Narrative Article about “Hero”–

 
(1) Title: “Hero”. 
 
(2) Introduction: This story (film) is about various assassination attempts that were made on the Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huang, by some professional assassins from the land of Zhao.  It has a very ornate and very beautiful appearance, on account of the masterful cinematography.  The film explores the motivations and interpersonal conflicts that the assassins from Zhao feel, as they prepare their final mission against their enemy, Qin Shi Huang.  The director, Zhang Yi Mou, uses this story to explore his vision of “kingship” and nationhood, rather like Shakespeare did in his “historical” plays. 
 
(3) Setting (time): The story takes place during the “Zhao Guo” period of early Chinese history (about 230 B.C.).  At ths time, about seven kingdoms were struggling for the control of the whole land.  This story deals with the struggles between two of these countries–the land of Qin, and the land of Zhao. 
 
(4) Setting (place): The story takes place in the land of “Xian Yang”–that is, various places in the land of Qin, and in the land of Zhao. 
 
(5) Characters: There are many characters in this story.  They can be divided between those who served the land of Qin, and those who served the land of Zhao: 
       Wu Ming (“Nameless”) was an orphan from the land of Zhao.  His family was killed by the soldiers of Qin, so he had a personal blood-feud with Qin.  However, he secretly became a citizen of Qin, rose up through society, and became a minor prefect, committed to upholding law and order.  In fact, he was a kind of special “counter-terrorism policeman”.  In his heart, his real task was to kill Qin Shi Huang.  However, he became famous for having killed off certain known assassins from the land of Zhao, and this gave him access to the emperor, and the chance to kill him.  Wu Ming was a sword-master, and has a strong sense of honor.  In the end, he let Qin Shi Huang live, as recognized the emperor’s ultimate purpose, in uniting the whole country. 
       Qin Shi Huang was the king of the land of Qin, and he later became the first Chinese emperor.  (It is he who ordered the building of the “Terracotta Soldiers”, and the early parts of the Great Wall.)  He was very wise, extremely cruel, and brave.  He was a philosopher, with a sense of state-craft, and a man of honor.  He was completely misunderstood by his own courtiers.  In most stories, Qin Shi Huang is portrayed as something of a very brutal dictator, but in this film, he is portrayed as a man of feeling and sensitivity. 
       Can Jian (“Broken Sword”) was a sword-master from the land of Zhao.  He wanted to kill Qin Shi Huang, and spent years in practice, preparing for the “mission of a lifetime”.  He also appreciated Chinese calligraphy, as an adjunct to understanding the use of the sword.  He was also very close to Fei Xue.  However, Can Jian was exposed to the “Tian Xia” idea (which proposes the idea of “one nation, under heaven”), and after much thinking, he gave up his earlier wish to assassinate Qin Shi Huang. 
       Fei Xue (“Flying Snow”) was Can Jian’s lover.  She was also a sword-master from the land of Zhao.  She had wanted to kill Qin Shi Huang for a long time.  In terms of character, she was a little bit arrogant; she was also very focused and determined. 
       Xiao Yue (“Little Moon”) was Can Jian’s apprentice (in the art of the sword).  She was also from the land of Zhao.  She was very brave, but also impulsive, and sometimes emotional. 
       Chang Kong was also an assassin from the land of Zhao.  He also wanted to kill Qin Shi Huang.  He was a master in the art of the spear. 
       There were also many courtiers in the court of Qin Shi Huang.  They wore black robes, and were cruel, ruthless, and cunning. 
 
(6) Plot Summary: It should be noted that in this story, there is no formal plot sequence.  Instead, this film is a series of “dream-scenes”, with many “flash-backs”, as well as “re-tellings of the story, from another perspective”.  Basically, there are three “levels” to this plot: first, there are the dialogs between Qin Shi Huang and Wu Ming, in the emperor’s great hall; second, there are the actions of the Zhao assassins, as they move forward with their plans; third, there is the general flow of history, which dooms the land of Zhao.  The structure is either very complex, or else non-existent; therefore the director, Zhang Yi Mou, has the actors wearing different-colored clothing at different parts of the story, so as to divide the overall story into more easily-understood “thematic sections”.  Therefore, one should not try to force this story into the usual format of “plot sequence”. 
       The basic plot is as follows: 
       At some point in the past, Wu Ming’s family is killed.  (We do not see this part.) 
       Wu Ming joins the forces of Zhao, and together, they plan to assassinate Qin Shi Huang.  This takes place over a long time, and involves much planning. 
       An earlier assassination plot, by Can Jian and Fei Xue, is attempted and fails, as Can Jian changes his mind about trying to kill the emperor.  Later, Can Jian shares his idea about “Tian Xia” (“one nation, under heaven”) with Wu Ming. 
       The plot unfolds, and Wu Ming comes closer and closer to the emperor.  At last, he is discovered by the emperor, but when Wu Ming is able to strike the emperor with a sword, he lets him live.  (He really believed in the idea of “Tian Xia”.) 
       Wu Ming walks out of the emperor’s great hall.  The courtiers vehemently persuade Qin Shi Huang to have Wu Ming immediately executed, and reluctantly, the emperor agrees.  Wu Ming is killed in a hail of arrows. 
       Here are some other notes: 
       All elements of tragedy are contained in, and controlled by, the dialogs between Qin Shi Huang and Wu Ming (i.e., plot, motive, conflict, tension, unity, and others). 
 
(7) Conflict: The conflicts in this story are as follows: 
       Will Wu Ming kill the emperor, or will he follow the “Tian Xia” idea? 
       There is the ongoing power struggle between the land of Qin, and the land of Zhao. 
       Fei Xue and Can Jian have their own conflicts.  Although they worked together, there were two issues: (a) their loyalty to each other, and (b) Can Jian’s loyalty to the final mission of killing Qin Shi Huang. 
       There was also a feud between Xiao Yue and Fei Xue, as Fei Xue had killed Can Jian (who was Xiao Yue’s “master” in the art of the sword).  Actually, this story did not really happen, but it was invented to deceive Qin Shi Huang. 
       Over the whole story, there is the conflict between two “creeds”: the creed of “revenge” (to kill Qin Shi Huang, in revenge for his past brutal deeds), and “national unity” (to unite the whole country). 
 
(8) Resolution of Conflict: The outcomes of the above conflicts are as follows: 
       The “Tian Xia” idea wins out.  Wu Ming does not kill the emperor. 
       Zhao was destroyed by the forces of Qin, and then its culture was eradicated. 
       Fei Xue killed Can Jian in a sword-duel, because she was angry that he had persuaded Wu Ming to give up killing the emperor.  In this duel, Can Jian let Fei Xue strike him with her sword, and he died.  Then, Fei Xue killed herself, so that in death, she could be with her lover. 
       Here, there was no real “resolution”; Fei Xue died, and Xiao Yue became one of the few  survivors from the immediate circle of assassins. 
       The creed of “Tian Xia” (“one nation, under heaven”) won out.  Qin Shi Huang went on to unify the whole country, while he destroyed his rivals’ cultures.  However, most of the main players were dead.  Only Qin Shi Huang really appreciated the doctrine of “Tian Xia”–his courtiers certainly did not!  The only other people who understood it had been his enemies, and they were now dead. 
 
(9) Conclusion: This film’s plot is confusing to many people, but with careful analysis, the true form of the story emerges.  The cinematography is very well executed, and the use of color is truly brilliant.  The director, Zhang Yi Mou, makes people think; this is not just “another martial-arts movie”.  The story is very rich in symbols.  There are also many elements of ancient Greek tragedy in this film.  This also happens in another of Zhang Yi Mou’s films, “Raise The Red Lantern” (“Da Hong Deng Long Gao Gao Gua”).  Zhang Yi Mou is a master philosopher, subtly sharing various ideas with his audience.  In summary, this is a great film!