Movie: 叶问 YeWen (Yip Man) (2008)

Ye Wen is the story of the legendary Wing Chun master Ye Wen, whom later became the famous teacher of Bruce Lee in Hong Kong. The movie is about his struggle and triumph with the Japanese invaders during World War II. The film is a kung fu drama.

The film is based on a historical figure, but the story almost entirely fictional (yes none of this actually happened). Originally Ye Wen was an officer of the Guomindang and actually left for Hong Kong after the war without his family, when the CCP took over FoShan. The director decided to take away his governmental ties and make Ye Wen semi-reclusive that was dragged into the battle.

I really enjoyed Ye Wen. The fights were fun and the story was emotional. For those who enjoy kung fu or learning about China, I would heartily suggest watching this film.

What we can learn from the film:

Chinese don’t associate themselves with the old ideologies anymore: Ye Wen’s hatred of the Japanese and motivation to fight is personal, not based on ideals or love for his country. The average Chinese person can relate a lot more to a semi-reclusive who sees his friends and family under attack so rises up to fight those who are threatening him than they can to a zealous idealist. If Ye Wen was kept as a Guomindang official, the theme and sentiments would have changed.

Chinese still harbor strong feelings against Japan, but it’s getting better: The film reception in the mainland has been phenomenal, which shows that films about the Japanese period are still not only in abundance but are received with emotion. Many of my own friends cried at the end of the film and clapped when the Japanese fell. However, the Japanese commanders were personalized, with one overly terrible while the General carried respect for the Chinese, including Ye Wen. We actually saw this in Jet Li’s fearless in 2006 in which the other Japanese fighter had respect for Jet Li’s character and disagreed with the Japanese commander’s doings.

China is strong and proud (nationalistic) and will not be humiliated: Even though they had already been overtaken, Ye Wen refuses to lower his head. He refuses the food that is given to him for obeying what the Japanese say. This is extremely important for China; after such a long history of being taken advantage of, China will not stand it anymore, so it is not surprising that this theme is still running strong.

Chinese culture emphasizes self-protection/preservation over external involvement: Ye Wen was humble, respected by all and had respect for all. He didn’t get too involved in outside matters unless asked personally by friends. When there was trouble in town with the fighter challenging all of the house heads, or when the bandits were stealing food, he did not get involved until he was asked to do so or when he could not avoid it. He only fought with the Japanese because it became impossible to avoid without losing his family and friends.

If you enjoy watching international films, perhaps you should consider learning a new language.

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