The Japanese
are portrayed in quite a stereotypical manner, with most major Japanese
characters possessing the sort of pronounced teeth and pig noises... are these
racist caricatures? Why would Hergé opt to present one nationality like that? I
mean, I can understand why the Japanese are the bad guys in this story, but it
seems disappointingly racist to revert to such a stereotypical display.
If the
intended audience for Tintin's adventures are children, then what is the impact
of this ugly representation on their developing brains? I would say
propaganda, children will not only have a negative perception of Japanese but
this insight will remain on them for long time. Were these Hergé intentions?
Hergé that in
two early Tintin adventures portrayed Chinese
as sinister pig-tailed torturers, now changes his position to
defend Chinese and go against Japanese. Farr (1991) says that all started when the author met Chang
Chong-Jen, a young Chinese student of Fine Arts that helps him understand the
reality of this country and its culture and to recreate the scene of the city
of Shanghai during the Japanese occupation between January and April 1932. Hergé,
outraged by this event, takes a position clearly contrary to Japan. In the other hand, we must add that at the time the
western media was at the Japanese side, Hergé, adopted favorable position to
the Chinese cause, appears to be opposite to “the official” position, in my
view a sign of rebellion of his part. In short, The Blue Lotus by Hergé is
nothing more than a linked reality of his time, racism? definitively, propaganda? no, only coincidence.
It is believed that previous works of Herge’s ‘conformed to the pictures or cliché’s held in the 1920-30’s” (Farr p.51) which when The Blue Lotus was released, its realism and accuracy was a big draw card.
ReplyDeleteFollowing the urgings of a priest who was chaplain to Chinese students, Herge made contact with a sculpture student by the name of Chang Chong-chen who helped him develop a love of China and encapsulate the country in his Tintin adventures, rather than just succumbing to the (what would now be considered as racist and terribly controversial) stereotypical China of the time.
Herge looked ‘further for pictures of the real China…with Chang supervising the representation of vases, furniture, screens and wall hangings.” (Farr pp.51-52).
The politically allegorical ‘The Blue Lotus’ is also noted for ‘skillfully…camouflaging” (Farr p.54) the contemporary politics of China by incorporating these issues heavily into the storyline.
I think this Tintin adventure is great in the way it has such a heavy storyline with such a political agenga, but still manages to appeal to a child audience who religiously follow (but remain naïve to the underlying ideologies of the work) Tintin’s story of journey and adventure.
References
Farr, M. (1991) Tintin: the complete companiom. London: John Murray.
Hergé. (2005; 1935). The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus. London: Methuen.
oops sorry that post was to answer the question
ReplyDeleteAccording to the second Farr extract (p.50-59), how did Hergé research China for The Blue Lotus?