Taoist Ideal in Hero

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Zhang Yimou’s Hero is a rare production in the history of Chinese cinema. Apart from achieving blockbuster status in the West that few Chinese movies have managed, it is also extremely successful domestically. Nevertheless, just as many other well-received films preceding it, Hero has been the subject of varied interpretations.

Critics seem especially unable to decide on the traditional Chinese philosophy behind Hero. Some view it as the epitome of Confucian teachings on loyalty (Louie), while others argue that it “chooses a Legalist narrative to judge the moral health of the nation … [and] challenge[s] the social morality of Confucianism” (Rawnsley). Few, however, have looked at Hero through the lens of Taoism. Yet, Taoist influence in this movie is undeniable. In depicting the lives of youxia (knight-errant), combining wen and wu (literary and martial), and expounding upon the idea of tianzizhijian (the sword of the Son of Heaven), Zhang Yimou brings Taoist ideals into the retelling of the classic Chinese tale, Jing Ke’s assassination of Emperor Qin.

Knight-Errant

The concept of youxia was first introduced by Sima Qian, in Shiji (around 100 BC), as someone “honest in words, effective in action, faithful in keeping promises and fearless in offering his life to free the righteous from bondage” (Guo 35). According to Sima Qian’s record, these brave individuals, most of whom lived at the eve of the Warring States Period, often resorted to violence to single-handedly ensure personal justice regardless of the consequences of their actions. As this image of youxia transcended through time, the individualistic personality, the anarchistic attitude, and the high moral standard have become the predominant features of knight-errant (Li...

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...lobal Chinese Cinema: The Culture and Politics of Hero. Eds. Gary D. Rawnsley and Ming-Yeh T. Rawnsley. New York: Routledge, 2010. 27-42. Print.

Lao Tzu. Tao Te Ching: The Classic Book of Integrity and the Way. Trans. Victor H. Mair. New York: Bantam Books, 1990. Print.

Liu, James J. Y.. The Chinese Knight Errant. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1967. Print.

Louie, Kam. “The King, the Musician, and the Village Idiot: Images of Manhood.” Global Chinese Cinema: The Culture and Politics of Hero. Eds. Gary D. Rawnsley and Ming-Yeh T. Rawnsley. New York: Routledge, 2010. 53-61. Print.

Rawnsley, Gary. “Hero: Rewriting the Chinese Martial Arts Film Genre.” Global Chinese Cinema: The Culture and Politics of Hero. Eds. Gary D. Rawnsley and Ming-Yeh T. Rawnsley. New York: Routledge, 2010. 13-26. Print.

Zhang, Yimou, dir. Hero. Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd, 2002. DVD.

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