美国价值观与中国传统文化元素的融合与冲突毕业论文.doc 15页

'美国价值观与中国传统文化元素的融合与冲突毕业论文ContentsAcknowledgmentsAbstractI摘要IIContentsIIIIIntroduction11.1TheSynopsisofMulan11.2TheSynopsisofKungFuPanda2IItheCompatibilityofAmericanValuesandChineseElements32.1Thecharacters32.2Scenery,ArchitectureandotherDetails42.3MartialArts52.4ChinesePhilosophy6III.ConflictsofAmericanValuesandChineseElements93.1ConservatismVSFreeSpirit93.2FamilyPriority&Individualism10IV.Conclusion124.1GeneralSummaryoftheStudy12Bibliography14 TheCompatibilityandConflictsbetweenAmericanValuesandChineseElementsinAnimatedMoviesMulanandKungFuPandaIIntroduction1.1TheSynopsisofMulanAsoneoftherepresentativeworkofballadsinancientChina,BalladofMulanisacelebratedfolktalewhichhasbeenwidelytoldfromgenerationtogenerationinChinaforhundredsofyears.IttellsastoryaboutagirlnamedHuaMulanwhoisbornandraisedinatraditionalChinesefamily.However,unlikeotherpopulousChinesefamilies,Mulanhasneitherbrothersnorsisters.Whenthewarbreaksout,Mulansubstitutesforheragedfatherandjoinsthearmytodefendthecountryagainstnortherninvaders.Mulan’sfilialloyalty,valiantnessandoutstandingmilitaryabilitymakeheroneofthemostrespectedheroineinChinesehistory.In1998,Americanfilmtycoon,DisneycompanyproducedananimatedfilmMulanbasedonthiswell-knownChinesefolktale.Themaincharactersandplotremainsame:thebraveMulan,herold,sickfatherandtheviciousenemies.However,whiletheyellow-skinned,black-hairedgirlevokessomewarmandapproachablefeelingsinmanyChineseaudiences’hearts,someofthemfindthattheimageofMulanwhichrepresentedintheAmericanfilmissomewhatdifferentfromthetraditionalheroineimageinChinesetextbooks.Therefore,thefilmMulanisastorywithaChinesetraditionalstructurebutinessence,itisfilledofAmericanspiritandwesternvalues. 1.2TheSynopsisofKungFuPandaInJune,2008,DreamWorksAnimationStudioreleasedgloballyanotheranimatedblockbusterKungFuPanda,choosingoneofthemostpopularandrenownedChinesetraditionalelements,martialartsasthecoreelementofthefilm.ThesynopsisofKungFuPandalookslikesomethinglikethis:aclumsypandanamedPoliveswithhisfosterfather,aduck,inPeaceValley.Onthesurface,Pomaylooklikejustlikeanotherportlypanda,butbeneathhisfur,hebearsthemarkofthechosenone.Byday,Poworksfaithfullyinhisfamily’snoodleshop,butbynight,hedreamsofbecomingatruemasterofthemartialarts.Whenanancientprophecyhascometopass,Porealizesthatheistheonlyonewhocansavehispeoplefromcertaindestruction.Intheend,withthehelpofthelegendaryFuriousFive,Tigress,Crane,Mantis,Viper,Monkeyandtheirwisementor,MasterShifu,thenoblePomastersthemartialartsandsomehowtransformshisgreatestweaknessintohisgreateststrengths.ItistheseincrediblestrengthsthatbeatthemalevolentsnowleopardTaiLung.Hefulfillshisdestinyastheherowhosaveshispeopleduringtheirdarkesthour.ItisnotdifficulttofindthatinsteadofapplyingtheChineseelementssimplytofilm-making,theproducersofKungFuPandatakesometypicalorientalphilosophicalthemes,suchaslife,destiny,livinganddeathintothoroughconsideration.TheproducersmadegreateffortstomaximizethecompatibilityofAmericanvaluesandChinesetraditionalcultureandminimizetheconflicts.IfwhatMulanpresentscanbegeneralizeasChineseformandAmericantheme,KungFuPandaismorelikeacombinationofChineseessenceandAmericanspirit. IItheCompatibilityofAmericanValuesandChineseElements2.1ThecharactersThetitlesaysitallwithMulan,afamousChineseclassicwhichtellsastoryabouthowanordinarygirlmanagestobeanhonorableheroine.SincetheplotbackgroundissettobeinancientChina,nowonderthecharacterscloselyresembletheAsianintermsofappearance.Besidesthoseblack-eyed,yellow-skinnedcharacters,thereisalsoalittledragonwhichattractsmuchattentionfromtheaudience.DragonusedtobethesymbolofChineseroyaltyinfeudalperiod.Itstandsfornobility,powerandendlessfortune.Evenintoday’scommunistsociety,dragoncontinuestoserveasthemascotoftheChinesenation.EvenifMuxu(thenameofthedragon)isnothinglikethenobleandfiercedragonwhichrepresentsthetemperamentoftheChinesenation，theadorablelittledragonsuccessfullybringaboutlaughterandmakethewholefilmmuchinteresting.ThepandaPoinKungFuPandaisanotherChinesesymbolwhichisprobablyevenmorepopularthandragoninwesternworld.WhilethedragonhashistoricallyservedasChina"snationalemblem,inrecentdecadestheGiantPandahasalsoservedasanemblemforthecountry.ItsimageappearsonalargenumberofmodernChinesecommemorativesilver,gold,andplatinumcoins.However,unlikearealblack-eyedpanda,theAmericanpandaPohasapairofgreeneyeswhichresembletheCaucasian.InKungFuPandaPoisnotadocilepandathateveryoneloves.Onthecontrary,heischatty,obese,slothful,gluttonous,andhasinterpersonalrelationshipissue.Undoubtedly,thefilmaimstotellanothertypical“AmericanDream”storyofhowanextremelyordinarycharactermanagestosucceedinachievingagreataccomplishment.Alltheseseemtoberemindingtheaudiencethat,thisis,afterall,ananimated filmmadeintheUnitedStates.NomatterhowmuchChinesenesstheproducershaveattachedinthefilm,itisimpossibletogetridofAmericanspirit.2.2Scenery,ArchitectureandotherDetailsThefirstsceneofMulaniswhentheinvadersareabouttoinvadeChina,themessengertakesthemessagetohiscommander.HerecomesthesignificantChinesesymbol—theGreatWall.TheconstructionoftheGreatWallstartedinthe7thcenturyB.C.whenthevassalstatesundertheZhouDynastyinthenorthernpartsofthecountrybuilttheirownwallsforself-defense.AfterthestatesofQinunifiedChinain221B.C.,theseparatewallswereinterconnectedandextendedtomorethan10000miles.Constructedofmasonry,rocksandpacked-earth,theGreatWallislandmarkoftheearth.TheGreatWallhaslongbeenincorporatedintoChinesemythologyandpopularsymbolism.AsafilmwhosebackgroundissetinancientChina,theGreatWalliscertainlyanindispensableelement.Besides,therearemanyotherChinesearchitectureanddecorationsinfilmMulan,suchasdrawbridgeinthevalley,tapestryhangingonthewall,festiveredlanternsdecoratingtheeaves.Allthesedetailsgivefullexpressiontotheorientalstyles.Likewise,inKungFuPanda,theproducersalsoaddabunchofChineseimagesandevenpresenttheminamoreexquisiteway.Audiencemayfindtheflyingpetals,tortuouspaths,distantpavilionandterraceareaspicturesqueasthescenerythatisdepictedinmanyChineseancientpoetry. Moreover,theloanwordsusedinthemoviemakeitmorehilarious.BykeepingtheMandarinpronunciationofwords,suchas“shifu”(master),“wugui”(turtle),“bingbong”(ice-cream),theproducersshortenthedistancebetweentheEnglish-speakingpandaPoandChinesepeople.2.3MartialArtsChinesemartialartshavealonghistory,convergingChinesephilosophy,medicine,militarystrategy,techniques,education,aesthetics,etc.andmirroringthecharacterandsagacityoftheChinesepeople.Withvigorous,gracefulandsomewhatlaboriousmovements,Chinesemartialartsprovidetheexerciserswithbeautyandstrength.WiththeongoingglobalizationandrevitalizationofthegreatChinesecivilization,moreandmorewesternersfindChinesecultureveryattractivethuswanttolearnsomethingmoreaboutit.However,formostwesterns,itisnevereasytofullycomprehendthetraditionalChineseideology.Underthecircumstances,martialartsappearastheperfectbreakthroughpointtostartwith.InMulan,whenthearmyisindanger,thereareseveralwell-designedfightingscenes.Atthattime,martialartsareusedfictitiously.Tenyearslater,inKungFuPanda,martialartshavebecomeanecessity.ThetitleKungFuhassaiditall.WhatismorecomfortingisthatmartialartsinKungFuPandadonotequaltosuperficiallyshowingsomefightingskills.ThetopconcernoftheChinesemartialartsistosettletherelationship betweenthebodyandmusclesandtheinternalexercisesforbreath.Thefunctionsofthemartialartsinfightingare:defendingoneselfagainsttheopponent,checkingtheattacksandwinningthefight.Onthelevelofphilosophy,themartialartsstress“unificationofmanandnature”,i.e,theunificationofexistenceandnonexistence,actingandstopping,YingandYang.Onthesociallevel,themartialartsstresscultivationofmindandpersonality,awarenessofthenaturallawandcomplacency.Theythusbreakallprejudiceswithregardtowinningandlosingandtosuccessandfailures,andtakeacalmattitude.InKungFuPanda,theinvinciblesecretofmartialartsissupposedtoberecordedinthedragonwarriorscroll.However,whenPounfoldsthescroll,tohisgreatamazement,thereisnothingwrittenonit.Notevenasingleword.This“assumeformlessness”methodisthehighestdegreeofmartialartstoacertainextent,andthetacticdoesnotrigidlyadheretoastyle.Insteadofindiscriminatelyimitatingthemovementsandtechniques,theproducersofKungFuPandagraspedthemarrowoftheChinesemartialarts.2.4ChinesePhilosophyInthesetwofilms,bothMulanandPohavebeenstuckinperiloussituations.Mulanhastowinalife-and-deathbattleforhercountryattheriskofbeingfoundoutherrealsexidentity.AndasforPo,hehastodefeatTaiLung,whosepowerisobviouslyseveraltimesgreaterthanhim.Althoughthe hopeofwinningseemstobedistantanddim,neitherofthemgivesuponthemselves.TheirpositiveattitudecanfinditsorigininChineseConfucianphilosophy.ThesituationwhatMulanandPoarefacinginthefilmsisverymuchlikewhatsageConfuciusandhisdiscipleYanHui,weregoingthroughhundredsofyearsago.Howcouldtheyfinddelightandjoyfromcriticaltimeandharshlivingconditions?Therearetwokeypossibilities.Firstly,noneofthemwereeverdepressedorindespair.Theywereoptimists,holdingfasttoaphilosophicalattitudetowardthestatusthatdownplayedtheirplight.Second,theywerecapableofself-relianceandtolerance,notinthesenseofbeingcontentwithwhattheywereandwhattheyhad,butofbeingacceptanceofwhateverdestinymightbringthem.ComparedtotheintelligenceMulan,thesloppyPoisevenmoreunlikelytobecomeahistoricsavior.EvenifMasterOogwaystickstotheideathatPoisthechosenoneandtheonlydragonwarriorwhohasformidablestrengthunderneath,MasterShifuhighlydoubtsitandtreatsPoasajoke.Afteraseriesoffrustration,MasterShifuhappenedtoknowPo’sbiggesthobby—food.HethusdecidestomakefulluseofittotrainPowhoisseeminglyincorrigibleatthattime.Asexpected,Posomehowtransformshisbiggestweaknessintobiggeststrengthandbecomesarealmartial-artsmaster.MasterShifu’sstrategyseemstobesuperficialbutonlookingdeeper,anothermoresubtletruthemerges.HisstrategymakesthebestuseofPo’s weaknessaccordingtothespecificsituation.Itturnsout,fortunately,veryeffective.ThisdialecticalspeculationwhichhadbeenprevailinginancientChinaindicatesthateverythinghastwoaspectsthatareinastateofcontinuousoppositionandmutualtransformation.ThereisanotherveryimpressivesceneinKungFuPandawhereMasterOogwayisbiddingfarewelltoMasterShifu.Withthepinkpetalsdancingaboutinthewind,Oogwayismorelikevanishingintotheotherworldratherthan“passaway”,asweusuallycallit.ThisscenerepresentsanotherChinesephilosophicalthoughtintwoaspects.Firstly,manyphilosophersbelievethatthecircleoflifeisjustlikethebloomingandwitheringofaflower.Oogway’sdisappearingwiththewitheredpetalsimpliestheendofhislife.Secondly,thebeautifulandromanticsceneseemstobetellingtheaudiencethatOogwayisnot“dead”literallybutisintegratingintotheentireuniverse.Hisfleshandbloodmaynolongerexistbuthissoulhasraisetohigherlevelthuscanremainimmortal.ThisisverymuchsimilartooneofthemostidealconceptswhicharepromotedbyTaoism—Heaven-ManOneness,inwhichthefamousTaoistZhuangZipicturedtheparamountlevelofhumanlifethatChinesepeoplehavebeenalwayslongingfor.III.ConflictsofAmericanValuesandChineseElements3.1ConservatismVSFreeSpiritAsacountrywithacontinueduninterruptedhistoryoffivethousandsyears,ChinahasauniqueculturalsystemwhichisdeeplyrootedinConfucianism,TaoismandBuddhism.Thisculturalsystemhadbeenruling Chinesepeoplethroughoutthewholefeudaltime.OneofthemostdistinguishedscholarsinChina,LinYutangoncewroteinhisbook,“oneofthemostnotablecharacteristicsofthissystem(Chineseculturalsystem)isthatitnotonlyaskedaboutthemeaningoflifebutalsoanswereditinawaythatleftpeoplesatisfiedwithhavingfoundthemeaningofhumanexistence.”Theanswerwassolidandclear,sothatitleftpeoplewithnodesiretospeculateaboutthefuturelifeortochangethepresentone.Mannaturallybecomesconservativewhenherealizeshehasgotsomethingthatworkandthereforesomethingthatistrue.TheChinesepeoplesawnootherwayoflife,thoughtnootherwaypossible.ThefirstsentenceofBalladofMulandescribedatraditionalChinesegirlwhowasweavingcloth.(唧唧复唧唧，木兰当户织。)Severalyearslater,whenMulanreturnedfromthearmy,thefirstthingshedidwasredidherhairandmadeup.（当窗理云鬓，对镜贴花黄。）ThisimpliesthatnomatterhowmanyyearsMulanhadbeenpretendingtobeaman,shewasstillthesametraditionalChinesegirlatheart.Itwasnevergoingtochange.EvenMulan,themarvelousheroineherself,wereunwillingtochange.IncomparisonwithancientChina,theUnitedStateshasacomparativelyshorthistoryofnomorethan300years.TheearliestimmigrationfromEuropecametotheAmericancontinentforthepurposeofbreakingtheshacklesoffeudalisticautocracyandestablishinganidealsocietyoftheirown.DuetothecharacteristicswhichhadbeenshapingfromtheinitialstageofAmericanhistory,Americansviewthemselvesashighlyindividualisticintheirthoughtsandactions.Theyvaluetheindividualfreedomasoneofthemostindispensablerightsthateverybodyisbornwith.Theyhavebeentrainedsinceveryearlyintheirlivestoconsiderthemselvesasseparateindividualswhoareresponsiblefortheirownsituationinlifeandtheirowndestinies.InfilmMulan,MulanisanythingbutaconservativeChinesegirl.Sheknowslittle aboutthetraditionalmanners,payslittleattentiontoherappearance.MulanmaybeaChinesegirlbyface,butbyheart,sheistotallyarebelliousmodernAmericangirl.3.2FamilyPriority&IndividualismThewholeChineseethicsystemisbasedonthesolidfamilystructurewhiletheAmericanvaluesarerootedinindividualism.TheChinesesaythatifyouknowthefamily.Youdonotneedtoknowtheindividual.InChina,familymembersshareproperty,allmaterialpossessions,food,workandlove,performreligiousritualstogetherandoftenliveunderthesameroof.AnimportantChineseculturevalueisfilialpiety.Traditionally,Chinesechildrenfeltalifelongobligationtotheirparents,ideallyexemplifiedbyanunreserveddevotiontopleasethemineverypossibleway.TheConfucianismplacedtremendousemphasisonfilialpiety,whichisregardedasthe“firstofallvirtues”.SoexplainstheClassicsofFilialPiety(《孝经》).Confuciussaid:“Thereasonwhythegentlemanteachesfilialpietyisnotbecauseitistobeseeninthehomeandeverydaylife.Heteachesfilialpietyinorderthatmanmayrespectallthosewhoarefathersintheworld.Heteachesbrotherlinessintheyoungerbrotherinorderthatmanmayrespectallthosewhoareelderbrothersintheworld.Heteachesthedutyofthesubject,inorderthatmanmayrespectallwhoarerulersintheworld.……Thosewholovetheirparentsdarenotshowhatredtoothers.Thosewhorespecttheirparentsdarenotshowrudenesstoothers.”ThefamilyloyaltyisthecoreofChineseethicsandloyaltytothewholenationistheextensionversion.Itisfirmlybelievedthatanationofgoodbrothersandgoodfriendsshouldmakeagoodnation.InBalladofMulan,two partswereemphasized.OnepartishowMulanmadeuphermindtojointhearmyforherfatherandtheotherishowshereturnedhomewithtremendoushonor.Whyarethesetwopartssoimportant?BecausetheyrepresentedtheultimateconcernofChineseethics,thatare,filialpietyandpatriotism.However,inAmericanvaluessystem,thereisnosuchthingasfilialpiety.AlthoughtheyalsogivemuchimportancetofamilyasChinesepeopledo,theytreateachoftheirfamilymembersasindependentindividualratherthanarelativetheycandependon.ForAmericans,individualrightsandobligationscomefirst.Thereisastrongemphasisonindividualrightsandcompetition,whichareenshrinedinlawliketheBillofRightsintheUSConstitution,protectedbytheadversarialsysteminthecourts,whichissharedwithotherAnglo-Saxoncountries,andincorporatedintoelaborateprocedurestoensurefairnessinexaminationsatschool,andhiringforjobsandthelike.InAmerica,beingbornintolowerclassdoesnotpreventthemfromsuccess.ItisimportanttounderstandwhatAmericansmeanwhentheysaytheybelieveinequalityofopportunities.Theydonotnecessarilymeanthateveryoneisandshouldbeequal.Theymeanthateachindividualshouldhaveanequalchanceforsuccess.ThefilmconsciouslyavoidsthefilialpietyandstrongpatriotisminBalladofMulan,instead,itstressestheAmericanindividualisminwhichtherealizationofindividualvaluesmatters.WhenMuxutriestocomfortMulanwhensheisfrustrated,Mulantellshimthatthepurposeofherjoiningthearmyisnotonlyhelpingoutagedfather,butalsocravingforprovingtoothersthatnomatterhowterriblesheisatsewingorweaving,sheisstillavaluablepersontoherfamilyoreventothewholecountry.Wecanseefromitthattherealizationofindividualvalueshasreplacedthefilialpietyandbecomethethemeofthefilm.ThesamethemealsoworkswellforKungFuPanda.TheFuriousFive areallmightymartial-artsmastersyetPo,thenotsomightydragonwarrioristheonlyonewhocandefeatTaiLung.Woulditbemucheasierifthesixunitetogether?Itmightbe.Buttheproducersarenotgoingtoletthathappen.Ifitisateamthateliminatestheenemy,howcanitpresentthetypicalAmericanheroisminwhichmostoftheheroesareextraordinarylonerangers?IV.Conclusion4.1GeneralSummaryoftheStudyBystudyingthesetwoanimatedmovies,MulanandKungFuPandathoroughly,wecangettotheconclusionthatbothofthetwoisasuccessfulcombinationofAmericanvaluesandChineseelements.Thecompatibilityandconflictsexistsimultaneouslyasinevitableoutcomesoftheculturalglobalization.Someculturalpessimistsdefinethisphenomenonasabadthingbecausetheythinkthatwearingthebondsofnationalitylooselymayleadtothedeathofnationalidentity.Certainly,itisoftenashameifChineseculturaltraditionsarelost.Weshoulddoourbesttopreservethemandkeepthemaliveaspossible.However,itisnotalwaysbeneficialifwekeepourextraordinarytraditionalculturestoourselves.Onlybysharingthemwiththeworldcanourculturesbeknownandlovedbymoreandmorepeopleallovertheworld.Itseemstobepointlesstodiscusswhetheritisgoodorbadthatourtraditionalculturesareusedbyothersandbringthemconsiderablefortunesinceitistheevitableresultoftheongoingglobalization.TheonlyquestionwhichdeservesourcontemplationisthathowtodealwiththephenomenonthatmoreandmoreproductsareusingChineseelementsbutareproducedbynon-Chinese.Sinceourcultureissofascinatingandattractive,whycanwemakethebestofitandspreadittoeverycornerofthe world?Beingself-centeredortakingahostileattitudetowardotherculturesisneverthesolution.Onlybygettingacomprehensiveandthoroughunderstandingofourtraditionalculturescanweapplythemintopracticaluseandcarrythemonfromgenerationtogeneration.Onlybytakingagenerousandwelcomedattitudetowardsdifferentculturesandvaluescanwegainrespectsfromothercountriesandestablishpeacefulrelationshipwiththem.Itistheonlywaytosurviveinsuchamulticulturalworldandkeepourunparalleledtraditioncultureshinningonlikeitalwaysdid. Bibliography[1]LinYutang.MyCountryandMyPeople[M].Beijing：ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress，2000.[2]Nash&Jeffrey.TheAmericanPeople[M].北京：北京大学出版社，2006.[3]孙维新.HighlightsofChina[M].上海：上海译文出版社，2004.[4]井卫华.中国社会与文化要略[M].北京：中国电力出版社，2005.[5]曲洪志.中美社会文化比较[M].济南：山东大学出版社，2002.[6]李怀亮.文化巨无霸——当代美国文化产业研究[M].广州：广东人民出版社，2005.[7]丁往道.中国文化掠影[M].北京：外语教学与研究出版社，2001.[8]张从益.AComparativeStudyofWesternandChineseCultures[M].长沙：湖南人民出版社，2004.[9]袁玉琴.电影文化诗学[M].北京：中国电影出版社，2002.[10]贾玉新.跨文化交际学[M].上海：上海外语教育出版社，1997.[11]阎云飞.《功夫熊猫》是写给中国的情书[J].新闻晨报，2008（5）.[12]高莉.试析《木兰辞》与美国电影《Mulan》中的中美文化差异[J].怀化学院学报，2006（3）.[13]周琳玉.从影片《木兰》看迪斯尼配方对“他者”文化的身份改写[J].四川外语学院学报，2006（9）.'