“Man-as-Nation”: Representations of Masculinity and Nationalism in Wu Jing’s Wolf Warrior II

Abstract

Through an in-depth analysis of gender representation in the box office record-breaking Chinese movie Wolf Warrior II, this study interrogates how the male body is used as a site for the projection of Chinese national power. Furthermore, it illustrates a revival of patriotic pride in China through a contemporary reading of cross-genre action-military films. Developing Shuqin Cui’s notion of “woman-as-nation,” which understands on-screen female victimization in Chinese films as signifying the past suffering of the nation, this study proposes the new concept of “man-as-nation” to explain how the masculine virtues of male protagonists in Chinese films signify the nation’s rejuvenation and strength. Framing male virtue into the paradigms of wu (武), as martial valor, and wen (文), as cultural attainment, this article argues that masculinity has come to symbolize China’s enhanced comprehensive power and to embody its ideological orientation in both global and domestic domains.

Nationalism education in elementary school: A systematic literature review

“…22 Qualitative (empirical analysis) [80] USA RQ 1 23 Comparative research [81] Scotland RQ 1 24 Qualitative and comparative study [82] Syria and Iraq RQ 1 25 Qualitative descriptive approach [83] Indonesia RQ 3 26 Qualitative (Analysis) [84] America and Philippines RQ 3 27 Quantitative (self-reported questionnaire) [85] Italian RQ 3 28 Quantitative research [86] Indonesia RQ 2 29 Positivistic/quantitative approach [87] Indonesia RQ 3 30 Case study (empirically) [88] China RQ 3 31 A quantitative study using survey design [89] Malaysia RQ 3 32 In-depth analysis [90] Israel RQ 2 33 Qualitative approach [91] Indonesia RQ 2 34 Qualitative descriptive [92] Bangkok, Thailand RQ 3 35 Qualitative Method (Historical Review) [93] Indonesia RQ 2 36 Qualitative descriptive [94] Indonesia RQ 1 37 Qualitative research method [95] Indonesia RQ 3 38 Investigative Research [96] Syrian and Turkey RQ 1 39 Empirical study (survey and administration) [97] Taiwan RQ 3 40 Analytical Research [98] Japan RQ 2 41 Qualitative approach [99] Indonesia RQ 2 42 Qualitative descriptive [100] Canada RQ 2 43 Quasi-experimental research [101] Indonesia RQ 1 44 Hermeneutic approach [102] Indonesia RQ 1 45 Mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) [103] Indonesia RQ 3 46 A Systematic Literature Review [104] China RQ 2 47 Analysis method, systematic investigation (purposive and snowballing) [105] Nigeria RQ 3 48 Qualitative (ethnographic approach) [106] Indonesia RQ 2 49 Quantitative approach [107] Indonesia RQ 1 50 Quantitative method [108] Thailand RQ 1…”

“…Nationalism contains the strength, vitality, and inspiration to maintain, preserve, and raise the country [87]. Strengthening nationalism in China through the film "Wolf Warrior II" as a learning medium has an impact on the birth of comprehensive strength and the realization of ideological orientation on a domestic and global scale towards the Chinese Nation [88]. Nationalism education in Malaysia impacts teachers and learners in mastering digital literacy because the nation's awareness today is determined by the understanding of digital citizens through the education process [89].…”

Masculinity in crisis? Reticent / han-xu politics against danmei and male effeminacy

“…In the Chinese context, the 'crisis of masculinity' is mainly attributed to the prevalence of soft masculinities in popular culture, and is regarded as a symbol ofwaning national power (Song, 2021), which has stirred up a certain amount of 'sissyphobia' in response to anxiety over national virility and patriarchal power. As a result, the state has initiated a top-down project of censoring gender expressions and promoting an authority-favoured hypermasculinity, epitomized by the film series Wolf Warrior (Hu and Guan, 2021). Therefore, this article aims to canvass the ways in which this top-down project works to suppress soft masculinity, particularly targeting male effeminacy and using the danmei genre as a scapegoat, in order to open a pathway toward national remasculinization and reinforce the hetero-patriarchal dominance.…”

“…Particularly in China, traditional masculine ideals fit the paradigm of wen (cultural attainment) and wu (physical prowess), which was first theorized by Louie and Edwards (1994) and then further specified by Louie (2002). In contrast to the western image of macho men, entailing physical strength and unerring silence, the Chinese macho hero counterbalances cerebral and brawny characteristics, with the cerebral model often seen as superior (Hu and Guan, 2021). In neoliberal post-socialist China, youth culture and new media have stimulated new ideals of Chinese masculinities that depart subtly but significantly from the traditional forms.…”

The manufacture of militarized masculinity in Chinese series You Are My Hero (2021)

“….) to investigate the cinematic representation of active masculinity in relation to nationalism.” They posited that the film reveals “how the male body is used as a site for the projection of national power, and how patriotism is revived through a contemporary signification of the nation in cross-genre action-military films.” (Hu and Guan, 2021: 2) The blockbuster military Chinese film Wolf Warrior II has been a commercial success albeit predominantly attributed to native and overseas Chinese national filmgoers. It features the male protagonist, Leng Feng, who is an ex-soldier commissioned by the Chinese government to carry out missions beyond Chinese territory.…”