Presentation of Chinese Culture in Once Upon a Time III Film

Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Presentation of Chinese Culture in Once Upon a Time III Film Tsui Hark’s series called Once Upon a Time III is one of the greatest films in the Hong Kong cinema discourse that contains what can be well described as a historical interflow of the various events that took place in China. The series deals with the relationship that China as a country has with the other nations and it deals with the strengthening of the identity of the Chinese people as people with their tradition and culture and as such it portrays China as a cultured nation to the rest of the world. The film also gives us one of the major achievements that took place in Hong Kong cinema in the 1990s. Unlike the other films produced before, the character of one of the legendary artists in the film, Huang Fei-hong, has been used to provide a focus on the radical change in the history of China and as it moved from one to another. Even though the Once Upon a Time series has its setting in the historical past, just like the other Hong Kong films, the film tries to portray that the incidences that took place in the film occurred close to the date of the event that is happening in the film. The setting of the film portrays the traditional system of governance that was common in China at this time. The film is set in the late 19th century at the time which the Qing dynasty was common. It is also during this time that China as a country had its sovereignty eroded due to the foreign imperialism that had taken place in China. It is during this time that the popular dance at the time called the Lion dance is taking place and Empress Dowager Cixi and Li Hongzhang decide to take part in the dance. Lion dance was a particular event that took place in China and it was during this time that the Chinese people showcased their culture and art as a sign of their national pride. The event was also meant to bring the Chinese people together and it was part of their culture. All the parties who were interested in taking part in the dance were invited to the place. At this scene, one of the items that stand out in the film is the way in which the Chinese culture has been well presented. The director of the film, Tsui Hark present the culture of the Chinese people as people who embraced unity and carried out a number of events to express their unity. Such a case is the case of the Lion Dance that has been mentioned in the film and it occurs at the beginning of the film as part of perhaps informing the viewer about the Chinese culture. It is also during this time that Wong Fei-hung who is a master of the martial arts, a defender of the poor and a holder of tradition travels all the way from Foshan to Beijing. He had had a romantic interest in 13th Aunt and he had also come to meet his father, Wong Kei-ying who belonged to the Cantonese Association. In this part, we also encounter Li Hong-zhong, who was one of the figures that were condemned by the Chinese people for weakening China by making it lose its territories such as Taiwan, involved in a discussion on how they can use the Lion Dance to play off one foreign nation against the other. Just like on Once Upon a Time I, the beloved dance now appears that it has become so contaminated due to the political corruption...