Nationalism and heroism with Chinese characteristics: a critical discourse analysis of Wolf Warrior II

Abstract

Intense controversy has surrounded the expressions of nationalism and stereotypes of African nations in the successful Chinese blockbuster Wolf Warrior II (2017). In the context of the strained U.S.–China relationship and China’s expansive economic development in the Global South, a new heroic screen trope of ‘China in Africa’ has emerged, one that borrows from earlier forms of nationalism in Chinese cinema. This article argues that, far from merely reproducing clichés from Hollywood action cinema, Wolf Warrior II expresses a hegemonic political discourse fermented through China’s international diplomacy across the post-Revolutionary and post-socialist periods. Using the methodology of critical discourse analysis, this study identifies the historical precedents for and ideological shifts within the nationalist discourse of ‘China in Africa’ and provides contemporary contexts for the asymmetrical power relationships between China and African nations in the Global South.