1) Set in the 1990s, well after his death in 1976, how does the film portray post-Mao China compared to that of Maoist China?
The Story of Qiu Ju is a story of a village lady who struggles in the attempt of making the village chief apologize for kicking her husband. However, the case develops complications that end up including the government in the issue. Upon dragging of the government into the issue, the policeman where Qiu Ju launched her complaints demands that the village chief should pay 200 Yuan for assaulting Qinglai. The things don’t ogre well with Qiu Ju when he took the message to the village chief, where the head throws for him money on the ground and fails to apologize. Qiu Ju then takes her complaint to the provincial capital, where she gets dissatisfied with the ruling of fining the chief 250 Yuan. Upon taking the case to the court, she still faces the same dissatisfaction when the court holds the same decision of 250 Yuan. In the long run, Qiu Ju becomes a constant seeker of justice. Some years after Mao’s regime was over, the movie still addresses the same issues that were there in Maoist China; injustice, bureaucracy, corruption and inhumanity by those in power. In addition, there is also the issue of male chauvinism as men consider women as mere birthing tools.
2) How are the people in the countryside portrayed differently from those in the city?
As represented by the scenes of the houses, the cart is pulling, dried corns and pepper, clothes and painted paper banners, the movie has achieved an explicit representation of the China Village as it is. In the rural, we see a score of lovely and gentle persons except for individual cases of brutality. Additionally, the movie gives the rural China a picture of primitivism, where we see Qiu Ju so shocked upon seeing the first car in a movie. On the contrary, the film gives the urban part an awful picture, filled with brutality, noise, bribery and the streets are so busy that Qiu Ju finds it troublesome to maneuver the streets. As Qui Ju travels to the town, the movie brings into the limelight a number of fascinations. In the town, we can see the Western images such as the pinups of Arnold Schwarzenegger has infiltrated their town streets. Upon keen observation, the movie reveals Qiu Ju’s reactions. She is so upset with the idea of pinning such things everywhere as well as the dishonest taxi drivers and loud music.
3) How are the government officials portrayed? What’s the role of bureaucracy in the daily lives of the Chinese people?
The play portrays the government officials as a group of rude, corrupt, seductive and brutal. The brutality of the Chinese government officials can be described whereby the chief of the village assaults Mr. Qinglai and refuses to apologize nor to pay for his misconduct towards the victim. The leaders of China are described as the ones who lack respect for human life, and that’s why we witness cases like killing of the girl child as a way of controlling the population. The political leaders as portrayed in this play is a crop of bureaucrats who would do everything to deny the low-class strata justice. The leaders of China leaders are a group that is full of pride and male chauvinists.
4) What elements of communism still exist post-Mao? Judging from the film, can China still be said to be “communist?” Why or why not?
5) Finally, what’s the moral of the film? What is Zhang Yimou trying to communicate with China today through Qiu Ju’s quest for justice?
The moral of the film is revolving about peaceful coexistence with others while upholding the uttermost level of respect for life. In the story, we learn of many leaders who fail to show respect for their fellows. For instance, the chief first disrespects Mr. Qinglai, kicks him on the private part and fails to apologize neither is he ready to pay for the 20 Yuan. The other moral that we learn from the play is that perseverance, humility, and self-determination should always remain sound and at the peak if you want to achieve a target. The case is clear with Qiu, who in spite of all the bureaucracy and corruption, she doesn’t lose hope in the pursuit of justice for her husband. The other moral that we can learn from the play is the moral of communism and brotherhood.
Bibliography
"The Story of Qiu Ju / Jaws." 2000. Stereo Review's Sound & V ision, Jul, 132-136.
