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Nezha 2 just became the first film in history to gross $1 billion in a single market—China—in just 11 days. It is also the first ever non-Hollywood movie to achieve the $1 billion mark. Which means that a) China is now obviously able to produce blockbusters on par with Hollywood and b) reports of the demise of the Chinese consumer market were greatly exaggerated... The story of Nezha itself also breaks many myths we often have on China because it is at heart a story of rebellion against unjust authority - a theme present throughout Chinese mythology (Sun Wukong being another famous example). Nezha, whose story originates from Chinese folk religion and Taoism, is a child with supernatural abilities who has a deeply rebellious nature and killed Ao Bing, the son of the Dragon King of the East Sea (Ao Guang). When the Dragon Kings threatened to report this to the Jade Emperor, Nezha sacrificed himself by dismembering his own body to save his family. His mother built him a temple, which his father later burned down in anger. Nezha was subsequently resurrected by his master Taiyi Zhenren (a powerful Taoist deity who not only granted him new life but also provided him with magical weapons) and eventually reconciled with his father after trying to kill him for destroying his temple. Nezha is a character who systematically chooses defiance against submission. He defies the Dragon Kings, who represent traditional power structures in Chinese mythology, by killing Ao Bing and later beating Ao Guang into submission. When faced with the consequences of his actions, rather than submit to authority and accept their right to punish his family, he takes radical action through self-sacrifice. Later, after his resurrection, he even rebels against filial authority by seeking revenge against his own father for burning down his temple, which illustrates the internal conflict between filial duty and personal justice. Which all goes to show that the image we often have of the Chinese being robot-like beings who just follow authority is ridiculously wrong. The most admired figures in Chinese mythology and history are overwhelmingly rebels: Nezha, Sun Wukong, the poet Li Bai who famously lived a life of wandering and drinking rather than seeking official posts, the legendary Chu warrior Xiang Yu who defied fate itself by refusing to surrender even when outnumbered, and even modern cultural icons like Jin Yong's wuxia heroes (martial arts) heroes who often fight against corrupt officials, and unjust systems. And if you study China's history, China has seen more rebellions than perhaps any other civilization in history. In fact even Confucianism, often misunderstood as a philosophy of blind obedience, actually emphasizes moral righteousness over mere submission to authority. The concept of 义 (yi, righteousness) is placed above loyalty when the ruler becomes unjust. And you have the concept of the mandate of heaven (天命), which essentially provided philosophical justification for overthrowing unjust rulers. When a dynasty became corrupt, it was seen as losing this mandate, making rebellion not just acceptable but righteous. So when we see the massive success of Nezha 2 today, we're not just witnessing China's ability to create movies that can compete with Hollywood. We're also seeing the expression of a culture that has always celebrated rebellion against injustice, individual conscience over blind obedience, and the right to resist corrupt authority. And the reason why the Chinese don't rebel today isn't because it isn't in their nature or because they can't, as is all too commonly believed, it's simply because they're pragmatic rather than ideological. Throughout Chinese history, rebellion has always been a last resort when systems become truly dysfunctional (which isn't even remotely the case today), not an end in itself. It's reserved for moments of systemic failure rather than ideological fervor. The extraordinary success of rebellious characters like Nezha in popular culture shows that this spirit hasn't disappeared at all - it's just waiting in reserve as a check on power.