芙蓉女兒魂 Kung Fu Lotus

紅樓夢是我少年時的枕邊書, 近年來溫習的次數雖少, 昔時根深蒂固的記憶久不久冒出頭呼吸, 伴隨自己心境的蛻變, 別有番體驗… 晴雯於寶玉眾丫環裏地位特殊, 她心比天高, 靈巧招人怨, 與溫馴但心機重的襲人活脫是黛玉與寶釵的水中倒影. 關於晴雯的正述和側寫如撕扇, 病補孔雀裘, 寶玉的悼念… 皆生動活潑, 可以想像晴雯的本尊定是ㄧ位曹翁極喜愛並尊重的紅粉知己. 這樣貌美倔強, 我行我素的人物處於封建且家庭政治暗湧的大觀園, 註定不得善終, 穿越時空來到當代, 或許出路寬廣許多.

那夜芙蓉女兒入我迷夢, 藉我這creativeholic之手還魂, 給了她自己ㄧ個截然不同的命運.

Kung Fu Lotus was inspired by a character of my favorite Chinese Classic, The Dream of Red Chamber(a.k.a The Story of the Stone) written in the mid 18th century, a semi-autobiography of a Qing aristocrat reflecting the exquisite lifestyle of the rise and fall of the prominent family.
The inspiring character was Qingwen, the most beautiful and very talented(she mended the peacock cloak for her master) handmaiden among all of the protagonist, Baoyu's many servants.

Qingwen was devoted to her master and demanded equally royal friendship in return… quite a woman ahead of her time in the Qing Dynasty.

Her short temper and the lack of understanding in politics brought the doom upon herself - sharing the same tragic fate of many other beautiful female characters in the story.

From serving in the wealthy family(and being treated like a lady herself) to dying in a humble hut of her relatives… Qingwen narrated the tale of beauty, courage, and innocence.

Qingwen came to my dream the other night asking to be reborn a free spirit after I watched Kung Fu Panda with my 4 year old son...

Here's Lotus, the alias of Qingwen after she escaped from the coffin(pretended death was the only way out). Lotus went to the legendary Wudan Mountain and stayed there for the rest of her life mastering Kung Fu - she specialized in the Crane Style. Although Lotus remained unmarried, many of her pupils became quite influential including the Jade Fox in the Crouching Tiger And Hidden Dragon.

' Everybody is Kung fu fighting,
Your mind becomes fast as lightning…
The journey's a lonely one,
So much more than we know
But, sometimes you've got to go
Go on and be your own hero/heroine.'

---- theme song from Kung Fu Panda