The Highlighted Life: The Humanistic Orientation of War Narration in Chinese Children’s Films of the New Period

Fengxia Tan,Lu Li

doi:10.22452/sare.vol55no2.10

Abstract

Compared with earlier works in the genre, the narration of war in Chinese children’s films of the New Period (post1978) demonstrates a trend of transformation from political to humanistic orientation, which is closely related to the revival of humanism. Moving away from the traditional hero narrative, the creators of Chinese children’s war films have developed growth narratives that emphasise the complexity of human nature, cruel narratives of reflection, and playful narratives which make use of laughter and irony — all of which can be seen to be modes within the humanistic convention. These narratives re-examine the meaning of war and revolution, reflect deeply on the relationship between war and the fate of children, closely observe human feelings and human nature in war situations, and highlight the individual’s life against the backdrop of the course of history. Involving experimentation and innovation, such narratives of war of the New Period point to a deeper and more diversified development in Chinese children’s films, which though they provide a unique window into lives affected by war also hold up a mirror that reflects a global understanding of war and peace.

Highlights

Compared with earlier works in the genre, the narration of war in Chinese children’s films of the New Period demonstrates a trend of transformation from political to humanistic orientation, which is closely related to the revival of humanism
Since the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CPC (Communist Party of China) in December 1978, which marked the beginning of the “New Period” of reform and the opening up of Chinese society, great changes have been seen
War films have consistently been one of the most important genres of expression in children’s film in China, yet compared with the previous era of patriotism and adherence to the national cause, this expression subsequently experienced a huge transformation from political narrative to individual narrative, presenting diversified aesthetic styles that closely relate to the cultural and literary trends of the modern era

Summary

Growth Narratives with Individual Traits

With the encouragement of ideological emancipation at the beginning of the New Period, most creators of children’s war films no longer focused on the political construction of the image of the “little hero”, but concentrated more on the individual growth processes of children in the war They no longer depicted the children of these great heroic deeds as revolutionary symbols and spiritual representatives, but exerted more energy into portraits of their lives and emotions, through heroizing them, and through developing them as individual child characters of flesh and blood. The images of the mentors in these children’s war films have changed considerably in comparison to such figures in the films of the same genre before the New Period These characters are no longer the spokespeople of symbolic revolutionary ideas, but unique individuals with human traits and feelings, such as Captain Yunfeng in War Episode and the “Comrade Dad” in the film Being a Son and Comrade. This in turn provides a more natural and realistic atmosphere of daily life and of the growth of individuals, and works to suppress overt political ideology which, while still present, is submerged in the narrative

Cruel and Reflective Narratives

Conclusion