Holding Up Half The Heavens: Cuiqio
This paper argues that the Cuiqiao’s character is actually a figment of Gu Qing’s imagination. The Chinese Communist Party assigned Gu Qing to find folk songs to raise the morale of his fellow comrades. However, from a 21st century perspective, it is evident that communism bought about problems in China and the director, Chen Kaige wanted to subtly address these issues using the lyrics sung by the character, Cuiqiao. Cuiqiao is the perfect embodiment of how the Communist Party wanted to introduce communism – alluring, melodic, and welcoming. However, China suffered from internal struggles because the party’s ideality of communism was different from the reality of communism. Due to these two differences, there were opposing views on how the
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Although, Chairman Mao and the Chinese Communist Party put forth the idea that women hold up the sky and how they should be more important, China still undermined women. Cuiqiao’s brief moment of happiness was shattered when she went home and saw her future mother-in-law. Cuiqiao was forced to marry an older man in order to have enough money to bury her mother as well as provide her brother with future endowment money for his wedding. In Jessica Fulton’s article, “Holding up Half the Heavens: The Effect of Communist Rule on China’s Women,” she explains that during the worst famines in Chinese history when peasants had to eat bark and leaves in order to live, the peasants would choose to let their daughter starve to save their sons (Fulton 36). This relates to Yellow Earth because Hanhan’s needs come before Cuiqiao’s needs. Hanhan is still a young boy and he is not going to marry anytime soon, but Cuiqiao already had to find resources for his future endowment money. Cuiqiao sings with a sad tone, “I’d like to say what is on my mind, but I don’t know how.” On the one hand, Chairman Mao says that women are important too, but on the other hand, women are still scarified. Director Chen pinpoints the ironic relationship between Cuiqiao’s role in the film and the idealization of Chinese feminism brought out through Chinese
Although, Chairman Mao and the Chinese Communist Party put forth the idea that women hold up the sky and how they should be more important, China still undermined women. Cuiqiao’s brief moment of happiness was shattered when she went home and saw her future mother-in-law. Cuiqiao was forced to marry an older man in order to have enough money to bury her mother as well as provide her brother with future endowment money for his wedding. In Jessica Fulton’s article, “Holding up Half the Heavens: The Effect of Communist Rule on China’s Women,” she explains that during the worst famines in Chinese history when peasants had to eat bark and leaves in order to live, the peasants would choose to let their daughter starve to save their sons (Fulton 36). This relates to Yellow Earth because Hanhan’s needs come before Cuiqiao’s needs. Hanhan is still a young boy and he is not going to marry anytime soon, but Cuiqiao already had to find resources for his future endowment money. Cuiqiao sings with a sad tone, “I’d like to say what is on my mind, but I don’t know how.” On the one hand, Chairman Mao says that women are important too, but on the other hand, women are still scarified. Director Chen pinpoints the ironic relationship between Cuiqiao’s role in the film and the idealization of Chinese feminism brought out through Chinese