China’s movie heroes 《红海行动》展现中国英雄本色

 　　Recent years have seen a trend for big military movies. Whether it was last year’s British hit Dunkirk, starring movie newcomer Harry Styles, or 2014’s American Sniper, featuring Bradley Cooper as a US Navy SEAL, it’s common to see heroes fighting for their countries on the big screen.
     But even though we’re used to seeing patriotic Western soldiers saving the world, Chinese filmmakers are also showing that they have heroes of their own that they want to share with the audience.
     Operation Red Sea, a military action movie that came out last month in Chinese cinemas, has grabbed headlines across the country, from newspapers to social media.
     The film tells the story of a mission carried out by the Chinese Navy’s special forces team to rescue Chinese citizens and foreign nationals from a fictional Middle East country. Operation Red Sea is based on the real-life evacuation that happened during Yemen’s civil war in 2015.
     In fact, the evacuation was the first time the Chinese military helped evacuate foreigners during an international crisis. “China’s participation in these evacuation efforts in Yemen is the latest example of the People’s Liberation Army attempting to forge goodwill and a positive image for itself by aiding other countries,” The Diplomat magazine noted.
     Despite China’s increasing overseas missions, many Chinese people may have thought that the Chinese military only dealt with disaster rescues and public security within Chinese borders. However, the success of Operation Red Sea has added a new dimension to the public’s perception. “As China moves out into intervention in territories beyond its own borders, it stands to reason, like Hollywood before it, that its films should reflect that reality,” US journalist Jonathan Landreth wrote.
     These cultural products “will further enhance public expectations and support for China’s military actions abroad, and a more active role for China in the international community as a responsible shareholder”, Chinese journalist Qiu Zhibo wrote in the Global Times.
     Yet, Operation Red Sea isn’t the first movie to receive direct support from the Chinese military, which provided real arms and equipment to the film’s makers. Last year’s hit Wolf Warrior 2 received full support from the military too, according to Sina News. And Sky Hunter, also released in 2017, was co-produced by the Chinese Air Force, China.org.cn reported.
     The Chinese military’s willingness to show its latest arms and equipment is due to the fact that “the comprehensive national strength of China has risen by a large margin and in some aspects even surpasses other leading powers”, Chinese naval expert Li Jie told the Global Times.

 近年来军事大片已经成为了一种趋势。不论是去年由影视新人哈里·斯泰尔斯主演的的英国大片《敦刻尔克》，还是由布莱德利·库珀出演美国海豹突击队神枪手的2014年电影《美国狙击手》，大银幕上英雄们为国而战的故事屡见不鲜。
     尽管我们已经对西方爱国大兵拯救世界的剧情习以为常，但中国的电影制片人们也塑造了自己心目中的英雄形象，希望与观众们分享。
     上个月登陆中国影院的军事动作大片《红海行动》在全国各地的报纸和社交媒体上刷屏。
     影片改编自2015年也门撤侨的真实事件，讲述了中国海军特种部队在一个虚构的中东国家解救中国公民和外国公民的故事。
     事实上，此次撤离是中国政府首次为撤离处于危险地区的外国公民采取的行动。“中国参与也门撤离行动是中国人民解放军试图通过援助其他国家传递友谊、为自身树立积极形象的最新事例，”《外交官》杂志指出。
     尽管中国所承担的海外任务日益增多，但不少中国人或许还认为中国军队只负责中国境内的救灾以及公共安全工作。然而，电影《红海行动》的成功刷新了公众的原有观念。“随着中国走出国门处理国际事务，电影反映现实也是合情合理，就像先前的好莱坞一样，”美国记者乔纳森·兰德雷思写道。
     这些文化产品“将进一步加强公众对中国海外军事行动的期待与支持，让中国这一负责任的大国在国际社会中发挥更积极的作用，”中国记者邱志波（音译）在《环球时报》上写道。
     《红海行动》获得了中国军方的大力支持，向电影制作人提供了真实武器与设备，然而这部电影并非是首例。据新浪新闻报道，去年的大热电影《战狼2》也获得了军方的全力支持。而据中国网报道，同样于2017年上映的电影《空天猎》则与中国空军共同出品。
     中国军方愿意展示其最新武器及设备是因为“中国综合国力的大幅提升，在某些方面甚至还超过了其他大国，”中国海军专家李杰在接受《环球时报》采访时表示。

Military	军事的
Patriotic	爱国的
Evacuation	撤退
Crisis	危机
Goodwill	友善
Perception	观念
Intervention	干预
Territories	领土
Enhance	加强
Shareholder	利益相关者
Comprehensive	综合的
Margin	幅度
Surpasses	超过