s right side in the heavens, far above every ruler and authority and power and angelic power, any power that might be named not only now but in the future.”
— Ephesians 1:20-21 CEB
https://bible.com/bible/37/eph.1.20-21.CEB
There is some evidence to suggest that the legalization of pornography has contributed to a reduction in sexual violence-related crimes within society. This intriguing observation invites us to consider whether this model, which posits a correlation between media content and societal behavior, can be extended to other domains.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the liberalization of the media industry in the West led to an increase in on-screen violence and violent video games. Interestingly, this period was followed by a notable decline in crime rates across the Western world. This trend raises questions about the potential cathartic effects of media consumption on societal behavior.
Moving into the 2000s and 2010s, Western media began to feature more explicit sex scenes. This shift has been accompanied by what many have termed the "great sexflation," a phenomenon that has sparked considerable commentary and debate.
Extending this line of thought to a different cultural context, one might speculate that increased media portrayals of rebellion in China could potentially reduce the likelihood of actual rebellions within Chinese society. This hypothesis is grounded in the idea that media consumption can serve as a vicarious outlet for certain impulses, thereby mitigating their real-world manifestations.
What are your thoughts on this intriguing interplay between media content and societal trends?
It’s true, but only up to a certain extent. All the bloody rebellions in the history of China are real and is no entertainment, at least for policymakers.
"Since even the gods won’t be respected, why should China care about the opinions of bullies?"
Unfortunately this attitude has been too lionised.
The downsides can lead to pretty intense outcomes.
One would think given Xiwangmu has such prominence in Chinese "mythology", the Rujia scholars would not be so nonchalance about footbinding. Well 100 years as a failed state sorted that out.
Superstitious thinking? Well maybe then 8341 was Mao's rifle's serial number.
Or the commissioning of someone from the White Cloud Monastery to guide with I M Pei to create sha qi for the British in HK is just creating a story out of a coincidence.
Interesting take, thanks. I have a better understanding of Western history & ideology than Chinese history & ideology. Let me relate a comment on the West that I once heard a professor of ancient history. He contrasted Greek thought (which stressed “rationality”) and Jewish thought (which stressed historical judgement) and speculated that Western dynamism was due to the interaction between “rationality” and “judgment”.
I feel Chinese thought and Jewish thought have something in common, in that both societies seem to care about the judgement of history. While Christianity (under the influence of Greek thought) have tended to see salvation as going away to heaven, this is rather foreign to Jewish idea of salvation, which concerns the “here and now”. The Jewish idea of “judgement day” is largely about a belief that there will be justice here on earth, and didn’t really are so much about going to heaven. The Christian association of salvation with heaven is a departure from Jewish tradition.
The Chinese seem more like the Jews in caring about what happens under heaven than going to heaven. Whereas a lot of Western obsession about liberty, freedom, etc are quite abstract and have little to do with actual freedoms to live free of poverty and suffering. The freedom that is valued in the West tend to be abstract: freedom to own property, freedom to trade, freedom to say anything (even if unjustified), …
So when it comes to human rights, Western discourse tends to focus on procedural human rights, and ignore poverty, health etc. This suits the wealthy since they can always manipulate rules to achieve the outcomes that suit them. No need to ensure equal outcomes for everyone.
Just my thoughts!
Fascinating. Thanks Robert