It’s been a while since I went out during Spring Festival season, but this time I saw two movies and had a different feeling

This article explores the new trends in the 2025 Spring Festival film season, focusing on “Detective Chinatown 1900” and “New Deity: The Magchild Incites the Sea.” The former uses the backdrop of San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1900 to depict the discrimination and oppression faced by Chinese people, reflecting the social and political environment. The latter, as an animated film, employs rich metaphorical elements to satirize the current international political landscape—for example, Jade Pure Palace resembling the Pentagon alluding to the American political system, dollar signs on the Tianyuan Cauldron symbolizing US dollar hegemony, the Immortal Jade Tablet mirroring the green card suggesting hierarchical status, and the Soul-Destroying Pill akin to biological weapons hinting at malicious actions. Both films offer a new viewing experience and prompt reflection on the relationship between cinematic art and political expression.

Innovation in Spring Festival film styles

Traditionally, Spring Festival films have been lighthearted and family-friendly, aiming to help audiences relax during the holiday season and rarely addressing sensitive political topics. However, this year’s 2025 Spring Festival lineup breaks with convention; “Detective Chinatown 1900” and “New God of War: Nezha Revolution” incorporate rich political elements, sparking widespread discussion among viewers and ushering in a new era for Spring Festival films.

A Vivid Reflection of the Era’s Politics

“The Lost Tiger” is set in 1900 San Francisco’s Chinatown, a time when Chinese immigrants faced severe racial discrimination and oppression. As the protagonists investigate a case, they must navigate not only the mystery but also societal prejudice and unfair treatment. The film’s portrayal of racism and power struggles realistically reflects the social and political climate of the era, revealing the arduous struggle for survival and dignity undertaken by Chinese immigrants during that turbulent time—a situation with underlying political issues worthy of deeper consideration.

This historical context inevitably brings to mind the current challenges faced by overseas Chinese in the business world, such as the TikTok and Zhou Shuzhong incident

On December 6, 2024, local time, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected TikTok’s request, upholding the constitutionality of a law requiring its sale on national security grounds. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew wrote in a memo to employees that the next step will be “seeking an injunction and awaiting review by the U.S. Supreme Court.” The event stems from the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications” law, which mandates that ByteDance divest its U.S. TikTok operations within 270 days of the bill’s passage, with a final sale deadline of January 19, 2025.

Previously, Shou Zi Chew faced numerous challenges at various hearings. On January 31, 2024, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,” prominent anti-China lawmaker Tom Cotton repeatedly questioned him with 8 nationality-related inquiries, including his own citizenship, whether he had applied for Chinese or American citizenship, and even the nationalities of his wife and children. Despite the hearing’s focus being on online child sexual exploitation, the senator shifted the topic to TikTok’s ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance, forcing Chew to answer questions unrelated to the theme. Similar to the unwarranted discrimination faced by Chinese in “Detective Chinatown 1900,” Shou Zi Chew is experiencing unfair treatment and scrutiny in the business world due to TikTok’s background. These events reflect that overseas Chinese have consistently encountered significant external obstacles when pursuing their own development and protecting their rights across different eras. Whether it was racial discrimination a century ago or today’s political maneuvering in commerce, these situations warrant deep reflection.

An Analysis of the Political Metaphors Behind “Ne Zha: The Demon Child”

While appearing as an ordinary animated film, “Ne Zha: The Demon Child” is rich with political allegories in its settings and plot

• The Jade Void Palace is portrayed as the supreme power center of the realm, with an architectural style similar to the Pentagon, predominantly white in color, symbolizing Western powers using “universal values” as a pretext for hegemony. The “Demon Eradication Team,” led by the Limitless Immortal Elder, and its subordinates, Lù Nán and Hè Nǚ, are seen as corresponding to the US alliance system involving Japan and South Korea. The Jade Void Palace’s “online meeting” scene, with the Twelve Golden Immortals discussing the “War of the Conferred Gods,” mirrors a NATO summit led by the United States, ostensibly maintaining order while suppressing other nations.
• The Tianyuan Cauldron, used for alchemy in Yuxu Palace, features dollar signs at its entrance, symbolizing how the United States “alchemizes” resources from other nations through economic hegemony. In the film, Wuliang Xianweng throws the dragon clan into the cauldron under the guise of “acting on behalf of heaven,” mirroring certain countries exploiting others by leveraging “international rules.”
• Nezha’s immortal identity jade pendant, with its color and design resembling the U.S. green card, symbolizes the celestial realm’s exclusion and stratification of “outsiders,” hinting at the identity differences and unequal treatment between different countries and groups in reality.
• The forced consumption of the Soul-Destroying Pill by Nezha, compelled by the Immortal Wonderman, resembles a bioweapon and satirizes certain nations that, under the guise of “saving the world,” engage in destruction and devastation abroad
• The Seven-Colored Treasure Lotus, crucial for reshaping the bodies of Nezha and Ao Bing, symbolizes energy and technology lifelines monopolized by powerful nations. Obtaining its “essence” requires passing the Yu Xu Palace’s “immortality exam,” reflecting developing countries’ dependence on core resources and exploitation within a hegemonic system. The lotus’s temporary failure and recovery conditions allude to small nations’ survival challenges amidst energy crises.

A Deep Reflection on Film Art and Political Expression

These films, integrated with political elements during the nationwide Chinese New Year moviegoing boom, offer audiences a new viewing experience—no longer just entertainment, but more like a mirror reflecting political issues within history and reality. This prompts deeper reflection on the relationship between cinematic art and political expression. Will directors increasingly convey their views on society and politics through film? Can cinema, as a powerful cultural medium, balance artistic expression with greater attention to and contemplation of social realities? These questions warrant thorough exploration while enjoying films, and we look forward to more exciting developments from the film industry in fusing art and reality.

Easter egg

The Doutou large language model wasn’t very reliable today – it froze several times, got stuck halfway through an article, and I had to start a new session