摘 要

1. Introduction

1.1 Research background.

1.2 Research purpose

1.3 Methods and Procedures of the Study

2. Literature Review

3. A Brief Introduction of Heroism

3.1 Chinese heroism

3.2 American heroism

4. Differences between Chinese and American heroism in movies

4.1 Differences in heroes’ origin

4.2 Differences in heroes’ auxiliary equipment

4.3 Differences in heroes’ responsibility

4.4 Differences in heroes’ social influence

5. Causes of the differences between Chinese and American heroism in movies

5.1 History

5.2 Religion

5.3 Social values................................................................................................. 19

6. Conclusion

References

Acknowledgments

After hard work, I finally completed the writing of the thesis. First of all, I would like to thank my thesis supervisor Liu Nonghong. She has given me a lot of help in the process of writing my thesis. Every time I encounter difficulties and doubts, she will give valuable advice.

Secondly, I sincerely thank all the teachers and students who have helped me directly or indirectly. The successful completion of this paper is inseparable from them. In particular, the teachers of the paper guidance group provided valuable comments on the revision of the paper, which made my paper more perfect.

Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the teachers who have taken time to review this article.

Abstract

Whether in the past or the present, the study of heroism has always been a topic that researchers are more biased. As an indispensable part of national culture, it has brought countless spiritual wealth to the people and become the most precious treasure in human culture, which affects people's social life to a certain extent. Nowadays, while the cultural exchanges between China and the West continue to deepen, the collision between cultures is also reflected in all aspects. Heroism is of no exception. The heroism that China and the West insist on differs because of values and beliefs. Movies are very familiar media to people, and it can spread entertainment and culture as a medium of communication. Nowadays, the spread of Western culture in China has gradually increased with the development of Internet technology. Chinese and Western cultures have been experiencing collision and integration. During the high-speed input of Western culture, American film and television culture has been loved by people. The big productions and big scenes that are completely different from the style of the mainland films are constantly sought after by people, especially the superhero movies, such as Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain America, etc. These films not only bring people a visual impact, but also leave people with a mental shock. This thesis will take the theme of heroism from the perspective of cross-culture, and take the Sino-US heroic films as the main materials, compare the Chinese and American heroic film materials, and analyze the causes from the differences to reduce the misunderstanding of Sino-US cultural exchanges, and promote positive cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Keywords: Heroism; Cross-culture; film; Sino-US exchange

中文摘要

英雄主义一直都是诸多人研究的对象，它作为民族文化不可或缺的一部分，为人民带来了无数的精神财富，成为人类文化中最珍贵的宝物，在一定程度上给人们的社会生活带来影响。如今，中西文化交流不断深化的同时，文化之间的碰撞也体现在各个方面英雄主义也不例外。中西方所坚持的英雄主义因其价值观和信念的不同而存在差异。电影是人们非常熟悉的媒介，不仅为人们提供娱乐，还能传递文化。随着西方文化在中国不断流行，加上互联网技术的日益发达且为人们广泛使用，美国影视文化受到了人们的喜爱，与内地片风格截然不同的大制作、大场面受到人们持续追捧，尤其是那些超级英雄电影，如《钢铁侠》、《蜘蛛侠》、《美国队长》等，不仅给人们带来了视觉上的冲击，同时也给人们留下心灵上的震撼。本文将从跨文化的角度，以英雄主义为主题，以中美英雄主义电影为主要材料，对比分析中美电影中英雄主义的差异，并分析造成这种差异的原因，以避免或减少在以后中美文化交流中产生误解的情况，促进中美文化积极交流。

关键词：英雄主义；跨文化；电影；中美文化交流

Introduction

1.1 Research background.

As we all know, Western culture is very popular in China, and with the popularity of Internet technology, Western cultures are more likely to be introduced to China. Among them, American film culture is much loved by Chinese people. The big productions and big scenes that are completely different from the style of mainland films have been continuously sought after by people, especially the superhero movies, such as Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain America, etc., have deeply impressed the hero's image in the audience's mind because of exciting plot and intense effect. The author has created these heroic images with imagination. The heroes are either born with talents or modified in the late stage or equipped with high-tech equipment. They are not afraid of the cold or the heat, and they can fly up to the sky or into the sea. Whether they are exploring the universe or crossing time, they are able to shuttle freely. Their duty is to relieve large-scale disasters such as the destruction of the earth and the explosion of the universe. In contrast, the heroic image in Chinese movies seems to be more close to the common people, such as Ip Man, Huang Feihong and The Grand Master, etc., in addition to having extraordinary talents and the quality of Integrity and courage, the protagonist in the movie is often a more ordinary person who does not differ from the characteristics of ordinary people. What they need to solve is often the national emergency.

1.2 Research purpose

It can be seen from the daily viewing experience that the heroic images displayed in Chinese movies and American movies are very different. In general, movies in each region are surrounded by the unique history and culture of the region. These history and culture can provide a steady stream of material for the film to promote its development. The enormous influence of the film is directly projected into the cultural values of a region. In addition, the film also represents the cultural connotation of the region, in order to understand the film more completely and clearly in this region, we must start from the history and culture of this region. Researching on movies has always been one of the most crucial ways to understand a country's social culture. The different heroism in the films of the two countries actually represents value systems of the two countries. The potentially hidden culture and historical roots reflected in such a striking contrast are worth exploring. This article takes the heroism in Chinese film and American film as the research object, and analyzes the “heroism” character image from the perspective of cross-cultural. This will interpret the heroism in Chinese and American films, help readers to understand the differences in film culture and values between the two countries, and achieve the effect of promoting the communication between Chinese and American film culture and enriching the theoretical system of cross-cultural communication.

1.3 Organization of the Study

The thesis is divided into six parts. Introduction is the first part of the paper. .The second part is literature review. This section describes the views and deficiencies of the predecessors and explains the innovations in this thesis compared to previous studies. The third part mainly expounds the definition of hero and heroism and briefly introduces the heroism of China and the United States. The fourth part is a detailed analysis of the different presentations of Chinese and American heroism in the film from four aspects. The fifth part is to dissect the reasons for these differences, which is elaborated from three aspects. Finally, the conclusion.

2. Literature Review

Today's world has encountered more opportunities and challenges. If people encounter situations beyond their own ability to solve problems, they will have an unprecedented appeal to the savior. This is one of the reasons why hero films are constantly emerging and people are enthusiastically sought after those films. By watching the Chinese and American hero films, the audience's cognition of the concept of heroes and characters is also more profound. The phenomenon of heroic differences in Chinese and foreign movies has also drawn the attention of scholars all over the world. American scholar Rollins (2003) mentioned that in American movies, the heroes on the screen are lonely: they stand alone, do justice, resolve the crisis one after another, and in the end there is only a lonely figure. Kissinger once said, “Americans especially appreciate the cowboy who led the team and entered the village or town alone. He may not even have a pistol because he goes there not for fire” Dr. Kissinger’s words are very detailed in the respect of individualism in American culture, and this has also been sublimated in the film. The American superhero movie not only witnessed the development and history of the United States, but also continued the dream of the “heroes”in the hearts of Americans. Almost all films presented the theme of “rescue”. The heroic value of the film lies in not treating the hero with winning or losing, but the influence of a true leading figure who can also awaken the people around him and lead them to fight for freedom and democracy with independent consciousness and faith. Above all, Western scholars recognize and support this individual heroism.

Chinese scholar Qi Jin (2009) once mentioned that film is a significant part of modern culture and life. The various screen images of American hero films influence the development of world movies. The image of individual heroism, which is strongly revealed in the film, deeply reflects the personal values of Americans. On the one hand, this value promotes individuality and independence, and pursues justice and dignity; on the other hand, it also implies a conflict between the individual and the social order. This pursuit implies the contradiction between individual and social order and violence. This personal heroism value is fully demonstrated in the film and is labeled with American style. Individualism is a major part of American culture, and they advocate individual existence and development as well as freedom. The desire for heroism is due to their worries and fears about their living environment. This is the deep feeling of the unknown world and the crisis of survival, so we expect those who have absolutely good quality, and always give the most favorable support and protection at the most dangerous situation. Only the perfect combination of personal ideal and heroic quality does not exist in reality, so it is necessary to fiction a perfect image to give comfort to the soul. , Hu Lixin and Fang Yongjun (2006) also proposed that the individual heroism of the Americans is the emergence of a savior, and this savior carries the hope of world peace and the surrender of disaster. This is the embodiment of the Western cultural concept, the pursuit of personal happiness and freedom, and the hope of the emergence of the Savior to save the world. This kind of heroism in American is full of savior ideals for freedom and happiness. It also contains reflections on human beings, on democracy, on society, and on American cultural values.

Above all, Chinese scholars have a positive view of the individual heroism embodied in American hero films, and at the same time they combine Chinese unique thinking to analyze and think about them. However, due to social environment, history and other reasons, in fact, their researches on individual heroism are relatively simple. The film has shaped many American heroic figures. The thinking and exploration of individual heroism in the film should combine the views of scholars both in the Chinese and Western critics to analyze the different shapes of American films in different historical periods. Then we summarize the differences between Chinese and American heroes, and the conclusions drawn from them will also help us better understand the differences between Chinese and American cultures.

3. A Brief Introduction of Hheroism

According to the definition of Chinese vocabulary, a hero refers to a person who can be brave enough to be arrogant or a person who is selfless, self-defeating, hard-working, heroic and admirable for the benefit of the people.

For heroism, the definition of Ci Hai is: the heroic, tenacious and self-sacrificing spirit and behavior that is actively demonstrated to accomplish a mission of great significance. The heroism that is most often used for comparison in research is collective heroism and individual heroism. Collective heroism refers to sacrificing oneself and creating values and interests for the team. Chinese heroism is a typical example of collective heroism. However, Individual heroism is different from collective heroism. It is a comprehensive manifestation of individualism, adventurism, liberalism and anarchism in social practice. American heroism is a typical example of individual heroism.

3.1 Chinese heroism

Chinese culture which has experienced a long history lays emphasis on collecting the power of all people to do important things. Generally speaking, Chinese heroism is to win glory for the masses and the country, and the so-called "sacrifice of the ego, obey the overall situation." Most people with heroic behavior have many good qualities, or his character is perfect. Chinese heroes are usually loyal, protect the country and the people, respect the trustworthiness, and advocate morality. Heroes often bear the responsibility of the nation and the family and will not consider it for their own benefit. They think that the family is not only family members but also the public and the country. Chinese heroism has a strong collective heroism style. From ancient times to the present, the heroism advocated by Chinese culture has never been too focused on heroes alone, but to combine the wisdom and strength of everyone to work together. Therefore, this strong national responsibility is different from the traditional cognition of Americans.

3.2 American heroism

The Western belief in heroism is that as long as you think of "justice," whether you are legal or not, you can only achieve personal value. In the process of heroic activities, heroes focus on spiritual liberation and human rights requirements. In their hearts, personal interests are the first, they fight for the country, and also fight for freedom, love and friendship. Compared with the Chinese who care about the nation ,the term “individualism” represents the American people are more concerned with the health and happiness of the individual. In the United States, “civilian heroes” are a long-lasting trend, and everyone can be a hero, even though each person has different criteria for judging heroes. At present, the most widely known way to lead this trend is the Hollywood-based film industry. On the big screen, we can feel the charm of these heroes more intuitively and profoundly. For example, in recent years, the Marvel series movies are popular, The Avenger 4, which has already been finalized, has become the champion of China's imported box office. Meanwhile, in recent years, Chinese films have also made progress in promoting heroism which can even be called success. Chinese films have their own unique achievements and roles in promoting heroism. Therefore, this thesis uses the film as a material to explore the collision between different cultures in China and the United States.

Differences between Chinese and American heroism in movies

4.1 Differences in heroes’ origin

Captain America’s real name is Steve Rogers, an American youth who was experimented with being transformed into a “super soldier” His prominent military exploits in World War II were often seen as a symbol of the American spirit. At the beginning of the movie, Captain America was just a thin and short American youth. Compared with his friend Bucky, he was simply weak, but he had a heart to serve the country and the people, so he chose to participate in the super soldier's experiment, injecting serum into his body, finally he achieved the most perfect body. Then, he began to receive physical and tactical training to make himself stronger. But at the beginning, the military did not value his ability. They just let him tour around as a mascot to boost morale. He even be used as a tool to recruit new soldiers and soon become a spokesperson for the US military. However, he did the job well instead of choosing to complain about it. Until one time knowing that his friend Bucky was in danger, Steve went alone to the Nazi camp to rescue his friend and other comrades. When Steve returned to the camp with his team, the soldiers welcomed him, and he began to embark on the path of the real Captain America.

Spider-man's real name is Peter Benjamin Parker, an ordinary high school student living in Queens, New York, USA. He was bitten by a spider that was once irradiated and soon gained super power. He was bitten by a radiation-infected spider and acquired the superpower .Then he became Spider-Man to guard the city. Peter was originally a young man who lacked confidence and was lonely. After being bitten by a spider, he did not have the consciousness of becoming a superhero until his uncle was shot by a thief he did not catch. He felt regretful and finally knew the meaning of “with great power comes great responsibility”. In the end he became a hero to fight against criminals everywhere.