1.3 Research Methodology

Methodologies used in this study are comparative historical analysis and textual analysis. On the discussion of the macro pattern or the long-term development of the relationship between film and society，common used approaches nowadays like survey （questionnaire） or field study are apparently inappropriate as they are limited to the present. What can be used then？A powerful tool is comparative historical analysis，which can “allow us to address many exciting ‘big’ questions about patterns in entire societies or over time”^[32] and “bring clarity to many methodological concerns found in other research techniques”，^[33] a perfect solution for the examination of social processes that operate across time and places and lead to specific outcomes （like war or the introduction of a new ideology）. Therefore，it will be the main research approach explored in this research，together with the use of textual analysis of film form （narrative and style） aiming at unveiling distinct intentions of directors.

The pursue of comparative historical analysis dates way back to the founding fathers of modern social science，like Adam Smith，Alexis de Tocqueville，and Karl Marx. It was then passed on to the hands of scholars of early twentieth century，like Marx Weber. However，for the following several decades it got neglected gradually with the prosperity of other research approaches. However，in the past thirty years，comparative historical analysis remerged dramatically and conquered many major fields in social sciences，like state formation and reconstruction problems，economic developments，racial and ethnic questions，gender issues and the modern Third World.^[34] This paper intends to inherit this traditional way of research and extend it to a new academic field in social science—film studies.

They two match up with each other. Comparative historical analysis，defined by Mahoney and Rueschemeyer，“is best considered part of a long-standing intellectual project oriented toward the explanation of substantively important outcomes. It is defined by a concern with casual analysis，an emphasis on processes over time，and the use of systematic and contextualized comparison”.^[35] It is more like a combination of several research methodologies，such as the structural explanation，descriptive analysis and causal inference，together with the exploration of multi-theoretical orientations. Those characteristics can perfectly meet the needs of film studies，an academic discipline “exploring the narrative，artistic，cultural，economic，and political implications of the cinema”，^[36] an all-round study of the world inside motion pictures，to figure out the hidden social-ideological values.

Mahoney and Rueschemeyer also list three distinctive features of this methodology：First，“comparative historical enquiry is fundamentally concerned with explanation and the identification of causal configurations that produce major outcomes of interest”.^[37] They make it clear that causal analysis is an indispensible component of comparative historical analysis. The choice of causal propositions should be very careful and always get tested to avoid possible mismatch of causes and effects. Perfect choices should be those which can always lead to important outcomes. In this study，the construction of the social background of each film is made based on the serious choice of causal props. Only those events of great economic and political importance within specific time period and space，or the behaviours of specific individuals like the president of the People’s Republic of China，which can and have been proved to be influential to concurrent social changes，are picked out as evidences of research.

Second，“comparative historical researchers explicitly analyse historical sequences and take seriously the unfolding of processes over time.”^[38] This academic approach requires the researchers to enlarge their eye view to treat the event they engage not as an isolated case but as a temporary part of history. Verifications in the temporal structure of events and the timing of events intersecting with one another have great influence on research outcomes. Therefore this paper both inspects each target film closely as an outcome of its temporal social context，and treats them all together as a continued focus on the evolution of Chinese societies in the past century. The independence of each object and the connections among them are all covered. Finally，“comparative historical inquiry is distinctive because its practitioners engage in systematic and contextualized comparisons of similar and contrasting cases”.^[39] That’s also the feature of this research. That is，the comparison of similarities among those varied cinematic adaptations of a same old legend intends to show the inheritance of Chinese cultural traditions，the comparatively stable points. While the contrast of differences reflects the pouring-in or draining-out of new or foreign ideologies，as each film is like a straw showing which way the wind blows.

Text analysis is also very useful in this research. It is “the method communication researchers use to describe and interpret the characteristics of a recorded or visual message”，^[40] with the purpose “to describe the content，structure，and functions of the messages contained in texts”.^[41] It is a way used to interpret detailed components of texts to figure out how people from various times and places make sense of the world around them. Moreover，by witnessing others’ practices in interpreting the reality reflected in text，we can have a better understanding of our own cultures，because the comparison of similarities and contrast of distinctions let us realize the advantages and disadvantages in our own sense-making practices.^[42]

The use of textual analysis here is mainly to analyse film form，which is defined by David Bordwell as “the overall system of relations that we can perceive among the elements in the whole film”，^[43] that is，the organic system that we can see on screen. It is made up of two parts，narrative and style. The former refers to “a chain of events in cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space”，^[44] the storyline of film. It’s about the beginning，ending and development pattern of a story together with its range and depth. And style，the latter one，means “the patterned use of techniques across the film”.^[45] In other words，the use of cinematic techniques，including mise-en-scène，cinematography，editing and sound，makes a difference in the audience perception and reception. Certain elements will be pulled out from the target movies for analyses，like the fundamental drive for the heroine’s temporary cross-gender actions and the increase of her love stories as part of narrative and diversified shooting techniques use by varied directors.

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[1] Turner，Graeme （2006）. “Cultural Studies and Film”，in John Hill and Pamela Church Gibson （eds.），Film Studies：Critical Approaches，London，New York：Routledge，p.193.

[2] Vonderau，Patrick （ed.，1999）. Film as History/History as Film，Working Papers “Gemenskaper Gemeinschaften”，Volume 21，https：//www.ni.hu-berlin.de/publ/publikationsreihen/abeitspapiere_gemeinschaften/ahe_21.html.

[3] Johnson，Sarah （2002）. Defining the Genre：What are the Rules for Historical Fiction？ http：//historicalnovelsociety.org/guides/defining-the-genre/defining-the-genre-what-are-the-rules-for-historical-fiction/.

[4] The Introduction of Jane Austen by the British Library，http：//www.bl.uk/people/jane-austen.

[5] Information from IMDB.com.

[6] Grindon，Leger （1994）. “Analysing the Historical Film”，in Shadows on the Past：Studies in the Historical Fiction Film，Philadelphia：Temple University Press，p.6.

[7] Grindon，Leger （1994）. “Analysing the Historical Film”，in Shadows on the Past：Studies in the Historical Fiction Film，Philadelphia：Temple University Press，p.2.

[8] Lukacs，Georg （1937）. The Historical Novel. Translated by Hannah and Stanley Mitchell （1983），Lincoln：University of Nebraska Press，p.42.

[9] 戴锦华 （2013）.《可见与不可见的女性：当代中国电影中的女性与女性的电影》，http：//www.guancha.cn/DaiJinHua/2013_09_23_174174.shtml.

[10] Chan，J.M. （2002）. “Disneyfying and Globalizing the Chinese Legend Mulan：A Study of Transculturation”，in Joseph M. Chan and Bryce T. McIntyre （eds.），In Search of Boundaries：Communication，Nation-states and Cultural Identities，Westport，CT：Ablex Publishing，p. 226.

[11] Wang，Georgette and Emilie Yueh-yu Yeh （2005）. “Globalization and Hybridization in Cultural Production：A Tale of Two Films”，in Chan Kwok-bun，Jan W. Walls and David Hayward （eds.），East-west Identities：Globalization，Localization，and Hybridization，Leiden：Brill Academic Publishers，p.1.

[12] Li，Jinhua （2014）. “Mulan （1998） and Hua Mulan （2009）：National Myth and Trans-Cultural Intertextuality”，in Karen A. Ritzenhoff and Jakub Kazecki （eds.），Heroism and Gender in War Film，New York：Palgrave Macmillan，pp.187-205.

[13] The whole text of The Ballad of Mulan is provided in the appendix.

[14] Li，Binghai （1996）. “Legendary Females from Northern Wei Dynasty to Tang Dynasty”，Chinese Culture Research，Issue 4，p.66.

[15] Yang，Wei （2004）. “On China’s Daily Contacts in Traditional Family”，Heilongjiang Social Sciences，Issue 5，p.110. Generally speaking，in ancient China，only males can learn and work out of the family. The females，especially the girls before marriage，were asked to stay at home all day long learning to weave and embroider.

[16] Some queens （the step mother of the emperor） once took part in the control of the country，such as Queen Feng. See Zhong，Kunjie （2005）. “The Social Reform in Northern Wei—the Converting and Harmony of Chinese Traditional Culture”，Journal of Qujing Normal University，Issue 1，p.99.

[17] Yang，Wei，（2004）. “On China’s Daily Contacts in Traditional Family”，Heilongjiang Social Sciences，Issue 5，p.110.

[18] Taylor，Rodney L. （2005）. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Confucianism：N-Z，New York：The Rosen Publishing Group，p.496.

[19] Wang，Gungwu （2012）. “Nationalism and Confucianism”，in Won Sin Kiong （ed.），Confucianism，Chinese History and Society，Singapore：World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.，p.25.

[20] Taylor，Rodney L. （2005）. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Confucianism：N-Z，New York：The Rosen Publishing Group，p.496.

[21] Blair，John G. and McCormack，Jerusha Hull （2006）. “The Chinese Woman”，in Western Civilization with Chinese Comparisons，Shanghai：Fudan University Press，p.320.

[22] Wang，Robin R. （2003）. “The Ballad of Mulan”，in Images of Women in Chinese Thought and Culture：Writings from The Pre-Qin Period through the Song Dynasty，Indianapolis：Hackett Pub. Co.，p. 250.

[23] Wang，Robin R. （2003）. “The Ballad of Mulan”，in Images of Women in Chinese Thought and Culture：Writings from The Pre-Qin Period through the Song Dynasty，Indianapolis：Hackett Pub. Co.，p.250.

[24] Blair，John G. and McCormack，Jerusha Hull （2006）. “Confucian Values”，in Western Civilization with Chinese Comparisons，Shanghai：Fudan University Press，p.137.

[25] Wang，Robin R. （2003）. “The Ballad of Mulan”，in Images of Women in Chinese Thought and Culture：Writings from The Pre-Qin Period through the Song Dynasty，Indianapolis：Hackett Pub. Co.，p. 250.

[26] Wang，Robin R. （2003）. “The Ballad of Mulan”，in Images of Women in Chinese Thought and Culture：Writings from The Pre-Qin Period through the Song Dynasty，Indianapolis：Hackett Pub. Co.，p. 250.

[27] Total amount of the characters in the original Chinese version.

[28] Parrill，Sue （2002）. Jane Austen on Film and Television：A Critical Study of the Adaptations，US：McFarland & Company，p.9.

[29] Cartmell，Deborah and Whelehan，Imelda （1999）. “Harry Potter and the Fidelity Debate”，in Mireia Aragay （ed.），Books in Motion：Adaptation，Intertextuality，Authorship，London，New York：Routledge，p.37.

[30] Cartmell，Deborah and Whelehan，Imelda （1999）. “Harry Potter and the Fidelity Debate”，in Mireia Aragay （ed.），Books in Motion：Adaptation，Intertextuality，Authorship，London，New York：Routledge，pp.37-38.

[31] Cathcart，A. （2010）. “Japanese Devils and American Wolves：Chinese Communist Songs from the War of Liberation and the Korean War”，Popular Music & Society 33 （2），pp.203-218.

[32] Neuman，W. Lawrence （2011）. “Historical-Comparative Research”，Social Research Methods：Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches，7th Edition，Boston：Pearson Education，Inc.，p.465.

[33] Neuman，W. Lawrence （2011）. “Historical-Comparative Research”，Social Research Methods：Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches，7th Edition，Boston：Pearson Education，Inc.，p.465.

[34] Mahoney，James and Rueschemeyer，Dietrich （2003）. “Comparative Historical Analysis：Achievements and Agendas”，in Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences，New York：Cambridge University Press，pp.3-4.

[35] Mahoney，James and Rueschemeyer，Dietrich （2003）. “Comparative Historical Analysis：Achievements and Agendas”，in Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences，New York：Cambridge University Press，p.6.

[36] Dyer，Richard （2000）. “Introduction”，in Film Studies：Critical Approaches，Oxford：Oxford University Press，pp.1-8.

[37] Mahoney，James and Rueschemeyer，Dietrich （2003）. “Comparative Historical Analysis：Achievements and Agendas”，in Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences，New York：Cambridge University Press，p.11.

[38] Mahoney，James and Rueschemeyer，Dietrich （2003）. “Comparative Historical Analysis：Achievements and Agendas”，in Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences，New York：Cambridge University Press，p.12.

[39] Mahoney，James and Rueschemeyer，Dietrich （2003）. “Comparative Historical Analysis：Achievements and Agendas”，in Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences，New York：Cambridge University Press，p.13.

[40] Frey，Lawrence R.，Carl H. Botan and Gary L. Kreps （2000）. Investigating Communication：An Introduction to Research Methods，Boston：Allyn and Bacon，p.225.

[41] Frey，Lawrence R.，Carl H. Botan and Gary L. Kreps （2000）. Investigating Communication：An Introduction to Research Methods，Boston：Allyn and Bacon，p.225.

[42] McKee，Alan （2003）. “What is Textual Analysis？”，http：//www1.cs.columbia.edu/～sbenus/Teaching/APTD/McKee_Ch1.pdf.

[43] Bordwell，David & Kristin Thompson （2013）. “The Significance of Film Form”，Film Art：An Introduction （10th edition），U.S.：McGraw-Hill Education，p.55.

[44] Bordwell，David & Kristin Thompson （2013）. “The Significance of Film Form”，Film Art：An Introduction （10th edition），U.S.：McGraw-Hill Education，p.75.

[45] Bordwell，David & Kristin Thompson （2013）. “The Significance of Film Form”，Film Art：An Introduction （10th edition），U.S.：McGraw-Hill Education，p.306.