The crew of "Feng Shen" overturned one after another? The Russian actor played the Chinese Daji, and the director was caught in the controversy of discrimination against Han Chinese
"Fengshen " is a trilogy of classical Chinese mythological films directed by Wu Ershan, the first "Fengshen Part 1: Song of the Dynasty" was released on July 20, 2023, and the current box office has exceeded 2.2 billion yuan. This film is adapted from the 16th-century novel "Romance of the Gods", which tells the story of the last years of the Shang Dynasty, when the King of Shang was bewitched by Daji and was cruel and ruthless, causing the uprising of many rebels, as well as the battle of Jiang Ziya, Yang Jian, Nezha and others. The film has good performance in visual effects, action scenes, music soundtracks, etc., and has been loved and praised by many audiences.
However, the film has also caused many controversies and questions, the biggest of which is the heroine Na Ran, who plays Daji. Na Ran is a Mongolian-Russian model turned actor who once starred in Jay Chou's "Confession Balloon" MV. She created a different image of Daji in the film, more innocent, innocent and tragic, which left a deep impression on the audience. However, she has also been strongly resisted and criticized by netizens because of her foreign identity and some inappropriate remarks.
First of all, many netizens believe that Daji is a legendary figure in classical Chinese mythology and should be played by Chinese, not a foreigner. They felt that Na Ran had no Chinese characteristics in appearance and no Chinese cultural heritage, and could not interpret the role of Hao Daji. They believe that this is disrespectful and encroaching on Chinese culture, and it is also irresponsible to Chinese audiences. They pointed out that in the past "Fengsheng" film and television works, Fu Yiwei, Fan Bingbing, Wen Bixia, etc. have all played Daji excellently, why do you want to find a foreigner to play this time? Aren't there suitable actresses in China?
Secondly, some netizens picked up that Na Ran had forwarded some divisive remarks and distorted history on her personal social account. One of the most controversial was her retweet of an article claiming that "Mulan is a Mongol" and that "Mulan will drive Chinese out of the Mongol lands that the Han Dynasty has always occupied." These remarks not only involve ethnic issues, but also national issues, and are considered by netizens to be extreme separatist and anti-China remarks. Netizens questioned why Na Ran forwarded such content, whether she was hostile and prejudiced against China? Does she just want to use the Chinese market to make money? Is she qualified to play Chinese?
In addition, some netizens also found that "Fengshen" director Wu Ershan had made inappropriate remarks in the past, and the film itself was also questioned. Wuershan is a Mongolian director who has filmed films such as "The Mongol King" and "Su Beggar". In an interview, he once said that "Chinese is a descendant of the Mongols", "Chinese culture was learned from the Mongols", "the history of Chinese was rewritten by the Mongols", and so on. These words were considered by netizens to be a distortion and insult to Chinese history and culture, and a discrimination and hostility against the Han nation. They wondered if Urshan had other political agendas and wanted to spread his thoughts and opinions through the film "Fengsheng". They also pointed out that some elements that did not match the background of the Shang Dynasty appeared in the film, such as Humai, Riding Shooting, Proton Army, etc., which were characteristics of nomadic civilization, not agricultural civilization. They believe that this is Wuershan's deliberate attempt to discredit traditional Chinese culture and beautify Mongolian culture.
These controversies and doubts have put the "Fengshen" crew in a difficult situation, at present, the "Fengshen" crew has not publicly responded, the heroine Naran, director Wu Ershan and his wife have remained silent, without any apology or clarification. However, netizens have begun to boycott and have received a certain response. CNNC, which previously supported the publicity of the "Fengshen " crew, was also questioned, and soon, CNNC hid its propaganda Weibo. The film "Fengshen " has caused a lot of controversy both before and after its release, and as the actors have problems one after another, there are concerns about whether there will be a second one. Director Wu Ershan said that the film cost 3 billion, and if the first film cannot recover the cost, the release of the second part may be difficult, and even he himself has to be in debt for it.
Although it is excellent for this movie, it is difficult for many netizens to identify with the character of the actors in it. Finally, I hope that this film can properly deal with these issues, and I hope that it will really have a chance for a second and third film. What do you think of the movie "Fengsheng"? How do you think Naran and Wuershan should respond to the questions of netizens? Welcome to share your views and feelings in the comment area, please also like, forward and support our original article, thank you!