What is the purpose of the film "Gua Sha"?

"Gua Sha" should be a film that can trigger many associations in us. The lawsuit caused by "Gua Sha" finally ended on Christmas Eve, adding more human touch to this warm night. Xu Datong can safely go home to reunite with his wife and son. What awaits him is no longer the American law and police, but two friends who respect and understand the ancient Chinese unique "Gua Sha" method. This is a very typical Hollywood ending, which shows that Zheng Xiaolong’s stay in the United States has not been in vain these years.

The spiritual and cultural background in which the story takes place is the narrator’s recognition of certain differences between China and the United States. It's possible that the specific plot was inspired by a similar case, but that doesn't matter. In fact, differences can be created by narrators in countless stories. A Chinese old man used "Gua Sha" to treat his grandson's illness. Of course, this would not be a problem in China, but an American child protection organization could take the child's parents to court for this. The film particularly emphasizes the trauma the child's father, a Chinese immigrant named Xu Datong, suffered during the entire incident. From this incident, it is not difficult to find that some of the principles that Americans adhere to actually contain profound contradictions. This lawsuit on the grounds of protecting children's rights actually ignores the emotion between father and son, and even ignores the facts and artificially cuts off this emotion. Is this fair? Isn’t it also a bit inhumane? This may be the most valuable part of the film. It discovers that the laws that have been universally recognized since the Enlightenment can actually be criticized and questioned, and have inherent limitations that cannot be shaken off.

Cultural relativism tends to emphasize the particularities of non-Western national cultures. Even outside the West, this point can easily gain rational recognition and emotional support. Therefore, unlike "Bathing", which targeted Western audiences, "Gua Sha" was obviously filmed for domestic audiences. But letting cultural relativism win so quickly still seems a bit hasty, and is suspected of being conceptual and simplistic. Real life is probably much more complicated than what the movie expresses. There is a detail that is not only ignored intentionally or unintentionally by the narrator, but also ignored by the volunteers of the child protection organization, and this detail may change the direction of the entire narrative.

We may still remember that Xu Datong slapped his son in the face in order to please his boss after the award ceremony that proved that he had integrated into mainstream American society. As a father, Xu Datong may have his own reasons, but from the perspective of universal enlightenment, this slap should be more weighty and more illustrative than "gua sha" and cannot be easily let go. Generally speaking, "Gua Sha" is more like a misunderstanding, because it can be verified through practice. The film ultimately uses this method to solve the problem. But this slap in the face is a lot of trouble. At least it reminds us that in addition to cultural particularities that need to be understood and recognized by others, are there any values ????that all human beings should abide by uniformly? How should we deal with this complex dialectical relationship between particularity and universality? If universality is a power discourse in the West, then will our emphasis on our own particularity strengthen the logic and power of universalism?

From this point of view, "Gua Sha" seems a bit matter-of-fact and eager to solve problems. Why not leave some questions for the audience to think? As the saying goes, take a step back and the sky will be brighter.

(Xie Xizhang)