The Contemporary Chinese Movies - Movie Review Example

Redefining the Chinese Tradition Introduction When most people think of China and its people, they imagine a land steeped with culture and tradition. Most assume that life in China is strictly dictated by the traditions present in China since hundreds of decades. However, this is not entirely true. As the world is turning into a global village, Chinese life is also evolving. While traditions and cultures still guide much of the Chinese lifestyle but most Chinese, including those living in China, are redefining their lifestyles. Chinese is also inspired by Western Lifestyle and one can observe many influences of Western culture in Chinese Culture. This can be observed in many of the contemporary Chinese movies. In this paper, three movies would be analyzed in order to ascertain how these movies reflect on the changing Chinese lifestyle. The three movies selected are Eat Drink Man Woman, Together and To Live. Perception of Chinese Culture The Chinese Culture is perhaps one of the richest cultures in the entire world. The Culture in Chinese in composed of many aspects of the Chinese life including cuisine, family structure, music and arts and spirituality. Chinese cuisine is famous throughout the world. The Chinese prepare the cuisine with the greatest passion. They consider cooking as a spiritual activity and often involves dexterity. Chinese meals usually consist of rice, noodles and seafood. Tea is also an important part of the Chinese cuisine as tea has become associated with the Chinese. Chinese meals are often enjoyed with family. Meal times in China are about sharing and enjoying time together (Wander Stories) In terms of family structure, the Chinese have the most tradition. The male providing member of the family demands the utmost respect. Chinese children are expected to respect and adhere to all commands issued by the parents. In return, parents are endowed with the responsibility of providing for their children. Marriages are often arranged and through the consent of the parents. Dowry forms an important part of the marriage. Extended families is considered part of the family. The Chinese have a strong appreciation of arts and music. Chinese children are expected to perfect some form of art. Violin is usually the most preferred skill and children are often expected to perfect this skill. Vernacular forms of music instruments include sheng, pipa, erhu, xiao, and Guzheng. The Chinese spirituality is based on either of the three religious beliefs: Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. All three beliefs basically practice many of the same concepts including harmony with nature. The Chinese have been able to exist in harmony despite different religious because they advocate peace and moral responsibility (Miller, 57). Perception of Chinese Culture in Movies Chinese movies form an important part of entertainment in US. Apart from the Chinese Americans, there is a wide viewership of Chinese movies given their themes of martial arts, drama and arts. These movies reflect on the Chinese culture and in the last few decades, they have begun to focus on the process of cultural change that can be observed in China. In order to understand this, a comparison of three movies has been developed. These include Eat Drink Man Woman, Together and To Live. Eat Drink Man Woman Eat Drink Man Woman is a Taiwanese drama movie released in 1994. It was directed by Ang Lee and consisted of a star cast of Sihung Lung, Chien-Lein Wu, Yu-wen Wang and Kuei-mei Yang (IMDB). The movie tells the story of a widowed man, Mr. Chu and his three daughters, Chu Jie-Jen, Chu Jia-Chien and Chu Jia-Ning. Mr. Chu is a Chinese master chef with three daughters having very modern views. All three daughters defy traditional norms. Chu Jie-Jen has accepted Christianity; Chu Jia-Chien works as an airline executive and Chu Jia-Ning becomes pregnant with his friends boyfriend. However, the family remains together and enjoys one of them most memorable times together. Together Together is a Chinese movie released in 2002. It was directed by Chen Kaige and stars Tang Yun Liu, Chen Hong and Wang Zhiwen (IMDB). The movie relates the story of a widowed cook, Liu Cheng and his adopted son, Liu Xiaochun. Xiaochun is a thirteen year old violin child prodigy whose father, Liu Cheng wants him to receive acclaim for his ability at a young age. Liu Cheng makes many sacrifices for his son along the way. Despite being pressed for money, Cheng assures that Xiaochun receives training under the best musicians. However, Xiaochun is reluctant to achieve this success at the hands of losing his father who he later realizes is not his real father. To Live To Live is another Chinese movie released in 1994. It was directed by Zhang Yimou and stars, Ge You and Gong Li (IMDB). The movie is an epic drama set during the important events in Chinese history including the Civil War, Cultural Revolution and the Communist Revolution (James). The movie tells the story of Xu Fingui, a rich man turned poor because of his gambling addiction. Fingui and his family goes through one of the most difficult periods in Chinese history. Tragedies continue hitting the family as Finguis daughter goes mute; his son is accidently killed by the Tribal Chief and Fingui is killed during childbirth. Comparison All three movies show different aspects of the Chinese life; however the audience can observe many similar themes in all three movies. These are inherently linked to Chinese traditions and how they have evolved over time. To Live is a movie set in the history of China, therefore evolution of culture and tradition in his movie is stagnant. Fingui, the father is the head of the family. He has to provide for the family even when he is portrayed as a compulsive gambler. Finguis wife, Jiazhen does not go out to make a living even though the family is living in the most trying conditions. Even Finguis daughter, Fengxia does not contribute financially when she is married or even before. She gets pregnant quickly. This reflects on the fact that Fengxia was not expected to work. Rather, she was expected to provide children for her husband. The same is not observed in the movie Eat Drink Man Woman. Even though both movies were released in the same year, most themes in the movie contradict each other. In Eat Drink Man Woman, the movie shows the daughters as highly independent. Each of the three daughters earn their own wages even though the family seems to be faring well financially. In them movie, even Chu Jia-Ning, a college student works at a restaurant joint to help pay for her college. Chu Jia-Chien , the second daughter, enjoys an important position as an airline executive and Chu Jie-Jen works as a nurse. The conception that male head of the family, Mr. Chu should provide for the family is not present in the movie. The father accepts the fact that her daughters are working and does not hold it against them. In all three movies, a father child relationship can be observed. All three movies show some form of relationship between the parents and the children. In Together and Eat Drink Man Woman, the father is widowed and a cook. In To Live, both the parents are alive. All three movies show that Chinese value family relationship. Even though there may be problems within the family, the family stays together. In To Live, Fengui may not be the perfect father with his gambling habits but his family does not entirely leave him. He reunites with his family and retains authority over them when he becomes more responsible. Fengui, as a father, enjoys more authority over his children than the fathers in the other two movies despite Fenguis apparent shortcomings. Fengui in collaboration with his wife, Jiazhen, arrange the marriage for their only daughter, Fengxia. Fengxia accepts her parents decisions without putting up any resistance and even falls in love with her husband. In the movie, Together, one sees the father in a position of authority. It is Liu Cheng who decides the fate of his son and Xiaochun is expected to comply with his fathers order. However, unlike Fengxia, Xiaochun is not exactly very accepting towards his fathers decision. While Xiaochun does not entirely revolt against his father but one does see glimpses of his resistance. In one scene, Xiaochun embarrasses his father when he refuses to play the violin. However, even Xiaochun is strongly attached to his father. He is willing to forgo his commercial acclaim in order to live with his father even though Liu Cheng is not Xiaochuns real father. The movie, Eat Drink Man Woman probably offers the most change in Chinese culture. The father, in this movie, is shown as a friend rather than an authoritative father. Even though he continuously guides and corrects his daughters, but he is not in a position of authority. His daughters have their own mind and would sometimes even listen to the father. All three daughters have chosen their own career paths. Even in terms of their marriage, they enjoy a very modern lifestyle. Even in this movie, there is a strong love within the family. All four members of the family may be at ends with each other but they still take out the time to enjoy meals together. Food is another an important theme in the movie. In Eat Drink Man Woman, food forms an important part of the movie. It is the meal times where the family comes together and enjoys the most entertaining moments. Since Mr. Chu is a chef, therefore we often see him preparing food as if he is planning for a restaurant meal. He often gives advice on food to his daughters. One of this daughters, Jia-Chien also has the same passion for food (Khaw). These people enjoy the traditional Chinese cuisine despite being portrayed as a very modern Chinese family. Even in To Live, food forms an important part of the film despite the fact that the family is poor. These people also enjoy food. This is evident during the end of the movie when the doctor eats too much buns that he is unable to deliver Fengxias son. In Together, meal time is an important bonding time for the father and son. In all three movies, the characters enjoy Chinese food even though they have been exposed to American food. This suggests that the taste buds of the Chinese have not altogether evolved. The theme of music and arts is most prominent in Together. The entire movie is based on a violin prodigy. The audience also get an inkling of how much the Chinese respect the violin and other forms of music. The director gives violin the position of a religious activity. Even in To Live, art forms an integral part of the movie. Fengui has artistic abilities which allows him to survive despite his hardships. It was through his singing that he made his livelihood at one point of time. In Eat Drink Man Woman, music and arts forms a very small part of the basic plot. It would seem that this family is not like other Chinese families in their appreciation for arts. Conclusion Chinese movies, like any other movie, reflect on the culture that they represent. As the Chinese culture is evolving, so is the culture portrayed in most Chinese movies. While some movies still show the Chinese as people steeped in tradition in culture, there are movies such as Eat Drink Man Woman that completely change the perspective about Chinese society. Food and music is still something revered amongst the Chinese and therefore themes of music and food is common in Chinese movies. Works Cited  "Eat Drink Man Woman". Internet Movie Database. Web. Retrieved Dec 2, 2014 James, Caryn. To Live (1994) NY Times, 1994, Web, Retrieved Dec 2, 2014 Khaw, Winnie, Review and Analysis of the Film Eat Drink Man Woman, Electia.org Retrieved Dec 2, 2014 Miller, James, Chinese Religions in Contemporary Societies, NY: ABC-CLIO, 2006, Print  "Together With You" Internet Movie Database. Web. Retrieved Dec 2, 2014 "To Live" Internet Movie Database. Web. Retrieved Dec 2, 2014 Wander Stories, China - a travelers guide to Chinese cuisine and table manners, traditions and customs, holidays and festivals, behavior and etiquette, Peking opera, Chinese humor and jokes, China: Wander Stories,14-Oct-2014, Print Read More