长安三万里

Chang'an is a Chinese animated film that gloriously celebrates the Tang Dynasty, the golden age of Chinese arts and culture, paying tribute to Tang Dynasty poetry.

The story chronicles the lifelong friendship between Li Bai, China's most famed poet, and Gao Shi, a general and politician, during the Tang Dynasty from its cultural peak until its eventual collapse from the An Lushan Rebellion.

With a wonderfully written script, Chang'an reaches its ambitions, viscerally showing daily life in the Tang dynasty, its flourishing culture, and communal appreciation for poetry-reciting up to 48 Tang poems throughout the film.

Poetry was an art form shared socially. On a night out drinking, poets would compose a poem on the spot to capture a moment of joy, similar to taking an Instagram selfie now, and the latest composition will be passed on verbally appreciatively from town to town in chin-stroking joy.

It was momentous when the film recited Li Bai's "Quiet Night Thought", the definitive poem that every Chinese person recites in school. It was wonderful learning the context behind how it was composed. Every Chinese teacher will be playing Chang'an clips for years to come.

The animation is used meticulously to recreate the capital city of Chang'an and allows an aesthetic freedom to switch between various tones and subgenres, easily switching from historical slice of life drama, wuxia, war film and into the imaginary.

At 169 minutes, Chang'an earns its long runtime with its rich story. I was transported back in time and seduced by the Tang way of life. Seeing a society so enveloped in art and expression was infectious and inspiring. The Li Bai and Gao Shi's friendship is also well developed and quite moving. Towards the end, when the Tang era was over, I felt a sorrow for a great time long gone.

Chang'an is one of the best films of 2023. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Chang'an's glow once illuminated the Silk Road, its poetry crystallizing the Tang dynasty's golden age in every brushstroke. The moonlit verses of Li Bai still ripple in scholars' wine cups, while palace dances survive as ink traces on moth-eaten silk.

These echoes persist-not in the phoenix-painted lanterns nor jade hairpins' chime but in the human pulse beneath dynastic dust. Each generation rebuilds Chang'an: Song scholars layered it with philosophical chrysanthemums, and Ming architects crowned it with crimson gates, yet the original melody lingers like a half-remembered tune.

We who parse these fragments-are we restorers of glory, or mere scribes chronicling our displacement? Perhaps to comprehend this longing, one must taste plum wine where nightingales sing Tang quatrains or feel autumn wind slip through a ruined moon gate, carrying Du Fu's sigh across eight centuries.

In today's abundant online world, where diverse opinions and performances are readily available, it's strikingly reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty portrayed by the director Junwei Xie in this movie. Everyone has the opportunity to showcase their talents, express themselves through various means like poetry, music, politics, or dance to gain recognition and success. Particularly, the choice of Li Bai, a figure familiar to every Chinese, serves as a stark contrast in the rise and fall of the great Tang Dynasty.

Li Bai's wild and unrestrained lifestyle, when analyzed through his lines in the film, reveals that he too faced hardships. His quest for enlightenment led him to learn avian magic, and his military pursuits led to an unconventional expertise in wrestling. If we were to compare the other outstanding talents of the Tang Dynasty like Du Fu, Wang Wei, Wu Daozi, and even Li Bai himself, using Gao Shi's down-to-earth and stable approach, it might seem a bit exaggerated and biased. After all, as Gao Shi himself pointed out, serving with utmost dedication doesn't guarantee people's affection because what he solidified was the dynasty, while scholar-officials like Du Fu, Wang Wei, and others aimed to improve the system for the betterment of the people. This parallel can be seen in today's international society, where beloved social media influencers may not necessarily be at the forefront of defending their nation's interests.

Chang An is yet another historical Chinese animated film, and although there is some lionization of the Tang Dynasty, it is refreshingly portrayed as flawed. Not so much for the "Tubo" (Tibetan) army, which are portrayed as cackling villains, but oh well.

The story focuses mostly on the life of Li Bai, which is portrayed as quite exccentric, leading to some levity for the film. We see his rise from merchant's son to one of history's most celebrated poets.

The animation is standard CGI, somewhere between photorealistic and stylized enough that the main characters don't fall into the uncanny valley. In fact, the rather cartoonish designs often clash with the more violent massacre scenes in the movie.

Overall a historical curiosity.

There should definably be more historical movies like this where the overall culture and the mentality and the struggles of a people are portrayed without the gloom and gore where the plot gets lost in sometimes.

I honestly was mesmerized by how involving and meaningful and well rounded the story was. It introduced Chinese culture to me as it was never presented to me before, how poetry is well rooted in Chinese collective lives and the logic set people in that era put together to make decisions, and the hierarchy between the people.

Light chaser animation has been doing great work with keeping a balance between culture, story and character over the past few movies. I just hope they don't sabotage this reputation with adding nudity & adultery, ruining the great Chinese animation vibe they have built.