What kind of core values does The Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan convey?

The heroine of the play, Zhen Huan, was originally pure in nature and indifferent in her dealings. (web photo) Yan Dan "Legend of Zhen Huan" in mainland China has been popular for half a year, and recently came out to enter the U.S. market news, a time on the network has caused a furor, people's comments are mixed. The director of the drama, Zheng Xiaolong, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), had this response, saying that "Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan" is popular because it conveys the right core values. So, what kind of values are conveyed by this movie and TV drama with high ratings? We may as well find the answer from the storyline of the drama and the connotation that the director wishes to show. The Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan" is based on the royal life of the Qing Dynasty, depicting how the fifth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Yongzheng, handled the imperial affairs and how he lived with his concubines in the harem. In the 76 episodes, 70 percent of the plot development depicts the emperor's struggle for power and his emotional entanglements with the concubines in the harem. With one of the concubines, Zhen Huan, as the central character, the drama unfolds a series of episodes in which the concubines compete with each other for honor and status, and engage in deceit, and play power games and plot against each other's lives for the sake of their own self-interests. From beginning to end, the word "struggle" becomes the main thread running through the palace life. The director brings his imagination and artistry to its fullest extent, showing us a dim king who kills and maims his opponents because of his obsession with the throne, a dim king who ignores the government because of his obsession with women, as well as many sad women who are dependent on the dim king and who do everything they can to gain favor. However, this is the story that has become the most watched movie and television program on all TV stations. Zhen Huan, the heroine of the play, was originally pure in nature and indifferent in her dealings. Focus on virtue, and people are good to her from the beginning of the emperor's favorite, however, is such a good nature of the woman in the palace infighting can not be alone, and ultimately can not escape the fate, into a variety of power and glory and favor triggered by the struggle and can not extricate themselves. "Can't you live without fighting?" This sentence is precisely Zhen Huan on the palace life is full of struggle and killing and maiming of boredom and helplessness. Although she instinctively do not want to fight, but in order to survive, in order to protect themselves, she must step by step, continue to fight endlessly. Witnessing such a "Zhen Huan", the audience in love with the actress playing the role, but also unconsciously fall into a logic: for women, virtue and temperament is not important, as long as you can play the heart, know how to scheme, hard work, good at fighting, you can achieve vested interests, to meet the pursuit of material goods, with the surface of the success. However, looking through the history books, it is not difficult to find that the history of the Yongzheng Emperor is not living in the power struggle all day long, and he has always been diligent in the government and the world of the countryside, which advocates Buddhism. The concubines in his harem were mostly talented women of noble birth, outstanding virtues, gentle and virtuous, and not as jealous and paranoid as depicted in the TV series, or even vicious and sinister, taking "struggle" as the whole of their lives. The fabrication of TV dramas is only according to certain needs to show the director's intention and ideas, not to restore the historical reality. In today's movie and television market, which only depends on the ratings, the director's real idea is just to cater to the public and get closer to the reality. To a certain extent, the director's pandering is just to satisfy the hunger of those who want to learn the "philosophy of struggle". The answer can be found by looking back at the past. "Fighting with the sky, fighting with the earth, the joy of it is endless" is probably not unfamiliar to Chinese people who experienced the Cultural Revolution, and it is the best true portrayal of the values of the Maoist era, which was characterized by 10 years of catastrophe and a thrilling "struggle". The thrilling "struggle" that took place during the 10 years of the Shoah still leaves a tattered memory in people's hearts. Although the traumas suffered by the people have gradually been smoothed out and faded with the passage of time, the evil spiritual venom of the Cultural Revolution has long seeped into the bone marrow of the Chinese land. Relationships between people began to change in nature, and the spirit of strife continued to spread and grow. Even in a small group setting, "being modest and courteous" would be ridiculed as "foolishness," and "staying away from fighting" would be interpreted as "weakness and incompetence. weakness and incompetence". As a result, this "philosophy of struggle" has become a subtle survival value for the Chinese people. For Americans, who are founded on the spirit and connotation of Christianity, and who yearn for freedom and equality, such a logic is bound to be contrary to their universal values, and is very likely to produce ideological conflicts and contradictions. For the TV series in the fabrication of the "palace infighting", Americans are afraid that jaw-dropping, difficult to understand, and even for the royal family every day staged such a "horror movie" and saddened. No wonder the network has been responded to say: "Legend of Zhen Huan" to go abroad, Americans can understand? China's history is long and profound. To be pleasing and submissive, we must show the noble spirit and sentiment of the Chinese people. If the whole picture and style of the Qing dynasty royalty is shown only through gorgeous costumes, imposing palace exteriors, and retro scripted lines, I am afraid that the result will either be superficial, pompous and shallow, or the world will have misunderstandings and doubts about this kind of fabricated history. It is said that when director Zheng Xiaolong drafted a contract with an American company, the other party indicated that the Legend of Zhen Huan would have to be edited into six TV movies before it could be released. I don't know if the 76 episodes of Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan, which has yet to be interpreted, can be transformed into a "condensed version of the essence", so that Chinese Americans or Native Americans will have the honor of opening the door to the essence of traditional Chinese culture. I am afraid that such a clip is not like the "China National Propaganda Film" that was unveiled in Times Square, New York, although "bright" for a while, but soon cold, only "flash in the pan" only.