Promotional material for Wolf Warrior 2 Photo: IC

Wu Jing, actor and director of the patriotic Wolf Warrior film series and icon of patriotism for many Chinese netizens, said in an article in People's Daily on Friday that his original intention in making the Wolf Warrior movies was to create a new character that can represent modern day China and demonstrate the spirit of the new era.

"When talking about a tough guy, many movie viewers would think of some foreign performers. I am not convinced about this: why can't we have a Chinese tough guy and express our own heroic conception?" he wrote in the article.  

The article came after Wu attended the opening ceremony of the 11th National Congress of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of China Writers Association on December 14, 2021, where Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech. 

During his speech, Xi called on Chinese artists and writers to boost their awareness and confidence in Chinese culture, create new prospects for Chinese literature and art, and add new luster to Chinese culture, saying that the Chinese public will not accept artists who commit misconduct, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Wu has become an icon of sincere patriotism and on Chinese social media since the hit movie Wolf Warrior 1 took Chinese audiences by storm in 2015 as he was always outspoken and tough, as well as humorous sometimes, when talking about his love for his country and respect for Chinese soldiers in different eras. 

He became the performer with the highest-ever personal box office in Chinese movie history as of November 2021. The total box office of the movies he had participated in had exceeded 23 billion yuan ($3.6 billion).  

In the past five years, three movies Wu had starred in, namely The Battle at the Lake Changjin, Wolf Warrior 2 and The Wandering Earth, ranked first, second and fifth in the domestic movie box office, according to media reports. The three are all patriotic and heroic movies.  

The popularity of patriotic artists and movies, for example Wu Jing who had the highest-ever personal box office in Chinese film history and his Wolf Warrior series, demonstrated a patriotic tide among Chinese people, which is boosted by growing confidence and understanding of Chinese culture amid a challenging international entertainment of strained China-US ties and deadly COVID-19 pandemic, experts said.

The image of Wolf Warrior can be a successful example of creating a Chinese style hero by artists. 

The Chinese style hero Wu played is different from the Western style. He is not only physically strong, but he pursues peace and shows concern and love for other people and always wants to contribute to the peace of the world, Zhang Yiwu, a professor of cultural studies at Peking University, told the Global Times on Friday.        

Some Western media distorted the concept of Wolf Warrior, saying it shows China's aggressiveness and ambition to invade others. People who say so probably never watched the movies, or they would understand that a Chinese hero would never start trouble, neither would they flinch when faced with trouble, Zhang explained. 

The Battle at Lake Changjin became the highest-grossing film in Chinese history after it beat Wolf Warrior 2 on November 24, 2021. Netizens said that only Wu Jing could beat Wu Jing.

The film triggered a wave on Chinese social media of netizens reviewing the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53). Many netizens released videos of themselves eating frozen raw potatoes and expressing respect and appreciation for the sacrifice of the Chinese People's Volunteers army.

Wu Jing's increasing popularity in recent years also comes with a crackdown against misconducts in entertainment industry in China, in which tainted artists were exposed for tax evasion and sky-high payments. 

In the signed article on the People's Daily, Wu said that it is a basic requirement for personnel of the entertainment industry to get down to performing, be an honest person and do things cleanly.   

Wu's integrity and the simple truths he upholds resonate with netizens and also meet the requirement of Xi for artists.

Xi says that writers and artists should cherish their social influence, seriously consider the social effects of their works and, if they commit misconduct, the people will not accept it.