Written by: Staff Report
Posted on: May 30, 2019 | 
| 中文
The characters from Three Drops of Blood
If you switched on PTV World at 4:30 PM last Saturday, you must have come across an interesting sight: Chinese cartoons with English subtitles.
The Shaanxi Zhongshan Culture Media Co. Ltd, Shaanxi Association of the Promotion of International Cultural Exchange and the Shaanxi Dramatists Association, in collaboration with Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) and Pakistan Television (PTV) has launched a Chinese Shaanxi/ Qin Opera Cartoon called “Three Drops of Blood.”
By utilizing historic arts such as the traditional Chinese Qin opera culture, 12 episodes of an original animated series have been created, directed by Bai Zhijun. The script, written in the year 1918 by Fan Zidong, was originally inspired by the Yuewei Cottage Notes, a popular anthology of short stories written by Ji Yun, a scholar of the Imperial Academy of the Qing Dynasty. The series premiered on 18th May, 2019 while the second episode was telecast on 25th May, 2019 on PTV World, the English language channel of the national television of Pakistan.
Three Drops of Blood is the first time traditional Chinese opera has been combined with a 2D style animation, and is being showcased internationally. The show has an engaging storyline, in the tradition of folk tales which have multiple characters and exaggerated situations. While the story would interest adults, the animation is also attractive for children, due to its simple lines and brightly colored visuals. The series has English subtitles with Chinese dialogues, making it easy to follow for our local audience. Maintaining the Chinese dialogues means that the audience gets to enjoy the original Shaanxi opera music.
The series narrates the story of an old trader of Shaanxi, Zhou Renrui, whose wife dies while giving birth to twin sons. Since he’s not financially stable, he gives away his younger son to Li Sanniang, a man who lacks a male heir. Li Sanniang names the boy Li Yuchun, and gets him engaged to his daughter, Li Wanchun. Our local audience would easily relate to this subplot, since financial woes leading to family separation, is a theme frequently explored in local media as well.
After facing great losses in business, Zhou Renrui decides to visit his younger brother, Zhou Renxiang, along with his elder son, Tianyou. Zhou Renxiang is surprised to see his brother’s poverty. He’s alarmed by the presence of Tianyou, as he’s worried about his brother’s claim to their inheritance. To counter this, he posits that Tianyou is not his real nephew but an imposter, and understandably Zhou Renrui is furious at being called a liar. This is also familiar territory for the Pakistani audience, since we frequently come in contact with inheritance related family conflicts.
Eventually, Zhou Renxiang decides to take the case to court, on the grounds that the nephew is not from his bloodline. At the Wutai County Court, the judge Jin Xinshu, rules that a blood drop test will be conducted to ascertain whether Renrui is Tianyou’s biological father. Blood from both father and son is to be dropped in a bowl of water, and if the blood drops collide, they will be declared relatives, otherwise not. The test is based on old books, and much like the strange rulings of a local jirga, it derives from superstitious ancient knowledge. When the blood drops don’t collide, Tianyou is separated from his father. The absurd situation is a cynical commentary on customary laws with no real legal or scientific basis, which often end up destroying lives. Yet again, this is a very relatable theme for local audiences, where such rulings are often passed in rural or tribal settings. The second episode concludes on this note and you’ll have to watch further to find out what happens next.
As a company, Shaanxi Zhongshan Cultural Media Co., Ltd. aims to integrate animation, film and TV drama production and distribution, to promote the cultural and creative industries of China. Due to its dissemination by local media, outreach of the series will be quite substantial. In fact, for many Pakistanis this will be their first experience of listening to Chinese opera music, an essential part of Chinese heritage. The series also provides local animators a chance to observe Chinese techniques, and look forward to a future of collaborations between the Chinese and Pakistani industry. By highlighting social themes that are common to China and Pakistan, Three Drops of Blood intelligently creates a bridge between the citizens of both countries.
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