《紅海行動》展現中國英雄本色

Recent years have seen a trend for big military movies. Whether it was last year’s British hit Dunkirk, starring movie newcomer Harry Styles, or 2014’s American Sniper, featuring Bradley Cooper as a US Navy SEAL, it’s common to see heroes fighting for their countries on the big screen.

近年來軍事大片已經成為了一種趨勢。不論是去年由影視新人哈里·斯泰爾斯主演的的英國大片《敦刻爾克》，還是由布萊德利·庫珀出演美國海豹突擊隊神槍手的2014年電影《美國狙擊手》，大銀幕上英雄們?yōu)閲鴳?zhàn)的故事屢見不鮮。

But even though we’re used to seeing patriotic Western soldiers saving the world, Chinese filmmakers are also showing that they have heroes of their own that they want to share with the audience.

盡管我們已經對西方愛國大兵拯救世界的劇情習以為常，但中國的電影制片人們也塑造了自己心目中的英雄形象，希望與觀眾們分享。

Operation Red Sea, a military action movie that came out last month in Chinese cinemas, has grabbed headlines across the country, from newspapers to social media.

上個月登陸中國影院的軍事動作大片《紅海行動》在全國各地的報紙和社交媒體上刷屏。

The film tells the story of a mission carried out by the Chinese Navy’s special forces team to rescue Chinese citizens and foreign nationals from a fictional Middle East country. Operation Red Sea is based on the real-life evacuation that happened during Yemen’s civil war in 2015.

影片改編自2015年也門撤僑的真實事件，講述了中國海軍特種部隊在一個虛構的中東國家解救中國公民和外國公民的故事。

In fact, the evacuation was the first time the Chinese military helped evacuate foreigners during an international crisis. “China’s participation in these evacuation efforts in Yemen is the latest example of the People’s Liberation Army attempting to forge goodwill and a positive image for itself by aiding other countries,” The Diplomat magazine noted.

事實上，此次撤離是中國政府首次為撤離處于危險地區(qū)的外國公民采取的行動。“中國參與也門撤離行動是中國人民解放軍試圖通過援助其他國家傳遞友誼、為自身樹立積極形象的最新事例，”《外交官》雜志指出。

Despite China’s increasing overseas missions, many Chinese people may have thought that the Chinese military only dealt with disaster rescues and public security within Chinese borders. However, the success of Operation Red Sea has added a new dimension to the public’s perception. “As China moves out into intervention in territories beyond its own borders, it stands to reason, like Hollywood before it, that its films should reflect that reality,” US journalist Jonathan Landreth wrote.

盡管中國所承擔的海外任務日益增多，但不少中國人或許還認為中國軍隊只負責中國境內的救災以及公共安全工作。然而，電影《紅海行動》的成功刷新了公眾的原有觀念。“隨著中國走出國門處理國際事務，電影反映現實也是合情合理，就像先前的好萊塢一樣，”美國記者喬納森·蘭德雷思寫道。

These cultural products “will further enhance public expectations and support for China’s military actions abroad, and a more active role for China in the international community as a responsible shareholder”, Chinese journalist Qiu Zhibo wrote in the Global Times.

這些文化產品“將進一步加強公眾對中國海外軍事行動的期待與支持，讓中國這一負責任的大國在國際社會中發(fā)揮更積極的作用，”中國記者邱志波(音譯)在《環(huán)球時報》上寫道。

Yet, Operation Red Sea isn’t the first movie to receive direct support from the Chinese military, which provided real arms and equipment to the film’s makers. Last year’s hit Wolf Warrior 2 received full support from the military too, according to Sina News. And Sky Hunter, also released in 2017, was co-produced by the Chinese Air Force, China.org.cn reported.

《紅海行動》獲得了中國軍方的大力支持，向電影制作人提供了真實武器與設備，然而這部電影并非是首例。據新浪新聞報道，去年的大熱電影《戰(zhàn)狼2》也獲得了軍方的全力支持。而據中國網報道，同樣于2017年上映的電影《空天獵》則與中國空軍共同出品。

The Chinese military’s willingness to show its latest arms and equipment is due to the fact that “the comprehensive national strength of China has risen by a large margin and in some aspects even surpasses other leading powers”, Chinese naval expert Li Jie told the Global Times.

中國軍方愿意展示其最新武器及設備是因為“中國綜合國力的大幅提升，在某些方面甚至還超過了其他大國，”中國海軍專家李杰在接受《環(huán)球時報》采訪時表示。