Hu Ge (director)
Encyclopedia
Hu Ge is an amateur
director in the People's Republic of China
who rose to fame through social satire
and the Internet
. His works, which are videos which can be downloaded from video-sharing sites such as YouTube
, and freely distributed by his permission, are viewed by millions. His outrageous humour and his use of innumerable parodies had gained a degree of international attention and drew notices from the Communist Party's Department of Propaganda
. He has since directed a number of hugely popular online commercials for companies such as 7Up and McDonalds. http://www.chinasmack.com/2011/videos/hu-ge-interview-parodying-chinese-society-and-viral-advertising.html
, Hubei
Province, China.
Hu Ge became well known by Chinese netizen
s after his first short movie, A Murder Case Caused by a Bun (a spoof on Chen Kaige
's The Promise
), in late 2005. His subsequent works have also been well-received.
in social and cultural realms, reflecting numerous problems in Chinese society
to a backdrop of loosely pieced together current events or well-known footage from big-name films, including Harry Potter
, The Matrix
, Shaolin Soccer
, Hero
, etc. He has immense focus on elements of parody
on multiple levels. The music he uses are usually satirical, be it Chinese instrumentals, Hollywood movie soundtrack
s, American pop songs or spinoffs of Michael Jackson
songs.
's crazy commentary at the World Cup in Germany
(because of the large number of networks the statistics are inconclusive). In January 2006, after the popularizing of Hu's first creation, A Murder Case caused by a Bun, Chen Kaige
, director of The Promise
and subject of Hu's satire, announced plans to take legal action against Hu for apparent copyright violations and defamation. The amateur films became the discussion topics on various Chinese forums, and received overwhelming support from the general public, which led to bad social repercussion against Chen, who later dropped the lawsuit. In late 2006, because of its subtle social commentary that could be interpreted at a political level, Hu's films have gained the attention to the Communist Party's Propaganda Department, in charge of China's media controls. There were talks of a ban in late 2006, with the pretext that Hu's films are too long in length and too intricate in design, that they can no longer be categorized as amateur internet videos. In early 2007, however, after Hu's newest release, 007 vs. Man in Black, there are no signs of a ban.
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
director in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
who rose to fame through social satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
and the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. His works, which are videos which can be downloaded from video-sharing sites such as YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, and freely distributed by his permission, are viewed by millions. His outrageous humour and his use of innumerable parodies had gained a degree of international attention and drew notices from the Communist Party's Department of Propaganda
Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China , formerly known in English as the Propaganda Department, is an internal division of the Communist Party of China in charge of ideology-related work, as well as its propaganda system...
. He has since directed a number of hugely popular online commercials for companies such as 7Up and McDonalds. http://www.chinasmack.com/2011/videos/hu-ge-interview-parodying-chinese-society-and-viral-advertising.html
Biography
Hu Ge grew up in WuhanWuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
Province, China.
Hu Ge became well known by Chinese netizen
Netizen
The term Netizen is a portmanteau of the English words internet and citizen. It is defined as an entity or person actively involved in online communities and a user of the internet, especially an avid one. The term can also imply an interest in improving the internet, especially in regard to open...
s after his first short movie, A Murder Case Caused by a Bun (a spoof on Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema. His films are known for their visual flair and epic storytelling.-Early life:...
's The Promise
The Promise (2005 film)
The Promise is a 2005 Chinese epic fantasy film directed by Chen Kaige and starring Jang Dong-gun, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cecilia Cheung and Nicholas Tse. The film is based on the wuxia romance The K'un-lun Slave, written by P'ei Hsing at the time of the Tang Dynasty.First released in mainland China on...
), in late 2005. His subsequent works have also been well-received.
Techniques
Hu Ge focuses on enhancements through satireSatire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
in social and cultural realms, reflecting numerous problems in Chinese society
Social issues in the People's Republic of China
Social issues in the People's Republic of China in the 21st century are varied and wide-ranging, and are a combined result of the Chinese economic reforms set in place in the late 1970s, China's political and cultural history, and an immense population...
to a backdrop of loosely pieced together current events or well-known footage from big-name films, including Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
, The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
, Shaolin Soccer
Shaolin Soccer
Shaolin Soccer is a 2001 Hong Kong comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Stephen Chow. A former Shaolin monk reunites his five brothers, years after their master's death, to apply their superhuman martial arts skills to play soccer and bring Shaolin kung fu to the masses.In 2008 a...
, Hero
Hero (2002 film)
Hero is a 2002 wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou. Starring Jet Li as the nameless protagonist, the film is based on the story of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin in 227 BC....
, etc. He has immense focus on elements of parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
on multiple levels. The music he uses are usually satirical, be it Chinese instrumentals, Hollywood movie soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s, American pop songs or spinoffs of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
songs.
Public and official response
Hu Ge's films, which are distributed freely on the Internet, received widespread attention on Chinese video-sharing networks, beating Huang JianxiangHuang Jianxiang
Huang Jianxiang , is one of the best-known sports commentators in China, formerly of the state-run network China Central Television . He was fairly well received in his commentating of football, particularly at the FIFA World Cup and the German Bundesliga, although he also commentated during...
's crazy commentary at the World Cup in Germany
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
(because of the large number of networks the statistics are inconclusive). In January 2006, after the popularizing of Hu's first creation, A Murder Case caused by a Bun, Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema. His films are known for their visual flair and epic storytelling.-Early life:...
, director of The Promise
The Promise (2005 film)
The Promise is a 2005 Chinese epic fantasy film directed by Chen Kaige and starring Jang Dong-gun, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cecilia Cheung and Nicholas Tse. The film is based on the wuxia romance The K'un-lun Slave, written by P'ei Hsing at the time of the Tang Dynasty.First released in mainland China on...
and subject of Hu's satire, announced plans to take legal action against Hu for apparent copyright violations and defamation. The amateur films became the discussion topics on various Chinese forums, and received overwhelming support from the general public, which led to bad social repercussion against Chen, who later dropped the lawsuit. In late 2006, because of its subtle social commentary that could be interpreted at a political level, Hu's films have gained the attention to the Communist Party's Propaganda Department, in charge of China's media controls. There were talks of a ban in late 2006, with the pretext that Hu's films are too long in length and too intricate in design, that they can no longer be categorized as amateur internet videos. In early 2007, however, after Hu's newest release, 007 vs. Man in Black, there are no signs of a ban.
Filmography
- A Murder Case Caused by a Bun (一个馒头引发的血案), 2005 (parodies a Chinese legal talk showTalk showA talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
and the film The PromiseThe Promise (2005 film)The Promise is a 2005 Chinese epic fantasy film directed by Chen Kaige and starring Jang Dong-gun, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cecilia Cheung and Nicholas Tse. The film is based on the wuxia romance The K'un-lun Slave, written by P'ei Hsing at the time of the Tang Dynasty.First released in mainland China on...
, satirizes Chinese cinema) - The Empire of Spring Transportation (春运帝国), 2006 (parodies The Matrix trilogyThe Matrix seriesThe Matrix is a science fiction action franchise created by Andy and Larry Wachowski and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The series began with the 1999 film The Matrix and later spawned two sequels; The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both released in 2003, thus forming a trilogy...
, Stephen ChowStephen ChowStephen Chow Sing-Chi is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, screenwriter, film director and producer.- Professional career :Stephen Chow began as a temporary actor for TVB. He entered TVB in early 1980s, and was trained there, although he had few opportunities to appear in films. Chow graduated from...
movies and HeroHero (2002 film)Hero is a 2002 wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou. Starring Jet Li as the nameless protagonist, the film is based on the story of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin in 227 BC....
, satirizes China's chaotic ChunyunChunyunChunyun, , also referred to as Spring Festival travel season, or Chunyun period, is a period of travel in China with extremely high traffic load around the time of the Chinese New Year. The period usually begins 15 days before the Lunar New Year's Day and lasts for around 40 days...
period) - The Legend of Suppressing Mt. Birdcage Bandits (鸟笼山剿匪记), 2006 (live actionLive actionIn filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
, the name parodies a popular 1980s Chinese TV series, satirizes Saddam Hussain's corrupt regime and George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's private gain from the War on Iraq) - Mt. Birdcage TV Shopping (鸟笼山电视直销), 2006 (parodies numerous Chinese and Hollywood films, satirizes the often over-exaggerating Chinese infomercials)
- A City Full of Overtime Employees (满城尽是加班族), 2006 (live action, the title is a parody of the Zhang YimouZhang YimouZhang Yimou is a Chinese film director, producer, writer and actor, and former cinematographer. He is counted amongst the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, having made his directorial debut in 1987 with Red Sorghum....
film Curse of the Golden FlowerCurse of the Golden FlowerCurse of the Golden Flower is a 2006 Chinese epic drama film directed by Zhang Yimou.With a budget of US$45 million, it was at the time of its release the most expensive Chinese film to date, surpassing Chen Kaige's The Promise...
, parodies Hong Kong films, alludes to Jin Yong's wuxiaWuxiaWuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
novels, satirizes capitalismCapitalismCapitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
, first film employing dark humour) - 007 vs. Man in Black (007大战黑衣人), 2007 (live action, satirizes North Korean leader Kim Jung-Il's regime, first film containing fully legible English/ChinglishChinglishChinglish refers to spoken or written English language that is influenced by the Chinese language. The term "Chinglish" is commonly applied to ungrammatical or nonsensical English in Chinese contexts, and may have pejorative or deprecating connotations, reflecting the attitudes of those who apply...
throughout, spoken or subtitled) - 007 vs. Prince Pork (007大战猪肉王子), 2008 (live action, satirizes Chinese game showGame showA game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
s and a number of social issues, including the infamous "South China Tiger photo incident") - XX District, Unit No XX Apartment News (××小区××号群租房整点新闻), 2008~2009 (2-part live action, parodies CCTVChina Central TelevisionChina Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
news programs) - Animal World: The Cyber-Animals (动物世界—宅居动物), 2010 (live action, parodies a popular Chinese nature documentaryNature documentaryA natural history film or wildlife film is a documentary film about animals, plants, or other non-human living creatures, usually concentrating on film taken in their natural habitat...
, satirizes internet culture and Chinese web censorshipInternet censorship in the People's Republic of ChinaInternet censorship in the People's Republic of China is conducted under a wide variety of laws and administrative regulations. There are no specific laws or regulations which the censorship follows...
)
Advertisements
- Shoe Assault: The President's Counterattack (鞋袭——总统的反击), 2009 (live action, advertising for Alibaba.comAlibaba.comAlibaba Group is a privately owned Hangzhou, China-based family of Internet-based businesses that includes online marketplaces that facilitate business-to-business international and domestic China trade, retail and payment platforms, a shopping search engine, and data-centric cloud computing...
, parodies Muntadhar al-Zaidi shoe-throwing incident)