The Inheritance And Reconstruction Of Cultural Memory

As one of the four folktales in China,Legend of the White Snake,from oral communication to written records and then to visul presentation,constantly injects modern consciousness on the basis of inheriting the traditional stories shared by the collective,making it a dual adaptation linking the tradition and the present,and realizing the canonization of Legend of the White Snake in the media society.Although its cultural connotation and mode of presentation have changed several times,it can always find out a certain emotional identity shared by the Chinese people,reflecting the construction of national ideology behind it.Therefore,this paper attempts to take Legend of the White Snake in the film and television works as the research object.Through historical combing,on the one hand,paying attention to the changes of its content and form,that is,how Legend of the White Snake was told into a new story.On the other hand,the ideology should be explored,that is,why Legend of the White Snake was told as a new story.Further investigating how the traditional Chinese culture has been transformed into the cultural expression of modern China,and Legend of the White Snake has become a Chinese story to build a sense of national identity.This article is divided into six chapters.The introduction section mainly discusses the research background,significance,and methods of this article,and integrates the existing research achievements at home and abroad.Chapter 2 is to sort out the path of canonization of Legend of the White Snake,mainly including the origin,basic stereotypes and its evolution in aesthetic works,laying the foundation for the subsequent text analysis.From Chapter 3 to Chapter 6,each corresponds to the expression of Legend of the White Snake in artistic works during the specific period of China’s modernization process.Finally,based on the previous text,this article summarizes the evolution of the film and television adaptation of Legend of the White Snake in China’s historical situation and practical opportunities over the past century,and reveals the operation of national ideology behind it.The conclusion is drawn that Legend of the White Snake,as one of the synonyms of traditional Chinese culture,has become an indispensable material for establishing the imagination of a national community and the subjectivity of national culture in China’s modernization process.At the same time,the rebellious,libertarian,or feminism bestowed upon it since the May Fourth Movement has been demonstrated from different perspectives in film and television adaptations of different historical periods,but it always adapts to the current social environment and public psychology,playing a role in spiritual support and social mobilization.