king of masks

Movie Selected: The King of Masks (1996) by Tian-Ming Wu
Topic: The portrayal of gender inequality in the movie “The King of Masks”
By Henry Surya Jaya (永龙)
#57424103

“Men of quality are not threatened by women of equality,” proclaimed former president Thomas Jefferson. Many revolutionists around the world have battled against gender inequality for a long time, yet it remains an unresolved global issue. The movie “The King of Masks”, directed by Wu Tianming beautifully portrays some aspects of gender inequality. Set in a remote place in China in the pre-war era, the movie takes us back to the time when women were kept at the bottom of society. In political, cultural, economic and family life as represented in the movie, women were considered inferior to men.
Having no social status and inheritance rights, women possessed no personal dignity or independent status. This situation was illustrated in the movie from the very beginning as Wang found himself caught in a dilemma. He seemed affected by what the female impersonator had said to him “Do not die without an heir or your magic will die, too.” Following the social norm that dictated the rule of hereditary at the time, Wang himself was firm about his rule of passing down the secret of the art of Bian Lian, or “face changing.” At the time, only a son possessed an exclusive right to family secret. This point was made clear in the scene when Doggie tried to reason with a group of soldiers who forced Wang to reveal his secret. “He would not even tell me, who do you think you are?” In Wang’s belief, passing down a family secret to Doggie was the same as giving away his greatest asset as she would eventually be married off to a person outside of the family. Old Wang needed a boy because he believed in the Confucian tradition that girls or daughters are not considered to be permanent members of one’s family.
According to Yuhui Li, who is the writer of “Women’s Movement and Change of Women’s Status in China”, the deep-rooted sexist ideologies and practices in China originated from the philosophy of “filial piety” of Confucius (551-479 B.C.). She asserts that the three components of “filial piety” stipulated that women must obey men, citizens must obey their ruler and the young must obey the elderly. For thousands of years, the rules of this philosophy helped maintain the patriarchal social order in China. Wang’s values and beliefs as represented in the movie are consistent with this conservative thinking that puts women at the bottom of society. Wang was always known as a man that stands by his principles. But in the end, out of love and compassion, he abandoned his pride and ideology when he finally taught Doggie his art secret. It is a call for change for society that even the most stubborn man is willing to abandon his livelong belief. Historically, it was not until the revolution of 1949 that dramatic changes took place that had strong impact on the lives of hundreds millions of Chinese women in China (Li, 2000). The new government under communist party made a firm commitment to guarantee the equality between men and women. This explains the appropriateness of the time and place setting of the movie that was undeniably crucial in representing the history of women emancipation in China in that era. The movie set in a remote place in Sichuan Province in 1930s, which at the time was not yet reached by the feminist movement. “The King of Masks” is a beautiful film that raises some deep criticism about tradition and explains the paradoxical need for change in order to keep it alive. As a movie critique, Kat McDaniel, puts it, “We all have beloved traditions. Sometimes the reason traditions fail to thrive is because we don’t allow them to change.” The portrayal of women, or perhaps the lack of it, is terrible. The Sichuan Opera of the 1930s as shown in the movie was only played by male actors. In the movie, Wang developed a good relationship with a famous female impersonator, a man playing women’s roles, adored by many people including general officials. The discrimination against women and against them having any sort of work outside of the home was so strong that Wang would almost let his art die before teaching Doggie.
The stigma against women in the movie was so shocking that giving birth to a girl was considered a misfortune. Girls were regarded only a burden, another mouth to feed and another body to clothe. On the other hand, boys represented a blessing from God and a successor of the family. At the black market, Wang is seen walking in a dark chamber when he was being offered children, mostly females. This scene pertains the film's indirect criticism of gender discrimination in the China of this era. Furthermore, it truly makes us wonder whether the parents of these children are so poor that they sell their children in hopes that they will live better lives, or if they sell them for their own selfish needs of survival. More shockingly we might even speculate if the reason for these families to sell their own daughters was the sole fact they are female. In the world that we live in today, we expect family to preserve unconditional love for their children regardless of their gender but the patriarchal Chinese culture and feudal tradition of favoring males over females gave birth to the kidnapping of boys and selling of girls in the black market during those times.
Often times, our society seems to be forgetting that women are just as capable as men in many ways. This point was made clear in the representation of Doggie’s role in the movie. In her frustration, she asked, “What do boys have that I don’t, just a little teapot spout?” leaving Wang speechless. “Bodhisattva, she has bosoms, why do you worship her?” she continued. Despite her capabilities, hard work and deeds, Doggie received lack of acknowledgement from Wang and was merely regarded as a servant. The name “Gou-er”, a pet name, was even used to address her. Doggie arguably raised important questions that challenged the old tradition in the way it undermined women’s values. Wang’s inability to come up with good answers showed how unreasonable and illogical the old tradition could be, that it offered society no rational explanations.
From the beginning to the end of the movie, we are constantly reminded of the shameful faith bestowed to the million lives of women living in those dark ages. It took a lot more than just hard work to change a belief system that had been passed on for generations. The movie “King of Masks” had taught us that sometimes come sacrifices have to be made. Doggie threatened to kill her self until justice is done. The sincerity in her act moved the general’s heart and saved Wang’s life in the end. Despite the fact that in the end old Wang changed his opinion of the little girl and takes her on as his student and heir of the art, we learn that the society as a whole holds on to the traditional beliefs and seeks to preserve them with great endurance. The King of Masks highlights the inequality of the sexes in China and the struggles that arises when a young girl challenges the social norms and social order.

Reference
Academic Journal
Li, Yuhui (2000). Women’s Movement and Change of Women’s Status in China. Journal of International Women's Studies, 1(1), 30-40.

Supporting Reference
Modifying Tradition: Tian-Ming Wu’s King of Masks | synkroniciti. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://synkroniciti.com/2013/03/16/modifying-tradition-tian-ming-wus-king-of-masks/

Govt. White Papers - china.org.cn. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.china.org.cn/e-white/chinesewoman/11-2.htm