The most notable aspect of the national aesthetic paradigm of this film is the creation of a panoramic and scattered perspective war epic. First, it is rich in multilayered majestic scenes and audio–visual effects. There is not only a magnificent scene of a pre-war rally but also ones depicting strategic deployment and material gathering. It presents not only our national leaders, senior and grassroot commanders, soldiers and the public, but also the enemy’s counterparts, building up a multisequence, comprehensive, and complicated social group structure. Moreover, it turns to thorough uses of montages, special effects and piercing sounds, to immerse the audience in heart-wrenching, breathtaking, and unforgettable scenes of fierce battles and selfless fighting.

More importantly, this kind of panoramic three-dimensional landscape, made by special effects in modern movies, is deeply in line with the tradition of scattered perspectives unique to Chinese classical painting. Each section of the film can be both independent of, and subordinate to, the whole, and the audience can fully engage with the scenery throughout. Complemented by the national aesthetic paradigm within the scattered perspective, the audience can adapt to the leaping correlations between the front and rear of the battlefield, the Chinese side and the enemy, the main battlefield and the other battlefields, direct scenes and indirect scenes. Even the subplots of Yang Gensi and the “Ice Sculpture Company”, which seem to be unrelated to the battle of the Seventh Company of the Volunteer Army, do not produce any obvious sense of incongruity under the montage editing.

Such an unprecedentedly magnificent and impressive war epic with panoramic and scattered perspectives fully serves one goal: to bring the audience back to the memory of the bloody battle 70 years ago, in which a weak force overcame a powerful opponent. The common people together with the top leaders sent their sons to the DPRK to participate in the war and jointly won the battle of Changjin Lake. This film uses advanced imagery and high-tech means to update the aesthetic tradition of scattered perspectives and reshape personal, family and national memory, making the film the most integrated Chinese-style blockbuster so far; an unprecedented breakthrough.

The most significant blockbusters in world film history often construct original and unique aesthetic styles, such as Saving Private Ryan (1997) and Schindler’s List (1993). Chinese blockbusters are also pursuing such unique styles. The Battle at Lake Changjin focuses on presenting a national aesthetic style that blends the tragic and the magnanimous. The film is characterized by passionate and deep expressions of solemn and stirring feelings, which make people think of Sima Qian’s comment on Xiang Yu’s “heroic tragedy” (Si 2011, 283). The audience cannot help but sigh with deep emotion that this glorious victory cost the lives of countless heroes. At the same time, the film also reminds people of the comment on Cao Cao’s poem “like a veteran of Youyan, with a strong charm” in the Poetry Reviewby Ao Taosun of the Song Dynasty (Ao 1998, 7541). Therefore, people can better understand and feel the “charm” exuded 70 years ago by veterans from the people’s army, which boasts more than 90 years of history. The fifilm combines vigorous and passionate generosity with calm and tragic spirits. Sometimes it presents the story in an impassioned way, and sometimes it depicts the heroic legend in touching and meandering ways. The “veterans’ heroic charm” can be viewed as an accomplishment of the classical national aesthetic style with the help of high-tech imagery.

Such a national aesthetic style also releases unavoidable contemporaneity: to re-engrave the national collective memory of the war to resist the U.S. aggression and to assist Korea, and once again venerate the martyrs who have long been buried. This is all to enhance the national cohesion of contemporary citizens and inspire young people to quicken their personal growth and strive to meet the serious challenges ahead through patriotism and heroism.

The most rousing feature of Chinese war blockbusters is not only the splendid and intense war scenes, but the charisma of the typical heroes. Although the concept of typification comes from the West, it has been integrated with the theory of characters or features established by Li Zhi and Jin Shengtan since the Ming and Qing Dynasties and have fused them with a modern Chinese standard theory of a national aesthetic paradigm. The audience is interested in the hero who meets their ideals and commands respect from them. Just as readers appreciate the heroes in All Men Are Brothers, a popular novel by Shi Nai’an, the audience has an ideal of heroes in movies. To meet the audience’s ideal, modern popular movies tend to depict the heroes through major stars. The fifilm spares no effort in this regard: let an actor who has repeatedly played a superhero in Chinese blockbusters fifill the role of Wu Qianli, a resourceful and brave commander; choose a burgeoning young actor to play the rebellious, fearless and fast-growing Wu Wanli as a recruit; select an experienced actor who can play challenging roles as the veteran Lei Suisheng who is wise and willing to sacrififice himself. Other stars play the roles of Mei Sheng, a handsome and elegant political instructor with both literary grace and military skills; Yu Congrong, a cheerful and gallant platoon leader; Ping He, a reticent sharpshooter; and Mao Anying, a mild-mannered and determined soldier. Moreover, this fifilm focuses on the growth of humbler heroes. It not only portrays company commander Wu Qianli’s heroic legend but also depicts the growth of his brother Wu Wanli thanks to the help of the whole company.

The Battle at Lake Changjin: A National Aesthetic Paradigm for Chinese Blockbusters