Musings in SAST 280: Avatar in China?
I love Avatar the Last Airbender, but I couldn’t help but wonder what the Chinese government would think of it if they saw it. In SAST 280 (Rivals in a Rising Asia), we were talking about Tibet and its relationship with China. The parallels between Tibet (Aang’s monks) and China (Zuko’s Fire Nation) are so similar to China’s more aggressive policies, especially during the Cultural Revolution, when much of Tibet’s religion and history was smashed. (As was the rest of China.) Aang’s spirituality and even the entire Dalai Lama selection process is exactly the same as how the Avatar is chosen in the show, though the idea of an “avatar” reflects some elements of Hinduism (as Krishna is an avatar of Vishnu), and that an avatar is of descent of a previous spiritual/heavenly deity.
My curiosity, then, arises in terms of how the CCP would perceive of this great show. Here, the imperial Fire Nation is ruled by a ruthless emperor, Zuko even has his hair shaved in a pseudo Qing braid (ponytail instead). At the same time, the types of naval warfare, armor styling, and some names seem to have elements of imperialistic Japan as well. I wonder if they’d perceive the Air Nomad genocide as a implicit jab against their aggressive Tibetan policies. Given that the Chinese were quick to ban James Cameron’s Avatar in the theaters, it makes me wonder whether they would quickly ban this as well.
On the other hand, I also think it’s interesting that this Western-created series fantasizes the nomadic, spiritual monk life, given that into the 20th and 21st century, Tibet is one of the places (along with Shangri-La, I guess) that remains romanticized and orientalized, especially by Hollywood. I’ve often been impressed by some of the plot twists and developments in this show, but at the very heart of it, so much of the foundation is based in actual history. (Ba Sing Se’s tiered cities, systematic destruction of religions, etc.) This type of inspiration is spectacular, and makes me appreciate the show’s interpretation more. But then again, I’m not hard to please. Steampunk-ify anything based in historical fiction, throw in an angsty, honorable bad guy gone good, and I’m sold.