中西方生死觀比較——以《紅高粱》和《尋夢環(huán)游記》為例

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1、 Contents Chinese Abstract 2 English Abstract 3 1. Introduction 4 1.1 Introduction of Red Sorghum 4 1.2 Introduction of Coco 4 1.3 Current Research and Accomplishment 5 2. Comparison and Contrast Between Chinese and Western Views of Life and Death 6 2.1 Differences Between Chinese and

2、 Western Views of Life and Death 6 2.1.1 Different Attitudes Towards Life 6 2.1.2 Different Attitudes Towards Death 7 2.2 Similarities Between Chinese and Western Views of Life and Death 8 2.2.1 Treating the Soul of a Deceased Person Sincerely 9 2.2.2 Attaching Importance to the Value and Happi

3、ness of Life 9 3. Reasons for Differences and Similarities Between Chinese and Western Views of Life and Death 10 4. Conclusion 11 References 13 1 中西方生死觀比較 ——以《紅高粱》和《尋夢環(huán)游記》為例 摘 要 生死觀是人們關(guān)于生死的根本觀點和看法，是一個民族、一個社會、一個國家價值觀最內(nèi)在、最深層的東西，也是倫理研究、哲學(xué)研究的永恒主題?！都t高粱》用“生”來體現(xiàn)中國文化觀念中理性、現(xiàn)實的，為了民族大義而犧牲的

4、勇敢無畏的生死觀；《尋夢環(huán)游記》更多是以“死”來體現(xiàn)重視當(dāng)下、直面死亡、尋求超越的生死觀。這樣的“生”與“死”背后蘊含的是中西方不同文化背景造成的不同的生死觀念。但兩者種價值觀也從真誠對待亡靈以及重視“生”的價值與幸福感等方面表明了二者的相似之處。 關(guān)鍵詞：生；死；文化背景 A Comparative Study of Chinese and Western Views of Life and Death ---A Case Study of Red Sorghum and Coc

5、o Abstract The concept of life and death is peoples fundamental viewpoint on life and death. It is the most intrinsic and deepest value of a nation, a society, and a country. It is also an eternal theme of ethical and philosophical research. Red Sorghum uses "life" to reflect Chinese rational an

6、d realistic view of life and death that advocates sacrificing for national justice. And Coco is more based on "death" to embody the views of life and death that attaches importance to the present, confronts death, and seeks transcendence. Behind such views of "life" and "death" are the different con

7、cepts of life and death caused by different Chinese and western cultural backgrounds. However, both of the concepts are similar in the aspects of treating the soul of a deceased person sincerely and attaching importance to the value and happiness of “l(fā)ife”. Key words: life; death; cultural bac

8、kgrounds 1. Introduction 1.1 Introduction of Red Sorghum The film is adapted from Mo Yans novel Red Sorghum by Zhang Yimou. Red Sorghum takes the Anti-Japanese war as the socal background, telling the story of men and women who ran a sorghum winery after twis

9、ts and turns and fought against the Japanese aggression war. Zhang Yimou talked about why he adapted this novel into his film debut, saying that the theme of Red Sorghum was to "to praise life through the shaping of personality ... and to praise the normal desire of life". It was the infection of

10、the impassioned life tone in the novel and the shock of the life impulse rendered by the novel that inspired his creative passion (周有朝, 1998). The story has a strong sense of life. Red Sorghum is a hymn to the Chinese nations publicity of the will of freedom. In the film, Grandfather is strong in

11、will, and Grandma is rash and hot. They live simply and straightforwardly. They dare to love and hate. Their combination in sorghum is a contempt for law and morality, a manifestation of the pursuit of the laws of natural life and the best expression of the vigor of life. More than 30 miscellaneous

12、teams led by Grandpa fight against the Japanese army, which is the embodiment of the original wild survival instinct. Grandpa and Grandma reflect the vitality of the Chinese nation who dare to love and hate, to live and die. In a word, the image of Red Sorghum is a symbol of natural life and a warm

13、tribute to the freedom of life. 1.2 Introduction of Coco Coco told the story of a young boy named Miguel who loved music. Despite his familys baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent,

14、 Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful world of the dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguels family history. The creation of the animated

15、 feature film Coco by Walt Disney Film Studios and Pixar Animation Studios is inspired by the Day of the dead, one of intangible cultural heritages, starting from October 31 each year. "People remember their loved ones during the festival of the dead, which has continued since the 16th century" (Bra

16、ndes, 1998(442):369). The Mexican people will start the nation to celebrate the Day of the dead to honor the soul of a deceased person of. This festival also fully reflects the strong cultural characteristics of the nation. As the film progresses, it makes viewers feel that death is no longer a terr

17、ible thing. In the film, the world of the dead is a skyscraper that shows the current situation in Mexico from top to bottom: the underdeveloped southern region, the prosperous central region, and the northern region where industrial industries are gathered, create a vertical structure of the world

18、of the dead. This is in contrast to the horizontal arrangement of the town houses where the main characters family live. At the same time, a marigold-filled bridge that repeatedly appears in the film is the way to guide the soul of a deceased person back home, and it is also one of the typical decor

19、ations of the Day of the dead. 1.3 Current Research and Accomplishment Chinese and Western philosophers, on the basis of inheriting their predecessors cognition of life, have constantly explored the theory and practice of life and enrich and deepened the philosophy of life and death. In the 198

20、0s, existentialism began to be prevailing in Chinese ideological circles, and individuals began to pay attention into their own "survival". But at this time, a mounting number of scholars pay attention to and translate the western existential classic figures and works. With the development of the ti

21、mes, the modern Chinese philosophy of life and death is gradually taking shape and has its own characteristics. Professor Zheng Xiaojiang is recognized as the first person in the study of life and death in mainland China. Professor Zheng (2011) thought that life is a bumpy journey, the physical life

22、 ends with the arrival of death, but it will not end the social and family relationship formed in the process of life survival. The philosophy of life is first of all a reflection on human existence, a clear understanding of the meaning of human existence, and a metaphysical interpretation of life a

23、nd death. Professor Zheng (2011) supposed that peoples interpretation of life should be through consciousness rather than rationality. Professor Fu Weixun (2006) advocated the establishment of a more comprehensive, scientific and complete study of life and death to explore the ultimate significance

24、of life and death. Professor Jin Fenglin (2005) believed that the relation between metaphysical death and empirical death can be interpreted as the one between the essence and the phenomenon of death, which cannot be confused. In recent years, many related works have been published in China. Western

25、 Philosophy of Death by Professor Duan Dezhi (2006) is about the connotation, significance and representative figures and thoughts in different stages of the philosophy of death, and expands the thinking field and philosophical vision of the mainland philosophy of death. Their counterpart, Arthur

26、Schopenhauer, is known as the founder of life philosophy. Schopenhauer (2009) took will as the essence of life, and believed that the process of life continuation is accompanied by death, and even individual death always defends and guarantees life for life will. Nietzsche (1995) called this will "t

27、he will to power ". In his works, Nietzsche interprets life from the perspectives of art, science and morality. Later, Heidegger (2004), as the main representative of existentialism, discussed the issue of life and death around "existence" and believed that human beings are the entity of irrational

28、existence and we should respect human freedom and personality. Other philosophers mainly paid attention to life from the perspective of science, making the system of western life philosophy more complete and mature. 2. Comparison and Contrast Between Chinese and Western Views of Life and Death

29、 2.1 Differences Between Chinese and Western Views of Life and Death 2.1.1 Different Attitudes Towards Life The Chinese believe that life is an obligation. In the movie Red Sorghum, a 19-year-old healthy Grandmother is forced to marry a man of fifty with leprosy in order to improve the family sit

30、uation. This meets with one of the old Chinese customs: the marriage of children should be decided by their parents and introduced by the matchmaker. Chinese traditional culture is dominated by Confucian culture, and Chinese peoples outlook on death is also deeply influenced by Confucian culture. Ch

31、inas concept of life and death overemphasizes the responsibility of life, and regards human life as a process of continuously fulfilling obligations and responsibilities. One must fulfill the responsibility even if he wants to die. Despite this, Zhang Yimou, the director of the movie Red Sorghum,

32、attempted to release the heart of freedom from the mundane depression of the world through the release of life instinct and desire. He expressed his free vitality with a unique film language. The film runs through red all the way. At the beginning of the film, Grandma is presented with a red image:

33、red clothes, ruddy face, red hijab, red sedan chair, and later the sorghum, the red sun, and the red blood which all give a strong visual shock. Red is a symbol of freedom and unrestrained vitality, and it is also a manifestation of the brave and unyielding national spirit of the Chinese nation. To

34、express the meaning of life and death in such a visual experience is intuitive, concrete and vivid. The sorghum field that is self-sustaining and self-destructing reveals the sanctity of life. The three renderings of Red Sorghum show a unity of human and natural life. When Grandma lies on the sorghu

35、m ground that Grandfather steps on, the sorghum ground is a testimony of the birth of life. When the Japanese army force the people to trample on the sorghum field, they feel their life ruined. At the end of the movie, Grandpa and Dad stand in the blood-red sunlight like clay, facing the shot of the

36、 sorghum moving at high speed, and what evokes us is a kind of self-confidence and praise for the life. By contrast, western people always deal with the issue of life and death from their individual perspective. They have a strong sense of individuality and value individual rights very much. They

37、regard life as an individual right to realize their personal happiness. As long as they dont violate laws or social customs or disturb their neighbors, they can do what they want to do (包利民, 2004). In the movie Coco Miguels great grandfather abandons his family for pursuing his dream of music. Since

38、 then, music has become a taboo of the whole family. However, Miguel likes music very much. He tries hard to express his love for music to his family, but he is unanimously opposed. In a fit of anger, Miguel chooses to escape from the family. Every child has his own dream, of course, also has the ri

39、ght to pursue it. The modern concept of life and death in the west has shifted from the belief in God and the yearning for heaven to the understanding of human beings and the exploration of the real world. People follow the teachings to treat life with an optimistic and positive attitude towards lif

40、e, with tolerance and passion. At the same time, strong religious beliefs teach people to face life and death positively and optimistically, so that people can calmly and happily face the impermanence of life, the change of life, and the death of relatives and friends. 2.1.2 Different Attitudes Tow

41、ards Death Chinese people try to avoid talking about of the issue of death and focus on the present. Because of Chinese traditional culture is dominated by Confucian culture, and the Chinese outlook on death is also deeply influenced by Confucian culture. In a sense, the Confucian philosophy of lif

42、e, which excludes the issue of death from the perspective of life, is one of the cultural roots for the Chinese to avoid death and fear death. Therefore, behind Chinese optimism, in fact, there is a deep sorrow and fear of death, because death means the complete negation of life and the complete des

43、truction of the joy of worldly life. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Chinese meriting reality. Therefore, death is a taboo in Chinese traditional culture. And the film Red Sorghum also reflects the rational view of life and death of the Chinese. The Chinese do not believe in reincarnation,

44、and pursue the current value of life in this world, but the traditional Chinese Confucian culture advocates "dying in the right path." So Chinese people regard life as a means to achieve other goals. In the face of atrocities and invasion, or at the critical moments of national crisis, the highest v

45、alue of death in peoples ideas is to die for the motherland and the people, emphasizing the heroic view of life and death such as "the greatness of life and the glory of death". In Red Sorghum patriotism embodies the idea of fighting against aggression, defending the country and singing the praises

46、of heroism, which is in line with the rational and realistic view of life and death in Chinese cultural concepts. That explains why Grandparents stand up to rebel against the Japanese invasion: under the scorching sun, they hide in the sorghum field sweating, desperately rush out and bomb the car o

47、f the invaders, and give their lives finally. There is no doubt that they have such a fearless sacrifice spirit that they would rather fight to die and defend their country. By contrast, the westerners attitude towards death is to seek to transcend. They believe death doesnt mean the end of life wh

48、ich will continue in other forms. Westerners believe that human death has three meanings. The first is that death is a natural or biological process. The second is that the death is announced by the society when the body is buried. The third is true death that no one remembers the soul of a deceased

49、 person (Eagleman, 2009). In Coco, when the Day of the dead comes, people will put their loved ones favorite food in order to pay homage to the soul of a deceased person, clean the graveyard, and put them on the altar at home, waiting for the return of their loved ones. At night, they will light a c

50、andle on the cemetery and stand by them. Accompanying loved ones, people sing and dance, and spend the night with relatives of the deceased to celebrate the festival without grief. Year after year, they celebrate the completion of life cycle and welcome the reunion of the living and the dead (王郡玲, 2

51、016). From this, we can understand the optimistic and open-minded spirit of westerners and the very different outlook on life and death from that of Chinese people. In Coco, whether in the living world or the afterlife world, most of the scenes are warm-colored pictures, full of joyful music and fe

52、stive atmosphere such as dynamic paper-cuts with different colors, a brilliant square, a dead bridge strewn with marigold petals, colorful fireworks, superstar concert, a colorful mascot, various buildings decorated with lights, etc. Even the soul of a deceased person skull is lively and cute. It do

53、es not give the audience a sense of terror and gloom, which reflects the mysteriously exotic culture and atmosphere of Mexico. Therefore, when watching the cheerful and lively scenes of the sacrifice of the soul of a deceased person in Coco (even if the film uses exaggerated artistic techniques), th

54、e traditional thinking of Chinese audiences will certainly be impacted. Not only because the festival atmosphere related to death is serious solemnly, but because the description of the world of the dead in Chinese traditional films and television programmes is often eerie. Octavio Pass, a Nobel Pr

55、ize winner and well-known Mexican writer, once said, "For New York, Paris, or Londoners, death is never mentioned, because the word burns them. However, Mexicans always hang on to death. They laugh at death, sleep with death, and celebrate death. Death is one of the most beloved toys of Mexicans. It

56、 is the eternal love of Mexicans." (賈馳, 2017: 40). We can learn that Mexicans are optimistic, open-minded, their views of life and death are different from those of Chinese people. For example, on the Day of the dead Mexicans will make their own colorful decorations of the skull, an object that is

57、a Chinese cultural taboo. That makes them have a sense of closeness to them, and they even dress themselves as skulls to welcome the return of the soul of a deceased person. For them, death is a supplement to life and is also worth celebrating. They do not cry in an intemperate way like Chinese peop

58、le at funerals not that they dont value feelings but that death is not the end of life, but another form of existence. 2.2 Similarities Between Chinese and Western Views of Life and Death Although there are great cultural and historical differences between China and the west, there are many simi

59、larities in the view of life and death. Both China and the West attach great importance to the value of life and the significance of death to life, and the value of life. Both of them expect to live well and live longer. And they are also awed by death and regard the other side of life as a mysterio

60、us and hopeful place. 2.2.1 Treating the Soul of a Deceased Person Sincerely In China, we often say that the soul of a deceased person is the most important, which expresses our respect for the soul of a deceased person. If a person is noble during his lifetime, and people will show respect to h

61、im/her after his/her death; if he or she vicious, people will reduce their hatred for him/her. In the movie Red Sorghum, Grandma leads the people to worship Luohan who sacrifices his life for the country. This respect for the soul of a deceased person also expresses the hope that the laborer will ha

62、ve a rest after his death. Meanwhile, in the west, people also hold rituals to transcend the soul of a deceased person and pray prayerfully for him/her. Eastern and western people will have the same piety to transcend the soul of a deceased person after death, and have infinite expectations that t

63、he poor will become wealthy after death, that the sinner will be forgiven after death, that the toil will be rested after death, and that the leader will remain the ruler of heaven (宋曄, 2013). Its like Mexicans who believe that as the intermediary between humans and supernatural forces, the soul of

64、the deceased person will return at this important moment of the Day of the dead, so the living family members will gather with their friends to express tribute to their ancestors . For example, Grandmother says that the annual Day of the dead is a day when family members reunite with each other. It

65、is necessary to place food and items they loved before they died. The most important thing is to display their photos. Therefore, Mother leads the children to a clear marigold petal path on the ground to guide the soul of the deceased person home. It can be seen that tolerance and nostalgia for th

66、e deceased in eastern and western cultures is similar and eternal. Both Chinese and Western people emphasize the perpetuation of the spirit after death. Both of them are pursuing a common spirit, such as the spirit of sacrificing for the truth and the spirit of dying for the universal value of humankind. The spirit of heroes promulgated by China and the west will live forever. 2.2.2 Attaching Importance to the Value and Happiness of Life Life is the main form of human existen