Stefan Hammond*
Na Cha the Great (1974)
Directed by Chang Cheh for Shaw Brothers Studios, Hong Kong
He’s an impish Chinese divinity who swans around on wheels of fire. The deity Ne Zha (哪吒)**, sometimes romanised as Na Cha, Na Tcha or Nazha, amid other spellings) burst onto screens in 2025 with the animated feature film Ne Zha 2 (哪吒之魔童鬧海). The title literally translates as “Nezha: The Demon Boy Churns the Sea” and last year’s box-office blockbuster is the direct sequel to Ne Zha (哪吒之魔童降世, 2019).
The latest film incarnation of Ne Zha raked in box office lucre, but cinematic depictions of the precocious and feisty deity have been lensed since the silent era. The first film that anyone knows about was The Date of Ne Zha’s Birth (哪吒出世, 1928), a silent film credited to director Lee Chak Yuen (李澤源). Sadly, no copies exist (a common state of affairs for early Hong Kong and Chinese mainland films).
Nazha Conquered the Seven Devils at Mei Hill (哪咤梅山收七怪, 1949) seems to have opened the floodgates for films featuring this boy-god. The deity was played by Yu Kai (羽佳), who reprised his role in 1950’s How Nazha Thrice Tricked the Six-eared Monkey (哪咤三戲六耳猴).
Cinematic deities
The best-known Chinese deity to become a film star is the Monkey King, aka Sun Wukong (孫悟空), a simian superstar who’s been played by Hong Kong film stars from Donnie Yen (甄子丹) to Stephen Chow (周星馳). Sun Wukong’s roots lie in Hanuman, and according to Mythopedia, Ne Zha’s “Chinese myth is based [on] the Hindu god Nalakuvara”. Mythopedia suggests that Nezha is “a shortened transliteration of the word “Nalakuvara.”
Like all heroes, Ne Zha fights fearlessly against powerful evil forces. Shaw Brothers stalwart Alexander Fu Sheng (傅聲) played him in Na Cha the Great (哪吒, 1974). This followed Shaw’s 1973 feature Na Cha and the Seven Devils (梅山收七怪), directed by Tetsuya Yamanouchi and Doi Michiyoshi, two of the Japanese directors working for Shaw Brothers at the time.
Animating the prodigy
Nezha Conquers the Dragon King(哪吒鬧海,1979) is a 61-minute animated film from Shanghai Animation Film Studio (上海美术电影制片厂). It’s available on YouTube with English subtitles (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxa72iEZkfk).
Does the latest animated incarnation of this boy god represent Chinese “soft power”? Will plushies of Ne Zha replace Labubu dolls in 2026? Only time will tell.
Nazha Conquered the Seven Devils at Mei Hill 哪吒梅山收七怪 (1949)
The Battle Between Ne Zha and the Scarlet Boy 哪咤大戰紅孩兒 (1950)
Nezha Conquers the Dragon King 哪吒鬧海 (1979)
Ne Zha (哪吒之魔童降世, 2019)
Ne Zha 2 (2025)
Partial Ne Zha filmography:
The Date of Ne Zha’s Birth 哪吒出世 (1928)
Nazha Conquered the Seven Devils at Mei Hill 哪咤梅山收七怪 (1949)
How Nazha Thrice Tricked the Six-eared Monkey哪咤三戲六耳猴 (1950)
Na Zha’s Adventure at the East Ocean哪咤鬧東海 (1948)
Nazha Conquered the Seven Devils at Mei Hill哪咤梅山收七怪 (1949)
The Battle Between Ne Zha and the Scarlet Boy哪咤大戰紅孩兒 (1950)
Nazha Shatters the Yellow River Scheme封神榜之一: 大破黃河陣 (1950)
How Nazha Thrice Tricked the Six-eared Monkey哪咤三戲六耳猴 (1950)
The Battle Between Ne Zha and the Scarlet Boy哪咤大戰紅孩兒 (1950)
Nazha Causes Uproar at the East Ocean哪吒大鬧東海 (1951)
Nazha’s Adventures in the East Sea哪咤鬧東海 (1957)
Nazha’s Adventures in the Heavenly Palace哪吒大鬧天宮 (1957)
How Prince Xinling Stole the General’s Seal to Save the State of Zhao信陵君竊符救趙 (1957)
Ne Zha Is His Mother’s Escort (Part 1) 風火送慈雲(上集) (1958)
Ne Zha Is His Mother’s Escort (Part 2) 風火送慈雲(下集大結局) (1958)
The Birth of Nazha哪吒出世 (1962)
3 Encounters of Na Zha and Scarlet Boy哪吒三鬥紅孩兒 (1962)
The Adventures of Nazha哪吒三戲紅孩兒 (1965)
Nyasa Lad Against Seven Devils哪咤收七妖 (1966)
Third Prince Na Cha 哪吒三太子 (1978)
Nezha Conquers the Dragon King哪吒鬧海 (1979)
Ne Zha哪吒 (1983)
Nezha少女哪吒 (2014)
I Am Nezha我是哪吒 (2016)
*Hong Kong-based writer and film critic
** Nezha is a mythological figure from Chinese folklore, not a historical person, so he does not have a specific birth.
In classical Chinese literature, most notably in the Ming Dynasty novel Fengshen Yanyi (封神演義, “The Investiture of the Gods”), Nezha is described as being born during the Shang Dynasty (around the 12th–11th century BCE in mythological chronology). – DeepSeek/MPD
N.B. Images provided by the writer and MPD
