New heroic story in Chinese series (using the example of the series I Am Nobody, 2023-...)

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of new heroism in contemporary Chinese audiovisual art, using the successful series I Am Nobody (2023-...) as an example. The authors analyze how the series, combining elements of wuxia (Chinese heroic fantasy), youth drama, comedy, and national mythology, reinterprets traditional hero archetypes. The rejection of the idealized, sacrificial protagonist in favor of an “ordinary”, “anti”-heroic character who gains strength through embracing their “otherness” and connecting with their community is interpreted as a response to the demand of China's younger generation for new identity models. The authors conclude that the new heroism in the series serves as a tool of soft power, harmoniously integrating traditional values (collectivism, ancestral heritage) into a contemporary media format, thereby shaping a new layer of cultural memory and national identity. The series was analyzed as a cultural text that plays out a key conflict in contemporary China: the search for identity amid the pressures of tradition and the challenges of the world. Using methodological tools from philosophical, cultural, and narrative analysis, the article reveals the mechanisms by which a popular media product becomes a platform for constructing new models of heroism relevant to a generation raised in the digital age.