Cultural crises: A comparison of well images and their analogues in Chinese literature and film from the 1980s to 2003

Yilin Liao, Purdue University

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to track the multivalent images of wells in Chinese literature, culture and cinema. This dissertation begins with an examination of well representations in literature and film and of the notions of creativity, femininity, and fantasy surrounding wells. This dissertation continues noting how through years of development and evolution, meanings of the well have been given new variations and new significance in artworks. Ultimately, part of this framework will focus on language, and part will look at philosophical traditions. The specific writers and films in this study include Zheng Yi's Lao Jing (“Old Well”) and its filmic adaptation with the same title by Wu Tianming, plus a parallel reading of Tie Ning Xiu Se(“The Beautiful Color”); Su Tong's Qi Qie Cheng Qun (“Wives and Concubines”) in conjunction with its cinematic adaptation by Zhang Yimou, Dahong Denglong Gaogao Gua (“Raise the Red Lantern”); and Liu Qingbang's Shen Mu (“Sacred Wood”) as well as the novella's filmic version, Mang Jing (“Blind Shaft”), by Li Yang. The common theme among these works is the recovery of society after the dryness of the preceding social revolution, but each author uses well imagery in a different way to produce his or her own analysis of Chinese culture. My dissertation is divided into three chapters and organized chronologically according to the years the works were written in order to show the evolution of the visual and verbal imagery of the well. The result is an introspective look at the China's response to the profound impact of globalization and the opening of the economy.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Ross, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Asian literature|Asian Studies|Film studies

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