Chinese folklore inspire Hollywood filmmakers

A group of Hollywood filmmakers will visit the birthplace of a legendary Chinese folklore heroine next week in China's Hubei Province to draw inspiration for their work.

Dubbed the "Hollywood Masters' China Trip," Tony Bancroft, director of the 1998 Disney's animated film Mulan, and Raymond Singer, screen writer of the film are among the filmmakers heading to Huangpi District in Wuhan City, the birth place of Mulan in ancient China.

They will participate in various cultural activities and exchange ideas with local students as well as officials, according to the tour organizer U.S.-Asia Innovation Gateway, a Silicon Valley-based organization aimed at advancing economic and cultural opportunities between the United States and Asia.

"Art has no borders. No matter what background and skin color you have, truth, kindness and beauty are things that people yearn for in their hearts," said Stephanie Xu, said the organization's president ahead of the trip.

"It's our hope that (Hollywood filmmakers) can better understand China's rich history and culture through such trips," she said. "We sincerely look forward to bringing more Hollywood friends to discover China's rich culture and to make more movies and media related projects."

A group of Hollywood filmmakers take selfie in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, April 20, 2017, when they participate in an activity named "Hollywood Masters' China Trip." [Photo: VCG]

Last year, the organization launched two "Hollywood masters' trips" to China. The participants visited Chinese film studios and met with Chinese filmmakers and investors.

Westerners can resonate with Chinese folklore because at its core it reflects common values, said Bancroft using Mulan's story as an example.

"It's about a daughter's respect for her family and especially her father. She loves her father so much that she's willing to sacrifice her own life for him," he said. "For western audiences that is a very appealing dramatic story to start with. Then it also has a lot of comic fun to it that adds to the appeal of the story."