[Kim Seong-kon] The clash of generations in 'Sword Snow Stride'

Recently, I watched the 2021 Chinese historical TV series “Sword Snow Stride” on Netflix. The show features many interesting themes, such as the responsibility and magnanimity of a leader, questions of loyalty, and the ever-relevant problem of political conspiracies. But by far the most compelling aspect of the show is its portrayal of the conflict between a father and a son.

Season 1’s 38 episodes revolve around Xu Feng Nian, who is the oldest son and heir to Xu Xiao, the fearsome Lord of Northern Liang. Xu Xiao acquires the nickname Grim Reaper because he ruthlessly massacres his enemies on the battlefield.

Xu Feng Nian neither likes nor respects his father. In each episode, Xu Feng Nian repeatedly swears, “I am not like my father. I won’t follow in his footsteps. Nor will I take the path he has prepared for me.” Xu Feng Nian tries to be independent and to do things differently from his father. This, he believes, will make him a great lord of his territory in the future. Indeed, his father belongs to a bygone era when war was inevitable, and generosity was a luxury. Now, Xu Feng Nian lives in peaceful times.

However, it never occurs to Xu Feng Nian that he and other young people can enjoy peace now due to his father’s tremendous efforts to win wars and survive power politics in the past. Therefore, he does not appreciate how his father’s thoughtful preparations have enabled him to remain safe until he inherits the throne. He thinks that he can do everything by himself without help from his father.

In fact, however, it is his father’s thoughtful prior arrangements that enable him to do anything and to escape from various assassination attempts and conspiracies. Not knowing it, Xu Feng Nian is ungrateful to his benefactor but constantly rebels against a man who, in his eyes, is nothing but a scheming meddler.

There are times when Xu Xiao deliberately puts his son in danger, but all these incidents are part of his plan to train his son to deal with and survive crises. Most of the time, he is clandestinely protecting his son behind the scenes. Meanwhile, he neither expects gratitude from his son nor makes a virtue of his secret help or puts on airs of patronage. He just does it dutifully as a father.

While watching this series, Korean viewers could appreciate that older people need not brag about their efforts and contributions to the economic success and affluence that today’s young Koreans are enjoying. Older people’s showing off will only meet derision from young people, who snort, “There goes Latte!” which means, “There goes ‘When I was your age …’” In this show, by contrast, Xu Xiao never tries to lecture his son, by saying, “When I was your age ...”

To older people, “Sword Snow Stride” suggests that you should keep silent about what you have done for your sons and daughters. You can just keep supporting and helping them silently. That is your duty as a parent. Otherwise, you will be treated as an undignified “dirty old man.” Young people are not interested in your childhood or stories from your past. Indeed, how would young people know about the atrocities of the Korean War, the poverty of the destitute postwar Korean society, or the tyranny of iron boots during the military dictatorship?

At the same time, “Sword Snow Stride” tells young people that they should be different from their parents’ generation and take a different path. For the older generation, survival was a matter of life and death. Now times have changed and you should think big, be generous and live a decent, valuable life, transcending mere survival.

The series also tells young people that they should not take what they possess now for granted and should be grateful to their elders for their efforts and sacrifices to build an affluent society. They should know that older people had to risk their lives, fighting on the battlefields amidst incessant socio-political turmoil and a turbulent history, so that their children could inherit a fully developed, advanced country. Young Koreans should not forget that it is the older generation that has accomplished the Miracle on the Han River and made today’s Korea.

When conflicts arise between Xu Xiao and Xu Feng Nian, the show does not take sides. Instead, it suggests that the two generations understand each other because both are right in their own ways. For example, initially, the son thinks that his father was a cruel human butcher who took pleasure in killing people. Later, he finds that his father keeps a huge secret memorial altar in the basement to pay homage to those who died on the battlefield.

“Sword Snow Stride” enlightens us with the idea that our society needs reconciliation, not more antagonisms between the young and the old.

Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are the writer's own. -- Ed.