The Stature of Women in Chinese Films (Term Paper Sample)

THE STATUE OF FEMALE IN MOVIE INDUSTRY IN CHINA
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ABSTRACT
The study is about the new century (2000-2007 years) female image in films in China. The paper breaks the tradition of using director, type, or year criteria to analyse the image of women, rather, it relates the social reality to the recent emergence of female Chinese film. The paper summarizes female movies in the mainland China since the new century. The female movie images of women who have intensive roles are analysed. These images of women in the new century depicts feminist consciousness as seen in the construction and presentation of the movie. The paper will prove women in Chinese mainland create the movies in a pluralistic society and cultural contexts that makes them Heroines. The conclusion of this paper summarizes the analysis of female films. Female movies of the 21st century do not give a true image to reflect the spirit of the era of women, thus, the role of women is still confined to the family. This implies that female image does no show a rich, multi-level social position and good gender relations. In the new century, women are still burdened with heavy historical challenges that hinder innovation and progress.
Table of Contents
TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u ABSTRACT PAGEREF _Toc396246680 \h 21.INTRODUCTION PAGEREF _Toc396246681 \h 51.1Aim PAGEREF _Toc396246682 \h 51.2Objectives PAGEREF _Toc396246683 \h 62LITERATURE REVIEW PAGEREF _Toc396246684 \h 72.1Literature Related to Medias and Genders PAGEREF _Toc396246685 \h 72.1.1Medias and Genders PAGEREF _Toc396246686 \h 72.1.2Social Gender PAGEREF _Toc396246687 \h 82.1.3Gender Stereotyping PAGEREF _Toc396246688 \h 92.2Women Roles in Women Movies PAGEREF _Toc396246689 \h 102.2.1Feminist roles PAGEREF _Toc396246690 \h 102.2.2Changes of Culture as reflected by Policies and Businesses PAGEREF _Toc396246691 \h 122.2.3Images of Women in History PAGEREF _Toc396246692 \h 142.2.4Theme and Creativity elements in Building Chinese Women Roles PAGEREF _Toc396246693 \h 152.2.5Different Definitions of Women Movies PAGEREF _Toc396246694 \h 172.3Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc396246695 \h 183METHODOLOGY PAGEREF _Toc396246696 \h 193.1Analysing Contents of Medias PAGEREF _Toc396246697 \h 193.2Sampling PAGEREF _Toc396246698 \h 203.3Classification PAGEREF _Toc396246699 \h 234RESULTS PAGEREF _Toc396246700 \h 244.1Development history of Chinese female movies PAGEREF _Toc396246701 \h 244.2The image of women during 1980-1995 PAGEREF _Toc396246702 \h 264.2.1Tough Wife and Mother PAGEREF _Toc396246703 \h 264.2.2Sexy Lover PAGEREF _Toc396246704 \h 274.2.3Women pursuing self-recognition PAGEREF _Toc396246705 \h 284.3Image of Women Roles in 21st Century PAGEREF _Toc396246706 \h 304.3.1Roles in Family PAGEREF _Toc396246707 \h 324.3.2Social roles in the Women movies PAGEREF _Toc396246708 \h 404.4The relationships among the Women Roles PAGEREF _Toc396246709 \h 414.4.1Mothers and Daughters PAGEREF _Toc396246710 \h 424.4.2Women Alliances PAGEREF _Toc396246711 \h 434.5Various aspects influencing building up women roles by directors PAGEREF _Toc396246712 \h 454.5.1Social aspect PAGEREF _Toc396246713 \h 454.5.2Rigid Thinking PAGEREF _Toc396246714 \h 464.5.3Times PAGEREF _Toc396246715 \h 464.5.4Tradition PAGEREF _Toc396246716 \h 475CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION PAGEREF _Toc396246717 \h 495.1Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc396246718 \h 495.2Recommendations PAGEREF _Toc396246719 \h 50Bibliography PAGEREF _Toc396246720 \h 52
TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u
1 INTRODUCTION
The dissertation focuses on female figures in feminist films in mainland China in the 21st century. The paper breaks through the conventional methods that usually research the female figures by director, film types, or age criteria. The dissertation bases on the social reality of feminist films springing up currently and the female figures since the beginning of the new century, all at the same time. The dissertation peruses multiple representative female figures and analyses the multiple contexts which influence the portrayal of the female characters. The paper also analyses the expression of female consciousness on feminist films in the new century in mainland China to explore the times, significance and characteristics that are reflected by these female figures.
The booming of feminist films since 2000 can be viewed as the second climax with respect to the first climax which emerged between 1980 and 1995. The differences between these two climaxes of feminist films will be discussed as well as the social and economic factors that caused the difference.
Aim
In Nuanxin Zhang’s movie gull, a woman was featured in the climax of the film, marking the emergence of a large number of female films. The films include Gull, People, Ghost and Love, Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern and several others. The progress of female films was not slowed until 1995.
As the 20th century most important art form, Gull became a human brush and was then transformed into the pursuit of immortal human life. The narrative shows women achieving self-important means and a unique feeling of feminine consciousness and life. As the film progresses, the film's female character changes personality frequently, showing a surge of strong upward momentum of women roles.
In 2006, director Ying Ning’s film Perpetual Motion was officially released in China, passing out a compelling message that Chinese female new wave perhaps performs like a Perpetual Motion. Since entering the new century, China has desisted from being the famous female film critic. However, Jinhua Dai worries about the kind of films that can be called ‘Female films’ and asserts that only Shuqin Huang’s People · and Ghost and Love meet the threshold. Lots of new dazzling and dizzying female movies continue to emerge.
Female directors create a large number of roles with female protagonists thereby influencing a strong sense of women's films. Some of such films include; Shaohong Li's Baby Love, Xiaolian Peng's Beautiful Shanghai, Xiaoying Ma’s (Ma Liwen) The Two Of Us, Jinglei Xu’s A Letter From An Unknown Woman, Yu Li's Dam Street and Ying Ning's Perpetual Motion These works show a huge role of films in Chinese history. In addition to female films, some male directors have taken a number of women to create some awareness in the movie. Such films include; Yuan Zhang's Black Tea , Zhou Sun’s Zhou Yu's Train, Changwei Gu's Peacock and Xiaoshuai Wang’s green and red.
So what is the whole image of women in the new century? The paper will use content analysis method to summarize the movie image of women in the family and social perspectives (mainly professional image). The climax of the movie image of women will be compared to the real image of these women to investigate the difference. The difference will reflects how factors like social, political, cultural, and ideology affects the films.
Objectives
The study will compare female films from the 1980s to discover the intentions of women films. The comparison is necessary to analyse the improvement of female films. The women now have mellower movies that have broader narrative content, are character richer, and have a multi-faceted female perspective. Many moderate convergences to mainstream culture works also have a greater impact on the overall development of women films and has a special significance.
The themes of the movies are never lacking various aspects that affect women. From the Flower, The Story of Qiu Ju, Gull, People and Ghost and Love, the interpretation of the image of women in female perspective is always changing the overall words and continuity. Further, they are trying to show women's traits as soft, strong, and gentle. The new millennium depicts an improving female movie spectrum, but there have been some different faces.
The paper uses theories such as feminism media and sex consumption culture at the same time. It also uses content analysis and film textual analysis as research method. The study uses Jasmine Women, Perpetual Motion, Peacock, Letter From An Unknown Woman, Zhou Yu's Train, Dam Street as film samples to discuss the female figures in feminist films in the mainland China in the new century.
In the feminist films of the new century, the females are confined to the family. The female figures of these films are scant and have more multiple social positions that display weak experience of life. As a result, these female figures cannot really and duly reflect the spiritual style of modern women. Furthermore, the relationships between the female and the male are relegated. The females are advancing lonely with ponderous historical burden. At last，the dissertation indicates the innovation and deficiencies of feminist films.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature Related to Medias and Genders
Medias and Genders
In 1978, proceedings of the American women scholars Gaye Tuchman in collaboration with others published the Hearth and Home: Media Image of Women. The official publication discussed two issues; how women in the media are portrayed, and women working in the media. After twenty years of development, the media and gender studies in the West is quite mature, it is mainly women who learn the theoretical basics and communication. The three most important areas of research concentrate on women as communicators (practitioners), disseminators of content (image of women) and the female audience. The publication basically analyses the image of women.
Hawkins (1997, n.p) did the evaluation of women images in the media and concluded that the female image is divided into five levels. First, women are portrayed as completely ignorant of foil products; second, women's role and image is in line with the stereotypes; third, women are portrayed as having a professional role...