The
misrepresentation of Chinese women in western movies
With the increase of cultural exchange
between the China and the West, the movie, one of the media translating and
taking in culture, plays a more and more important role in people's daily life.
It is easy for us to find that there are a growing number of western movies
which have Chinese women characters. However, due to the misunderstanding of
Chinese culture, most western movies portray Chinese women in wrong way. Within
their lens, most Chinese women present dependent roles with vanity and foolishness,
and they regard as attachments and puppets to the man, even have no independent
personality.
Compared with cowardly women, men always
play strong and powerful roles in the movies. They are salvation heroes;
represent all the pleasant qualities of humanity, and ignore women’s importance
and influences. As a matter of fact, after women's liberation movement and
spread of education, Chinese women already get rid of male authority. They try
to get the same status as men; fight for same rights, and become independent in
their minds. Identities are regained by themselves.
Nowadays, it is obvious that men can no
longer be women’s master. In the workplace, women do the same jobs as men do,
even better than men in sometimes; in the family, the only role for women no
longer are housewives, because they also can take part in family meeting and
make decisions with their husbands; what’s more, a growing number of women make
a foray into politics, and begin to share the world that only belongs to men in
the past. However, due to the culture diversity, most western movies still
portray Chinese women in their interpretation, rather than describe them in
their real life.
Research Question
Like the term that Edward Said proposes
his influential book Orientalism, the process of "othering" is the
depiction or categorization of another person or group of people as distinctly
different from the writer's or speaker's own group--often with overtones of
dehumanization. It is distinct that western people have “othering” problem in
their understanding process. Actually, they do not really know Chinese women,
but just portray Chinese women in western style. Therefore, in this paper, I
try to figure out that how do western people portray the misrepresentation of
Chinese women in their movies?
In
order to figure out those misrepresentations of Chinese women more clearly, I
collected some resources that related to this project, and did some research
about Chinese women in western movies. According to the resources, I figure out
that Chinese women in western movies have two main misrepresentations. One is
that Chinese women are preys for man to conquer and stand for negative values
in western movies. According to Mark B. Salter, the author of Barbarians and Civilization in International
Relations, in any case, sex constitutes an important area of
social ties. Impression of foreign country will become the impression of
foreign women to the men (P.92).
Similarly,
Tuan Iris H., who writes Chinese Women's
Cinema: Transnational Contexts, says that it is evident that Chinese women
become exotic incarnations for western men in most love movies, and they are
always captured by men (P.43). Besides, in Gates Philippa’s book, he states that
one of the most common modes of expression in western movie is interpreted that
the West Prince Charming conquers oriental beauty in touching love story
(P.89-92).
Due
to this impression, most western movies portray Chinese women in tempting but
silly way. As Kim Youna describes in his books, petite oriental women become
particular sexual temptation to the white men, and they also are describe as brainless
and vain women in western movies (P.144). In addition to this, Chou, the author
of Gender Politics in the Chinese Martial
Arts Film, also argues this statement in another way. He declares that weak
and foolish oriental woman become baubles to western white men in the movies (P.32).
Based
on Wheeler Winston’s statement, in Western popular culture, "exotic"
contains strong sexual overtones. The sex and pornography have always been
attraction to customers in western movies. The oriental woman falls in love
with white man without regret, and feels happiness or misery no matter the man
love or not love herself. This is the Westerners never get tired of the
East-West love story. Western movies already made sex and love story between
Chinese woman and western men as an important manifestation of material.
Therefore,
one of misrepresentation of Chinese women in western movies is that weak
oriental woman always become prey to western white men and present negative
values. They often cannot help themselves, and are eager to throw themselves
with vanity and non-rationality, when they meet the majestic white men.
Another misrepresentation of Chinese
women in the western movies is that they lose their individual identities and
become the weak that are redeemed by western people. Grandy Christine, the
author of Paying for Love: Women's Work
and Love in Popular Film, states that physiology sense of salvation is
typically reflected in love relationship of white men and Chinese women in the
movies (P.212). Compared with men, women are born with weak physique, so they
cannot get independence in the politics and economy.
In addition to this, Judge Joan argues in
her book Blended Wish Images: Chinese and
Western Exemplary Women at The Turn of The Twentieth Century, Chinese women
are the week, not only in physiology, but also in psychology (P.58). Since
Chinese women are delicate and easy to crumble, the western people always play
the role of savior for them in the movies. On the account of losing
indemnities, Chinese women cannot catch their own love and happiness. However,
only under the help of western men, they can get the feeling of love and
happiness. Western men save Chinese women in their minds. Therefore, in the
western movies, Chinese women should please western men, and follow the value
orientation that set up by patriarchal society. Under this situation, women are
reduced to attachment to men, and give up independent identities, even become
the second sex.
What is more, Halkias Daphne, the author
of Female Immigrant Entrepreneurs: The
Economic and Social Impact of a Global Phenomenon, gives us one reason
about why Chinese women always are saved by western people. In order to show
male chauvinism, they use the week like Chinese women to be saved by man
(P.33). Besides, Dixon also states in his book, the western movies want to use
obscure methods to show that the west conquer the east (P.172).
Therefore, according to my research,
Chinese women in western movies have two man misrepresentations. One is that
Chinese women become the prey to western man in the movies. Another is that
Chinese women lose their own identities and always are saved by western people.
In the next part of my paper, I will use some movies to explain these two main misrepresentations
of Chinese women in western movies.
The
representation of love story that western man conquers Chinese woman as prey is
“The world of Suzie Wong”. The
old-fashion story about hero to the rescue took place in the fifties in Hong
Kong. Robert, white painter, came to Hong Kong and was hooked on Suzie who is a
beautiful, vain Chinese prostitute. To this inconceivable love, Robert rejected
the pursuit of white banker’s daughter; beat up a sailor who molest Suzie, and
even accepted her illegitimate son. After Robert run out of money, he refused
to Suzie's generous assistance, stopped his painting, and tried to find work
for a living. In the end, Suzie Wong's son died in flash floods, and this
cross-border romance finally coming into fruition.
In
the movie, there are a lot of plots that describes Suzie’s vanity. When she
talked with Robert, She pretended as a high society lady Li Mei from wealthy
family, and claimed that she would marry with an American in order to follow
father’s requirement. In fact, she just was a prostitute in Court Hotel. Suzie
showed off with her fellows in a bar that Robert loved her to distraction, in
order to prove that Robert was jealous that she had intercourse with other men.
Besides, Suzie became white man Ben’s mistress. Though Ben abandoned
her very soon, she still repeatedly claimed that Ben is love her very much.
The bar is a paradise for white men, and they were looking for excitement and
pleasure in here. The Chinese prostitutes gathered in the bar, using sexy
costumes and sweet words, looking forward to opportunities to do everything
possible to please white men, eager to throw themselves.
Robert
was not only tall, handsome, but also kind of warmth and generosity. Since he
got bored about architects work and had strong interests in the Orient, he came
to Hong Kong alone with his painting. In the first encounter on the ferry, he
almost loved Suzie at first sight, and Suzie also became his prey. Robert
wanted her to be a model in his studio, because she could meet his imagination
to Chinese women: cheongsam, long hair fluttering, and a little mysterious. He
never criticized the costumes of Suzie which was like street prostitutes in
Hong Kong. He even let Suzie wear Chinese costumes that he bought for her, in
order to make her dress up as “Oriental Princess” in Westerners impression.
The
movie describes Robert’s love to Suzie in a moving and pure way. At first, he
hesitated his love due to his economic trouble, but he overcame the
difficulties and made his love became steadfast in the end. Robert rejected the
white girl's sincere love, and tried his best to rescued Suzie from frustrated
life. In the end of the film, Suzie burned incense in the temple for her dead
son, and promised Robert to move to America with him. This is happy end for the
Suzie. In short, the film not only demonstrates Robert has good upbringing and
is a gentleman, but also gives him the most beautiful moral emotions. What is
more, the movie shapes him into a near-perfect image.
Compared
with white women Kay who was the daughter of banker, Suzie presence was weak
and humble. Kay represented “new women” who influenced by feminism after World
War II. Her superiority of identity and status and strong women momentum let
man feel frustrated. Kathleen, who is the author of Sexuality, Gender and Power, states that men need a desire to
dominate women, and they prefer women are supple and obedient. Suzie
represented this kind of Chinese women in the movie. She was always in a
passive and subordinate position, bore the white man’s abandoned and acceptance,
felt her happiness and pain under man’s domination.
“The world of Suzie Wong”
was produced on 1960. Compared with western countries, china was backward at
that time. Therefore, in the movie, the white man Robert represented positive
and active aspect, like civilization, justice, courage. However, the misrepresentation
of Chinese women Suzie showed the negative values, such as lack of faith,
jealousy, vanity and hypocrisy. Chinese women in the movie who carries a double
meaning to be conquered by western men, conquered both in gender and their
national culture. They are petite, docile, willing to be attached to man, so
they are in line with the patriarchal culture of women's imagination. This
includes cultural logic that is Chinese women should be conquered by white
males.
In
addition to “The world of Suzie Wong”,
“Year of The Dragon”and “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” also
can show this kind of Chinese women. They have Chinese traditional
characteristics, and attract western man a lot. Although there are gaps between
them and western man, they still fall in love with white man.
Therefore,
according to this movie, it is obvious that Chinese women become prey for
western men conquer in the movies, and they always show negative values.
Compared with western women, Chinese women are more delicate, and they meet the
machismo better. As preys to men in the western movies, Chinese women are
always passive to accept men’s requirements, and they do not have their own
thoughts and pursuit. In a word, one of the main misrepresentations of Chinese
women in western movies is that they are conquered by western men as preys with
negative values.
In
addition to this type of movies, there is also a kind of western movies that
shows Chinese women lose their identities and become the weak that need men to
save them. “Pavilion of Women” is the typical movie that show Chinese
woman is rescued by western man, not only in her life, but also in her minds.
Mrs.
Wu was the hostess of the rich family that was in the Yangtze River Delta. On
her forty years old birthday, her friend Mrs. Kang had difficult labour. With
her lives at stake, the American missionary Andre saved Mrs. Kang’s life and
Mrs. Wu had meet with the godfather at that time. Later, father Andre was
employed as tutor for Mrs. Wu’s son by accident. Out of curiosity, Mrs. Wu also
took part in Andre’s class. Later, she was attracted by Andre’s sincerity,
enthusiasm, erudition and new ideas. From Andre’s lecture, Mrs. Wu came into
connect with a new world that contains equality of men and women, monogamy and
so on.
However,
the life that Mrs. Wu lives only had inequality between man and women. She did
not have her own minds and identity; even she should let her husband marry with
a concubine on her birthday party. The ideas that Andre showed were
unbelievable to Mrs. Wu. Facing the thousands of years of patriarchy society,
she already got used to men’s control, and the most important thing for her was
to follow her husband’s order. Struggling between tradition bound and new ideas,
Mrs. Wu tried to resist the temptation from Andre, but also hard to extricate
herself to Andre’s charm.
One
day, Andre’s orphanage broke out of fire. In order to save Andre and orphans,
Mrs. Wu rushed in to burning room to take them out, despite all the life
danger. Due to this accident, Andre was aware Mrs. Wu’s courage and enthusiasm.
They could not control themselves to have mutual admiration, and grew affection
between them. Soon after, the flames of war were spreading to Mrs. Wu’s
hometown, so her husband decided to escape from there. However, under the Andre’s
lecture, Mrs. Wu did not want to be the attachment to her husband, and more she
was determined to get rid of her husband’s control. In the end, although Mrs.
Wu tried to stay with Andre, in order to protect Mrs. Wu and orphans, Andre
became the bait to enemy and lost his life.
Through
the whole story, it is obvious that Mrs. Wu was a typical Chinese woman. She
obeyed thousands of year’s tradition that men control women, and she lost her
identity during this process. As Simone says, the author of Second Sex, one is not born a woman, but
becomes one. It means women become the attachments and puppets to men, because
they lose their independent personalities in their growing environment, not
because they are born to be the weak. Traditional women lost their own minds
and identities as individuals in their growth process.
In
the previous section of movie, Mrs. Wu obviously showed she is the puppet to
her husband. Her husband wanted to have a concubine, so she should have no
complaint and prepared party for her husband second marriage. Her husband
commanded her to find a tutor to teach their son, so she should follow order to
foster her son. Besides, although her husband had abnormal requirements, she
still should depress her idea and resentment to cater her husband’s demand. What
is more, she should bore everything in their family; however, her husband’s
life is beer and skittles.
After
meeting with Andre, Mrs. Wu’s life had changed a lot. On his lecture, Andre
portrayed a new life and world for Mrs. Wu, and he was a savior for Mrs. Wu.
With his guidance, Mrs. Wu began to have her own mind and identity, and tried
to think about the society that she lived. From latter part of movie, it is
distinct that Chinese woman Mrs. Wu was saved by western men Andre, not only in
her life, but also in her mind. Without western man, she could not have her own
identity. In some way, this western movie wants to show that western men help
Chinese women get rid of Chinese men’s control. However, in another way, it is
also showed that women cannot leave from men’s help.
In
the movie, Andre always plays the role of savior to Mrs. Wu. He taught Mrs. Wu
what is independence; what is identity, and so on. However, actually, the
identity is not the real identity for Mrs. Wu. The identity is that Andre’s
thoughts and ideas put on Mrs. Wu’s mind. Without Andre’s identity, Mrs. Wu
still did not have her own identity. It is also evident from the last part of
movie. After Andre death, Mrs. Wu did not know what she can do. The only thing
for her to continue was to take our Andre’s orphanage, and tried to finish his
dream. Although she escaped from her husband’s control, but she still put her
identity and own thoughts to Andre. In the end, Mrs. Wu as a Chinese woman
still did not get her own identity from men. She just transferred her identity
from Chinese man to western man. Therefore, from this western movie, we can
figure out that Chinese women always lack identities in their minds, and they
always need be saved in their life and mind by men.
Besides “Pavilion of Women”, “Chinese Box” also showed this kind of
Chinese women. Vivian was a pitiful and poor Chinese woman, in order to survive
in tough situation, so she became a prostitute and was kept by a rich man. One
day, a western man John fell in love with her at first sight, and wanted to
marry with her. However, she refused John’s offer of marriage, since she was
not willing to give up the good life with rich man. Before long, the rich man
abandoned Vivian, so the only way for her was to go back to please John.
Although John would not like to forgive her immediately, he still accepted Vivian,
and they had happy ending.
From
this story, it is distinct that Vivian always regards as attachment to men. At
first, she leeched herself on to rich man, because she wanted to survive in
poor situation. She did not have her own minds and independence, even could not
find the meanings in her life. Then, the western man John always played the
role as redeemer, since he wanted to save her from such hopeless life, whether she
was kept by rich man, or she was abandoned in tough environment. From those
plots, obviously, Chinese women Vivian lacked independence when she did everything,
even she did not have identity because she always wanted to become attachment
to man. Compared with Vivian, John never gave up her, and always rescued her no
matter what she did. In a word, the second misrepresentation of Chinese women
in western movies is that they lack identities and are the weak that need men
to save.
Through
my research process, we can figure out that western movies portray Chinese
women in wrong way, and there are two main misrepresentations of Chinese women in
the moves. One is that Chinese women are the preys for men to capture, and they
also represent negative values in the movies. Another is that Chinese women
lack their own identities, and always need to be saved by men. However, as one
of Chinese women, I strongly declare that these two representations are totally
wrong. Nowadays, Chinese women are not the attachment to the men, and there is
also no need for them to please men. Evidently, they are the independent
individuals in the world, and have their own thoughts and identities. Women are
same to men!
