Film fans in New Zealand charmed by Chinese culture as hit animation makes waves

The hugely popular Chinese animation movie "Ne Zha 2" has been captivating moviegoers in New Zealand, with many viewers saying it has even aroused their interest in making a trip to China.

The film has shattered numerous box office records since its release on the Chinese mainland during the recent Chinese New Year, and it has already surpassed Disney's 2024 picture "Inside Out 2" to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.

Since being released in New Zealand on Feb. 13, the movie has also been attracting film fans who have been impressed by its cutting-edge presentation and entertaining tale based on ancient Chinese mythology.

In the capital Wellington, residents all of ages have been enjoying the charm of Chinese movies.

"I watched the movie 'Ne Zha' and I felt very happy after it. Today I went to a face painting place and I chose to be a Chinese princess. I think China is beautiful. I want to go to China," said a young girl named Emily.

"I like some of the Chinese movies I saw. Some of them are comedies, the comedies I like too. And some are action [films]. It's a good movie. I like it. I'd like to go to China to visit, to visit [the country] and the Chinese people," said Sam, a resident.

"I've always been very interested in Chinese culture, so I'm looking forward to learning a bit more and seeing something new. I know it's very popular. So, it's exciting," said another resident named Zayn.

Others say they enjoyed experiencing the philosophical ideas and depiction of traditional Chinese culture in the movie, which charts the story of a rebellious boy-god from Chinese folklore.

"I really like when they go into the history of Chinese movies. And some of the Chinese movies again from quite a while ago, they go into Taoism that I like. The philosophy of Chinese culture is a little more pragmatic. They're a little bit more down to earth and a little bit more focused on doing a good job now," said a resident named Mike.

"The culture is transmitted through film and Chinese culture is ancient and wise and is an example for the rest of the world at this time," said another local called Paul.

"I think an understanding of Chinese culture is essential to a closer understanding between our two peoples. The more we understand and appreciate each other's cultures, the better we understand how to cooperate together," said Chris Lipscombe, the National President of the New Zealand China Friendship Society.

Film fans in New Zealand charmed by Chinese culture as hit animation makes waves

Attempts to curb China's scientific and technological advancement are futile, a fact that has already been proven, said Kishore Mahbubani, former permanent representative of Singapore to the United Nations, in an interview aired Friday.

In an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing, Mahbubani said he had stated this position in one of his articles published in the United States.

"Actually, I published an article, you know the two, I guess two leading journals in the United States on international relations. One is Foreign Affairs and the other is Foreign Policy. And last year I co-authored an article with two other co-authors, saying that all the efforts to stop China's scientific and technological development will fail. And it has failed always. You know, for example, the Soviet Union tried to prevent the spread of nuclear technology to China, China develops its own. The United States didn't want to share its technology on international space station with China. China develops its own space station. So clearly, efforts to stop China in the area of scientific innovation and technological development have failed. And so it'd be wiser for the West, including United States, to work with China other than to try and stop China seek development," he said.

Regarding China's progress on robots, Mahbubani said China is leading the world in the sector and hopes the country will share its expertise with the rest of the world.

"If there's one country that is preparing for the future well, it is China, because one in six human beings in the world is Chinese. But one in three robots in the world is Chinese, and one in two baby robots being born every day is Chinese. So China is producing far more robots than any other country is. So clearly it's preparing for the world of the future when we will have, for example, labor shortages, as you know, as you develop an aging society. So China is wisely investing in robots. But I hope that China will also share its learning and expertise with other countries. Also because the robots like that can also be helpful even to developing countries cause you can enhance the productivity of their populations, of their factories and so on so forth. So the world should be happy that China is leading the world in manufacturing, producing robots," he said.

Attempts to stop China's sci-tech development doomed to fail: former Singaporean diplomat