Zhang yimou cultural revolution red

Local Color
Michael Koresky on Raise the Red Lantern

Long before I knew anything about China’s “Fifth Generation” of filmmakers, or learned that generations of films from that country were either responses to or products of something called the Cultural Revolution, or realized that the filmmaker Zhang Yimou had become an international representative for his country’s complicated 20th-century historical tangles, or read about the 21st-century controversies that had forever altered ideological perceptions of him, Raise the Red Lantern swept across my eye-line with the force of a hurricane.

When Zhang Yimou’s 1991 film became a part of my vision, I was twelve or maybe thirteen, but certainly no older. I was in the midst of devouring practically every VHS my local libraries had to offer. Not knowing enough to doubt the extreme limits of my gaze, relying on my perceived worldliness as an adventurous young movie-watcher, I was indulging in private reveries that manifested as certitudes: I was pretty sure that Persona reflected something innately austere and frightening about the Scandinavian spirit; that Fellini’s “buffets of life” were quintessentially Italian, grotty and buoyant; and that Ran had to be the greatest movie I’d ever seen, which meant that Japanese cinema had to be the greatest cinema in the world, never mind that I had seen maybe three films from the entire country at that point. Even next to all the tantalizing films grouped together in that wildly ambitious section simply titled “Foreign,” Zhang Yimou’s film struck me as though it promised something majestically different. There is extremity to this belief. The beauty of movies is also their danger, they draw a world more vivid than the one we live in, but their ability to record and represent reality makes them more than just dreams.

And so it would go with Raise the Red Lantern, which was the first film I had seen from China—mainland or otherwise—and which seemed emotionally

Scarlet, vermillion, rouge, blood red, blush, flame,… Chinese. Ravishing red is all the rage as China celebrates its 73 birthday on October 1, 2022. But what does the color mean?

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Red is associated with meanings of passion, desire, heat, sexuality, sensitivity, romance, courage, vim ‘n vigor, vibrance and radiance.

Red is assertive and linked to mankind’s most primitive needs of survival and self-preservation. Now, according to the Theory of the Five Elements, colors are associated with the five elements of water, fire, wood, metal and earth.

Red corresponds with fire. So allow us to enlighten y’all.

Painting the Town Red

The color red (红| hóngsè in Chinese) has existed since prehistoric times. Most of the cave drawings discovered in different parts of the world, including China, are said to have been originally done in red. Earlier on, China is also said to have used the color to paint early ceramics. With a history stretching to the beginnings of humankind, pottery is the oldest handicraft in China. As early as the Neolithic Age (7,000-8,000 years ago), roughly styled and artless grey, red, white, colored, and black pottery existed. Later it was used to paint the walls and gates of the Chinese palaces. Even in the paintings that exist of the emperors, most are seen adorned in red robes.

It’s not clear exactly when red became an official color, much less when it was introduced to China or became an important part of its culture. There are however some folklores that try to explain this…

Legend has it that red became an favorable color during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.). The first Han emperor, Liu Bang aka Emperor Gaozu (256-195 B.C.), was the son of the Red Emperor. As such, people in that pe

This is one of several movie suggestions written by students in the Chinese-Language Cinemas class of Winter 2019 (CHIN 3050/FILM 3350). For this “Playlist Project,” students looked for a film of interest not seen in class, watched and researched it, and wrote up their recommendation. More viewing suggestions will be posted each day leading up to the beginning of the new term.

Review written by David Choco Manco

Contains spoilers

The Cultural Revolution took place in China from 1966 to 1976. The objective of this was to unify the masses ideologically, and during this cultural movement many film directors were either re-educated or killed by the government. This Cultural Revolution triggered the 5 Generation Chinese film movement. The new directors of the 5 Generation were the first directors that trained at universities such as the Beijing Film Academy. Many film makers in this generation had been part of the Red Guard and were influenced by the communist government (Chua, Chua & Yimou, 1991). The most relevant filmmaker of this generation is Zhang Yimou, who has been criticized for portraying real social life in China during in Communist times (Chua, Chua & Yimou, 1991). Consequently, the Chinese government did not permit him to release some of his movies in China. One of his most popular films is Raise the Red Lantern. This film is interesting to watch because it portrays the lives of people before the Cultural Revolution and communism. It shows gender inequality and the oppression of women before the Communist Revolution, while the communist philosophy of equality values everyone equally, giving more individuality to women. Also, since the 5th Generation filmmakers were freer to tell stories than those during the Cultural Revolution, they could express themselves more by showing the real life in China and the people’s need to survive through the economic crisis of the Cultural Revolution and

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