Chinese street angle zhou xuan

Shuyi Liu CHN 152 Short Paper 10/23/14 Chinese Movie Street Angle Zhou Xuan This paper will discuss the character representation of the songstress Xiao Hong played as played by Zhou Xuan in the film Street Angel. Xiao Hong is a teenage girl living in distress after fleeing her home where ‘ the green gauzy sorghum’ grew. I will base my arguments on the scene where Xiao Hong is trying to escape (10 sec) but is seen by the host who tells her that she should stop behaving in that manner as she is grown-up (18 sec). Her host had guests in his teahouse, and he wanted Xiao Hong to entertain them by singing.
The character of sadness is seen when Xiao Hong entertains the guests by singing indirectly about her disturbed life as it can be seen in her sorrowful and slightly angered face (1 min 52 sec). She seems vulnerable as she sings of a woman who has fled her home after losing her dear parents. This outlines a quote from the book The International Film musical “ female performers as protagonist and for spectatorial attraction”. Xiao Hong is the central character in this film, as her singing has boosted spectatorial attraction; thus improving the film.
From this movie, Xiao Hong character is presented as impish teenager in love. From her life story, she is characterized as a loving girl. The character of love is clear in the film where Xiao Hong recalls of how she longed to see her parents and her hometown. Because of the war, she lost her loving parents. She expresses her sorrow and love for her parents to the audience by telling them about her torments at nights when she wakes up at night and finds no parents, only the moonlight. She is left to work for her living by entertaining guests in the form of singing. Evidently the song of seasons poetically talks about Xiao Hong life before and after the war. Moreover, Xiao Hong is characterized as broken hearted when she starts singing; “ maiden sits by the window embroidering a pair of mandarin ducks”. Anciently, mandarin ducks symbolized people in love, and there was a heartless blow that tore the ducks apart. When the war broke, and she fled her home, she was separated from her life and her lover. She recalls how she would sew winter clothes and take to her lover (2 min 40 sec).
She is characterized in this movie as shy but brave. This is seen when she starts fondling her hair and biting her cloth before telling her story , and at the same time brave and wise enough to entertain and also tell her story, that even if she was exiled taken from her home, she could still find lovely scenery in “ the south of the river”. Moreover as a vulnerable child, Xiao Hong is characterized as a determined. Life is not good but when winter comes she is convicted to find a better life or die trying.
In conclusion, Xiao Hong’s words and emotions strongly represent many lives that were deprived of happiness because of the war. The scene presents her troubled life but deep inside the song of seasons we see a lonely person with survivorship instinct determined to free herself and find love. She is confident, patient, loving and brave. Her strong character in the scene has brought out themes in the film such as love, anger, suffering, and loss, making it a masterpiece.
Works cited
Creekmur, Corey K. The International Film Musical. Edinburgh: Univ. Press, 2011. Print.
Soft Film. ” Zhou Xuan Singing ” Song of Four Seasons”. YouTube. YouTube, 24 Sept. 2009.
Web. 20 Oct. 2014. .