The Adaptation of the Character of Empress Dowager Cixi and its Historical Perspectives: Novel and TV Drama “Cang Qiong Zhi Mao”

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine the strategies and the reasons for the adaptation of "Empress Dowager Cixi", a character from the Japanese novel, Cang Qiong Zhi Mao to the Chinese historical TV drama broadcasted in 2010. The concepts of literary adaptation and whitewashing as well as Chinese and Japanese historical perspectives on “Empress Dowager Cixi” are adopted as a conceptual framework for this research. The findings reveal some similarities and differences between the two versions. The three similar images of "Empress Dowager Cixi" were found in the Japanese novel version and the Chinese TV drama version. These include 1.) the mother who loves and cares for a child, 2.) the skillful ruler who is loved by the people, and 3.) an ordinary human. The differences were found in adaptation through the use of modification strategy. Some details, such as the characters’ personalities in the TV drama version were found to be modified because of the different historical perspectives between the TV producer and the novel’s author. The image of the “Empress Dowager Cixi” in the novel version may be whitewashed. This could be the reason why the TV drama version had to adapt this character to suit China's historical perspectives.