Compared with previous years, the popularity of Republican dramas in the past two years has been much lower, and the output of related works has also decreased significantly. It is also normal for such a situation to occur, and in previous years, major film and television companies have launched many mixed Republican works, which has greatly disappointed the audience with this theme.
In the early years, the Republic of China drama produced many high-quality boutiques, which opened the reputation of this theme. But since then, there have been many follow-up works, not only lackluster in performance, but also full of loopholes in the plot, and all kinds of common-sense mistakes emerge one after another.
For example, in many anti-Japanese war dramas, titles such as regimental seats or military seats often appear, making many audiences think that they were very common during the Republican period.
But this is not the case, in the Republic of China, such titles as military seats and regimental seats were almost non-existent. There are many titles for chiefs within the Kuomintang, but only two refer to "seats".
Film and television dramas
Why "seat" is an honorific title
In ancient China, etiquette was highly valued, and Confucianism regarded this aspect as an important tool for maintaining the country's long-term peace and stability.
After China entered the feudal society, almost every dynasty was deeply influenced by Confucianism, so the rulers paid more and more attention to etiquette. It is for this reason that the mainland is considered a "state of ceremony", respected by neighboring countries and nomadic regimes.
In ancient times, the attention to etiquette was deeply rooted in all aspects, especially the name of others. In ancient times, honorifics must be used for people who are older or higher than themselves; Conversely, humble titles are often used when describing oneself or one's children.
In ancient China, just studying the content of "honorifics" required a long period of study, and the honorifics used in different places and situations were obviously different.
Film and television dramas
The "seat" in "bureau seat" and "military seat" often used in Republican TV dramas is an ancient honorific title. Its own meaning is simple, it is a seat. However, it should be noted that people who were able to have seats in formal occasions in the past were more honorable.
For example, when the emperor summoned, there were actually very few officials who were qualified to be given thrones. Therefore, slowly "seat" has become an honorific title, for example, in the ancient imperial examination, the examiner of the examiner in the point will be honored as "seat master". This was a very important personal relationship in ancient times, and it was something that the men had to take care of.
In addition, in ancient times, when facing distinguished people, they could be called "seated" when they met, and "zazen" when writing letters.
In the Republican period, the honorific title "seat" began to be widely used in the army, and many junior non-commissioned officers would use this honorific title when facing their superiors.
Because it is used in a wide range, it will appear frequently in many film and television dramas.
Film and television dramas
However, it should be noted that the so-called "military seats", "division seats" and "regiment seats" that are widely used in film and television works do not exist at all. Not only that, the "bureau seat" frequently used in many spy war dramas was basically absent during the Republican period.
For example, many TV dramas will call Dai Li "Bureau Seat", but in real history, military special agents call him "Boss Dai" more.
Whether it is relevant literature or the memories of ordinary soldiers of the national army, words such as "military seat" and "division seat" rarely appear. Ordinary soldiers and junior officers directly address positions such as "corps commander" and "division commander".
In the decades of the Republic of China, the honorific title "seat" was widely used when addressing the chief, but in fact, there were only two cases, namely the commission seat and the jun seat.
Film and television dramas
The most common honorific title with "seat"
I believe that many people should be very familiar with the word "commission", and its frequency is very high in all kinds of TV dramas of the Republic of China or the War of Resistance. Of course, only one person can use this title, and it is the name given to Chiang Kai-shek by officers in the Kuomintang.
The so-called "committee" actually refers to the chairman, so the title "Chairman Jiang" often appears in TV dramas. It should be noted that this title did not come to power since Chiang Kai-shek, but was only used on a large scale after 1932.
The reason for this is that after Sun Yat-sen's death, the Kuomintang was seriously divided, and although Chiang Kai-shek was the strongest on the surface, there were still many warlords who disobeyed his orders.
It was not until after the Great Battle of the Central Plains in 1930 that Chiang Kai-shek completely defeated warlords such as Feng Yuxiang, Yan Xishan, and Li Zongren, that he generally completed the consolidation of power in the Kuomintang.
Sun Yat-sen
The following March 1, 1932, the Second Plenary Session of the Fourth Central Committee of the Kuomintang was held, which adopted a resolution establishing a military commission. And this military commission controls the military and political power within the Kuomintang, and its chairman is the de facto leader of the country.
The meeting symbolically led to the election of the chairman of the Military Commission, but in fact everyone knew that it was Chiang Kai-shek, and the final result was the same. After Chiang Kai-shek was elected chairman, the honorific title of "commission" officially appeared.
The use of "commission" is very wide, and it will appear frequently in official documents, such as the military report sent by Xue Yue to Chen Cheng, which clearly mentions the content of "now superimposing the telegram of the commission";
Secondly, "commission" is also widely used in private, for example, Dai Anlan wrote in his diary that someone once said to him: "Old Dai, what are you crazy about? This is a commission ride also. ”
Chiang Kai-shek
It should be noted that although the "commission" has appeared in the history of the Republic of China and has been used by many military officers, there are still problems with its use in film and television dramas.
First of all, Chiang Kai-shek did not care much about this honorific title, he preferred the word "principal". Because he really accumulated contacts within the Kuomintang and had a large number of die-hard loyalists only after he became the principal of the Whampoa Military Academy.
Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek regarded the Whampoa Military Academy as one of the most important achievements in his first half of life, and the graduates of the Whampoa Military Academy were also regarded as absolute henchmen. And these people basically use the word "principal" when addressing Chiang Kai-shek.
Chiang Kai-shek
Second, Chiang Kai-shek served as chairman of the Military Commission from 1932 to 1945, and he resigned as chairman after the victory of the Sino-Japanese War. Therefore, during the Liberation War, no officers used the honorific title "commission".
As a Kuomintang member with a talent for "power skills", Chiang Kai-shek was very concerned about his title, and once the people around him used it incorrectly, it would inevitably cause him unhappiness.
In many episodes, officers continue to use "commissions" before 1932 and after 1945, which would certainly not have happened in real history.
Chiang Kai-shek
The lesser-known junza
In addition to the word "commission", in fact, there is another word that refers to the honorific title "seat" in the Kuomintang army, that is, the infamous "junza".
Unlike the words "military seat" and "division seat" invented in the TV series, "junza" was widely used during the Republican period, not only within the military, but also used by the people when addressing military commanders.
The so-called "jun" was a unit of measurement in ancient times, thirty pounds was one jun, and later it was gradually derived as an honorific title. For example, the ancients would use "Junjian" when inviting others to read their works, and "Junqi" when writing letters to others.
Therefore, the respect expressed by the word "junza" together is very "strong", and many junior officers will use it to address Shangguan during the Republic of China. Unlike "commissions", "junza" is used a lot and is not exclusive to someone.
Chiang Kai-shek
In fact, many people have also used the term "junza" to refer to Chiang Kai-shek, which is a relatively compromise option to avoid mistakes to the greatest extent.
For example, Fang Xianjue, commander of the 10th Army in Hengyang, and Zhang Zuoliang used the word "junza" in their telegrams to Chiang Kai-shek.
People outside the military also use the word "junza" more often, because it does not refer to the position, which can avoid the embarrassment of the wrong name. For example, Hu Shi said in "This Week": "You Dian has not sparing words of teaching, which shows that Jun Zuo has a heart to ask questions humbly."
According to the research of many historians, the word "junza" was used a lot very early, at least in the Beiyang Army, and it is even possible that it began to be used in some Han troops in the late Qing Dynasty.
Film and television dramas
Why are "bureau seats" and "group seats" widely used
Seeing this, many people must be curious, why do film and television dramas use a lot of honorifics such as "bureau seat" and "master seat" that do not exist at all?
First of all, naturally, because at that time there were widely used words such as "commission" and "junza", which shows that the honorific term "seat" was very popular in the Kuomintang army.
Secondly, the screenwriters of film and television dramas in the early years were very sophisticated, and there were almost no mistakes in the use of honorifics. But later, with the entry of a large amount of capital, the status of screenwriters became more and more declining, and fewer people were willing to be sophisticated, so there were many misuses.
The phenomenon of imitation in the film and television industry is very serious, and the misuse of a popular TV series will soon be copied to other film and television works.
Over time, this misuse becomes common, and many screenwriters will think that it is historically real.
Film and television dramas
Finally, in some classic film and television dramas, words such as "master seat" or "bureau seat" will also appear.
The reason for this is also very simple, mainly because the screenwriter wants to distinguish between the people's army and the Kuomintang army to facilitate the audience's understanding.
Words like "division seat" and "regiment seat" have the smell of feudal warlords when they hear it, which is particularly in line with the real situation of the Kuomintang, and such "misuse" will have a very distinct effect when shaping characters.
Kuomintang troops
epilogue
In general, honorific titles such as "master seat" and "bureau seat" that frequently appear in film and television dramas are almost non-existent in the real Republic of China period.
Because it has appeared too many times in film and television dramas, the wrong name has become a deep-rooted perception of the public.
In fact, within the Kuomintang, like our army, they all directly address the rank of commander, such as "army commander" or "division commander".
There are actually only two honorifics within the Nationalist Army that are really related to "seats", one is the "commission" exclusive to Chiang Kai-shek, which mostly appeared during the Anti-Japanese War; The other is a "junza" that does not contain a position and rank, and simply expresses respect.
Resources
"The Cultural Meaning of Ancient Chinese Honorifics" - Wen Zhiquan, Cui Dashui, Chu Taisong, Zhan Xuzuo
"Historical Investigation of the Study of Rites in the Republic of China" - Gai Zhifang