Why Chinese Love This “Anti-US” Movie So Much?

On February 13th, the box office of Ne Zha 2 reached 10 billion RMB, approximately 1.4 billion USD. This animated film not only set a new record for Chinese cinema’s box office but also became the first Chinese film and the first non-Hollywood film to break into the top 20 worldwide box office rankings.

The film, adapted from a 16th-century Chinese myth, surpassed iconic films like Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Logan, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, ending Hollywood’s domination in the global film market. What’s even more remarkable is that this is China’s most successful film to date, and its story encourages global unity to overthrow U.S. imperialism.

In summary, the movie’s setting includes gods, humans, demons, and dragons, where demons and dragons are inherently inferior to gods and humans. A group of religious rulers called Chan（阐教）claim to be able to “civilize” demons and eventually make them gods. They capture demons for “reformation” and attract those demons seeking to escape their lowly status to serve them. The protagonist, Ne Zha, although born to human parents, has demonic blood and must walk the same path of redemption. However, Ne Zha discovers that the captured demons are not reformed, but instead killed and used to create potions that enhance the Chan leader’s powers. To justify capturing more demons and eliminate the already surrendered dragon tribe, the Chan group massacres an entire human city, framing the demons and dragons for the atrocity. Upon discovering the truth, Ne Zha exposes their true nature and joins the oppressed demons and dragons to overthrow the Chan leaders’ rule.

This story contains many reflections on real-world human history, but why is it considered an anti-American movie? The tokens worn by Chan group’s followers feature a design nearly identical to the U.S. national emblem; the furnace used to slaughter demons is marked with the dollar symbol; and even in the final confrontation, the protagonist says, “You pride yourselves as the light of the world, but all you do is dirty work,” a line widely interpreted by Chinese audiences as criticism of the U.S., often self-proclaimed as the “beacon of democracy.”

The target audience for animated films is generally considered to be children, so inserting such sharp political metaphors is undoubtedly a controversial decision. In most cases, parents in other countries might keep their children away from these “adult stories.” However, surprisingly, Chinese parents, after understanding these metaphors, encourage their children to watch and even bring them to view the film repeatedly. According to Beijing Business Daily, many parents are attending with their children, with more than 30% of ticket orders being group bookings.

Why would Chinese parents encourage their children to watch this “anti-American” film? The reason is simple: they understand that the way the Chan rulers deceive both humans and demons is just like how the U.S. has deceived China and the rest of the world. Chinese parents want their children to avoid falling into the same traps.

The U.S. champions the “free market” as a symbol of civilization, yet it initiated a trade war against China and even attempted to seize TikTok. The U.S promotes “democratic elections” as a symbol of civilization, yet they are behind many political coups around the world. They funded the military to murder Chile’s Salvador Allende, who sought to lift his people out of poverty; claim to uphold “racial equality” as a symbol of civilization, but murdered George Floyd with police brutality, and have been the number one supporters of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

September 11, 1973， Last hours of Chilean President Salvador Allende during Coup

When Trump was in office, he launched the “China Initiative,” labeling many Chinese Americans who had worked for U.S. research institutions as “Chinese spies.” This led to a shocking tragedy in China: on July 10, 2024, Jane Ying Wu, a Chinese-American neurologist, chose to commit suicide in the U.S. She had worked for 19 years at Northwestern University, making outstanding contributions to curing brain cancer and other fatal diseases. However, the “China Initiative” deprived her of her hard-earned laboratory, leading her to express her anger through death.

Notably, in her doctoral dissertation, Wu wrote, “Dedicated to the memory of martyrs of June Fourth, 1989,” which is widely seen in China as a failed color revolution instigated by the U.S. This statement, without a doubt, was the most unreserved “loyalty to America,” yet the Trump administration saw her Chinese origins as an unpardonable sin.
If you’re unwilling to accept us, what reason do we have not to resist until the end? This is the core message of Ne Zha, and the personal history of repeated betrayals that Chinese parents have experienced. In the film, Ne Zha ultimately chooses to be proud of his demonic identity because he realizes that it is not for others to define whether he is noble or lowly. The definition of good and evil is very clear: whether someone exploits others for their own benefit, which is what lies at the core of imperialism.

At the end of the movie, though humans and demons defeat the Chan leaders and their followers and send them fleeing back to “heaven,” they don’t completely destroy them. Some demons, fearing retaliation, chose to flee. Ne Zha, however, says he will stay and continue to resist. Then he delivers the film’s line, which is worth more than 10 billion yuan:

The dragon tribe asks Ne Zha, “Do you still want to change the world?”

Ne Zha replies, “I want to try.”

Some American superhero stories may fade with the decline of American hegemony, but Ne Zha 2 represents the resistance against Western Imperialism and colonialism since its beginnings. As long as U.S. hegemony does not collapse, and as long as any country faces the wrath of US Imperialism, Ne Zha and the allies by his side will always be heroes.

Editor: Charriot Zhai