Contemporary Reinterpretation of Mythology and National Aesthetics in Cinematic Imagery: A Case Study of Ne Zha 2
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Haizhou Wang
Haizhou Wang is a professor of Film Studies at Beijing Film Academy. He serves as the Dean of the Postgraduate Department and the Head of the Library of Beijing Film Academy. He is the deputy president of Chinese Collegial Association for Visual Art and is the chair researcher of the China National Social Science Major Project “The Inheritance and Development of Chinese Artistic Traditions in Contemporary Chinese Films.” His monographs
Imagined China: Research on Chinese Film Culture of the 1980s and 110 Years of Chinese Films (1905–2015) have won numerous research awards in film studies in China, including the Outstanding Research Awards in Humanities and Social Science of Institutions of Higher Education by Ministry of Education.
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Ao Ma
Ao Ma is a doctor candidate of the China Firm Culture Institute of Beijing Film Academy.
Abstract
Ne Zha: The Demon Boy Churns the Sea (Nezha Zhi Motong Naohai, Ne Zha 2, 2025) stands as a benchmark work in Chinese cinema. Centered on universal human values, the film undertakes a heroic deconstruction and mythological re-creation of traditional legend, adapting it to contemporary aesthetic sensibilities. By leveraging digital technologies to empower artistic creation, the filmmakers innovatively transform traditional cultural resources into a distinctive cultural advantage, constructing a fantastic visual language imbued with national aesthetics and expressive of a uniquely Chinese cinematic style. The widespread public discourse and successful cultural export surrounding the film demonstrate that the innovative transformation of traditional national culture is the fundamental driving force behind the sustainable development of Chinese cinema. The film’s success not only powerfully promotes the construction of a culturally strong nation in the new era but also represents a significant practice in fostering a shared cultural destiny for humanity.
Funding source: the National Social Science Foundation of China in 2020, “Research on the Value Inheritance and Innovative Development of Chinese Artistic and Cultural Traditions in Contemporary Chinese Films”
Award Identifier / Grant number: Project No.: 20ZD18
About the authors
Haizhou Wang is a professor of Film Studies at Beijing Film Academy. He serves as the Dean of the Postgraduate Department and the Head of the Library of Beijing Film Academy. He is the deputy president of Chinese Collegial Association for Visual Art and is the chair researcher of the China National Social Science Major Project “The Inheritance and Development of Chinese Artistic Traditions in Contemporary Chinese Films.” His monographs Imagined China: Research on Chinese Film Culture of the 1980s and 110 Years of Chinese Films (1905–2015) have won numerous research awards in film studies in China, including the Outstanding Research Awards in Humanities and Social Science of Institutions of Higher Education by Ministry of Education.
Ao Ma is a doctor candidate of the China Firm Culture Institute of Beijing Film Academy.
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Research funding: This research is supported by the major project of the National Social Science Foundation of China in 2020, “Research on the Value Inheritance and Innovative Development of Chinese Artistic and Cultural Traditions in Contemporary Chinese Films” (Project No.: 20ZD18).
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Postscript
The originally article entitled 《哪吒之魔童闹海》 : 神话的当代改写与影像的民族审美 民族审美 was publishing in 当代动画 (Dangdai Donghua, Contemporary Animation) 2025 (02): 20–5.Suche in Google Scholar
© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Realistic Mirror, Public Discourse, and Temporal Markers: Chinese Cinema in 2024
- 2024 Analysis Report on Chinese Film Industry Development
- Chinese Civilizational Symbols and the Artistic Practice of Chinese Western Films
- Chinese Mythology and the Reconstruction of Contemporary Chinese Film Aesthetics
- Asian American Exportation: “Chineseness” and Representation in Sino-US Animated Co-Venture Films
- Local Culture and National Identity: The Conflict and Convergence of Mandarin Films and Cantonese Films in Nanyang in the 1930s
- Desta Kyi and the Question of Collective Emotional Labour: Who Sustains Visibility in Chinese Film Festival
- Chinese Dubbed Film Fans and “Iconic Voices”: Bridging Global and Local Identities Through Voice Actors, 1950s–1980s
- Film Reviews
- Contemporary Reinterpretation of Mythology and National Aesthetics in Cinematic Imagery: A Case Study of Ne Zha 2
- New Explorations in War Film Creation: Reflections on The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death
- Corrigendum
- Corrigendum to: 48 articles published in JCFS from Vol. 1, Issue 1 (2021) – Vol. 4, Issue 1 (2024)
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Realistic Mirror, Public Discourse, and Temporal Markers: Chinese Cinema in 2024
- 2024 Analysis Report on Chinese Film Industry Development
- Chinese Civilizational Symbols and the Artistic Practice of Chinese Western Films
- Chinese Mythology and the Reconstruction of Contemporary Chinese Film Aesthetics
- Asian American Exportation: “Chineseness” and Representation in Sino-US Animated Co-Venture Films
- Local Culture and National Identity: The Conflict and Convergence of Mandarin Films and Cantonese Films in Nanyang in the 1930s
- Desta Kyi and the Question of Collective Emotional Labour: Who Sustains Visibility in Chinese Film Festival
- Chinese Dubbed Film Fans and “Iconic Voices”: Bridging Global and Local Identities Through Voice Actors, 1950s–1980s
- Film Reviews
- Contemporary Reinterpretation of Mythology and National Aesthetics in Cinematic Imagery: A Case Study of Ne Zha 2
- New Explorations in War Film Creation: Reflections on The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death
- Corrigendum
- Corrigendum to: 48 articles published in JCFS from Vol. 1, Issue 1 (2021) – Vol. 4, Issue 1 (2024)
