Avalokitesvara (film)

Avalokitesvara

Poster
Traditional 不肯去觀音
Simplified 不肯去观音
Mandarin Bù Kén Qù Guān Yīn
Directed by Zhang Xin
Produced by Xu Jian
Written by Sun Zuping
Zhou Kailong
Tao Qianni
Starring Li Chun
Nie Yuan
Nakaizumi Hideo
Siqin Gaowa
Nakano Ryoko
Mou Fengbin
Music by Wu Xuan
Cinematography Chen Xinning
Jiang Xiaohui
Liu Huayi
Edited by Zhou Ying
Production
company
Beijing Spencer Culture & Media
Distributed by China Film Group Corporation
Release date
  • 26 July 2013 (2013-07-26)
Running time
 117 minutes
Country China
Language Mandarin
Japanese

Avalokitesvara, also known as Bu Ken Qu Guan Yin (literally "the Guanyin who refuses to leave"), is a 2013 Chinese religious film directed by Zhang Xin. It is loosely based on a legend about how Mount Putuo in China's Zhejiang Province became the bodhimaṇḍa of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, who is better known in Chinese as Guanyin. The film starred Li Chun, Nie Yuan, Nakaizumi Hideo, Siqin Gaowa, Nakano Ryoko and Mou Fengbin in the leading roles. It was shown at the 37th Montreal World Film Festival in 2013 and was named one of the four World Greats.[1]

Plot

The film is set in China during the reign of Emperor Wuzong of the Tang dynasty. Prince Li Yi, a relative of the emperor, has been sickly since childhood. His mother, Lady Zheng, commissions Yu Xiufeng, a craftsman from Mount Meicen (Mount Putuo), to create a porcelain figurine of Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin) so that she can pray to the bodhisattva to bless her son with good health. On the day the figurine is completed, Yu Xiufeng and his grandson, Haisheng, discover a baby girl in a lotus pond. Yu Xiufeng adopts the baby girl as his granddaughter and names her "Lianmei" ("Lotus Sister"). The figurine is taken to Mount Wutai and enshrined in a Buddhist temple there.

In 845 CE, Emperor Wuzong orders the Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution because he thinks that Buddhism is corrupting the masses. He also senses that Li Yi will become a threat to him, so he sends General Yuchi to assassinate the prince. At the same time, Reverend Wuchen asks Yu Xiufeng to collect the figurine from Mount Wutai and hide it at Mount Meicen. During the journey, Yu Xiufeng and his grandchildren meet Hui'e, a Japanese Buddhist monk sent by Empress Tachibana to find and bring the figurine to Japan. As Lady Zheng had secretly tasked General Yuchi's deputy, General Sima, with protecting her son, General Sima saves Li Yi when General Yuchi is about to kill him. General Sima defeats General Yuchi in a duel and wants to finish him off, but Lianmei stops him and asks him to spare General Yuchi. Li Yi and General Sima accompany Yu Xiufeng, Lianmei and Haisheng as they bring the figurine back to Mount Meicen. Hui'e finds out later and makes his way to Mount Meicen too.

General Yuchi tracks down Li Yi with the help of Governor Song, the governor of Mingzhou (modern Ningbo). To buy time for Li Yi and General Sima to escape, Lianmei and Haisheng disguise themselves to divert the pursuers' attention elsewhere, while Yu Xiufeng stays behind to distract Governor Song. The governor kills Yu Xiufeng when the latter refuses to reveal Li Yi's whereabouts, while General Yuchi goes after Lianmei and Haisheng – only to find out that he has been tricked. In the meantime, Hui'e finds the figurine and tries to sneak away with it. When Haisheng and Lianmei return home, they are horrified to see their grandfather dead. Haisheng sees Hui'e fleeing and immediately suspects that Hui'e killed his grandfather and stole the figurine, so he chases Hui'e, catches up with him, and starts beating him. Lianmei stops Haisheng and tells him she believes Hui'e when he claims he is innocent. However, she refuses to let Hui'e take the figurine with him. Hui'e feels so ashamed of himself that he gives up and returns to Japan.

Lianmei and Haisheng are captured later at a roadblock in Mingzhou by Governor Song, who seizes the figurine from them. The governor then tries to bribe General Yuchi to help him cover up for his failure to hunt down Li Yi, but General Yuchi refuses and accuses him of corruption. Meanwhile, Haisheng escapes from the prison and drags Lianmei along with him. General Yuchi is furious when he learns of their escape and orders the other prisoners to be executed. However, Lianmei succeeds in convincing Haisheng to go back to the prison with her because she knows what would happen if they escaped. General Yuchi is so impressed by Lianmei's act of sacrifice that he spares the prisoners.

General Yuchi sets a trap to lure Li Yi out of hiding. He announces that Lianmei and Haisheng will be executed for helping a fugitive escape, and predicts that Li Yi will come to save them. As expected, Li Yi appears and turns himself in to General Yuchi in exchange for Lianmei and Haisheng's release. However, General Sima also shows up and fights with General Yuchi and his soldiers to save Li Yi. Just then, a messenger arrives with an imperial edict announcing that Emperor Wuzong is dead and that Li Yi will succeed him. General Yuchi commits suicide in shame for failing to complete his mission. Li Yi returns to the palace for his coronation, while Lianmei and Haisheng bring the figurine back to Mount Wutai.

Hui'e travels to China again later to ask for the figurine. Reverend Wuchen initially rejects his request. However, Hui'e eventually manages to convince everyone of his sincerity by kneeling outside the temple for several days, so Reverend Wuchen allows him to bring the figurine to Japan. When Hui'e's ship sails past Mount Meicen, Lianmei rows towards the ship on a raft because she cannot bear to see the figurine leave. A fierce storm suddenly breaks out and causes the figurine to be cast overboard. When the storm has subsided, Hui'e is deeply saddened to learn that Lianmei and the figurine are lost at sea. Just then, lotuses appear all over the water surface. Hui'e sees a vision of Lianmei as Avalokiteśvara on Mount Meicen, and realises that he is not destined to bring the figurine back to Japan. However, he can bring back the virtues embodied by the bodhisattva – such as compassion and mercy – and impart them to his people.

Cast

Production

Avalokitesvara was approved by China's State Administration for Religious Affairs and State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television before it starting filming on 6 June 2012 at Mount Putuo, Zhejiang Province. It opened in Chinese theatres on 26 July 2013.[2]

Venerable Master Yicheng, a former President of the Buddhist Association of China, served as principal consultant for the film.[3]

Awards

Avalokitesvara was shown at the 37th Montreal World Film Festival in 2013. It was named one of the World Greats along with Mitani Kōki's The Kiyosu Conference, Wang Jing's Fall of Ming, and Ren Pengyuan's The Deadly Bullet.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Cremin, Stephen (7 August 2013). "China, Japan dominate Montreal's Asian lineup". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "佛教电影：不肯去观音 [Buddhist Movie: Avalokitesvara]". Sina.com (in Chinese). 26 January 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "一诚长老 学诚法师 怡学法师为《不肯去观音》题词寄语 [Venerable Masters Yicheng, Xuecheng and Yixue write calligraphy for "Avalokitesvara"]". ifeng.com (in Chinese). 25 July 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
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