11 Aug What strikes you as the most noticeable change and continuity in China over the last century with regards to women’s lives?

In the course of the semester we have watched a number of films that cast women in the central roles. For instance, The Family (dir. Che Xihe, 1956), Three Modern Women (dir. CHEN Liting, 1949), Women of the Great Leap Forward (dir. SHEN Fu, 1959), The Story of Qiu Ju (dir. Zhang Yimou, 1992) and Eat, Drink, Man and Woman (dir. Ang Lee, 1994) all have women as the lead characters. Even in the case of Song of China and Breaking with Old Ideas, in which women are not in the central roles, they are still at the center of the dramatic conflict of the films’ narratives. Assuming these films are realistic and accurately reflect life in China (and Taiwan), what can we learn from these films about the lives of Chinese women in the twentieth century? Please write an essay to reflect on this question, and be sure to address the following issues:

1. What strikes you as the most noticeable change and continuity in China over the last century with regards to women’s lives?
2. What kinds of personal qualities and behaviors are presented as desirable and/or undesirable “feminine” qualities?
3. What is your critique of the portrayal of women in these Chinese films? Is there anything that you agree or disagree with the perspectives on gender issue represented in these films?

Your essay should demonstrate good grasp of both the films and the assigned reading materials.

Please use Direct Quote “………………”(Author name, Page) Failure to make appropriate reference to the reading materials will result in significant reduction in grade.

The essay should be between 600-800 words and submitted to TURNITIN on Cougar Courses before midnight May 1st. Please don’t waste space on synopsis/plot summaries. You should assume that I know these films and will not need you to tell me the stories again. Penalty applies when your essay falls short of or exceeds the stipulated word limit by more than 100 words. It is mandatory that the essay conforms to Chicago Manual of Styles for style and format.

Grading rubrics:

• Demonstration of good understanding of the films and reading materials (3 points);
• Ability to make good connections between the films and the reading materials (3 points);
• Sound analysis, insights, thoughtful and perceptive observations (3 points);
• Good writing (flawless English, clarity, correct format/style, and etc.) – 1 points.

Material :

Eat, Drink, Man and Woman

The Story of Qiu Ju: https://fsharetv.co/movie/the-story-of-qiu-ju-episode-1-tt0105197#

Jonathan Spence, The Search for Modern China[1] https://s3.amazonaws.com/arena-attachments/730720/…