Unpacking adaptations of Chinese Traditional folklore in contemporary Chinese commercial Cinema: The Investiture of the Gods in Ne Zha (2019), Jiang Ziya (2020), and Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2023)

While there is a growing trend for Chinese cinema to increase and strengthen their ideological positioning of Confucian Culture to promote the core values of Chinese socialism, we have identified a trend in recent commercial orientated films that minimize the Confucian values when adapting ancient Chinese folklore for popular consumption. Through a comparative analysis, this paper will trace out our initial findings into three recently released top 100 Box Office films Ne Zha (2019), Jiang Ziya (2020), and Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2023) that are adaptations of the 16th century novel Investiture of the Gods by Xu Zhonglin. The study applies two theoretical frameworks from adaptation studies, fidelity and the invocation of audiences and applies discourse analysis to examine dialogue in the form of iconic quotes that expresses the folkloric.

Iconic quotes are memorable lines from films that resonate with audiences and often gain traction on social media networks. Frequently, these quotes encapsulate the central theme of the story and are prominently featured during the climactic scene, typically when the protagonist is at the life-or-death moment confronting the antagonist. Moreover, iconic quotes are closely related to the taglines used in promotional posters and other marketing materials. By comparing the iconic quotes from three films with their original source texts, this paper will invest into what aspects of the original folklore are deleted or altered in the adaptation process, and why such modifications may lead to a dilution or alteration of the Chinese cultural essence within the narrative.