Author: Chunmei Fox
Published "Illustrated Traditional Chinese Costumes"
On the evening of April 28, I went to see the dance drama "Wing Chun", which is publicized as another masterpiece of the "Gemini" in the dance world (Note: "Gemini" is Han Zhen and Zhou Liya, the directors of recent popular dance dramas such as "Only This Green Green" and "The Eternal Airwave"), in fact, it should also imply a group of costume designers Yang Donglin and styling design Jia Lei, although not too emphasized in publicity, actually appeared in pairs.
These two works have been talked about more or less before, such as "
Who lost the shirt in the Spring Festival Gala's "Morning Light Song"?
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Don't look at the dance and look at the costume? The controversial circle of the Spring Festival Gala dance "Splendid"
, but the angle is different. But if you have paid attention to Hanfu readers, when watching the Spring Festival Gala "Splendid Embroidery", it is estimated that they have been very aware that although it is a popular or popular dance drama in recent years, in fact, the design style of clothing styling is relatively lagging. For example, the dance drama "Five Stars Out of the East" still uses red eye shadow and a large neckline from twenty years ago.
△ Dance drama "Five Stars Out of the East", source Weibo
△ Dance drama "The Eternal Airwaves", source Weibo
Perhaps for the audience of the dance drama there is no problem, and the focus is not on this, but for those who follow popular culture, the gap is objective and undeniable. If Hanfu is still relatively niche for many people, then the dance drama "Wing Chun" I went to see this time made me think it is worth talking about, because the designers finally hung up with a more popular culture - movies.
One of the story lines in the dance drama is almost a fragmentary tribute to the movie "Ip Man" starring Donnie Yen, and also carries a little Wong Kar-wai's "A Generation of Grandmasters", and the costume design also pays tribute to the movie.
△ Poster for the dance drama "Wing Chun"
So I can finally talk about what has been mentioned in this issue, once a certain attempt on a certain theme is successful, the latecomers will lose the original motivation to find another way, and turn to continue this successful routine, and then lead to the problem of failure.
There are actually two questions here: how can you tell that they are "continuing"? Why does "duplicate" cause failure?
The first question, how to see it? Of course, there are some exclusive and original things in the previous game, and they are also seen in the subsequent tribute. This is like watching the same table solve the problem in the exam, you think that he wrote the standard answer, but in fact, there is a sentence in it that was blindly thought up by the same table, and the teacher did not find it when he changed the paper.
Ip Man's film and television images are mainly dark (black) robes, which almost runs through related works featuring him since 2008 (Ip Man's early appearances are mostly in Bruce Lee-related themes, not as the protagonist). The question is, is this Ip Man's own dress habits, or is it a habit given to him by film and television?
△ Movie "Ip Man"
△ Movie "A Generation of Grandmasters"
Ip Man comes from a Foshan family and has a very solid background, and his Wing Chun master, Chan Wah Soon, is actually a tenant of his family. According to the training route for the children of the family at that time, Ip Man also received both Chinese and Western education, he had a private school in his home, and then sent to St. Stephen's College in Hong Kong, which is an English college, and then went to the family of his brother in Kobe, Japan, and it is said that he originally planned to continue his studies in Japan. Almost no photos of Ip Man during this period have been seen, but it is unlikely that he will only wear old-fashioned clothes like long robes during this process.
△ The exterior of the Ban Road campus of St. Stephen's College in Hong Kong, taken in the 1910s, the picture is feeding chickens
However, this generation of men has a characteristic, that is, they dress alternately Chinese and Western, and they prefer to wear dresses when they are young, and Chinese clothes are more common when they are older. The alternation between Chinese and Western here also has two meanings, on the one hand, they also wear long robes and suits, on the other hand, they wear long shirts with Western-style hats, and even leather shoes, trousers, shirts, etc.
△ Ip Man's passport
△ The movie "A Generation of Grandmasters", picture source Douban
△ Uniform Ordinance 1929
Ip Man's early experience, which was the time between his return from Japan and his trip to Hong Kong to make a living, is not mentioned in many places because it hinders the deification of him in film and television dramas. Screen kung fu grandmasters such as Huo Yuanjia, Huang Feihong, etc., although not as fantastic as martial arts films, often have historical prototypes to follow, but the era is relatively early (died in the late Qing and early Min), the deeds are difficult to examine, and the film and television image has also undergone multiple iterations, such as Huang Feihong's image from Kwan Dexing to Jet Li.
△ Kwan Dexing and Jet Li's version of Huang Feihong
Ip Man, who died in the seventies of the last century, is a new "built" kung fu grandmaster in the 21st century, and the waiting period of several decades in between is to put it bluntly, let people forget a real reality of Ip Man.
What happened to Ip Man during that time? In fact, there are many versions circulating on the Internet, because the movie "Ip Man" arranges the traditional program of Kung Fu Grandmaster to punch the ghost guy, resulting in many people coming forward and saying that Ip Man "did not fight the Japanese army at all, but arrested the anti-log soldiers." Ip Man's eldest son, Yip Chun, denied this in "Ip Man Wing Chun".
△ Ye Man's eldest son, Ye Jun
△ Ip Man and his sons Ye Jun and Ye Zheng
Ye Zhun's recollections say that after returning from Japan, Ip Man married Zhang Yongcheng, who was "the niece of Zhang Yinhuan, a minister in the late Qing Dynasty", and the two had two sons and two daughters (the information on the two daughters is about blank). From 1930 to 1932, Ip Man served as an inspector of the General Administration of Flower Donations in some parts of Guangzhou, "Flower donations are also taxes on public prostitution". After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the Japanese army invaded the ancestral property of the Ye family, making it difficult for the Ye family to survive, and Ip Man received help from his friend Chow Ching Quan and began to teach Wing Chun for a living.
△ Ip Man Boxing Gym on the second floor of the former Yong'an Road Lianchang Flower Yarn Company, source "Foshan Ancient Town Historical Splendor and Traces"
Ip Man's first Wing Chun apprentice, Chow Kwong Yew, was the son of Chow Ching-chuen, and he recalls in his book "Ip Man: The Legendary Life and Master Style of a Generation of Martial Arts Grandmaster Ip Man" that he studied with a teacher in 1944-1945, when Ip Man "wore a short Tang costume and more gray" and "wore less long robes, flat heads, and uncle's shoes".
The so-called uncle's shoes, also known as kung fu shoes and Tang shoes, are actually the cloth shoes we are familiar with with black and white soles.
△ Uncle's shoes, source Taobao
△ Ip Man and his disciples, photo source: Tsui Sheung Tin Wing Chun Alumni Association
△ Ip Man, web picture
This outfit is actually more common in Ip Man's photos, and most of his photos with Bruce Lee are like this, but they are almost all changed into dark robes in film and television. After all, in everyone's cognition, how can a kung fu grandmaster not wear a long robe?
△ Ip Man and Bruce Lee group photo, online picture
△ In 1952, Ip Man and his disciples, photo source: Tsui Sheung Tin Wing Chun Alumni Association
△ In 1955, Ip Man and his disciples, picture source Tsui Sheung Tin Wing Chun Alumni Association
△ Ip Man, web picture
△ The movie "A Generation of Grandmasters", picture source Douban
"Love to wear Tang costumes and love to shave hair" is also mentioned in Zhao Licheng's memories, she is Zhao Cheng's daughter. Zhao was the apprentice of Chen Rumian, son of Ip Man's master, Chen Huashun, and then became a colleague (Ip Man's subordinate) with Ip Man from 1945 to 1948. After Ip Man arrived in Hong Kong, he accepted Zhao Yun's cousin Zhao Yun as an apprentice (the book "Ip Man: The Legendary Life and Master Style of a Generation of Martial Arts Grandmaster Ip Man" said that he was a nephew, but Zhao Yun's son's martial arts hall was written as a cousin, which should be a mistake in the book), the two had a very close relationship, and Ip Man personally sent Zhao Yun a plaque of "Wing Chun Orthodoxy" before his death, which is a treatment that other apprentices do not have.
△ Ip Man (second from left) and Zhao Yun, source wingchun1.com
△ Zhao Yun (first from left) and Dillon, source wingchun1.com
Judging from the photo, Zhao Yun is wearing the same "Tang costume short" as Ye Man. This top is actually different from the Tang costume we are familiar with, retaining the stand collar, simplifying the buttons, and looking more like a flat cut stand collar shirt. The clothes are made with four large patch pockets, with wide-legged pants, and the whole is a loose, simple and spiritual match. In the movie "Ip Man" series has done a certain degree of restoration, the style is more slim, and it seems that it does not attract much attention from the audience.
△ Ip Man, web picture
△ The movie "Ip Man" series, source Douban, online pictures
The experience of Ip Man and Zhao Cheng as a colleague is the main reason why it is difficult to elaborate on his life. It is rumored on the Internet that during the Anti-Japanese War, Ip Man participated in the Central Unification, and also went to Xifeng in Guizhou to participate in special training, and returned to Foshan to do intelligence work. Ip Man's eldest son, Ye Zhun denied this, but he also said that "Grandmaster Ip Man did contact and assist many staff behind enemy lines, so he soon had the opportunity to take up public office after the war." What is this public office? From 1945 to 1948, he "served as the captain of the criminal investigation team of the Foshan Police Department" and "in 1949, he became the captain of the spy team of the Foshan Garrison Headquarters". Therefore, I also do not understand who this "staff member behind enemy lines" who has contacted and assisted is. But during the period of participation in public office, there should be another uniform, but the film and television have avoided this paragraph, and naturally there will be no relevant images.
This experience should also be the main reason why Ip Man settled in Hong Kong after the founding of the People's Republic of China. After 1950, Ip Man and his wife Zhang Yongcheng were separated and never saw each other, and Zhang Yongcheng died in 1960. Ip Man taught Wing Chun in Hong Kong for a living, had a habit of smoking opium, and lived with a Shanghai woman with a son and a daughter, which also led to the poor relationship between father and son after the Yip brothers went to Hong Kong in 1962.
According to his age (Ip Man has two birth years in 1893 and 1899), he was already middle-aged and elderly when he went to Hong Kong, so the photos we see today are basically the image of a skinny little old man. By the way, Ip Man himself is also small, neither the strength of Donnie Yen, nor the elegance of Tony Leung, and of course, he does not wear a dark robe every day. Instead, follow the general habit of wearing short clothes on weekdays and wearing long shirts for important occasions, and not just black long clothes.
△ Ip Man and disciples, online picture
△ In 1953, Ip Man and his disciples, photo source: Tsui Sheung Tin Wing Chun Alumni Association
△ Ip Man's 70th birthday group photo, the source is feeding chickens
△ Ip Man, web picture
Since the black robe of Ip Man is the result of shaping and strengthening after film and television, we cannot directly see or read such an image from the material, so if a similar appearance appears again, it is obviously very likely to follow the past "explosive style" rather than the original.
It is estimated that if someone wants to ask, can't it be that they want to go together? Yes, but this question can be looked at in conjunction with the second question: Why does "duplication" lead to failure?
The biggest difference between originality and repetition is that designers don't know why they make these designs. "Original" is one's own idea, of course, and "repetition" is guessing the idea of another designer, or even guessing the audience's idea, the intention of other people who can make a decision. Because "repetition" is to continue the success of the previous "explosive model", it has changed from the "original" kind of creation and expression ideas to the pleasing of the market and the project decision-makers. Moreover, designers who will be sent to "repeat" or take the initiative to do "repeat" themselves must be people who do not have enough control and confidence in their design ability. Repetition will eventually turn into poor imitation.
Back to the dance drama "Wing Chun" I watched, the story fragments and character settings are like the movies "Ip Man" and "Grandmaster", and the costumes are more similar. For example, Ip Man's character is always in a black robe (except for a period of distress that seems to be wearing a short suit), and not only that, but the costume designer also sews white cuffs on the tunic. I thought Guo Degang had already complained about the problem of the cuffs of the long robe being turned at every turn, and how to turn it if it was to be turned, except for Taobao stores, slightly indecent clothing design should be able to notice this, but it didn't.
△ Dance drama "Wing Chun", source Shenzhen Evening News, Southern Daily
In the movie "Ip Man", Donnie Yen actually wears both long shirts and short clothes, and also made some targeted designs based on Ip Man's old photos, and the white cuffs are not too turned, but why does it give people the impression that he can only blame him for wearing a black robe with white cuffs? Because of the famous scene, because of the poster, this image is highlighted. Just like Donnie Yen has a classic "Ip Man squat", which is not a Wing Chun move, but a "pistol squat", but the movie became popular, it became a symbol of Ip Man's image, and this pose also appeared in a large number of dance dramas.
△ Movie "Wing Chun", online picture
△ "Ip Man Squat", web picture
△ Pistol squat, web picture
The role of Bagua Boxing Palace II is fictional in the movie "A Generation of Grandmasters", and Baguazhang also appears in the fighting link of the dance drama "Wing Chun", and the head is also a woman, and she has a long twisted braid, and the promotional photos are also very similar to Zhang Ziyi. It's just that although the costume is similar to the meaning of the black cheongsam, it has changed a lot for the dance drama, and it can be said that it is more modern.
△ Dance drama "Wing Chun", source Dance China
△ Dance drama "Wing Chun", source China Stage Art Society
△ Dance drama "Wing Chun", picture source Yangtze Evening News
△ The movie "A Generation of Grandmasters", online picture
Women's clothing is another problem, almost all of them are made into half-length styles, as is Zhang Yongcheng, as is the working women in the Xiangyun yarn dance segment that were added stiffly, without pulling out layers.
△ Dance drama "Wing Chun", source Shenzhen Evening News, cutv
△ Sun, online picture
△ Dance drama "Ip Man", source B station, Guangdong politics
△ Zhang Yongcheng in the movies "A Generation of Grandmasters" and "Ip Man"
Whether the shape of the dance drama is highly symbolic in popular culture such as movies is good or bad, I originally thought the answer was clearer, but after watching some repo, I was more confused. Some people think that this is a sign of "excellent service", in addition to "Master Ye's signature black gown" and "charter mother's signature curly hair clip and half-held cigarette", all of which are written as "excellent" footnotes. But in the process of writing this article, I encountered something relatively speechless, and I can only say that the last time I was so speechless was when I commented on top movies. Maybe it's because the top fans are still more obvious on the Internet, so much so that I ignore that watching dramas and dance dramas are audiences, and their preferences are different, and they don't necessarily know who is more advanced. Then I will stick to my original idea, this route may be able to please many audiences, but for costume styling design, it is a laziness, a lag, a kind of rigidity.
Yang Donglin has also participated in the costume design of some costume dramas, such as "Son-in-law", "You Fei", "Beautiful Scholar" and so on. For example, the shape in "Beautiful Scholar" is difficult not to be reminiscent of the "Duan Yu" in the 1997 version of "Dragon Babu".
△ 1997 version of "Dragon Babu", source Douban
△ "Beautiful Scholar", source Weibo
The same problem is true in design ideas, with a certain degree of lag and rigidity.
Of course, in the case of the dance drama "Wing Chun", the script itself seems to imply that it is the product of a continuation of the mixture of the movie "Ip Man" and Baidu Encyclopedia's "Ip Man", although it does not say so in publicity. This is like a lot of costume dramas, although the designers do not do a good job, but we also admit that the script leaves them limited space. But designers earn this money, and these difficulties should have been within their professional ability.
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