Perceived ‘Oriental’ qualities of ‘Chineseness,’ ‘femininity,’ and ‘mystery’” are what “separate Chinese and Western audience preferences for Zhang Yimou’s films and Gong Li’s images”
Over the past years, the Chinese Cinema has proved to receive a lot of attention. Popular film directors like Zhang Yimou have scooped several awards at prestigious world film festivals. Many of these films seem to have a major focus on the issues of nationhood and the national identity. Sheldon Lu’s argument that “perceived ‘oriental’ qualities of ‘Chineseness,’ ‘feminity,’ and ‘mystery’ are truly the separating elements of the Chinese audience preferences from the Western audience preference for the Zhang Yimou films and the images of Gong Li (Lu, 119).
There is a difference of the Western and the Chinese feminism in that the Chinese record no history where an assumption exists that man and woman are categories that are real (Chiu, 1). They tend to assume that man and woman are categories that have been socially created. This is well displayed by Songlian and Meishan who among the four wives of the rich old man they seem to be defiant not assuming roles as the lesser sex (Lu, 116). Yimou assigns Gong Li with the character of Songlian who displays the metaphysical woman bondage in her Chinese world. The Chinese world identified in this case seems to have almost the same phallocentricism as the ones in the Western world (Chiu, 1). This can be associated with the history of the Chinese feminism where the Chinese woman in the earlier times before the 20th century was a weaker sex and occupied a lower role in the society (Chiu, 1).
The fourth wife of the rich old man being forced to live with him in a way that it is against her will displays the clear loss of will of the Chinese women. The film Raise the Red Lantern is one that brings to live the voluptuous physical beauty with a twist of an angry passion. This film directed by Zhang Yimou is based on the Su Tong’s Wives and Concubines novel. This film can be interpreted in various ways which are associated to the plea of women against subjection in China. One can also view the film from another perspective as an attack on the feudal attitudes or also as a formal exercise that has been used in storytelling. However, this film is a fascinating piece on the melodrama level. Yimou’s Raise the Red Lantern proved to have the most startling effect in the Western audience and as a result, Gong Li and Ju Dou who were part of the cast in this film were elevated into the league of superstars. Yimou had shot the film in a manner r that the claustrophobic atmosphere and the rich colors incorporated in it may have a perfect match with the story (Lu, 116). It was also for the purpose of having the story being viewed as a patriarchal parable in the semi-feudal society of the late 20th century in China. The film faced various criticisms with critics stating that it has tried too hard to appeal to the Western audience as much as it did appeal to the director’s own countrymen. This fact made it loose its official approval. The film according to Lu (107), many critics of Chinese culture seem to state that Yimou’s popularity is not convincing. They claim that he seem to surrender to the Third World cinema and to the third culture that is associated to the Western domination. However, it maintained its marvelous structure, its rich imagination aspect and most of all, its highly rated level of well acted work with an element of central performance that intrigues and captures the audience’s attention in the whole film (Chiu, 1).
In conclusion, the narrative tactics that Zhang Yimou seems to strive for difference and entertain the guest thus giving his films an atmosphere that is exotic making them Westerners Oriental spectacle.
Works Cited
Chiu, Fu-sheng, Jingwu Ma, Yimou Zhang, Li Gong, and Su Tong. Raise the Red Lantern.
Australia: MagicPlay Entertainment, 2004.
Lu, Sheldon H. Transnational Chinese Cinemas: Identity, Nationhood, Gender. Honolulu, HI:
