Master Xuanzang (2009) 玄奘大师
Director: Jin Tiemu
Screenwriter: Jin Tiemu
Starring: Wang Xinyuan / Xi Sailan
Genre: Documentary
Country/Region of Production: Mainland China
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Date: 2009-10-28
Duration: 94 minutes
Also known as: The Great Pilgrim
Adaptation: Meta
Summary:
For most Chinese people, the name “Xuan Zang” is very unfamiliar. People are familiar with the Tang monk in “Journey to the West”. “Journey to the West” is a classic in the history of Chinese literature, and the power of classics is unquestionable. Since Wu Cheng'en wrote “Journey to the West” in the Ming Dynasty, the image of Tang Monk, a cowardly and gender-ambiguous monk, has been deeply engraved in the hearts of the Chinese people. While people are talking about Sun Wukong, Xuanzang, the prototype of Tang Monk, has been distorted and misunderstood. Over the centuries, the real Xuanzang traveled further and further away, gradually leaving the sight of the Chinese people, leaving only a vague outline of his back.
In the winter of 2005 AD, it was past midnight in an ordinary teahouse on Ping'an Street in Beijing. Under the dim light, several middle-aged men were beaming with joy, almost crazy. The hustle and bustle of the city during the day has passed, tired people are falling asleep, and sleepless people in twos and threes are wandering on the streets. At such a moment, worldly desires and oppression gradually fade away, and the passion that has not been visited for many years begins to permeate the dim teahouse. The blood gradually crept onto the originally fair faces, the reserve and rationality of the day disappeared, and youth seemed to have arrived again.
The theme of the teahouse night talk was Xuanzang, the Tang Dynasty monk who ignited our long-lost passion more than 1,300 years later. Xuanzang lived in the Tang Dynasty, an era that haunted Chinese people. Xuanzang, with his legendary life, made the best footnote for that era full of glory. When we were about to enter middle age, we made a decision to follow the path of Xuanzang again. Re-walk Xuanzang’s path to discover the real Xuanzang; re-walk Xuanzang’s path to appreciate a majestic era; re-walk Xuanzang’s path to find the true meaning of life…
