Chapter 2：A Bow to the Court|Strip Search
"A Bow to the Court"
Two flanks open wide, formation square,
Myriad ministers bow as one to the heavenly might.
The warrior alone crosses the central stairs,
Ascends the steps,a solitary figure toward the clouds.
A thousand levels stretch,the top unseen from sight,
Behind him,below the stairs, a placid tide's might.
Where distant sky and horizon meet,a new beginning's light,
As if hearing the common folk's cheers,joyful and bright.
"Disrobing and Search"
Ministers and generals swiftly encircle, a tightening ring,
At the anchored hall door,guards urgently prepare.
Inside,a bustle of movement, front and back, they scurry,
Faces flustered,anxious to complete their task with haste.
Robes removed,bodies searched, roots of hair inspected,
The General proclaims the decree of the King's command.
The warrior's gaze is steady,eyes sharp and bright,
His spirit filled with heroic air,mind set on clouds and sky.
"A Bow to the Court"
Two flanks open wide, formation square,
Myriad ministers bow as one to the heavenly might.
The warrior alone crosses the central stairs,
Ascends the steps,a solitary figure toward the clouds.
A thousand levels stretch,the top unseen from sight,
Behind him,below the stairs, a placid tide's might.
Where distant sky and horizon meet,a new beginning's light,
As if hearing the common folk's cheers,joyful and bright.
"Disrobing and Search"
Ministers and generals swiftly encircle, a tightening ring,
At the anchored hall door,guards urgently prepare.
Inside,a bustle of movement, front and back, they scurry,
Faces flustered,anxious to complete their task with haste.
Robes removed,bodies searched, roots of hair inspected,
The General proclaims the decree of the King's command.
The warrior's gaze is steady,eyes sharp and bright,
His spirit filled with heroic air,mind set on clouds and sky.
Source of the poems: DeepSeek
Analysis as follows:
Okay, I will analyze these two poems in conjunction with the plot of Zhang Yimou's film Hero. Below is the outline for the essay:
· Introduction: Introduce the artistic value of Zhang Yimou's film Hero and its common ground with the two poems, leading into the analytical framework.
· Analysis of the First Poem: Analyze the imagery in "A Bow to the Court" and the court scene in Hero, exploring the dialectical relationship between power structures and individual spirit.
· Interpretation of the Second Poem: Interpret the ritualized scene in "Disrobing and Search," connecting it to the body politics and identity transformation in the film.
· Thematic Comparison: Contrast the deep resonance between the two poems and the film across three dimensions: visual aesthetics, the concept of the hero, and the individual versus history.
· Cultural Significance: Discuss the value reconstruction and controversies surrounding Hero and the poems within the contemporary cultural context.
· Conclusion: Summarize the unity of artistic expression and spiritual connotation between the poems and the film.
Next, I will begin writing the main body of the essay.
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The Poetic Reflection in Zhang Yimou's Hero: The Dialectics of Power, the Individual, and 'All Under Heaven'
1 Introduction: Resonance Between Film and Poetry
Zhang Yimou's 2002 wuxia masterpiece Hero was not only the pioneer of China's blockbuster film era but also a profound artistic exploration of history, power, and the spirit of sacrifice. Using the story of the assassination attempt on the King of Qin as its vehicle, the film, through its极致 aesthetic expression and multi-layered narrative structure, constructs a dialectical space concerning "All Under Heaven" (Tianxia) versus personal vendetta. The two poems, "A Bow to the Court" and "Disrobing and Search," are like fragments of imagery flowing directly from the silver screen, capturing those震撼 moments in the film with condensed language.
Hero, as a wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou, brought together top Chinese-language film stars including Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Chen Daoming, Zhang Ziyi, and Donnie Yen. The film is set in the late Warring States period when seven powerful states vied for dominance, with Qin being the strongest and intent on annexing the other six to unify China. The King of Qin (Chen Daoming) thus became the target of assassins from the other states. Jet Li plays the assassin Nameless, who, after defeating several other renowned assassins—Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), Moon (Zhang Ziyi), and Long Sky (Donnie Yen)—gains an audience with the King of Qin within the palace, leading to a deep conversation about courage, sacrifice, and the concept of 'All Under Heaven'.
Though concise, these two poems are like miniature versions of Hero, outlining the film's grand scenes and complex emotions with refined text. The scene of "myriad ministers bow" and the "warrior alone" in "A Bow to the Court" directly point to the majesty of the Qin court and the assassin's lonely mission. "Disrobing and Search" vividly recreates the rigorous search process Nameless undergoes before entering the palace, embodying the tension between power and the individual. Through these images, we can more deeply analyze the complex relationship between power and the individual in Hero, as well as the unique concept of heroism Zhang Yimou attempts to convey.
2 "A Bow to the Court": Power and the Individual in the Court
The poem "A Bow to the Court" opens with "Two flanks open wide, formation square, / Myriad ministers bow as one to the heavenly might," instantly unfolding a picture of a strictly ordered court before our eyes. These fourteen words accurately capture the grandeur of the Qin palace hall in Hero – civil and military officials arrayed in neat rows, bowing to the monarch according to strict ritual, demonstrating the King's unchallengeable authority. In the film, we see a similar scene: as Nameless slowly enters the Qin palace, black-clad court ministers stand solemnly like statues on either side, the entire space suffused with a stifling sense of pressure. This visual presentation is not merely for spectacle but is a physical manifestation of the power structure.
The lines "The warrior alone crosses the central stairs, / Ascends the steps, a solitary figure toward the clouds" shift the focus from the group to the individual, vividly portraying Nameless's lonely figure advancing. In Hero, Jet Li's Nameless is precisely such a "lone warrior," passing through layers of palace gates towards the高高在上的 King of Qin. This imagery is highly symbolic: the individual's solitary choice confronts collective power. As Nameless steps up the stairs leading to the King, he is not only moving through physical space but also completing a spiritual pilgrimage – towards his mission, towards his destiny.
Notably, the poem describes "A thousand levels stretch, the top unseen from sight, / Behind him, below the stairs, a placid tide's might." This is both a direct representation of the Qin palace's architectural magnificence and a metaphor for Nameless's inner state. In the film, Nameless's approach to the King is deliberately prolonged, countless steps,漫长 and oppressive, as if they will never end. This spatial design reinforces the individual's insignificance before the machinery of power. "A placid tide" suggests that although countless subjects are below the court, they are like calm water, becoming the background, setting off the courage of this single individual.
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The final two lines, "Where distant sky and horizon meet, a new beginning's light, / As if hearing the common folk's cheers, joyful and bright," cleverly foreshadow the core theme of Hero – the dialectical relationship between individual sacrifice and the peace of 'All Under Heaven'. When Nameless ultimately abandons the assassination, he essentially chooses the ideal of "a new beginning's light" (the unification of the world), while "the common folk's cheers" points to the potential well-being of the people brought by peace. This choice is embodied in the film through the two words "All Under Heaven" (Tianxia) that Broken Sword wrote for Nameless, and it is this concept that prompts Nameless to lay down his sword at the final moment.
Through its depiction of the court scene, "A Bow to the Court" perfectly condenses the complex relationship between the individual and the power structure in Hero. Nameless is both a challenger of power and, to some extent, an understander of power – he ultimately recognizes the historical significance of the King of Qin's unification project. This complexity is precisely where Zhang Yimou attempted to innovate beyond the traditional wuxia model of "settling scores freely"; he transforms the assassin from merely a rebel into a visionary capable of considering the fate of 'All Under Heaven' from a higher perspective.
3 "Disrobing and Search": The Ritualized Politics of the Body
The poem "Disrobing and Search" begins with "Ministers and generals swiftly encircle, a tightening ring, / At the anchored hall door, guards urgently prepare," immediately creating a tense and dense atmosphere. This highly visual description directly corresponds to the strict security procedures Nameless undergoes before entering the Qin palace in Hero. In the film, this process is presented as a highly ritualized scene – countless guards surround Nameless in layers, the palace gates serving as a marker of the boundary between inside and outside power, defended to the utmost. This is not only a physical security measure but also a ritual of power taming the individual intruder.
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The lines "Inside, a bustle of movement, front and back, they scurry, / Faces flustered, anxious to complete their task with haste" vividly depict the anxious reaction of the power apparatus facing a potential threat. It is worth noting that this "fluster" and "bustle" described in the poem does not stem from fear but from power's innate vigilance towards an individual it cannot completely control. In Hero, although the King of Qin stands above all and holds the power of life and death, he still shows unease when facing Nameless, a potential assassin – this unease arises not only from the threat to his personal safety but also from the possibility of his power structure being challenged.
"Robes removed, bodies searched, roots of hair inspected, / The General proclaims the decree of the King's command" directly depicts the process of the body as the object of power's discipline. In the film, Nameless is required to remove his clothing and undergo a thorough inspection, even his hair carefully examined to prevent hiding any weapons. This scene is highly symbolic: the individual is forced into complete exposure before power, with no privacy to speak of. "The General proclaims the decree of the King's command" emphasizes the legitimacy of this process – it is not simple violence but is endowed with a legal veneer through "decrees" and "commands," granting power the legitimacy to intervene in the individual's body.
The most dramatic tension lies in the final two lines: "The warrior's gaze is steady, eyes sharp and bright, / His spirit filled with heroic air, mind set on clouds and sky." These two lines perfectly capture Nameless's mental state during the inspection in Hero. Facing the comprehensive discipline of power, Nameless does not show fear or submission but maintains an inner dignity and determination. His eyes are sharp, his spirit filled with heroism, showing his spiritual invincibility. In the film, Jet Li, through subtle facial expressions and eyes, successfully portrays an assassin who is outwardly obedient but inwardly resolute, highly consistent with the poem's description.
The entire scene depicted in "Disrobing and Search" is actually a micro-struggle between power and the individual. Power attempts to bring the individual into a controllable range through ritualized inspection procedures; while the individual, through the persistence of inner spirit, maintains a degree of autonomy. This tension is further sublimated in the climax of Hero – when Nameless ultimately gives up the assassination, it is not because he is conquered by power but because he freely chooses a higher ideal: the peace of "All Under Heaven."
Through this depiction of body politics, Zhang Yimou explores the complex relationship between power, freedom, and sacrifice. During the inspection, Nameless's body is disciplined by power, but his spirit transcends this discipline, reaching a new height. As scholar Zhang Baiqing pointed out, the assassins in Hero undergo a transformation from "assassins" to "heroes"; they are no longer confined to personal vendettas but can make sacrifices for higher ideals.
4 Thematic Resonance of Hero Reflected in the Two Poems
When we read "A Bow to the Court" and "Disrobing and Search" side by side, we find that they together form a complete interpretive framework for the themes of Zhang Yimou's Hero, revealing the complex relationship between power, the individual, and 'All Under Heaven' in the film from different angles. These two poems are like two prisms reflecting each other; through their refraction, we can see the profound ideological connotations of Hero more clearly.
4.1 Poetic Transformation of Visual Aesthetics
Zhang Yimou is renowned in Hero for his highly stylized visual language, and these two poems capture this visual震撼 in textual form. The film constructs different narrative segments and emotional atmospheres through five dominant colors (black, red, blue, white, green). The square rigor of "Two flanks open wide, formation square" in "A Bow to the Court" corresponds to the solemnity and oppression of the Qin palace scenes, dominated by black tones; while the lonely imagery of "Ascends the steps, a solitary figure toward the clouds" echoes the tiny yet determined figure of Nameless in the huge palace. This visual contrast – individual vs. group, small vs. grand, movement vs. stillness – is a typical feature of Zhang Yimou's aesthetics.
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The detailed description of "Robes removed, bodies searched, roots of hair inspected" in "Disrobing and Search" also corresponds to the texture and tension of the film's close-up shots. Zhang Yimou excels at conveying rich information through details: an inspected garment, a strand of parted hair, even an exchange of glances, can carry deep dramatic tension. Together, these two poems demonstrate the aesthetic unity of Zhang Yimou's filmmaking from macro spectacle to micro detail, also revealing that his wuxia world is composed not only of grand ideas but also of specific bodily experiences.
4.2 Reconstruction of the Concept of the Hero
The most thought-provoking aspect of Hero is its reconstruction and questioning of the traditional concept of the "hero." Whether it is Nameless giving up the assassination in "A Bow to the Court" or the warrior enduring in "Disrobing and Search," they are no longer simple avengers or rebels in the traditional wuxia film sense. Zhang Yimou presents us with a more complex concept of heroism – the hero is not one who only settles scores freely, but an individual capable of making difficult choices at critical historical junctures.
In the film, this concept of heroism is fully displayed through the transformations of Broken Sword and Nameless. Broken Sword, through three years of calligraphy practice, comprehends the way of "All Under Heaven" and thus abandons the assassination; Nameless, at the last moment, understands Broken Sword's realm and similarly chooses to lay down his weapon. This setup sparked considerable controversy at the time, with some viewing it as "the advocacy and restoration of servility." However, this is precisely Zhang Yimou's attempt to transcend the traditional wuxia model – he allows the assassins to no longer be loyal only to personal vendettas or local justice but to be able to think from a higher historical dimension.
The line "Where distant sky and horizon meet, a new beginning's light" at the end of "A Bow to the Court" precisely captures this transcendent perspective. What Nameless sees is not the King of Qin before him, but the future scenario that may result from the choice to assassinate or not – endless warfare or the unification of 'All Under Heaven'. This choice, which places "All Under Heaven" above personal vendetta, redefines what a true hero is.
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4.3 The Dialectic of History and the Individual
Zhang Yimou also explores in Hero the tension between historical progress and individual cost. Qin Shi Huang indeed promoted unification in Chinese history, laying the foundation for the Chinese empire, but this process was also accompanied by violence and oppression. The film does not simply praise or condemn Qin Shi Huang but presents the complexity of this historical judgment through the ideological转变 of the assassins.
The "myriad ministers bow" in "A Bow to the Court" shows the process of the centralization of historical power, while "the warrior alone" represents the autonomous choice of the individual within the historical tide. The disciplinary ritual in "Disrobing and Search" can also be seen as the absorption and control of the individual by historical power. Together, the two poems outline a multidimensional picture of the interaction between history and the individual – the individual is shaped by historical circumstances but also participates in shaping history through their own choices.
At the film's climax, Nameless ultimately does not kill the King of Qin, but with his death, he warns the King: the character for "sword" has a nineteenth way of being written, meaning there will always be those who challenge tyranny. This arrangement reflects Zhang Yimou's dialectical understanding of history: historical progress requires cost, but power must also be warned and restrained.
5 Cultural Significance and Controversy of Hero
Since its release, Zhang Yimou's Hero has sparked extensive and in-depth discussion within Chinese cultural circles, its influence far exceeding that of an ordinary blockbuster. Through the perspectives provided by these two poems, we can more clearly grasp the film's cultural coordinates and the intellectual debates it provoked.
5.1 Contemporary Reconstruction of Historical Narrative
By reconstructing the story of the assassination attempt, Hero participates in the reshaping of contemporary Chinese historical narrative. In traditional historical accounts, although Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, he更多 appears as a tyrant, while assassins like Jing Ke are portrayed as heroes resisting tyranny. Zhang Yimou boldly subverts this narrative, reinterpretating the King of Qin as a hero promoting historical progress, while the assassins voluntarily abandon their mission upon understanding this.
This reconstruction finds poetic expression in "Where distant sky and horizon meet, a new beginning's light" from "A Bow to the Court" – individual sacrifice makes possible the unification of the world. However, this position also drew criticism. Some critics sharply pointed out: "There is a deep servility in Zhang Yimou's films, which stems from the普遍 land complex of Chinese peasants. Possessing this complex makes Zhang Yimou unconsciously understand 'All Under Heaven' from the standpoint of the land and its master, making it difficult for him to express the chivalrous spirit that regards the whole world as home and despises imperial power."
It is worth noting that Zhang Yimou's historical reconstruction is not an isolated case. Taiwanese media commentary on Hero also noted the film's connection to contemporary China's rise, viewing Qin Shi Huang's unification as the "incarnation of Chinese unification." This indicates that Hero's historical narrative is not only about the past but also closely linked to contemporary China's self-perception and international positioning.
5.2 Innovation and Limitations of the Wuxia Genre
Hero's innovation in the wuxia genre is obvious. Zhang Baiqing marveled: "This film is completely different from Hong Kong and Taiwan-style wuxia films. It is a work with Zhang Yimou's own artistic characteristics, possessing not only extremely high观赏性 but also profound historical and ideological connotations. It is bound to become a new classic of wuxia films." The court rituals and bodily discipline captured in "A Bow to the Court" and "Disrobing and Search" are examples of this innovation – Zhang Yimou elevates the wuxia film from mere martial arts and revenge to philosophical contemplation of power, order, and individual choice.
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However, this innovation also brought controversy. On the one hand, some believed that Hero was too focused on visual effects, causing the "story and characters to recede to the margins, with concepts and form becoming the center of the film." On the other hand, the deviation from the wuxia tradition also made some audiences uncomfortable. The spirit of "knights-errant challenging authority with martial arts" in traditional wuxia culture is replaced by the appeal for "peace under heaven"; the assassin is no longer a symbol of resistance against authority but instead becomes an understander or even collaborator with authority.
5.3 Artistic Expression and Ideology
Another layer of controversy surrounding Hero concerns the relationship between artistic expression and ideology. Some critics believed that the film's beautification of Qin Shi Huang reflected an "advocacy and restoration of servility." When discussing Hero, Taiwanese media directly interpreted the film as "a hint of national unification issued by a booming mainland China to a Taiwan陷入 economic difficulties."
Facing these controversies, we need to see the complexity of Hero. The film does express affirmation of unification and historical progress through the assassins' transformation, but it also retains a warning to power through Nameless's death. Just as described in "Disrobing and Search" – "The warrior's gaze is steady, eyes sharp and bright" – the individual, when facing power, still maintains spiritual independence and criticality.
6 Conclusion: The Resonance of Poetry and Film
Guided by the two poems "A Bow to the Court" and "Disrobing and Search," we are able to explore more deeply the rich ideological connotations and artistic achievements of Zhang Yimou's Hero. Though brief, these two poems accurately capture the most tense scenes and deepest themes in the film.
"A Bow to the Court," depicting the court scene, reveals the grandeur and oppression of the power structure and the individual's solitary choice within it. "Disrobing and Search," through its description of bodily discipline, reveals the micro-struggle between power and the individual. Together, the two poems outline the core proposition of Hero: at critical historical moments, how does the individual face power, and how do they transcend personal vendetta to consider the larger issue of "All Under Heaven"?
Through Hero, Zhang Yimou boldly innovated upon the traditional wuxia genre, elevating the assassin story of settling scores freely to a philosophical reflection on history, power, and sacrifice. Although this innovation sparked controversy, it undoubtedly expanded the intellectual and artistic space of Chinese cinema. As Zhang Baiqing predicted, Hero "will开拓 new paths for the development of Chinese wuxia films."
Ultimately, Hero and these two poems remind us: true heroism may lie not in steadfast resistance or blind obedience, but in maintaining the ability to think independently and making difficult choices within complex historical contexts. Nameless's choice not to kill the King of Qin was not out of fear, but out of understanding; not an abandonment of resistance, but a choice of a more profound form of warning. This complexity and dialectical thinking are precisely the ideological value of Hero that transcends ordinary wuxia films, and are the profound启示 conveyed to us by the two poems.
In the contemporary context, Hero and these two poems continue to resonate. When we face complex social realities and personal choices, Nameless's dilemma and抉择 still inspire us to think: what is true heroic spirit? How can the individual maintain dignity and conscience within social structures and historical tides? The answers to these questions are perhaps hidden in those figures who "ascend the steps, a solitary figure toward the clouds," in those gazes that are "steady, eyes sharp and bright," and in those choices daring to make sacrifices for higher ideals.
