I have uploaded the 6th video for my Youtube channel, which I created for cultural-educational purpose. This video is about the mythical creatures in the movie Shangchi and The Legends of Ten Rings. I recorded the time lapse for my painting process of the three most significant creatures – Dijiang, Ninetailed Fox and Qilin. During the process of researching, painting, recording, and editing for my video, I have not only expanded my interest in watercolor painting, but also produced a lot of knowledge regarding the prescribed meanings of these creatures throughout history. For instance, I said that the cute Morris in the movie is actually Di Jiang, which creates a huge contrast in symbolism, as Di Jiang is said to be a personification of cosmogonic chaos – It is a direct ‘descendant’ of the Creator of the World, Pan Gu, so that it is referred to the chaotic force that birthed all things. 

In addition, I discussed the ninetailed fox, which used to be associated with beauty, and only shows up in flourishing, prosperous, and peaceful places. It can know events from more than a thousand li away and used to have an auspicious meaning. However, it was later mixed up with the evil fox spirit, Hu Lijing, who is known for their seductive nature that undermined many empires in the history. I think that the movie did a good job in preserving the traditional meanings and not going with the modern one, as the ninetailed fox is the exact opposite of Hulijing, just like the graceful appearance in Shang Chi. Lastly, I talked about Qilin, who would appear to signal the birth or death of a particularly benevolent ruler, and statues of these regal creatures can sometimes be seen at certain Chinese palaces. They often are represented as a mixture of dragon and horse, its head and also the fully scaled, cyan-blue body looks exactly like the dragon, and its lower parts of the body, such as the hooves, legs and tail, are often shaped like a horse. The movie, again, did quite a good job in recreating the appearance of it.

I felt the need to discuss these creatures because many people around me were talking about the movie when it first came out, and they seemed to be amazed by the appearances of these creatures in the movie. I see it as a great opportunity to improve on my own knowledge and other’s. As a marvel fan, I want to appreciate the handwork put into the movie, and as a student fond of culture, I also wanted to elaborate on the creatures recorded in one of my favorite ancient Chinese text, The Classics of Mountains and Seas. My Youtube channel is a platform for me to analyze traditional culture under the clash of Western & Easter values, as well as to share my knowledge with my audiences so they become more aware of the shift or what’s left. This video has helped me to achieve my purpose – as I was able to discuss a well-known movie and comment on it – and I think the content of it is so far the most “accessible” among all six of my videos.