The Representation of Motherhood in Post-socialist Chinese Cinema

Abstract

Critics agree that the mother figure has consistently played an important role in Chinese cinema. But this topic has rarely been addressed. This paper will explore what others mother figures can be found in Chinese cinema from 1990 onwards besides the mainstream representation of motherhood that carries both the national modernization and the women’s traditional merits. In this paper, I shall investigate three paradigms of the representation of motherhood in Chinese films since 1990s. The first paradigm is the Exemplary Mother, which seeks to construct the main discourse of motherhood through complying with the main-stream ideology. The second paradigm is the Transgressive Mother, which resists the myth of the good mother. The third paradigm the Consistent Mother in Chinese feminist films, which concerns the mother’s subjectivity and experience, emphasizing the strong bonding between mother and daughter, and normally giving them a positive future.