39th Annual Student Research Conference
Obedience and Hierarchy: Concubine Life in 1920s China as Depicted in Raise the Red Lantern
Kyra Ray*, Anna C. Kirchhoefer, Junwu Xiao, zifei wang, and Qianhui Wang
Prof. Zhijun Wen, Faculty Mentor
The role of women in Chinese society during the 1920s was shaped by strict patriarchal hierarchy and expectations of obedience within polygamous households. This study examines how Zhang Yimou’s Raise the Red Lantern (1991) represents the experiences of concubines and the historical realities of gender and family structure. Focusing on the lantern-lighting ritual, the allocation of household privileges, and the competition among wives, the analysis explores how hierarchy and power are constructed within the film. These representations are compared with historical knowledge on concubinage and gender roles in Republican-era China to evaluate the film as a form of empirical evidence. While the film captures key features of hierarchical family life and gender inequality, it also heightens conflict and symbolism for dramatic effect. This study argues that Raise the Red Lantern provides valuable insight into the dynamics of concubinage while also revealing the artistic limits of film as historical evidence.
Keywords: film analysis, gender inequality, gender studies, historical analysis, Chinese film, Confucian gender ideology
Topic(s):Chinese
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA