It is adapted from the story of Yu Rang, an assassin, recorded in Historical Records of Sima Qian. Masterpieces, famous directors and famous performances have become a great event of Pengcheng culture for a time. Since the opening of the drama in Beijing, the response from all walks of life has been extremely enthusiastic, which has also aroused the audience's attention to the long-lost assassin culture.
Is the heartless stab a hero
The story of The Assassin took place in 453 BC, when Zhi Bo, the minister of the State of Jin, set out to attack Zhao, clearing the way for his ambition to replace Jin Jun. Unexpectedly, he was killed by Zhao Xiangzi. In order to avenge his master, Yu Rang, a public figure in Zhi Bo, pretended to be an assassin and was caught by accident. Zhao Xiangzi felt his loyalty, let Yu Rang go, and stayed away from him. Yu Rang approached Zhao Xiangzi with disfigurement and self-mutilation, hoping to get an opportunity to assassinate him. Eventually, he failed again. After pleading with Zhao Xiangzi to take off his robe and let him stab him three times, he left the rhetoric that "a scholar dies for his bosom friend, and a woman is pleasing to himself" and died generously.
Records of the Historian is called "the swan song of historians, leaving Sao without rhyme" by Lu Xun, and it is the pinnacle of China's combination of historiography and literature. When Sima Qian wrote about Yu Rang, his reverence was beyond words. According to his records, on the day of Yu Rang's death, Zhao Zhishi cried for it, which shows that Yu Rang's behavior and boldness of vision touched many people at that time.
when the historical theme is put on the modern stage, it is no longer a simple historical reappearance, but embodies the creator's cognition of history and his reflection on modernity. In an interview with reporters, director Lin Zhaohua said: "Although The Assassin is a costume drama, it has a brand-new historical view and expression. If it is simply repeated, I will feel boring. " Lin Zhaohua said that when he directed artistic creation, he wanted to look at history from another angle and express some attitudes towards history through the play.
He Bing mixed some unconventional performances when he played Yu Rang. He thought that Yu Rang was full of paradoxes. "His life seems to be valuable, but in fact it is of little significance. Yu Rang lived for moral norms, and his hero's performance lies in paranoia and nervousness, and in inhuman revenge. "
In order to repay him, he spared no expense to assassinate Mingjun several times. Is Yu Rang a hero after all? This is the reflection left by the drama "Assassin" to the audience.
Assassin culture has a long history
Han Feizi once said, "Confucianism violates the law by writing, while chivalrous people violate the ban by using force." The latter sentence shows that chivalrous people rely on force to fight against social order. Martial arts alone may not be called chivalrous, but you have to use force against others across the order. From another perspective, it can also be said to be violence. An assassin is a man who uses violence. A chivalrous man who defends righteousness to assassinate becomes an assassin, such as Jing Ke, so the assassin culture can also be called chivalrous culture. Scholars of all ages dream of chivalry, and literature loves chivalry, because chivalry has the temperament of "righteousness" and is not violent.
chivalrous spirit is the oldest inheritance of traditional culture in China. From pre-Qin to modern society, the legendary story of chivalrous man has always been talked about by people, and chivalrous spirit has different interpretations in historical development.
From praising loyalty to defending justice
According to Records of the Historian, chivalry originated in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, belonging to the special class of "scholars", and most of them were attached to nobles. They are also called doormen or diners because they are dependent on others. They can move freely between vassal States and find a master who is suitable for their loyalty, and they are not bound by the system. It was a fashion to raise "scholars" in the pre-Qin period. For example, the "Four Childes of Warring States", namely Meng Changjun of Qi, Xinling Jun of Wei, Ping Yuanjun of Zhao and Chun Shenjun of Chu, were once world-famous leading figures. In the story of "scholars" serving the master, it is particularly prominent to reflect their loyalty and loyalty, and to sacrifice their lives to defend the interests of the master, which is often praised by later generations. Lin Xiangru, the protagonist in the story of "Returning to Zhao in one piece", was originally a guest of Miao Xian, the eunuch of Zhao. He once held the king of Qin hostage at the banquet of the gathering of the king of Zhao and the king of Qin, and wanted to die with him. The five assassins described in Historical Records Biography of Assassins are also warriors of this type.
since the Tang dynasty, chivalrous men have moved from historical truth to literary fiction such as novels and poems, and they have completely lost their historicity and become the dream of literati. In the history of feudal society in China, the Tang Dynasty reached a peak in all aspects, and its chivalrous culture was also extremely developed. Li Bai, a great poet, once described himself as a chivalrous man in his poems, and Du Fu also described the deeds of chivalrous men in their poems.
some scholars believe that the purpose of chivalry in the Tang dynasty is to uphold justice. The chivalrous men in the Tang Dynasty were unruly, vicious as enemies, and walked the rivers and lakes, relying on courage and strength to eradicate evil and safeguard the so-called "justice" of the world. Their behavior is reflected in the battle against the evil forces. The chivalrous spirit of the Tang dynasty is pinned on the people's desire to be aggrieved by themselves. The famous works describing chivalrous men in Tang legends include The Red Line, Biography of the Campus Guest, Nie Yinniang, Kunlun Slave and so on. Li Deyu, a Tang Dynasty man, said, "A chivalrous man can't stand without righteousness, and righteousness can't stand without chivalry." The combination of chivalry and righteousness is the characteristic of chivalrous spirit in Tang Dynasty.
From wandering in the Jianghu to government restriction
The chivalrous complex of Song people became very weak. Some people say that the literati in the Song Dynasty no longer admired the heroes like the Tang Dynasty, and the heroic images at this stage mostly appeared in the storytellers' fables. They lost the mystery of the chivalrous images in the Tang Dynasty and entrusted them with a stronger sense of moral preaching. The reason has something to do with the prosperity of Neo-Confucianism in Cheng and Zhu in Song Dynasty and the rulers' policy of respecting literature and despising martial arts. Neo-Confucianism requires people to abide by the system of "three cardinal guides and five permanents", and the behavior of chivalry will be somewhat opposed to the legal order, and people's desire to be a knight-errant will be suppressed; Moreover, the emperors of the Song Dynasty did not like military commanders, and only promoted civil servants without paying attention to martial arts, so literati no longer had to dream of chivalrous men like the Tang Dynasty.
The heroes created by literati in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties highlight the quality of "attaching importance to loyalty", such as the savage hero in the Water Margin play and Guan Yu in the Three Kingdoms play, which have always been loved by people. "Righteousness" is still the eternal temple in the hearts of literati, and their heroes' call for "righteousness" enriches the chivalrous spirit of the Tang people.
Chivalrous novels and case-solving novels in the Qing Dynasty merged, and chivalrous people no longer walked the rivers and lakes, but took refuge in the government. For example, Lu Xun said: "All these works are intended to tell brave men, March in villages and cities, eliminate violence, and make contributions to the country, but they must take a minister as the center and always lead all the heroes. Bao Zheng is the author of Three Heroes and Five Righteousnesses." Zhan Zhao, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, Dynasty and Mahan in "Three Heroes and Five Righteousness" represent the spiritual images of chivalrous men in Qing Dynasty. Their personality has undergone a qualitative change, and their individuality has disappeared. They are bound by the government system, subject to absolute monarchy, and the monarchy is supreme.
Modern chivalry is in the ascendant
The image of chivalry is also the favorite material of contemporary writers, and the chivalrous spirit of modern consciousness is reflected in the chivalrous novels of Jin Yong, Liang Yusheng and Gu Long. Some scholars believe that the "righteousness" in Jin Yong's novels is a return to traditional culture and moral ideals, which re-embodies Sima Qian's interpretation of the spirit of "chivalry" and gives him romantic feelings such as "chivalrous tenderness".
In Sima Qian's view, it is chivalrous to keep one's word, honor one's promise, act decisively, and spare one's life to save others, instead of taking credit for it. This kind of "righteousness" is not a friend's loyalty, but a manifestation of justice. In Jin Yong's works, it is even sublimated to the height of "being a great man and serving the country and the people".
Since Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won four Oscars, it has triggered a new wave of martial arts movies in Chinese. Among the martial arts movies in mainland China, Chen Kaige's "Jing Ke Stabbed the King of Qin" and Zhang Yimou's "Hero" are really influential and related to assassins. In these two "Martial Arts Masterpieces" directed by the fifth generation, the assassins they depict all express the creators' own understanding of chivalry, especially Hero, which has created an unprecedented box office record for China films. However, while being popular, their simplified understanding of the narrow spirit and their defense of tyrants are also criticized by the audience.
Some people say that chivalry is an important component of China culture, which is not inferior to chivalry in western culture. Looking back on the costume dramas about assassins in recent years, we seldom look at the chivalrous spirit in an enlarged way, but mostly shape the chivalrous behavior into the intrigue of the court coup, which drowns the cultural connotation of "righteousness". This time, the creators of The Assassin told the traditional chivalrous story with the values of modern people, and gave a new explanation to "A scholar dies for his bosom friend". This makes us wonder about the significance, evolution and trend of chivalrous culture with a long history.
★ Related links ★
Biography of Assassins, a famous assassin in China's ancient books: Cao Mo, Zhuan Zhu, Yu Rang, Nie Zheng, Jing Ke and Gao Jianli
recorded assassins' deeds in Biography of Assassins. Sima Qian tells the story of five assassins in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. They are Cao Mo of Lu, Zhuan Zhu of Wu, Yu Rang of Zhao, Nie Zheng of Wei and Jing Ke of Yan. Cao Mo hijacked Qi Huangong to return the invaded land of Lu. Zhuan Zhu of Wu assassinated Wu Wangliao for Wu Gongzi, who was He Lv, and his love story with Xi Shi has been passed down to this day. Nie Zheng reported Yan Zhongzi's gratitude for killing Han Xia. Jing Ke stabbed the king of Qin for Yanzi Dan, and his friend Gao Jianli avenged him and also took the road to assassinate the king of Qin. The story of Gao Jianli's attack on the building became a sad song of famous people in history. The story of Jing Ke stabbing Qin has been adapted into film and television dramas for many times. Lv's Spring and Autumn Annals: Leave
and leave He Lv, the king of Wu, to defend the country and assassinate Qing Ji, the son of former king Liao. Leave the use of risks, pretend to compete with the prince of Wu, and then break your arm and go to Weiguo to go to Qing Ji. The king of Wu killed his wife at home and spread the news to the country of Wei. Qing Ji was so convinced of leaving that he regarded him as a confidant. Qing Ji went to the State of Wu, and left with him. They drank at the bow and tried to assassinate Qing Ji when they were drunk. The left and right guards wanted to kill and leave, so Qing Ji regarded them as warriors and released them. After leaving home, I will not accept the official gift from the king of Wu and commit suicide in the temple. Zuo zhuan:?
Jin warrior? The story of Nao's automatic abandonment of assassination is also widely told. Jin Linggong, the monarch of the State of Jin, was dissolute and heartless, and imposed heavy taxes, and people's resentment was boiling. Zhao Dun, the prime minister, repeatedly remonstrated with Jin Linggong, and Jin Linggong and Tu'an Gu, the minister, designed the murder of Zhao Dun. Tu'an Gu sent a retainer? Go to assassinate. ? After sneaking into Zhao Dun's home in the early hours of the morning, I saw Zhao Dun dressed neatly, sitting up with water, waiting for the court, and I was secretly admired. I couldn't bear to assassinate such a loyal minister, so I told Zhao Dun about the plot of Jin Linggong, and then I touched the locust tree and died. Based on this, the Yuan Dynasty wrote the famous drama Orphan of Zhao Shi, which was later adapted and transplanted many times, including the Peking People's Art Drama Edition and Henan Henan Henan Opera Edition, Saving the Orphan by Cheng Ying. The Legend of the Red Line in the Tang Dynasty: The Red Line
The red line is the image of the famous female Xia in the Tang Dynasty. Born in an official family during the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, an old nun took a fancy to it when she was five years old, and she learned eighteen martial arts. At that time, the Tang Dynasty captaincy held political power, each was king, and the rebellion was complicated. General Tian Chengsi wants to occupy Luzhou. The red line helped Xue Han, our envoy in Luzhou, to quell the upcoming war. She sneaked into Tian Chengsi's bedroom, without assassination, but stole his treasure box to warn Tian Chengsi that it would be easy to take his head in case of war, forcing Tian Chengsi to finally give up the idea of fighting. Three chivalrous men and five meanings: Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang
Three chivalrous men and five meanings is a chivalrous novel widely circulated among the people in Qing Dynasty. It tells the story of the chivalrous man assisting the upright official Bao Zheng to eradicate evil and safeguard justice. During Song Renzong's reign, the drought in Chen Zhou, Henan Province was severe, and Bao Zheng was ordered by the emperor to release grain for disaster relief in Chen Zhou. Pang Yu, a bully in Chen Zhou, used himself as a prince's maternal uncle to send someone to assassinate Bao's adult. Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang, and Yan Zituo, an old hermit, secretly protected and helped Bao's adult, so that Bao's adult could kill his uncle and get rid of violence. His stories are the most adapted themes of costume dramas in modern times, such as Bao Qingtian, Zhan Zhao, Chivalrous and Sentimental, etc.