Common knowledge of architecture in Mulan

#OpinionArticle #ChipTsao

Editor's Note:

In the west, we have Foucault's panopticon as a metaphor for a higher authority surveilling the common folk. In this article, the author explores how the Chinese government turns this concept on its head with the tulou, where the common folk surveil each other.

(11 Sep) After mainland Chinese netizens watched pirated copies of Disney's Orientalist and novelty-seeking rendition of Mulan, they let loose their unabated criticism: the costumes were not historically accurate, Fujian's tulous showed up in the North China region, the high-end escort-worthy looks of top actress Liu Yifei failed to make up for her rigid expression throughout the movie - it was like her face was paralysed. The mainland market appreciated none of this.

Three decades ago, when director Bernardo Bertolucci brought The Last Emperor into existence, it was as if the Occident finally acknowledged their importance. The difference [between it and Mulan] was like night and day. Blessings from the Olympics reinvigorated nationalistic pride. It was truly compelling.

[Then,] Disney came along to trample on the culture of Chinese architecture. South China's Fujian tulous were haphazardly transported to an arid region.

The cylindrical structure of the tulou is reminiscent of the Colosseum from ancient Rome. In fact, it reflects the current state of our country. Its floors sit atop one another like a stack of rings. The [open-air] corridors allow for 72 households of gossipy women to share their meals and care for their young. They also overlook the courtyard below, which facilitates the exchange of intelligence on neighbours. If there were rumours of Mrs Zhuang on the 2nd floor having a secret affair with the single labourer Mr Shi on the 3rd floor, the high vantage points benefited by the tulou's design would provide other neighbours with easy access to monitor them and determine the rumour's veracity.

In the context of Chinese architecture, Pig Sty Alley in Stephen Chow's film [Kung Fu Hustle] - where Yuen Qiu donned rollers in her hair and a cigarette in her mouth while yelling and beating her tenants - was modelled after Lingnan architecture. It is classified under the same umbrella as Minnan [Fujian] architecture [in the south]. The North's climate, especially by the desert, is either sandstorms or blizzards. Hubei's villages have no qilou [buildings with open-air walkways].

As for Mulan leading the battle against the Mongols, bringing victory and returning home, may I ask the American liberals this: Would you tolerate cowboy movies [today] that praise white cowboys for the massacre of Indigenous peoples?

Just as the poetic saga of Hua Mulan represents the advanced Han civilization annihilating the savage race of Mongolia's barbarians, the screening of Mulan coincided with the Chinese government destroying all the [native] language textbooks in Inner Mongolia. [The act] inherited the spirit of Mulan and brought more vibrance to the film. If I were the Executive Chairman of Disney, I would have taken the hint. After its screening, I would have bought land from the filming location in Xinjiang and open up a new Disney park. It would welcome the Central Asian and European tourism markets under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Watching movies is merely for the pursuit of entertainment; it's just business. Once there is political debate, there are hurt feelings. Putting tulous in North China really isn't a big deal. In the 70s, the American satellites caused a panic when they detected tulous and mistook them for rocket bases. Technology was lagging back then. Nowadays, the cameras on Google's satellites can zoom in and magnify the images so much that you can clearly see all the depraved acts of a couple having sex in a car.

The American satellites today can monitor tulous and count how many shirts are being hung to dry. Information on the number of bras and their colours cannot escape the Pentagon. Ivy Ling Po's performance of Lady General Hua Mulan with the Shaw Brothers Studio is no match for this.

Occasionally, the eye from the heavens looks upon the world of the mortals.

Source: Apple Daily News

https://bit.ly/3hRkt6c

Translated by: Hong Kong Echo

#Mulan #Disney #ChineseArchitecture

#Orientalist #Fujian