Peng Xiaolian is a rare and prolific Chinese author who writes both fiction and non-fiction works and directs both dramatic and documentary films. Peng has not only written, cowritten, or rewritten all the screenplays...Peng Xiaolian is a rare and prolific Chinese author who writes both fiction and non-fiction works and directs both dramatic and documentary films. Peng has not only written, cowritten, or rewritten all the screenplays of her eight dramatic features and two documentaries but is also the author of one novel, twelve novellas, over a dozen short stories, four book-length memoirs, three collections of film reviews, and numerous essays. The existing scholarly studies, however, nearly all focus on Peng＇s dramatic films, with much less, if any, attention directed at her writing and documentaries. To really understand Peng as a film auteur, however, it is necessary to look at her films and writings together. Given the quantity and complexity of her works and the space limitations of this article, I examine Peng＇s subversion of the conventional treatment of character, location, and time in three thematic sections reflecting the key narrative motifs in her work. I first summarize existing studies of Peng＇s films, highlighting the rarely examined interaction between visuality and spatiality in her films. Then, after defining her sense of time in narrative, I demonstrate how family history and self-reflexivity are the major difference between her films and her nonfiction works. Last but not least, I discuss how, through her use of multilayered narratives constructed by the female voice and subjectivity, her complete repertoire constitutes a unique history of modern Chinese women. This article aims to demonstrate how, through her use of multilayered narratives constructed by the female voice and subjectivity, her complete repertoire constitutes a unique history of modern Chinese women.展开更多
With the gradual improvement of Chinese women’s status in the 21st century,gender studies and gender relations have become one of the hottest topics in Chinese society,which consequently prompted Chinese Women’s Cin...With the gradual improvement of Chinese women’s status in the 21st century,gender studies and gender relations have become one of the hottest topics in Chinese society,which consequently prompted Chinese Women’s Cinema to attract the attention of larger audiences.With regard to the box office performance of Chinese Women’s Cinema,there seems to be a gap in research in finding an association between women’s status and the relevant films’box office performance.The purpose of this research is to outline the underlying reasons for the changes in gender roles and gender representation in the Chinese film industry over the past few decades in order to better understand this expansive social change in the 21st century.This study provides a comprehensive analysis through the use of questionnaires to better understand society’s attitude towards gender representation within the film industry.The questionnaire findings indicate that there is a direct correlation between people’s awareness of women’s changing status and gender equality and their acceptance of materials produced by Chinese Women’s Cinema.At the some time,it highlights that the Chinese government’s support and initiatives for gender equality have had a significant impact on the general popularity of Chinese Women’s Cinema.The significance of this research is to effectively popularize Chinese Women’s Cinema culture and the box office growth by understanding the social attitude towards gender representation in the Chinese film industry and to provide relevant information about the development direction and trend of Chinese Women’s Cinema.Furthermore,this research aims to provide foundational support for gender equality and help to understand the underlying factors that society needs to promote gender equality.展开更多
文摘Peng Xiaolian is a rare and prolific Chinese author who writes both fiction and non-fiction works and directs both dramatic and documentary films. Peng has not only written, cowritten, or rewritten all the screenplays of her eight dramatic features and two documentaries but is also the author of one novel, twelve novellas, over a dozen short stories, four book-length memoirs, three collections of film reviews, and numerous essays. The existing scholarly studies, however, nearly all focus on Peng＇s dramatic films, with much less, if any, attention directed at her writing and documentaries. To really understand Peng as a film auteur, however, it is necessary to look at her films and writings together. Given the quantity and complexity of her works and the space limitations of this article, I examine Peng＇s subversion of the conventional treatment of character, location, and time in three thematic sections reflecting the key narrative motifs in her work. I first summarize existing studies of Peng＇s films, highlighting the rarely examined interaction between visuality and spatiality in her films. Then, after defining her sense of time in narrative, I demonstrate how family history and self-reflexivity are the major difference between her films and her nonfiction works. Last but not least, I discuss how, through her use of multilayered narratives constructed by the female voice and subjectivity, her complete repertoire constitutes a unique history of modern Chinese women. This article aims to demonstrate how, through her use of multilayered narratives constructed by the female voice and subjectivity, her complete repertoire constitutes a unique history of modern Chinese women.
文摘With the gradual improvement of Chinese women’s status in the 21st century,gender studies and gender relations have become one of the hottest topics in Chinese society,which consequently prompted Chinese Women’s Cinema to attract the attention of larger audiences.With regard to the box office performance of Chinese Women’s Cinema,there seems to be a gap in research in finding an association between women’s status and the relevant films’box office performance.The purpose of this research is to outline the underlying reasons for the changes in gender roles and gender representation in the Chinese film industry over the past few decades in order to better understand this expansive social change in the 21st century.This study provides a comprehensive analysis through the use of questionnaires to better understand society’s attitude towards gender representation within the film industry.The questionnaire findings indicate that there is a direct correlation between people’s awareness of women’s changing status and gender equality and their acceptance of materials produced by Chinese Women’s Cinema.At the some time,it highlights that the Chinese government’s support and initiatives for gender equality have had a significant impact on the general popularity of Chinese Women’s Cinema.The significance of this research is to effectively popularize Chinese Women’s Cinema culture and the box office growth by understanding the social attitude towards gender representation in the Chinese film industry and to provide relevant information about the development direction and trend of Chinese Women’s Cinema.Furthermore,this research aims to provide foundational support for gender equality and help to understand the underlying factors that society needs to promote gender equality.
