Analysis of Classes in "The Master"
Xu Haofeng first wrote the novel “The Master” and later made it into a movie, trying to restore the real world of the Republic of China through “The Master”.
The story takes place in Tianjin in the 1930s. After drifting in Nanyang for thirteen years, Wing Chun master Chen Shi went north to Tianjin, wanting to fulfill his teacher’s ambition of “Wing Chun going north and promoting martial arts”. The old boxers in Tianjin represented by Zheng Shan’ao and Curator Zou set up obstacles to block him. At this time, the new generation of boxers in Tianjin represented by Lin Xiwen, who used the military power, also wanted to catch all the old boxers. The three forces secretly competed and used each other. Lin Xiwen defeated Zheng Shan’ao with a dirty trick, bought Curator Zou, and killed Chen Shi’s apprentice Geng Liangchen. Just when he intended to lend Chen Shi to open a martial arts gym to control Chen Shi, Curator Zou used Chen Shi’s eagerness for his apprentice to get rid of Lin Xiwen through Chen Shi’s hand, and then wanted to kill Chen Shi to silence him. However, Chen Shi had high martial arts skills and did not talk about “martial ethics”. He defeated a group of old masters and escaped from Tianjin.
Geng Liangchen was originally a rickshaw puller. When Geng Liangchen quit the rickshaw business and took away a small cart, the rickshaw boss had to help the boss recover it. For this reason, he also used weapons on the streets of Tianjin and broke the rules. Apart from their hands, this group of people had nothing else. They were good at uniting and fighting. They were later revolutionaries and had a positive image in the film.
Zheng Shan’ao, Curator Zou, and Chen Shi were the middle class. They were suppressed by the warlords represented by Lin Xiwen and were afraid of the liquidation of the proletariat such as rickshaw pullers. Therefore, when the rickshaw puller found Chen Shi and wanted to seek revenge on Zheng Shan’ao, Chen Shi tried his best to stop him. They tried their best to protect their property, but because of the little wealth in their hands, they swayed from side to side. In the end, they ended up with nothing. Zheng Shan’ao was calculated by Lin Xiwen and ruined his lifelong reputation. He could only sell his property and go to Brazil to plant cocoa. The hard-earned money Chen Shi saved in Nanyang for thirteen years was finally left to Zhao Guohui.
Lin Xiwen was a representative of the warlords at that time. They had soldiers and guns in their hands and could do whatever they wanted. They blackmailed the middle class with one hand and suppressed the proletariat with the other.
Published at: Dec 19, 2021 · Modified at: Dec 24, 2025
