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Chinese cinema is hard to define and is usually characterised broadly into language and location. Yet, in modern times, the rise of globalisation in Chinese films raises the question of what actually constitutes Chinese cinematography and where does its true essence actually lie. To answer that, it is easy to look at its cliché – the wuxia genre. Popularised during the 1960s by Hong Kong, its influence spreads and continuously multiplies with the help of globalisation. What draws the audience to wuxia is its brilliant choreographed fighting sequence and the journey the hero embarks on. More importantly, wuxia preaches various Confucian beliefs, which forms the basis for the traditional values for the Chinese. It is these values that constantly appears in wuxia and Kung Fu films that define and determines the movie as a Chinese film. Even in Hollywood produced martial art films, these values are not lost.

John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow, although a more modern take on the wuxia genre, with its fantastical representation of the elaborate gun fighting and plot about a gangster who is trying to turn over a new leaf, is a prime example of the prevalence and relevance of the Chinese values even though the film is set in a modern time, a place outside of China and uses Cantonese instead. John Woo’s choice of setting the story with the use of the triad was also extremely effective because much like the triads, the jianghu members are also seen as social outcast, mobsters of the ‘underworld’. The Chinese title, yingxiongbense, which translated means “True Colours of a Hero” also portrays the triad boss Ho and Mark as heroes as well, just like the jianghu members were for the common folk. Hence, while it is hard to define a Chinese film, however, it is from the values that Confucianism teach, the quintessential ideals of the importance of family, respect for loyalty and the importance of brotherhood that together forms the true essence of a Chinese film, which have been indoctrinated and instilled in them and in their society.

The role and importance of the family is an extremely important aspect of Chinese culture, especially the principal of filial piety which is the respect for one’s elders and is no doubt central to the plot of the story as well.  In Chinese culture, the family unit is seen as an important aspect in society – good families would result in a harmonious society. Likewise in the movie, one of the most central conflict is the sour relationship between Ho and Kit and thus, Ho and even Jackie continuously tries to mend the familial ties they have.  Before the death of their father, he had asked  

Figure 1 : Agreeing to quit

Figure 2:Last words

both Kit and Ho to promise him something, to leave the gang and to forgive the other, as seen in Figure 1 and 2. Yet, being unable to tear himself away from the triad and his inability to forgive Ho, both brothers end up being in conflict for the majority of the film because they disobeyed their father’s advice. Their relationship begins to affect the entire family especially the newest member, Jackie, Kit’s new wife. As seen in Figure 3, the constant disunity between the 2 brothers resulted in

Figure 3: Jackie's plea

an emotional toll on Jackie as well, who went to Ho, begging him to leave Hong Kong so that the quarrel between both brothers would end. Thus, the continuous bad relations between both brothers is the result of their disobedience of their father’s instruction. Furthermore, as per the bad relationship within Ho’s family, likewise, the society we are presented reflects that same disharmony – the triad and the bad relationship that Shing has with Mark and Ho. Only at the end of the film when the both brothers reunited and forgave one another, was all society then peaceful again, Shing gets caught and the money counterfeit business stops as well.

Another important aspect of the traditional Chinese principles and values that Hong Kong in the 1980s still retain was loyalty which is extremely necessary and vital in both the jianghu and triad. Loyalty of zhong, in Chinese, is one of the ethics that Confucianism teaches as well which honours the importance of the subservience of the follower and the responsibility of the master to take charge. In the film, loyalty is exemplified in the triad especially with regards to Shing.  Throughout the entire film, Shing has been betraying the loyalty of everyone around him yet, we only find out about it near the end of the film (Figure 4). When Shing was first introduced, he was just one of Ho’s

Figure 4: Shing's confession

 henchmen. His first betrayal was when he left Ho to give himself up to the police alone as seen in Figure 5.  In contrast with Mark’s escape in Figure 6, while Shing left Ho alone to fend for himself,

Figure 5: Shing's escape

Figure 6: Mark's escape

Mark came back to help Ho instead, solidifying their loyalty to one another. Subsequently, Shing takes over the triad and even kills Mr Yiu before he met Ho, and Mark during their final battle. Thus, Shing’s continuous choice to betray goes against the ethics of Chinese tradition, branding him as the evil antagonist. Therefore, his culmination of betrayals ultimately causes his death as he loses the brotherhood within the triad that would have protected him. Hence, it is because of Shing’s own greed, he willingly betrays the people around him in order to gain more power, leading to his downfall, like the typical wuxia stories.

The brotherhood between Mark and Ho, and Ho and Kit display 2 kinds of brotherhoods that the Chinese hold in importance – the bond between brothers and the bond between friends. In the film, there is much technique employed to portray and show the closeness they have. Both pairs are constantly in 2 shots, as compared with a shot they shoot with any other character.

Figure 7:2 shot of Ho and Mark

As show in Figure 7, the 2 shots help to frame both as brothers, conveying the sense of closeness between each other as compared to the other people out of the shot. Furthermore, the shot reverse shot is also used to convey that same emotion. As seen in Figures 8, 9 and 10, the film constantly use

Figure 8: Kit looks at Ho

Figure 9: Ho looks back

Figure 10: Realisation kicks in

a close-up shot reverse shot, allowing the audience to see the full reaction of each of the characters, in this case, after killing Shing, both brothers shared a short look, coupled with silence, signifying the end of their trouble after Shing’s death. Following that, they do share another identical moment which shows the helplessness they felt with the situation which Ho immediately takes the handcuff to cuff himself, asking Kit to take him to prison. Thus, the evidence of these 2 camera techniques helps the audience to derive the closeness of their relationship, the silent understanding that they have for one another.

Furthermore, the way they treat one another also shows the brotherhood they have. As

Figure 11

Figure 12

shown in Figure 11 and 12, Ho was threatening Shing against asking him to betray both his real brother, Kit and his good friend, Mark. The ambivalence of the word “brother” used here shows Ho’s loyalty to avenge either of his brother and the importance of the brotherhood he has with both of them. Additionally, this scene also foreshadows Shing’s death as he captures Kit and eventually killed Mark, which Ho then avenges by shooting him.   Thus, it is easy to see the importance of brotherhood in the story, the lengths that they will go for each other and how the camera works in favour to portray the kinship as well.

Yet, while A Better Tomorrow shows the inherent traditions and values that all Chinese people have instilled in them, it is paradoxical as well because whilst being part of the Chinese culture, the movie seeks to remove itself from it at the same time and create its own identity. As Tony Williams wrote, “Hong Kong is both Chinese and capitalist. It is a contradictory entity.” The result of their efforts is a conflicting and problematic combination of the traditional Chinese ideals together with the Western ideals which colonised Hong Kong was influenced with at that point in time. Thus, the film shows the disparity globalisation has with the Chinese values in terms of space and also in the way it has infiltrated the traditional values as well.

The city background and the triad themselves are stark contrast to what we would normally envision a Chinese mob would look like. Williams pointed out that “Woo engages in visual clashes involving space, place and spectacle influenced by classical Hollywood, French New Wave, Italian western traditions within a particular historical and cultural situation.” Likewise, in the film, the traditional idea of a Chinese gang or triad is not one decked out in “Mark gor’s” trench coats coupled with sunglasses and a cigarette to top it off. Instead, the visual representation of the triad resembles and mimics an Italian mafia. Moreover, the excessive use of black tops off the entire costume.

Figure 13: Triad's Clothing

Furthermore, a traditional Chinese triad operates underground, yet in Figure 13, we see that they operate in office buildings as well and their business is counterfeit money but not Hong Kong dollars, American dollars instead. The dichotomy of the relationship of a syndicate being able to find a place in the globalised economy reflects Hong Kong’s ability to transcend their Chinese traditions to fit that of the new world.  

Figure 14

Figure 15

Similarly, with the scene above, Mark looks nostalgically at Hong Kong’s night skyline and comments of the ephemeral beauty of the skyline, suggesting the amout of changes that Hong Kong will constantly go through as it manuevours itself in the new globalised world. Hence, like Hong Kong, while the view will always be available, yet it is ever-changing, much like how the Chinese are constantly adapting with Western traditions.

The co-existence of both Western and Chinese traditions in Hong Kong also causes leads to the infiltration of their beliefs. In Figure 16, Mark and Ho are both shown to be in a traditional Chinese temple. When Ho asks Mark if there is a god, he replies that he is ‘god’. He then goes on to

Figure 14: Mark's belief

explain that god is “human” and that anyone can be “god if he can control his life”. This belief reflects the Western ideal that the self is more important and that the individual is responsible for his own life, contrary to the beliefs of the Chinese. However, this proves to be ironic later as he is killed by Shing with a bullet to his head, proving the Chinese belief that this was his ming (fate) is still applicable to him. However, he does get a ‘reincarnation’ as Ken, Mark’s twin brother in the sequel of the show. This instance shows the infiltration of the Western ideals into the Chinese values, the notion of the self being more important proves to be conflicting as Mark was only killed because he came back for Ho. If he had escaped for himself, he would have survived, yet it is his other values of loyalty and brotherhood that kept him from escaping alone. Thus, the conflict in values proves to be fatal and shows the difficulty in melding both systems together.

All In all, the presence of traditional Chinese belief in the Cantonese, colonised society of Hong Kong shows that the Chinese values are existence and prevalent still in their society. While, it is hard to deny the effects of globalisation on the country, it is necessary to remember that the instilled values are hard to change, it forms the basis of the laws, the behaviour and the choices that the characters make and do in their everyday lives. Like is John Woo’s  A Better Tomorrow, the characters are also trying to navigate their lives in the new Hong Kong, this brave new world that retains and loses its culture at the same time. No doubt, it is a crisis, however, it is this very problem that creates the identity and reveals the struggles of the modern Chinese society. As audience, we have to remain aware that while the location of a film’s production or the language of it might change, however, if it contains the values inherent in the Chinese community, then it can be part of our culture.

References: 

Woo, John "A Better Tomorrow" (1986)

Williams, Tony. “Space, Place, and Spectacle: The Crisis Cinema of John Woo.” Cinema Journal, vol. 36, no. 2, 1997, pp. 67–84. http://www.jstor.org.ezlibproxy1.ntu.edu.sg/stable/1225775