A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Confucian Images in Korean Films - With 'The Book of Fish' as an Example

The film “The Book of Fish” follows the narrative of Ding Ruquan, a renowned Korean scholar who, during his exile on Heishan Island, investigated marine fish species in the local area and its coastal waters, and compiled a record of these fish. It also visually interprets the topic of Korean ideological transformation under the impact of Western learning. The Joseon Dynasty, as a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, was initially under the influence of Chinese Confucian culture. The ideological transformation faced by Confucian scholars during the Joseon Dynasty mirrored the contemporary dilemmas that enlightened Chinese scholars were eagerly seeking to resolve. Therefore, this article explores, from a cross-cultural perspective and in conjunction with the visual creation of director Li Junyi, the learning and localization innovation of Korean Confucianism in Chinese Confucianism. It understands the living conditions and inner world of the practical scholars represented by the Ding brothers and explores the underlying attitudes of Confucian scholars towards social conditions, beliefs, life, and tradition. The purpose of this article is to explain the characteristics and innovations of the portrayal of Confucianism in films, the similarities and differences between the images of Confucianism in films and historical figures, and the significance of the era in which they were created.

电影《玆山鱼谱》以朝鲜著名实学家丁若铨流配至黑山岛期间，考察当地和近海的海洋鱼类生物并编纂鱼谱的经历为叙事主线，辅之以影像诠释西学冲击之下朝鲜思想转型的论题。朝鲜王朝作为清王朝藩属国，且始处于中华儒家文化辐射范围内。朝鲜王朝儒士们面对思想转型的问题亦是近代中国开明士人亟亟求解的时代性困惑。故本文从跨文化视角出发，结合导演李濬益的影像创作，探寻朝鲜儒者对中华儒学的学习与本土化创新，了解以丁氏兄弟为代表的实学家们的生存状态和内心世界，发掘其背后所隐含的儒者关于世态、信仰、人生和传统的态度。期以阐释电影中儒者形象塑造特点与创新、电影儒者形象与历史人物形象的异同及其所产生的时代意义。