Ethnic Mongolian writer accuses ‘Wolf Totem’ of misrepresenting his culture

The recently released film Wolf Totem has been criticized by a Mongolian writer who described the movie's use of wolves to symbolize his culture as "against humanity and fascistic."

Guo Xuebo, a novelist and member of the China Writers' Association, claimed on his blog on Wednesday that "the history and culture of the ethnic group have been tampered with in both the novel and the movie of Wolf Totem where wolves are labeled as the totem of Mongolians."

"Wolves have never been the totem of Mongolians and there's no written record in Mongolian history or literature that suggested so," Guo wrote.

He issued a statement on February 18, a day before the film's debut, saying "greedy, selfish, cold and cruel" wolves are the natural enemy of Mongolians and "promoting their spirit is against humanity and fascistic."

The film - directed by French director Jean Jacques Annaud - is adapted from Chinese writer Jiang Rong's eponymous novel that was published in 2004.

The film follows Beijing-born student, Chen Zhen, who was dispatched to the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 1967 to work. During his adventure, Chen learned about the struggle between humans and nature, as well as the conflict between the culture of the prairie and that of mainstream China. Chen also witnesses the complicated relationships between wolves and humans when he decides to raise a wolf cub.

Max Wang, a producer of the film, told the Global Times that "the wolf totem embodies a spirit, including teamwork and competitiveness, as well as freedom, independence and perseverance."

Wang said that the fact that in the movie wolves help maintain sustainable development on the prairie reflects an order established between humans and animals, which shows the wisdom of Mongolians.

However, Guo told the Global Times that wolves do not play a decisive role in sustaining ecological balance, and it is humans that should take the blame for excessive farming which resulted in the deterioration of environment.

Jiang declined to make any comment when reached by the Global Times.