Abstract：The American movie Kung Fu Panda, popular around the world, contains many elements of the traditional Chinese culture; on the other hand, since it was produced in the United States, it inevitably contains many American values, making it a strange combination of Chinese forms and American values. In this thesis, the author attempts to analyze the American Values and Chinese Elements in Kung Fu Panda, such as Chinese Kung Fu, traditional Chinese lifestyle and American dream. Also the paper attempts to compare Chinese collectivism with American inpidualism to contextual the values embodied in the film. In conclusion, the paper argues that the commercial success of Kung Fu Panda is justifiable, with its thorough knowledge of true Chinese culture in spite of its hidden American values.
Key words: Kung Fu Panda; Chinese elements; American values
论功夫熊猫中的中国元素下的美国价值观
摘 要：美国电影《功夫熊猫》风靡全球，影片中包含了许多中国传统文化的元素。然而，由于它是美国制作的，就不可避免地包含着许多美国价值观，这使它成为中国形式和美国价值观的奇怪结合。本文试图分析《功夫熊猫》中体现的美国价值观和中国传统元素。例如，中国传统功夫，中国传统的生活方式和美国梦。作者还试图比较中国的集体主义和美国的个人主义，以此来分析功夫熊猫电影中体现的关于集体主义和个人主义的价值观。为什么功夫熊猫这一以中国传统元素为主题的电影能被美国拍出并风靡全球呢？最后，作者想要告诉我们，我们非常有必要从这部影片中吸取经验。我们应该在弘扬中华民族的传统文化的同时，吸收其他国家的文化成就，使我们的中华文化向世界展现其独特的光彩。
关键词：《功夫熊猫》；中国元素；美国价值观
Contents
1.Introduction 1
2.Traditional Chinese Elements in Kung fu Panda 2
2.1 Chinese Characterization 2
2.2Traditional Chinese Elements 3
2.2.1 Kung fu 3
2.2.2 Dragon 3
2.3 Traditional Chinese Lifestyle 4
3.Themes of Kung fu Panda-American Values 5
3.1 Reflection of Inpidualistic Heroism in Kung fu Panda 5
3.2 American Dream 5
4.Comparison between Chinese Collectivism and American Inpidualism 7
5. Conclusion 9
References 11
1. Introduction
Kung Fu Panda has become a popular phrase in recent years. Back in 2008, Kung Fu Panda achieved an unprecedented success across the world. It attracted the attention of global audiences by its extensive use of Chinese elements. The director John Stevenson himself is a fan of Chinese culture and Kung Fu and he said Kung Fu Panda is a love letter dedicated to China (Guo 2012:3). However, beneath the obvious Chinese appearance, there embedded the profound American values which remain as the eternal theme of all Hollywood movies.
The story is about a lovely panda named Po. Growing up in a noodle shop run by his father, Po is supposed to inherit the shop and to be a cook like all his ancestors. However, his real passion is for Kung Fu. As a Kung Fu fanatic, he dreams of fighting next to his idols “the Furious Five” – Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Mantis, and Viper – five Kung Fu masters trained by Master Shifu to guard their home – the Valley of Peace. One day, the ancient Master Oogway prophesies that the Kung Fu traitor Tai Lung will break out of prison and return to the valley to take revenge for being denied the Dragon Scroll, which is said to hold the secret of limitless power. Quite dramatically, Po is chosen as the Dragon Warrior who is entitled to see the Dragon Scroll and is the only one that can defeat Tai Lung. At first, Shifu and the Furious Five refuse to accept such an obese and clumsy panda who knows nothing about Kung Fu as the Dragon Warrior. However, Tai Lung is on the loose, and Oogway persuades Shifu to train Po before his ascension. Because of Shifu’s effective teaching method and his own hard work, Po makes amazingly rapid progress and is ready to receive the Dragon Scroll. But to everyone’s surprise, the scroll is totally blank. Fortunately, Po gains insight from his father’s words which makes him understand that the secret of the Dragon Scroll is to believe in oneself, and he uses it to defeat Tai Lung in the end. 论功夫熊猫中的中国元素下的美国价值观:http://www.chuibin.com/yingyu/lunwen_206638.html