This study is a comparative analysis of Lin Haiyin’s seminal work, Chengnan Jiushi, and its cinematic adaptation by mainland Chinese director Wu Yigong. The novel, published in 1960, follows the six-year-old protagonist Ying-tzu as she grows up and assimilates into Peking in the 1920s. Being originally from Taiwan, her sense of self and the portrayal of her family as outsiders to Peking are essential to the original narrative. The study investigates the director’s adaptation strategies, focusing on how the three elements of setting, characters, and plot are reimagined for the screen. The study found that the meticulous craftsmanship of the set designers allowed audiences to immerse themselves in the world of old Peking, effectively capturing the novel’s historical richness and emotional depth. This careful blending of artifice and authenticity enhanced the settings’ integral role in the narrative, contributing significantly to the film’s success. In character portrayal, the adaptation simplifies the original’s cultural complexity by removing accents and distinct linguistic traits, resulting in a homogenized identity and the erasure of Taiwanese elements, reflecting a broader trend toward accessibility over detailed representation. And finally, regarding the plot, the omission of the third story, “Lan I-niang,” likely due to its darker themes, streamlines the narrative and softens its emotional intensity. The film adaptation may be seen as a way to emphasize cultural continuity and nostalgia for a shared past between mainland China and Taiwan, particularly during the period in which the film was produced, when the two sides of the strait remained politically divided but culturally linked. Thus, while the film itself remains apolitical, its production and promotion likely had an underlying motive to promote unity and soften tensions by focusing on a common cultural history.
【中文摘要】
本研究對林海音的經典作品《城南舊事》及其由中國大陸導演吳貽弓改編的電影進行比較分析。原著於1960年出版，描寫六歲的英子在 1920 年代的北京成長與融入的過程。由於英子一家來自臺灣，其自我認同及作為北京「外來者」的描寫，構成小說敘事的重要部分。本文探討導演的改編策略，聚焦於場景、人物與情節三個元素在影像中的重構方式。研究發現，電影場景設計精緻，成功喚起老北京的歷史氛圍與情感深度，強化了場景在敘事中的關鍵作用。在人物塑造方面，電影透過語言的「歸化」處理，刪除原著中的口音與語言差異，簡化了文化複雜性，導致角色文化身分的同質化與臺灣元素的消失，反映出改編作品為求易於理解而犧牲文化細節的普遍趨勢。情節方面，原著中的第三篇〈蘭姨娘〉未被納入電影，可能因其負面意象而遭刪除，使得敘事更為簡化，情感張力亦隨之減弱。此一改編可視為強調兩岸共同文化記憶與懷舊情懷的手法，尤其在電影製作時期，兩岸雖政治分歧，文化上仍有聯繫。儘管影片本身不涉政治，其製作與推廣可能隱含促進認同與緩和緊張的意圖，藉由凸顯共同的文化歷史來達成。
