Tuan Q. Tran Class: History of Modern China Instructor: David T.

Obermiller

Movie Essay #2 One practices wushu for inner strength and to help the weak1, was the first lesson about wushu that Huo Yuanjia learned from his respectful mother. Nevertheless, long time after succeed and failure with this kungfu, with poignant regret, he fully understood it, and finally became the pioneer calling for Chinese nationalism. Moreover, from Huos story in the movie Fearless, it is arguable that Huanjias obsession of being the best revealed partly the Chinese societys obsession of ethnocentrism, the idea that a society not wanting to have anything to do with any other countries. This essay would explain how the failure of Huo due to losing the spirit of wushu reflects Chinas failure to modernize and how his desire to strengthen nation creates a sense of nationalism. First of all, that both Huos and Chinas failures were starting from a wrong understanding. Since being a child, Huo always insisted I want Zhao to fear our Huo wushu. If I'm really good, everyone will fear me.1 He was unable to discriminate between respect and fear as his mothers careful recommendation, then he misled himself by embarking a series of useless fighting1. Obsessing of being the champion, he ignored every advice for need to prove that I am the best the strongest. Consequently, the cost of worthless champion award is all he used to treasure: his mother, his daughter and Jinxuns friendship. Your most formidable enemy lies within you1. Yuanjia did not learn this lesson; neither did all Chinese society in twentieth century. The most formidable of China lied within its minds the 4000 years of distinctive traditional customs. In order to strengthen the nation, to meet the imperialism challenge, the reformer brought mass of Western machines, ships, guns but they could not brought the new idea to peoples minds. The traditional practices rooted for so long that
1

Tuan Q. Tran Class: History of Modern China Instructor: David T. Obermiller

people resistant to change. Guo Songtao, the first Chinese ambassador, is one example this kind of ethnocentrism. When he accepted an appointment to serve as minister to Great Britain, he was condemned Guo Songtao stands out for his leaning and literary talents, but he should not have accepted the mission to the West! I am truly regretful for him. And in Guos hometown, people attempted to demolish his house.2 Huo Yuanjias statement about the Chinese situation is another example about this inertia Politics is for intellectuals. I'm just a fighter. To be the champion of Tianjin is all I care about.1 However, after growing alive to the ideals of wushu, Huo Yuanjia determined to develop this Chinese kungfu to create the national honor and pride. Master Huo surely had to appreciate the period he stayed with Grandma and Moon, since he finally remembered the humane lesson: If you plant them too close together, they will not grow. Just like people, they need to respect each other in order to live together peacefully. 1 Respect, that is what Chinese or Huo was lacking of and that is why when he established the Jingwu Sports Federation, he returned to the true sense of wushu with the motto: By working together, we can better ourselves and stand strong as one nation, we influence others through cooperation, not intimidation1. Huo realized that it is impossible for a dividing, splitting society, in which people had been busy fighting themselves, to meet the imperialism challenge. That is why wushu, the native Chinese kungfu, with its spirit, was hoped by Huo as a way to unite Chinese and call for nationalism. The disease named inertia, that Luxun stated Our present China actually do not care about political parties all they want to see are heads and female corpses. If these are available, no matter whose they are, our citizens will go to have a look3, should be frankly admitted and cured as Huo argued if they aspired to be stronger.
2

Tuan Q. Tran Class: History of Modern China Instructor: David T. Obermiller

In conclusion, through the true story of Huo Yuanjia, people only get strengthen after acknowledging their past mistakes. That was also true with Chinas situation in twentieth century when the society was too arrogant and inert. Therefore, wushu, with the fresh and native spirit of Chinese, was put in faith as a effective way for helping, cooperating each other and standing strong as one nation. END NOTES:
1. Ronny Yu. Fearless. Edko Films, 2006. 2. Schoppa, Keith. The Power of Traditional Cultural Identity: Chinese Reactions to Continuing Threats. In Revolution and its Pasts: Identities Change in Modern Chinese History.86105. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2011. 3. Ebrey, Patricia. Wiping Out The Red A Great Spectacle. In The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.