Even though Yu Hua, the author of novel To Live, is also the scriptwriter of Zhang Yimou’s film To Live, the philosophies of life in the novel and the film are apparently different. The most impressive part of the novel is the “excavation” of humanity: having experienced the loss of wealth, family and friends, Fugui is still attempting to live in this world. By telling the readers the miserable life of Fugui, the novel actually more wants to show the dark side of Chinese society. However, the film concentrates on elaborating the improvement of the character’s life, by showing the change of time and the optimism of Fugui. Therefore, different motifs and atheistic skills of the novel and film create different perspectives on character’s life philosophy. In this essay, my thread is tri-folded: firstly, I will discuss about the different interpretations about the Taoism concept Wu Wei in both novel and film; secondly, I will focus on the strategies that the novel and the film use to build up the personalities of characters; finally, I will move on how these elements build up the personalities of characters and how they impact on the philosophies of life in both film and novel. Shortly speaking, in the novel, the concept of Taoism supported Fugui to live on when tragedies happened in his life; however, in the film, becoming Fugui’s life philosophy, the concept of Taoism gave him the optimism to comply the changes between different ages.
First of all, the novel and film actually have different interpretations on Wu Wei, one of the most important ideas in Taoism. A simple way to think of the concept is to consider Wu Wei as non-action, which means do nothing against the world. In the original Taoism book, Wu Wei is often associated wit...
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...ui’s life. Also, Zhang Yimou’s To Live is a meaningful, strong and deep-thinking film, based on Zhang Yimou’s vision which is involved with about fifty years of Chinese modern history, including several stages like Civil War, Land Reform and Cultural Revolution. Without using the narrative ways in the book, he could accurately and freely express his views about the chaotic age in history by telling the audience the simple but meaningful story of Fugui, who was actually an person experienced from rich to poor through the era. Both the novel and the film are full of expectations of life. It shows the audience that for those ordinary people, even though they lived in chaotic times and they experienced many kinds of losses, they could still held their beliefs of life, keeping learning and understanding the meaning of life and came up with their own life philosophies.
To Live is both controversial and impactful in a cultural sense and the character development respectively. The author thoughtfully addresses the motif death throughout the novel and demonstrates how the motif affects the protagonist, Fugui’s character development. The moment when Long Er is executed in his presence changes his character and allows him to realize how fortunate he is to be alive, changes his outlook in life, and impacts the way he sees life at the end of the novel in contrast to the beginning of the novel.
The Cultural Revolution in China was led by Mao Zedong, due to this Liang and many others faced overwhelming obstacles in many aspects of their life such as work, family and everyday encounters, if affected everyone’s families life and education, Liang lets us experience his everyday struggles during this era, where the government determined almost every aspect of life. The beginning of the book starts out with Liang’s typical life, which seems normal, he has a family which consists of three children, two older sisters and him the youngest, his two sister’s reside in Changsha 1. his father has an everyday occupation working as a journalist at a local newspaper. Things start to take a turn early in life for Liang Heng, his family politics were always questioned, the mistake made by one of his family members would impact his entire family and it would be something they would have to suffer through, it was impossible for them to live down such a sin.... ...
“It was not easy to live in Shanghai” (Anyi 137). This line, echoed throughout Wang Anyi 's short piece “The Destination” is the glowing heartbeat of the story. A refrain filled with both longing and sadness, it hints at the many struggles faced by thousands upon thousands trying to get by in the city of Shanghai. One of these lost souls, the protagonist, Chen Xin, was one of the many youths taken from his family and sent to live the in the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. Ten years after the fact, Chen Xin views the repercussions of the Cultural Revolution internally and externally as he processes the changes that both he, and his hometown have over-gone in the past ten years. Devastatingly, he comes to the conclusion that there is no going back to the time of his childhood, and his fond memories of Shanghai exist solely in memory. This is in large part is due to the changes brought on by the Cultural Revolution. These effects of the Cultural Revolution are a central theme to the story; with repercussions seen on a cultural level, as well as a personal one.
The family's personal encounters with the destructive nature of the traditional family have forced them to think in modern ways so they will not follow the same destructive path that they've seen so many before they get lost. In this new age struggle for happiness within the Kao family, a cultural barrier is constructed between the modern youth and the traditional adults, with Chueh-hsin teeter tottering on the edge, lost between them both. While the traditional family seems to be cracking and falling apart much like an iceberg in warm ocean waters, the bond between Chueh-min, Chueh-hui, Chin and their friends becomes as strong as the ocean itself. While traditional Confucianism plays a large role in the problems faced by the Kao family, it is the combination of both Confucianism and modernization that brings the family to its knees. Chueh-hsin is a huge factor in the novel for many reasons.
In the film To Live, a man and his family experience the effects of historical events of their own lives while living in China from the 1940s until the late 1970s. This film is a work of fiction, but it creates a generalization about the lives of the common folk and their imaginable struggle through life that they went through during the war. The war represented an ideological split between the Communist CPS and the KMT’s brand of Nationalism. Xu Fugui is one of the main characters and his name in Chinese means “Lucky & Rich.” Describing his character at the start on having an addiction to gambling and does not take responsibility for his actions. The film also hints slight social norms of gender inequality, such as with his wife, Jiazhen,
Ultimately, The Death of Woman Wang, by Jonathan Spence is a timeless, educational, historical novel. Spence purpose to enlighten the reader of the Chinese culture, tradition and its land were met through the use of sources, like the Local History of T'an-ch'eng, the scholar-official Huang Liu-hung's handbook and stories of the writer P'u Sung-Ling. The intriguing structure of The Death of Woman Wang will captivate any reader's attention.
their every day lives. In this novel each major principle of Taoism is followed by an explanation made though a humorous story staring Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends.
Jonathan Spence tells his readers of how Mao Zedong was a remarkable man to say the very least. He grew up a poor farm boy from a small rural town in Shaoshan, China. Mao was originally fated to be a farmer just as his father was. It was by chance that his young wife passed away and he was permitted to continue his education which he valued so greatly. Mao matured in a China that was undergoing a threat from foreign businesses and an unruly class of young people who wanted modernization. Throughout his school years and beyond Mao watched as the nation he lived in continued to change with the immense number of youth who began to westernize. Yet in classes he learned classical Chinese literature, poems, and history. Mao also attained a thorough knowledge of the modern and Western world. This great struggle between modern and classical Chinese is what can be attributed to most of the unrest in China during this time period. His education, determination and infectious personalit...
Taoism suggests that one should follow Wu Wei which “literally means without doing, causing, or making” (68). If one follows this way of life then one chooses to release his “Inner Nature” and “operate on the principle of minimal effort” (69). This idea cannot be applied to real life. If one does go through life exercising minimal effort, one will only get minimal results. In return, one will never accomplish anything in life. This means that the world would not have doctors, businesses, and even food. One cannot sit down outside and wait for food to cultivate. That would take too long. One could become nomadic and live like gathers, but living like gathers does not work in today’s modern era. Another instance can be seen is some students. If a high school student puts minimal effort into his work for all four years, he will barely be accepted my colleges, or not be accepted anywhere. As a result, he will either not go to college, or not do well in college. Thus creates the situation of not having a satisfying career after college, if he graduates with putting minimal effort into his education. Hoff states that limitations “prevents any sort of real Accomplishment in life” (16). One can deduct from this statement that Taoists believe in accomplishing goals in life. In order to accomplish goals, one must take action. One cannot sit and wait for his goal to be completed by spontaneity. Life does not
Still Life is remarkable in that it allows for open interpretation from the audience. Different aspects of the film hold varying degrees of personal relevance and one may extrapolate as much or as little as they see fit in order to unravel its underlying meaning. Personally speaking, there is nothing more important than the steadfast loyalty of dependable friends and, to someone of such inclination, Still Life certainly embodies that ideal. Through the visualization of a discrepant world Zhangke puts the human condition under a microscope to show that it is not the externalities of our environment that impact us the most greatly, but it is the very malleable social domain in which we inhabit that gives us identity and definition.
Taoism applied to everyday life "Practice not-doing and everything will fall into place" (Chapter 3). In Taoism this is the concept known as "wu wei". Wei wu wei is the practice of doing and not-doing. This concept comes from the theory of the Yin and Yang. The Yang, along with wei, is the practice of doing. The Yin, along with wu wei, is the practice of not-doing. One compliments the other, and each cannot exist alone. The Tao tells people to practice not-doing because it will bring happiness in their life. By not-doing, the Tao means not performing actions, which are unnecessary and uncalled for. People should just take things as they come in life and they will live a life full of happiness and pleasure. If you don't interfere with the Tao and let things take their natural course, everything will work out in your life (Chapter 10). "If powerful men and women could remain centered in the Tao…all people would be at peace…" (Chapter 32). If you work against your Tao, you will never find happiness. The Sage practices wu wei. He teaches without words and performs without actions (Chapter 43). He knows and therefore does not speak (Chapter 56). Many people mistake conceptual knowledge for the map to the territory. The Sage is our map to the Tao. He points his finger to show us the way, but does not really tell us what to do and how to practice Taoism. Lao Tzu's concepts of the Tao can be a guide to rational living. If one follows these beliefs he is guaranteed happiness in his life. However, it is very difficult to follow the Tao, even though the teachings are said to be easily understood and easily put into practice (Chapter 70). The reason the Tao is so difficult to grasp is because you cannot kno...
The individual oral presentations provided new insight on the mortality of the average person from China during the novel. With the graphs provided by the presenter, we saw the life expectancy and birth and death rates per capita. Also, she described the influential causes and normal ways to die. This presentation gave me a deeper understanding of the book and appreciation of the character Fugui.
In its second sense, Tao means "the way of the universe." Tao is something that goes through all beings, all of the earth. It is everywhere, all the time. It is something that flows through everything. This flowing idea links with the idea in Buddhism that Nirvana can be reached by anyone, as long as one is devoted enough and has lost all attachments.Thirdly, one life must be a certain way to work with the Tao: Tao also refers to "the way of human life" as it "meshes" with the universal Tao in its second sense.
Ever since I began reading about Taoism I have change my point of view about life. “Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart”(Tao). This line in itself has taught me to not look at life as objects but to look at it as a gift. People today have lost touch with what is really important about living. No one goes around smiling anymore. I can remember as a child seeing people smile all the time, maybe that was because I was young and did not see a lot of people. I believe that if people would start to read Taoism and try to understand it than people maybe happy to be alive. This paper is going to focus mainly on ways that the average person can use Taoism to better his or her life.
As a result, an audience may realize that it is Taoism what keeps all of Ang Lee’s films connected. Taoism is Ang Lee’s not-so-obvious fingerprint. By using the Taoism belief in different aspects of the film like the camera, the composition, the art direction etc., audiences have freedom in the world his film created to choose the way they perceive the most authenticity about the character and the world the character is in.