A Study On Mulan’s Image Under The Comparison Of Chinese And Western Culture

As a legendary woman in Chinese history,Mulan’s image has been enriched and newly interpreted in many adaptations,and has shown a long-lasting research value.It is because of the differences in the interpretation of Mulan’s image in different versions and times that the connotation of the cultural differences behind it needs to be reexamined and analyzed.As a character in a film or TV drama,it’s appearance is presented to the audience in the most intuitive way.It is not only the expression of the character’s qualities,but also an important sign reflecting the national elements and character.The character traits and behavioral choices of the main characters depend on specific cultural patterns and are influenced by the specific era and social environment.A comparison of the appearance,behavior and characterization of Mulan in the two films can help readers to understand the different connotations of the two cultures,and thus better promote the understanding and communication between Chinese and Western cultures.Therefore,this paper selects two movies based on different cultural backgrounds of China and the West,namely China’s "Mulan" and Disney’s "Mulan",and adopts a comparative analysis method,mainly based on the guidance of relevant theories,to compare Mulan’s image in Chinese and Western movies from multiple perspectives.In this way,we analyze the reasons for the different interpretations of the same subject matter between different cultures and analyze the different cultural connotations behind the differences in Mulan’s image,so as to provide a guiding direction and some suggestions for the cross-cultural communication between China and the West.Every aspect of a film or television production is related to the cultural environment in which it is presented.China’s "Mulan" presents readers with Mulan as a flesh-and-blood,resilient female national hero.In contrast,Disney’s "Mulan" reshapes Mulan’s image with the theme of finding personal values and self-identity,affirming the feminist spirit of Mulan in a way promoted by Western mainstream culture,and seeking to show the awakening of Mulan’s female consciousness.Comparing these two films’ interpretations of Mulan’s image allows us to better see the cultural differences between China and the West in interpreting the same text in the present era,and provides some values and implications for future ways and means of cross-cultural communication with each other.Through a comparative analysis of Mulan’s image in these two movies,I found that although the excellent traditional Chinese cultural concepts have been spread and understood in Western society with the gradual deepening of cultural exchanges between China and the West,there are still some unbridgeable gaps between them.In today’s era of cultural renewal and the rapid development of new media technologies,it is necessary to find communication methods that are acceptable to people today and to innovate cross-cultural communication methods in order to achieve cultural understanding and communication between China and the West in the true sense.Therefore,I expect to sort out the differences between the constructed Mulan’s image and dig deeper into the cultural connotations behind the differences in the evolution of Mulan’s image in China and the West,in order to find a cultural communication method that is in line with the development of the times in the context of globalization,to better promote the communication and integration between Chinese and Western cultures,to enhance mutual understanding,and to continuously expand the common meaning space of Chinese and Western cultures.