Ancillary #4 The Magic of Harry Potter
As the cinemas reopened in this August, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone became one of the first movies to have its rerun for the Chinese audience, and it was immediately greeted with great enthusiasm. The movie generated $20 million dollars within three days and ended up with $25 million dollars in total. It has been 19 years since Harry Potter first made its debut in the world. Yet, this little wizard with a lightening-shaped scar on his forehead is still able to appeal to the Chinese audience.
Although written in English, the Harry Potter series was able to communicate with foreign readers from a completely different cultural background. It may even be the most popular foreign novel in China. I read the Chinese version of the book and was instantly engrossed by the fascinating wizarding world that J.K. Rowling offers. The stories are imaginative, with magical wands, creatures, and a mysterious wizarding school. The characters are also very well-designed because everyone has a certain kind of imperfectness, which makes them more real to the audience.
Aside from this, Harry Potter has a special social affinity to the Chinese audience. Almost all girls want to be Hermione Granger because her intelligence and dedication resonate with the Chinese social idea of what girls should be like. Professor Snape is also popular because his devotion to love correlates to the Chinese idea of staying true to the loved ones. In the meantime, The social affinity also originates from the world of Harry Potter itself: it is a safe haven for many Chinese youngsters who grew tired of the heavy schoolwork and pressure from the fast-paced, realistic world. Hogwarts, for them, becomes the ideal place to relax, fantasize, and explore their ideal selves. The novels also do not have a heavy ideological focus, and it is basically centered on the power of love and friendship, which are universal topics that can be felt and understood by people of all ages.
Videos about Harry Potter fans in China: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-08-19/-Harry-Potter-conjures-new-milestone-in-China-after-20-years-T3XwNv6uje/index.html
