A Study of the Image Differences Between Chinese Traditional Hua Mulan and Disney Mulan from the Perspective of Cultural Values_英语论文

摘要

魏晋南北朝时期的一首《木兰辞》让一个保家卫国，恪守孝道的女性形象跃然纸上，随后的1500多年里，人们对这一家喻户晓的形象进行了多样性的塑造与多角度的理解，其中不乏诗歌等文学创作形式，也有戏剧将其搬上舞台。随着科学技术日新月异，大众媒介在文化传播中扮演的角色日益突出，影视作品成为传播文化的重要载体。美国迪士尼动画公司于1998年将木兰替父从军的故事改编成了动画，赋予了花木兰美国特有的文化元素。在其大获成功的同时，中美花木兰形象差异引起热议，人们对木兰形象的解读也更加多元化。

本文从外貌，行为准则，子女关系与爱情观等四个方面对中美花木兰进行了对比研究，进一步让读者对中美花木兰形象有更为全面的理解，同时分别分析了塑造中美花木兰的典型的文化价值观，从而展现了中美花木兰的的形象差异并揭示了造成差异的深层原因。

本文可分为三个部分，第一部分对花木兰的历史传说以及迪士尼的改编电影进行了简要介绍。第二部分从四个方面对中美花木兰形象差异进行了对比分析。第三部分得出结论，点明本文主题。 

关键词：花木兰；差异性对比；文化价值观；跨文化交流

Abstract

The story of Hua Mulan, a legendary woman warrior in ancient China, is originally recorded in The Ballad of Mulan in Northern and Southern Dynasties. The poem has shaped a heroine image who sticks to both filial piety and patriotic loyalty. However, Disney’s adaption in 1998, the film Mulan, has reshaped Chinese Hua Mulan into a girl tinted with American colors and made self-realization its main theme.

This paper conducts a comparative study of the image differences between Chinese traditional Hua Mulan and Disney Mulan in terms of physical appearance, moral norms, parent-child relations and love concept in order to present the image of Hua Mulan in a more comprehensive way. Meanwhile, it explores the deep reasons of the differences from the perspective of cultural values and thereby further demonstrates the theme of this paper: Although both Chinese traditional Hua Mulan and Disney Mulan originate from the same legend, there are distinct differences existing between them. Apparently, cultural values play a significant role in causing the differences between the two versions of Hua Mulan.

This paper can be divided into three parts. The introduction part provides the background information of both Chinese traditional Hua Mulan and Disney Mulan. The demonstration part discusses the differences between the two versions of Hua Mulan in four aspects and points out the reasons from the perspective of cultural values. The third part gives a brief summary of the differences and the causes.

Key words：Hua Mulan, image differences, cultural values, cross-cultural communication

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Demonstration 2

2.1 Historical Legend of Hua Mulan 2

2.2 Disney’s Adaption of the Legend 3

2.3 Image Differences between Traditional Chinese Hua Mulan and Disney Mulan 4

2.3.1 Differences in Physical Appearance 4

2.3.1 .1 Traditional Chinese Hua Mulan——Typical Oriental Beauty 4

2.3.1.2 Disney Mulan——A Westernized Oriental Beauty 5

2.3.2 Differences in Moral Norms 6

2.3.2.1 Traditional Chinese Hua Mulan——Being state and family oriented 6

2.3.2.2 Disney Mulan——Being self-fulfillment centered 7

2.3.3 Differences in Parent-child Relations 7

2.3.3.1 Chinese Traditional Hua Mulan——Obligatory Love Implied in Xiaodao 8

2.3.3.2 Disney Mulan——Reciprocal Love as the Replacement of Xiaodao 8

2.3.4 Differences in Attitudes towards Love 9

2.3.4.1 Traditional Chinese Hua Mulan——Love under national interests 9

2.3.4.2 Disney Mulan——Love above Everything 10

2.4 Analysis of the Causes from the Perspective of Cultural Values 10

2.4.1 Hua Mulan and its Shaping Values Embodied in Chinese Cultures 11

2.4.1.2 High Power Distance 11

2.4.1.3 Feudal Doctrines 12

2.4.2 Disney Mulan and its Shaping Values Embodied in American Cultures 12

2.4.2.1 Individualism 12

2.4.2.2 Low Power Distance 13

2.4.2.3 High Masculinity 13

3. Conclusion 13

Notes 15

Works Cited 16

Bibliography 17