Herro~!
Thanksgiving break has officially started, wahoo!! I will, however, be working on so many final papers this break. D; So many to finish within the last 4 weeks of school! And ah! I only have 4 weeks left of school! (I mentioned in earlier posts that I’m graduating one semester early.)
In celebration of break, and all the writing I will be doing (I quite enjoy writing essays actually), here is another essay I wrote for my Chinese film class. Hope you enjoy!
~Em
Struggle for Identity and Hope of Rediscovery
Hou Hsiao Hsien’s Flowers of Shanghai (1998) is a multi-layered, stunningly poignant, and visually saturated work of art. Through subtle imperfections, innovative filming techniques, and intentional deficiencies, all juxtaposed against seemingly visually perfect and opulent set/costume designs, Hou creates a complicated—and at times confusing—but ultimately moving film.
Ostensibly, Flowers of Shanghai is about the authentic identity of Shanghai, focusing on aspects that made 19th century Shanghai uniquely Shanghai—for instance, exclusively-Chinese brothels. Hou appears to be preserving the integrity and identity of Shanghai, and shunning the glaringly non-Shanghainese parts of historical Shanghai, such as colonial rule. This translates into him visibly suggesting (by shooting everything in Taiwan and being Taiwanese himself) that Taiwan today also has a core identity, that it has not lost itself in the transitioning from one ruling power to another.
Upon deeper analysis, however, we discover another layer to this film—for a film that so valiantly purports to be authentic, we find a hidden story proclaiming the exact opposite: inauthenticity. Or rather, mis-identity.
The entire film struggles for authenticity, reflected in various aspects of the cast, the set, and the shots. First and foremost, the film was not shot in Shanghai—important because not being shot on location may perhaps be the biggest, and simplest, mark of inauthenticity. The set and props are not authentic, having been made by various craftsmen from various countries around the world. The actors are a mix of Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Japanese actors, with poor Shanghainese. And finally, the camera itself has a confused identity—on the one hand, it is just like another character in the story, living in the brothel and “participating” in events. On the other hand, it does not truly behave as a character would, because sometimes it is an invasive presence at very intimate moments/scenes, or sometimes it sees from another character’s perspective, like when it peers under the door as Master Wang “catches” Crimson having an affair. In this way, it does not use the same lenses as traditional cameras in films we are accustomed to, but it also does not completely “grow into” its new identity, either.
Furthermore, the film’s struggle for authenticity reflects Taiwan’s own struggle for authenticity. The inauthentic depictions of old Shanghai in this film mirror present-day Taiwan. Having undergone rule by one foreign power after another, Taiwan is an amalgamation of global influences, much like the film set and props were sourced from around the world. Taiwan also has a mix of languages—and language is a powerful harbinger of identity—similar to how the cast comes together with a mix of accents and lingual backgrounds. Finally, Taiwan is unsure of its identity, just as the camera is unsure of itself. How involved should it be with those around it? Which lens(es) should it look through? Is it separated or integrated? Where does it originate? Who is it?
Thus, Hou creates a powerful, moving piece of art with countless layers of meaning. This film simultaneously depicts Taiwan (through depicting 19th century Shanghai) and also is Taiwan. Its struggle for authenticity is Taiwan’s struggle for authenticity. On a brighter note, however, I also see a glimmer of hope in Hou’s choice of Shanghai over any other city. At the time of this film’s making, Shanghai had already long recovered from its colonial rule, long recovered from the shattering of its culture, history, and language years before. It had, by then, emerged as the leading metropolitan city in all of China. Similarly, I see a hope, a dream that perhaps one day Taiwan will rediscover itself, too.