Monthly Archives: May 2013

Pretty Big Feet, directed by Yang Yazhou, 1996, China Zhang Meili (“pretty”), name embarrasses her because she has big feet that traditional Chinese men who are used to seeing women in bond feet consider ugly; lives in a rural area … Continue reading →

Farewell My Concubine, directed by Chen Kaige, China, 1994 Cheng Dieyi: mother a prostitute who gives him up as a child to a Peking Opera troupe that trains brutally to play the role of the legendary concubine to the King … Continue reading →

Ermo, directed by Zhou Xiaowen, China 1994 Ermo, a peasant, industrious and self-assertive; married with one son; sexually frustrated because husband is impotent for years; feels unwanted and becomes passionate about money, in the era of reforms (1980s-90s), the going … Continue reading →

Eat Drink Man Woman, directed by Ang Lee, Taiwan, 1994 A line taken from the Classical Text by Mencius: “It is human nature to want food and sex.” 中文分析 Mr. Chu, a widower for 16 years living with his three … Continue reading →

directed by Peter Chan,  Hong Kong 1996  中文分析 Li, Xiao-jun 黎小军, in his 20s, arrives at Hong Kong (HK) in search of a better life with thousands of other “mainlanders” who take advantage of China’s open-door policy in the 1980s; … Continue reading →

City of Life and Death , directed by Lu Chuan, 2009, China Lu Jianxiong 陆剑雄, A military commander in the Nationalist Army who, during the Nanjing massacre in 1938, is killed along with close to three hundred thousand Chinese slaughtered by … Continue reading →