If you've heard that in a certain episode you can see the sword fairy vs. the vampire, the Daomen gaoren dueling aliens, then this series is likely to be a "thunderbolt bag play". During the Spring Festival in 2022, the cloth bag drama movie "Su Huanzhen" was released. Perhaps in the mainland, the cloth bag drama is still slightly niche. However, in Taiwan, the bag play represented by "Thunderbolt" and "Jinguang" ("Thunderbolt" and "Jinguang" are two companies that make cloth bag plays, "Thunderbolt Multimedia" and "Golden Light Multimedia" respectively) have become a complete popular culture. As a legendary hero who has swept the island for more than 30 years, the character of "Su Huanzhen" has become a highly appealing cultural symbol, with many dramas, a stable fan base, and its every appearance will attract the "shock" of fans.
Su Huanzhen ("Thunderbolt Bag Play" character, this style appeared in "The World" to "Tianjing Feng"). Source: The official website of the Thunderbolt Bag Play
As a traditional art form, bag opera has achieved a relatively mature industrial operation, and its success in the field of popular culture is enviable. In terms of internationalization, the achievements of the cloth bag opera are also considerable. The "Journey to the East Departure Sword" series, which was cooperated by Perak Multimedia Company and Japanese screenwriter Xuan Yuanxuan, has now produced three consecutive seasons and has been widely acclaimed in mainland China, Taiwan and Japan. On well-known foreign video websites, you can also see many spontaneous clips of "Daoyou" (the name of the cloth bag drama fans), and they even match these clips with English subtitles, which has attracted many audiences in the English-speaking world to be amazed by this.
Poster of "Journey to the East Departure Sword".
"Budai Opera" is originally a traditional art, and today's Budai Drama Collection is also based on martial arts and immortals with deep "national style" colors. Looking back at the present, it is not difficult to find that whether in the field of popular culture or in the trend of "cultural going to sea", "national style" and martial arts and immortals are all forces worthy of attention. Therefore, the cloth bag drama provides a possible example for us to think about how such themes can maintain the standing of national cultural subjectivity and expand their commercial territory and influence in the process of "going down the mountain" and "going to sea". The following will be discussed from the following three aspects: that is, how a traditional literary and artistic form can be compatible with industrialization, popular culture, and international trends while maintaining its own characteristics.
Written by | Xie Tingyu
Restricted "cultural industries":
How traditional opera is coming to the screen
In a sense, the history of the development of bag opera is a history of "industrialization".
Originally originating in Quanzhou, Budai opera is a kind of "opera art of singing ancient books and mythological allusions", mainly performing at temple fairs to reward the gods (the so-called "wild stage opera"). During the performance, the puppeteer uses his hands to manipulate the puppet to make movements, and accompanied by "mouth white" (that is, dubbing), so there is a saying that "one mouth says all the ancient things, and ten fingers make millions of soldiers". The name of the cloth bag play is also related to the puppet: "Except for the head, palm and lower part of the foot, the torso part, the hands and legs are sewn with cloth. The shape is square and resembles a cloth bag, so it is called 'cloth bag play'."
In 2006, the Quanzhou Marionette Show, the Quanzhou Nanpai Budai Show and the Zhangzhou Cloth Bag Puppet Show were approved by the State Council to be included in the list of the first batch of representative projects of national intangible cultural heritage. Source: China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network.
The survival of the bag play once depended on the activities of the gods. However, due to the fact that Taiwan launched the "thrifty movement" to restrict temple fairs, the survival of "wild stage opera" was also greatly affected. At the same time, various new forms of entertainment are also squeezing the living space of the cloth bag play. During Taiwan's "movie fever", Bag opera artist Huang Junxiong tried to make bag theater movies, but the response was mediocre. As a result, a considerable number of artists realized that the survival of bag play not only needs to rely on new media, but also needs to innovate all aspects of the production of cultural works.
The most critical step in the industrialization of budai opera may be traced back to the establishment of "Thunderbolt Satellite TV Station" in 1995. Changes in the form of operation have led to the development of the "cultural industry" in many ways. For example, the plot of the early bag play was created by "Mr. Row Drama", who did not have a high level of education, and mainly referred to traditional swordsman novels when arranging the plot, and rarely divided the work. But around 1996, the Thunderbolt team had formed a relatively stable screenwriting team. Du Xiaojie, a mainland researcher, pointed out: "Expanding the screenwriting work from one-person creation to group collaboration, the script production of the Thunderbolt Bag Drama has actually embarked on the assembly line model of the cultural industry... Well-educated screenwriters who are extremely familiar with youth culture have jointly created a steady stream of mysterious scripts for more than 20 years, which has effectively guaranteed the production of Perak's dramas. Today, each series is created with multiple writers working together, each writer responsible for one of the clues, and someone in charge of the overall outline. Different screenwriters have also formed different creative styles, which have considerable recognition among cloth bag fans.
Perak Taiwan (formerly "Perak Satellite TV") station logo, the left side is the silhouette of "Su Zhenzhen".
This industrialization process is also reflected in the musical arrangement mode of the bag play. In the Thunderbolt Bag Play, each important character has his own "character song" and "martial arts opera", which are used to cooperate with literary opera and martial arts. In some cases, there are even "lyrical songs", "situational songs", and "heroic songs" (used for characters to die and leave the scene). Its delicate division of variety and excellent production once made Perak known as "Asia's first antique electronic music company". What supports this reputation is the arranging team behind Perak, in which different arrangers have their own strengths (such as Zhang Weifan is good at burning direction arrangement, representative works include "Tianxing Sun and Moon", Haoxu makes good use of drums, representative works include "Sunrise Emei", Jia Aiguo's "For Skywalker" and "Jue" are dashing and compact). Because of this, Taiwanese scholar Zhang Xuanhao commented: "Budai opera, the most local cultural product, constantly learns Western media management methods and marketing strategies, and thoroughly exposes the characteristics and essence of the cultural industry. ”
Monthly. The role of "Moon Wufeng" has seven pieces of music: the character song "Yushu Dangui", the martial opera "Shenyue Drunken Wufeng" (used for fierce fights), the situation song "Sending Love landscape" (used for the situation of Missing the Deceased in the Moon), the momentum song "For The Heavenly Path" (used to set off the momentum of the characters in a specific scene), the situation song "Continuing Mountain Flowing Water" (used for Yue Wufeng and his friend Fuqin), the situation song "Beginning without Clarity" (used for the confrontation between The Moon and the villain), and another scene song "Yuchuan Wonderland", which is the piano version of "Yushu Dangui". Source: The official website of the Thunderbolt Bag Play
General theories of cultural industry tend to think that industrialization will cover the entire process of cultural production and gradually make it a product of "mechanical reproduction". In this process, the "characteristics" of culture will also disappear. However, the "industrialization" of the bag play has its own limits. In some important production links, the cloth bag play still has a distinct "traditionality". Taking the "mouth white" of the cloth bag play as an example, all the characters in the thunderbolt cloth bag play are voiced by Huang Wenxuan, who is also known as "eight-tone talent" because of its diverse voice lines. Since the cloth bag puppet cannot show facial expressions, its mood and mood are largely given by the dubbing. In the eyes of fans, the reason why the "puppets" of the cloth bag drama are different from the products of mechanical reproduction and have a "soul" is largely due to Huang Wen's choice of magical dubbing skills.
Wong Man-choo, a well-known voice actor for the Thunderbolt Bag Drama, announced in 2021 that he would retire from the background and no longer dubb. The vast number of "Daoist friends" are greatly reluctant to give up.
In addition, all the puppets in the cloth bag play are handmade (in recent years, a small number of 3D printed puppet heads have appeared, such as the character "A Little Dust" in the latest drama "Xuanxiang Fission"), so each puppet is unique. One can distinguish between "Buddha-figures", "puppets" (such as dolls used in fierce fight scenes, which may be damaged or dirty), and "doubles" (dolls bought home by fans). Because of this, the "Buddha-figure" puppets of budai opera are not "mechanical replicas" that cannot distinguish between "original" and "facsimile", but have an irreplaceable "spiritual rhyme" in the hearts of fans. As one Taiwanese scholar put it: "In folk religious discourse, the statue of the buddha contains the ash of the incense burner in front of the statue of the buddha; the statue is the source of the spirit of the statue of the god." The Buddha-figure puppets of the Thunderbolt characters also have a similar relationship with the twin puppets. Although the Buddha-figure puppets do not have a light point or a spirit, many Thunderbolt fans feel that they have a soul. ”
The first of the six strings. This character is widely loved by "Daoist friends" because of his calm and calm personality. Many "Daoist friends" believe that its first version of the puppet head best embodies this trait. In contrast, the puppets that appear in subsequent episodes are inferior. Source: The official website of the Thunderbolt Bag Play
In short, as a traditional literature and art, bag opera not only responds to the trend of "industrialization", but also retains its characteristics as a traditional art through a "limited industrialization". This strategy allows it to enjoy the dividends of "industrialization" (such as plays, music and visual effects that are more in line with modern aesthetics) while retaining its original appeal, even "divinity".
A deep contemplation of "present time and space":
Popular culture sought after by young people
However, "industrialization" alone is not enough to make a traditional literary form a phenomenon of popular culture. For example, in 1988, "Landscape and Water" produced by Shanghai Film Studio was an ink animation completed in a partially industrialized mode. Although the film has a beautiful artistic conception and distinct traditional characteristics, its reputation stays in the industry and is not popular among the general public. The reason is that Professor Xia Ying of Tsinghua University believes that "the main creators of animation lack a sense of understanding of the spirit manifested by the specific temporal and spatial relationship that belongs to 'current China'... It uses beautiful ink paintings to portray only a China in space, but not a China in time (that is, the present). ”
Stills from "Landscape and Water".
In other words, if any traditional art is to be popular while maintaining its national characteristics, it must look at the "present reality". For example, in Professor Xia Ying's view, the reason why "The Great Haunting of the Heavenly Palace" in the 1960s became a phenomenon-level animation was because it "accurately grasped the temporal and spatial characteristics of 'current China' at that moment, and found a proper entry point, from narrative to aesthetic image design schemes are in line with the spirit of the era of the old and the new, thus successfully shaping such a beautiful monkey king with a traditional Chinese Peking Opera face, but with a thorough revolution, it has become a figurative representation of the construction of new China and the spirit of the times in the 60s." ”
Sun Wukong in "The Haunting of the Heavenly Palace".
From this point of view, the popular culture symbol of cloth bag opera that has become popular in Taiwan lies in its observation of "current time and space". In the view of the Taiwanese scholar Si Dairui, the jianghu created by the "cloth bag play" is a metaphor for competition between countries in the era of globalization: "In the worldview shaped by Perak, the simple black and white distinction is gone, and there are many factions, many different kingdoms, each faction has good people and bad people, the two sides of good and evil often rotate, and Su Zhen, who is obviously the protagonist, and his enemies will use very similar cunning methods to fight wits and courage... From time to time, new groups and small worlds appear in the world of Perak, and there are many emerging groups from Western or Japanese culture, such as vampires, robots, elves, etc. It can be said that this also reflects the globalization of Taiwan's entertainment market and youth culture. ”
Sword Fairy Trace, a humorous and sincere hero in the Thunderbolt Bag Play, who is also quite "belly black". Source: The official website of the Thunderbolt Bag Play
In the author's opinion, there is another layer of connotation in the observation of "reality" in the bag play. Although it is not difficult to see the heroes who are "clever" and "black-ed" as Su Zhenzhen and the "Sword Immortal Traces", people can also find other heroes with more traditional ethical colors: jealous and hateful, uncompromising "proud red dust", involved in the earthly world, the "Wind Valley Visitor" who is unrepentant, clean and elegant, with deep affection, and the frank Lin Wushuang... These heroes may die in the "thunderbolt jianghu" of deceitfulness and "not talking about martial virtue", but the "right way" they represent will always win the final victory. In a sense, this narrative is a true picture of the situation of modernity in East Asia: East Asian peoples are deeply cultivated by traditional ethics, but as they become more and more deeply involved in the global structure of modernity, whether this ethic can live in a world where "everything that is solid disappears" becomes a question that needs to be considered and solved urgently.
Therefore, if "Perak Jianghu" is a global picture in the context of modernity, then the rich portrayal of characters allows the audience to bring themselves into any type of role. On the one hand, books such as "36 Plans of the Art of War" and "Su Zhen Zhen Strategy" can be seen in Taiwan, and people try to "think the same pixels" so that there is no disadvantage in civil society; on the other hand, people can also appreciate the "untimely" heroes such as Shang Qingyi and Lin Wushuang- who adhere to morality in the face of the chaos of rivers and lakes and are willing to pave the "right way" with their own sacrifices - to some extent, this reflects the self-shaping and moral perseverance of East Asian civilization in the trend of globalization.
To a large extent, this is the key to the fact that the bag play can attract a large number of fans. On the B station and Weibo, a large number of "Daoyou" are active, committed to "producing" videos, hand-drawn and the same humanities related to the cloth bag play. For them, the "personality persistence" of the characters of the bag play is an eternal source of creative inspiration. At the same time, the "national cultural identity" of the cloth bag drama also shapes its unique fan stickiness. For example, when the drama of Budai falls into a downturn, most of the "Daoyou" in Taiwan will reflect their opinions to Perak Multimedia through various channels, and give advice to it with the attitude of "mourning its misfortune and angering it", rather than walking away like other entertainment stars "collapsing the house".
In a nutshell, the Thunderbolt Bag Play reveals a different path of "popularity" of traditional culture. In past attempts, ips such as "Mulan" and "Kung Fu Panda" have used "Chinese elements" to a large extent, but their "discourse structure" has not yet gotten rid of the Hollywood-style "hero growth" story. Due to the strength of Hollywood-style film culture on a global scale, these cultural IP are indeed best-selling worldwide. However, this path is not the only option. Traditional forms of literature and art can still gain influence by observing the "present reality", and this "present time and space" is often related to the unique situation of civilization itself, without responding to the "discourse structure" constructed by the so-called "cultural imperialism".
Unparalleled. Source: The official website of the Thunderbolt Bag Play
"Culture goes to sea" and "cultural symbol goes to sea":
A journey through the transnational dissemination of traditional arts
In fact, as a traditional form of literature and art, Thunderbolt Bag Opera is not only widely popular in the region, but also has a certain influence internationally. As early as 2000, the cloth bag drama movie "Legend of the Sacred Stone" was released in Japan, South Korea and Thailand, and the recent "Journey to the East Departure Sword" series, as well as other dramas released at the same time, were even well received by British and American audiences.
Poster of The Legend of the Sacred Stone when it was released in Japan.
The difficulty of such cross-cultural communication is obvious. One of the first difficulties is the variety of terms — such as personal names, weapons, and how sects should be translated. For example, some translators have translated "Huang Rong" as "Lotus Huang", which has led readers to complain that "Huang Rong has become a yellow lotus". In the cloth bag play, there are often some southern Fujian dialects, as well as the character "poetry number" (the poems sung by the characters when they appear), which further increases the difficulty of translation.
In this regard, the bag play has also suffered setbacks. In 2006, "Thunderbolt King" was broadcast on the American cartoon network Cartoon Network. At that time, foreign choreographers edited themselves, asked people to write English dialogues and dubbed them. However, Thunderbolt Multimedia hoped that the names, moves, and weapon names could be retained, and then believed that this move was not in line with the original intention of the promotion of the bag play, and eventually withdrew the copyright.
In contrast, the "fan culture" of the cloth bag drama has played a considerable role in the translation of the series. On well-known foreign video websites, you can see many clips of fans editing themselves with English subtitles. Due to their rich movie-watching experience, fans are often able to find highlights more easily. Although its English subtitles are not perfect, fans can interact with foreign audiences in real time to answer their various puzzles. To some extent, this kind of "cross-cultural communication" relying on "fan communities" is similar to the current "cultural going to sea" of Xianxia network articles. For example, the popularity of the online fairy tale "Panlong" in the United States is the result of spontaneous translation by fans, and websites such as "Wuxiaworld" have become a cyberspace for fan communities to discuss and communicate once they were established. It turns out that the "mutual aid" of fans tends to be better immediacy and targeted, helping to cross cultural barriers more than the painstaking professional translation of the official.
The wuxiaworld website features new books on traditional Chinese culture.
However, the greater difficulty in the overseas dissemination of traditional literature and art lies in the difference in value systems. In the "Beijing News Book Review Weekly" previously published article "Understanding Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü as "eagle breeding experts" and "beekeeping experts", how difficult is it for Western readers to understand Jin Yong? In this, the author once pointed out the main difficulty in the overseas spread of Jin Yong's martial arts: "This (jianghu) is a disorderly world, with minor human lives and chaos in the world, and at the same time there are constant stories of individuals surviving or destroying according to their conscience. This turbulent jianghu and the tragic fate of individuals who cannot help themselves are difficult to understand in the Modern Popular Individualism and Heroism of the Western World. ”
Because of this, whether the "going to sea" of "net text" is a "cultural" going to sea or just going to sea as a "cultural symbol" has become a matter worth thinking about. As pointed out by the author of this article, the reason why Xianxia online articles are more popular than Jin Yong's novels is because they "hollow out" or "transform" their own value connotations. These online articles may also use many "national style terms": such as the monastic "Jindan" and "YuanBao"; the "Three Realms" and "Five Elements" in the worldview setting, but their core values are closer to individualism and heroism: "In fantasy novels, the protagonist can often be invincible by his own strength, transcending himself, sentient beings and even the world and rising to a new level and space, making others look beyond the dust and become an eternal legend." In Jin Yong's novels, the characters act according to their conscience, and even if they have no shame, it is often difficult to be righteous and bright. Depression abounds. According to the "China Europe Business Review", foreign netizens even think that xianxia online articles are more "personal" than Hollywood-style personal heroes: "Chinese online articles are very 'cool' to read!" Wilder and freer than the spirit of the American West, more free than American heroes like Iron Man! Reading this kind of work, you will feel that there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome, of course, people can't stop! ”
English translation of The Legend of the Eagle Shooter.
Is the overseas spread of budai opera a kind of "cultural symbol" or a "cultural" spread? Given that the internationalization of bag theatre has only just begun, the answer to this question is still undecided. At least from the current reviews, the vast majority of audiences in the English-speaking world are attracted by its gorgeous action effects and unique fairy tale aesthetic. To be sure, the internationalization process of bag drama faces difficulties that have never been encountered before: the "mouth white" that is based on the characteristics can no longer attract the audience, and the value orientation may not be fully understood. From this point of view, like other "national style" cultural products, although the overseas journey of budai opera has received results, it still has a long way to go.
Bibliography:
Xia Ying, "The Construction of National Discourse in Chinese Animation Films: The Dilemma and Its Way Out", Literature and Art Research, No. 10, 2017.
Huijuan Wang, "Analysis of The Proprietary Words of the Thunderbolt Cloth Bag Wuxia and the Difficulty of Translation", NCUE Studies in Language, Literature, Translation, 2018-01, Vol.16 (1), p.067-086
Du Xiaojie, "Super-Mysterious into Illusion: An Analysis of the Mysterious Narrative of Taiwan's Thunderbolt Bag Drama", Culture and Art Research, December 2020.
Zhang Xuanhao, "The Globalization of Local Cultural Industries: A Case Study of Thunderbolt Bag Drama", Institute of Communication, Taiwan Jiaotong University, Master's Thesis.
China Europe Business Review: The overseas popularity that "Wolf Warrior 2" did not do, and the Chinese network fairy tale did it
Yali Reading: Huang Rong and Lotus Huang – Jin Yong and the Overseas Spread of Chinese Martial Arts
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