Join us at the Confucius Institute for Scotland for a talk on the phenomenal success of Nezha 2, a recent Chinese animated film that took the global box office by storm upon its release on Chinese New Year Day, January 29, 2025. Quickly rising to become the highest-grossing animated film worldwide and securing the fifth place on the all-time global box office chart, Nezha 2 has captured widespread public attention. This presentation investigates the key factors behind the film’s commercial breakthrough, highlighting the ways it embodies the defining trends in contemporary world cinema. It also explores the film’s thematic complexity, particularly its dynamic interplay between youthful defiance and traditional familial obligations, an ideological contradiction central to the film’s broad appeal both within China and internationally.
*suitable for 16 year old and over
Event details:
Time: 27/06/2025 5:00pm-7:30pm
Location: Abden House 1 Marchhall Crescent EH16 5HP
Agenda:
5:00pm-5:15pm: Welcome & refreshments
5:15pm-6:15pm: Lecture by Dr Xuelin Zhou, University of Auckland
6:15pm-6:30pm: Q&A chaired by Dr Xuelei Huang, University of Edinburgh
The talk will be followed by an opportunity to sample some cultural activities including: Chinese Calligraphy, Blow painting, Tie-dye crafting, and traditional Chinese games.
Dr. Xuelin Zhou is an Associate Professor in Media and Screen and Director of Confucius Institute at The University of Auckland, New Zealand. Xuelin’s research is situated at the intersection of film studies and cross-cultural analysis, with a particular focus on Chinese-language film. His work concentrates on how film functions as a cultural and ideological medium, examining the ways in which filmic narratives engage with issues of identity, modernity and nationalism. Xuelin has published extensively on topics ranging from auteur film and genre movie to national and transnational cinema. He is the author of Young Rebels in Contemporary Chinese Cinema (Hong Kong University Press, 2007), Youth Culture in Chinese Language Film (Routledge, 2016), and Globalization and Contemporary Chinese Cinema (Palgrave, 2017).
The event is free, all are welcome, but booking is required. Please reserve your place HERE