Kung Fu Panda is a new animated film of DreamWorks, which is set in ancient China and describes how a panda tries to realize his dream. In terms of the contents, it seems that there is nothing negative in the film. Nevertheless, since its arrival in China about two months ago, criticism has never stopped being heard.
There are two kinds of censures in general. To begin with, some critics argue the western filmmakers turn a cuddly, simple panda into a greedy, sly one, which distorts the image of China’s national treasure. Then, they judge many Chinese traditional and cultural things are harmed in the film, for example, martial arts’ being westernized.
To have my own point of view, I also watched Kung Fu Panda, in which, though, what they criticize did not come into my eyes. By contrast, I saw a hardworking animated panda and good comprehension of Chinese tradition and culture in the westerner-made film.
Nowadays, a country could neither exist nor develop without relating to other ones. In 1978, China carried out the reform and opening-up policy, since which we have been trying to amplify the connection with the world. Besides technology, economy and the like, culture, custom and history are as well what we share to enhance the understanding between the world and ourselves. As a result, appearances of Chinese elements out of China are ordinary or maybe just what we expect.
Yet when that really happens, there are always some individuals who stand in an opposite position. Their doing so is perhaps due to patriotism, or other reasons. However, real openness should also include ideological notion, instead of being merely confined to material aspects. For instance, when seeing foreigners’ acceptance of our characteristic things, far from expressing criticism, we ought to feel glad and proud so long as they are respected, because it is a signal that we are blending into the world.
As China is a developing country, openness is essentially important, which requires us to spread the tangible and the intangible of ours in the meantime of absorbing those of foreign countries. Kung Fu Panda is just one of the cases that we accomplish the former. Consequently, in order to make China open, what we need and must do is open our mind. Only in the way are we able to mix with the world authentically.
