综合一区欧美国产,99国产麻豆免费精品,九九精品黄色录像,亚洲激情青青草,久久亚洲熟妇熟,中文字幕av在线播放,国产一区二区卡,九九久久国产精品,久久精品视频免费

Retelling a romantic legend

White Snake tale evolves into modern formats, with more emotion and contemplation, Xu Fan reports.

By Xu Fan | China Daily | Updated: 2025-01-24 14:49
Share
Share - WeChat
The household folklore of the Legend of the White Snake has inspired many adaptations, with stars Angie Chiu (middle) portraying the titular snake spirit in a TV series in the1990s. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

Newer adaptations

In recent decades, advancements in special effects technology and the film and television industry have transformed the centuries-old folktale into a narrative that resonates with modern values, incorporating themes of pursuing free choice and struggles against societal constraints.

One of the most influential adaptations is the TV series New Legend of Madame White Snake starring Hong Kong actresses Angie Chiu and Cecilia Yip, which made its debut in Taiwan in 1992 and was introduced to the mainland in 1993. It quickly became a hit and was rescreened numerous times in the following two decades.

Comprising 50 episodes, the drama deepened the complexity of each character and introduced many plot twists — for instance, the son of the White Snake and Xu rescue his mother who is imprisoned in the Leifeng Pagoda upon reaching adulthood.

Maverick director Tsui Hark's 1993 movie Green Snake takes a bold step in retelling the legend.

For the first time on the silver screen, Fahai — previously portrayed by senior actors — is played by young, handsome martial arts star Zhao Wenzhuo, with his role exploring the monk's struggle with rigidity and bias, adding depth to the character and challenging the audience's perception of good and evil.

However, for young Chinese audiences in their 20s and 30s, it is the animated franchise White Snake, produced by Beijing-based Light Chaser Animation, that has introduced them to, and sparked their interest in, the story. The series released three consecutive installments in 2019, 2021 and 2024, grossing 1.5 billion yuan ($204.6 million) in China box offices.

Yu Zhou, co-founder and president of Light Chaser Animation, revealed that the series started preparations in early 2016 following a strategic move by the company to attract a young adult audience. Its previous features were targeted toward parents and their children.

Since its founding in 2013, the company, most known for the animated hit Chang'an, has focused on drawing inspiration from Chinese culture and history. The White Snake franchise marks the beginning of their New Legend series, which specializes in visualizing fantasy imbued with traditional Eastern aesthetics and Chinese philosophical thought. The upcoming title in the series Liao Zhai is inspired by Qing Dynasty novelist Pu Songling's Liao Zhai Zhi Yi (Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio).

"The first White Snake film is a prequel set 500 years before the ancient legend. While brainstorming the script, we each had a question: why is Bai so good and loyal to Xu, even though he is cowardly and betrays her after discovering that she is a snake demon?" recalls Yu.

The first White Snake animated film, set during the later Tang Dynasty, reimagines Xu as a snake hunter and Bai as a skilled fighter from a powerful snake spirit clan. On a mission to assassinate a sorcerer-like official threatening her tribe, Bai is injured and loses her memory. Rescued by Xu, they develop a romantic bond. After surviving many perilous moments together, Xu sacrifices his life to save Bai.

The third installment, which became a blockbuster in the summer of 2024, picks up where the 2019 movie left off, fictionalizing Xu's reincarnation 500 years later as a doctor, following the popular portrayal in most modern retellings.

|<< Previous 1 2 3 4 Next   >>|

Related Stories

Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1994 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
静乐县| 嫩江县| 巴青县| 周口市| 台南县| 称多县| 红安县| 旬邑县| 元谋县| 二连浩特市| 确山县| 浪卡子县| 吕梁市| 江川县| 乌拉特后旗| 县级市| 比如县| 句容市| 南宁市| 竹北市| 福贡县| 临城县| 新巴尔虎右旗| 通许县| 日照市| 宜良县| 青田县| 手机| 察隅县| 进贤县| 剑阁县| 宁夏| 高邮市| 宜都市| 焦作市| 澄城县| 沽源县| 通河县| 闽侯县| 紫金县| 五寨县|