Martin Heidegger, Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics: World, Finitude, and Solitude (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001), p. 185; Martin Heidegger, Der Grundbegriffe der Metaphysik: Welt, Endlichkeit, Einsamkeit (Frankfurt am Main: Vittorio Klostermann, 2004), p. 273 In personal communication Moss Roberts mentioned that in traditional Chinese cosmogony and conceptions of yin yang the female was represented by the earth 地 and darkness 阴, while the male was represented by the sky/heaven 天and the sun/light 阳; thus, he believes it is possible that in Xiao Hong the exploitation of the individual female body in the first section of the novel was analogically extended to the body of the nation through into the Japanese exploitation/rape
Traditional Chinese-English Version. trans. Howard Goldblatt (Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 2005), p. 8. Xiao Hong’s literary mentor Lu Xun was fascinated by Edgar Allen Poe’s writing and he and his brother Zhou Zuoren both translated some of Poe’s short stories into Chinese, as did Mao Dun (Sheng 149). Lu Xun also shared an attraction to the grotesque and especially admired the woodcuts of German Socialist artist Käthe Kollwitz, in whose works death, poverty, sickness, and oppression were prominent themes. Hence, there may be more underlying historical connections than mere literary similarities between Xiao Hong and Poe. "When two butterflies wondrously alighted one on top of the other on her knees, she only stared at the two wicked insects but did not brush them off" (Xiao, Field 22). In the 2002 update of his translation of Xiao Hong’s The Field of Life and Death, Goldblatt correctly translates “wicked insects” rather than using his previous 1979 translation “copulating insects.” The context and terminology Xiao uses indicate the butterflies are copulating, which would make the term “copulating” redundant. Furthermore, the adjective Xiao uses is “e” (恶), which refers to moral or ethical
Vincent Goossaert and David Palmer, The Religious Question in Modern China (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011). For more information of Xiao Hong’s use of narrative time in The Field of Life and Death, cf. my article “Allegory, the Nation, and the March of Time: an essay on Modern Chinese Literature in honor of Fredric Jameson,” in Frontiers of Literary Studies in China, 2013, 7 (2): 305-318. Cf. Mao Dun’s “Old Woman China” in his novel Midnight, published a few years earlier in 1933. The character Fan Bowen says of China, “Old China herself is a mummy five thousand years old, and she’s decomposing fast. She can’t weather the storm of this new age much longer” (Mao 24). Old China’s allegorical representative in the novel is Grandfather Wu, the son of the industrialist Wu Sunfu, who leaves the traditional setting of rural China and perishes shortly after arriving in the modern, decadent, and fast paced Shanghai. Mixing metaphors was not taboo for Chinese literature, and metaphorical or allegorical representation could cross genders without detracting from the point the author wanted to make, or a person can be described using animal traits from different species as Xiao Hong does with Old Mother Pockface in The Field of Life and Death (Xiao, Field
Jonathan Spence tells his readers of how Mao Zedong was a remarkable man to say the very least. He grew up a poor farm boy from a small rural town in Shaoshan, China. Mao was originally fated to be a farmer just as his father was. It was by chance that his young wife passed away and he was permitted to continue his education which he valued so greatly. Mao matured in a China that was undergoing a threat from foreign businesses and an unruly class of young people who wanted modernization. Throughout his school years and beyond Mao watched as the nation he lived in continued to change with the immense number of youth who began to westernize. Yet in classes he learned classical Chinese literature, poems, and history. Mao also attained a thorough knowledge of the modern and Western world. This great struggle between modern and classical Chinese is what can be attributed to most of the unrest in China during this time period. His education, determination and infectious personalit...
“The Death of Woman Wang”, written by Chinese historian Jonathan Spence, is a book recounting the harsh realities facing citizens of Tancheng country, Shandong Province, Qing controlled China in the late 17th century. Using various primary sources, Spence describes some of the hardships and sorrow that the people of Tancheng faced. From natural disasters, poor leadership, banditry, and invasions, the citizens of Tancheng struggled to survive in a devastated and changing world around them. On its own, “Woman Wang” is an insightful snapshot of one of the worst-off counties in imperial Qing China, however when taking a step back and weaving in an understanding of long held Chinese traditions, there is a greater understanding what happened in
Thru-out the centuries, regardless of race or age, there has been dilemmas that identify a family’s thru union. In “Hangzhou” (1925), author Lang Samantha Chang illustrates the story of a Japanese family whose mother is trapped in her believes. While Alice Walker in her story of “Everyday Use” (1944) presents the readers with an African American family whose dilemma is mainly rotating around Dee’s ego, the narrator’s daughter. Although differing ethnicity, both families commonly share the attachment of a legacy, a tradition and the adaptation to a new generation. In desperation of surviving as a united family there are changes that they must submit to.
The united States Declaration of independence states that all men are equal, but aren’t all women as well? Nowadays, the numbers for the population are at an increase for the support in gender equality, with the capture of feminist labels. The seek for equality between men and women, and criticize the privileges that arouse by gender differences. However in Old China, males control almost everything due to a patriarchal society. At that time, not only men, but also women are influenced by male chauvinism. In the Jade Peony, written by Wayson Choy, female characters are affected by an unequal perspective despite their age group.
Ultimately, The Death of Woman Wang, by Jonathan Spence is a timeless, educational, historical novel. Spence purpose to enlighten the reader of the Chinese culture, tradition and its land were met through the use of sources, like the Local History of T'an-ch'eng, the scholar-official Huang Liu-hung's handbook and stories of the writer P'u Sung-Ling. The intriguing structure of The Death of Woman Wang will captivate any reader's attention.
Chen, Jo-shui. "Empress Wu and Proto-feminist Sentiments in T'ang China." In Imperial Rulership and Cultural Change in Traditional China, edited by Frederick P. Brandauer and Chün-chieh Huang. 77-116. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
The Sun of the Revolution by Liang Heng, is intriguing and vivid, and gives us a complex and compelling perspective on Chines culture during a confusing time period. We get the opportunity to learn the story of a young man with a promising future, but an unpleasant childhood. Liang Heng was exposed to every aspect of the Cultural Revolution in China, and shares his experiences with us, since the book is written from Liang perspective, we do not have a biased opinion from an elite member in the Chinese society nor the poor we get an honest opinion from the People’s Republic of China. Liang only had the fortunate opportunity of expressing these events due his relationship with his wife, An American woman whom helps him write the book. When Liang Heng and Judy Shapiro fell in love in China during 1979, they weren’t just a rarity they were both pioneers at a time when the idea of marriages between foreigners and Chinese were still unacceptable in society.
China’s Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution (GPCR) is a well-documented period in world history, but the most profound records are found vivified in the literature and films later into the 20th century, respectively. One of the most profound novels is “To Live”, authored by Yu Hua, which as a fictional narrative offers both a unique and realistic sense of the time period at the individual level. However, the provocative film adaptation directed by Zhang Yimou in 1994 was formidable enough that it was banned in Mainland China. Zhang paints a more realistic picture of how the GPCR influenced Chinese society but adds zest to Hua’s ambiguity but acceptable imperfection. Naturally, the film has many different characteristics yet still manages to overcome the challenges that implicate film adaptations.
The early part of the novel shows women’s place in Chinese culture. Women had no say or position in society. They were viewed as objects, and were used as concubines and treated with disparagement in society. The status of women’s social rank in the 20th century in China is a definite positive change. As the development of Communism continued, women were allowed to be involved in not only protests, but attended universities and more opportunities outside “house” work. Communism established gender equality and legimated free marriage, instead of concunbinage. Mao’s slogan, “Women hold half of the sky”, became extremely popular. Women did almost any job a man performed. Women were victims by being compared to objects and treated as sex slaves. This was compared to the human acts right, because it was an issue of inhumane treatment.
Lei, Ting. "Being and Becoming Moral in a Chinese Culture: Unique or Universal?" Cross-Cultural Research, Feb94, Vol. 28 Issue 1, p58.
McDougall, Bonnie. "Problems and Possibilities in Translating Contemporary Chinese Literature." The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs (1991): 37-67.
Johnston, Patricia. "Bibles for China." Magazine of the United Free Church of Scotland [Glasgow]. United Free Church of Scotland. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. .
Examples of cultural constructions can be seen throughout history in several forms such as gender, relationships, and marriage. “Cultural construction of gender emphasizes that different cultures have distinctive ideas about males and females and use these ideas to define manhood/masculinity and womanhood/femininity.” (Humanity, 239) In many cultures gender roles are a great way to gain an understanding of just how different the construction of gender can be amongst individual cultures. The video The Women’s Kingdom provides an example of an uncommon gender role, which is seen in the Wujiao Village where the Mosuo women are the last matriarchy in the country and have been around for over one thousand years. Unlike other rural Chinese villages where many girls are degraded and abandoned at birth, Mosuo woman are proud and run the households where the men simply assist in what they need. The view of gender as a cultural construct ...
Goodrich, L. Carrington (1959). A Short History Of The Chinese People. New York: Harper &
In order to analyze how gender ideals in the Heian society were formulated and how they were expressed in the Genji Monogatari, it is necessary to have an understanding of the Chinese society from which they were derived. The Chinese works often alluded to in the Genji Monogatari are primarily from the Tang dynasty period of China(618-907AD), which formed the basis of the flourishing of Japanese culture during the Heian period.3 Therefore an analysis of Heian gender ideals must begin from the Tang dynasty court-life culture.