Please respond to "Modernizing Sex" and "The New Woman Incident" in the context of Shanghai working women. "Modernizing Sex" makes six approximations of Shanghai prostitution. Which ones interest you most? What valuable lessons this essay might provide for thinking through and writing about your midterm paper?
(Goddess, 1934, Dir. WU Yonggang, with English inter-titles, video source: Youtube
The film portrays a Shanghai prostitute as protagonist)
(New Woman, 1935, dir. CAI Chusheng, with Chinese inter-titles, video source: Youtube
"The New Woman Incident" investigatesthe changing position of film actresses, filmmakers, and the notion of the New Woman inShanghai, using the 1935 silent filmNew Womanas a case study. What are the key issues surrounding the New Woman Incident? How can we better understand the case of the New Woman Incident in the context of past readings? Due Wednesday February 26 by 8 pm; comments to two other responses due the same day by 10 pm. I look forward to reading your responses!
Something that seemed to be of key importance with regard to these week's readings was the idea of female autonomy. Although the first reading spends a great deal of time talking about the national situation in China and its relationship to prostitution in China (and vice versa), there are some interesting segments about the value of independence and how it might be obtained via the life of a courtesan or prostitute. On page 156 of "Modernizing Sex, Sexing Modernity," Gail Hershatter writes, "[prostitutes] tried to maximize both their income and their autonomy" and se goes on to say on the same page, "life in the demimonde, for a woman with an established clientele and acute business skills, allowed more space than marriage for a woman to arrange her own time and control her own income" (Hershatter, 156-57). The Christian, moralizing view takes a different perspective on the prostitute and the author of the article points out that prostitutes become a metaphor for the nation itself. "Chinese elites of the May Fourth generation argued that China, which mistreated "its women," thus figuring China as male, then was treated like a woman by stronger nations: subordinated, humiliated, with pieces of its territory occupied by force," says Hershatter. Ironically, the writer Rey Chow has made a similar comparison between China and Hong Kong, quoting Ha Gong's analogy of the former colony being "gang-raped" by both Great Britain and China in her article "Things, Common/Places, Passages of the Port City: On Hong Kong and Hong Kong Author Leung Ping-kwan." If we synthesize the two concepts - first, the idea of prostitution and female autonomy and second, the concept of China as both the perpetrator and victim of metaphorical (as well as actual) sexual violence - where do we find ourselves?
I believe the answer to this question is found in the second reading, wherein we are asked to situate the "New Woman" in this "abused" and "abusive" space that is China in the early 20th century. On the first page, we have a quote that illustrates this situation in a bombastic manner. Of the idea of the New Woman and her metaphorical counterpart, it says, "having seen [the film, The New Woman] you will feel that the "Old" Woman is pathetic and pitiable" (Harris, 277). What kind of state is China in that it needs a complete re-envisioning of the definition of "woman?" The morally, socially, and economically contradictory path of the prostitute and courtesan answers this question for us, because it illustrates the desperate need to break away from the patriarchal structure that so many seemed to attribute as the cause of China's moral, social, and economic failings.
I think your comment about China having to re-envision its definition of what it means to be a woman is also relatable to prostitutes during the Mao Era. In this time period, prostitutes would not simply be chastised or fined, but instead placed in training camps. Hershatter makes a couple interesting comments: "the key to the success of this entire project [abolishing prostitution]...was teaching the women [former prostitutes] to think...as recently liberated subalterns" (170), but Hershatter also later states that prostitutes "had to be made to hate the old society and recognize that their own past actions were less than glorious...their own understanding of their recent past had to be aligned with that of the state" (170). So, while women were now being taught to think and re-envision a new definition of womanhood, the State is right beside them controlling how they re-envision this definition. Indeed, this point "illustrates the desperate need to break away from the patriarchal structure", but now the patriarchal structure has become the Communist government (or, at least the Communist government of the 1950s).
Autonomy was a goal for women to aspire to at the end of the nineteenth century. The pioneers after the May 4th Movement advocated women should be financially independent but women was hard to be employed with a high salary, women need money to support their family that was the reason why prostitution was popular during the nineteenth century.
What are women? That is the essential question. Throughout our reading were the movement of the idea of a courtesan to a prostitute. But, I think the reason for the new idea of a courtesan, was because of western influences. These influences changed the idea of a prostitute. So we should go more indepth in the repercussions of western influences on women.
I don't think to be a prostitution is a value of independence, and I think maybe this is just an excuse for them. I also disagree with the author's views in that part that to be a prostitution could have more space and time to control their life. I think prostitution were in vogue for that time is a product of colonized and westernalized influence in Shanghai.
After seeing the film “the new women incident and “Modernizing sex”, the prostitute in early-twentieth-century was transformed into a victimized, disorderly, dangerous embodiment of social trouble. Prostitution in China reflects the profound transformations of Chinese society.In the story “the new women incident”, the main character Wei Ming escaped from arranged marriage and then became a music teacher in Shanghai. Wei Ming rejected Dr. Wang's love and then got fired. Finally she became a prostitute due to financial problem .The shame and the pain of losing her child pushes her to commit suicide. There are three reasons pushed women to become prostitutes in early-twentieth-century Shanghai. In the story “Modernizing sex”, the brothel was charged with buying good women and forcing them to become prostitute. The second reason was that those young girls have reluctantly to chosen prostitution in order to support dependent relatives. The third reason that was the lack of money, they became prostitute in order to live. All of them can be found in the page 167 and 168.
Women in early-twentieth-century Shanghai, they were unemployed and poorly educated. Under these unfortunate circumstances, some women had no choice to become prostitute. It was also a painful economic choice on the part of women and their families, since it was sometimes the best or only income-producing activity available to women seeking employment in Shanghai. “Women in industry and commerce and maids in households make a meager income insufficient to carry the burden of supporting the household, and only be selling sex as a sideline can they supplement their insufficient wages”.（Modernizing sex, Pg 165）“If we cannot use foodstuffs to fill their mouths, we cannot devise ways to have them not sell their lower bodies”. （Modernizing sex, Pg 165）
Mu hua is against licensed prostitute. Prostitution legalization will lead to human trafficking and sexual slavery. “China is not positioned in a world economy or colonial system-positioning which might mark china as simultaneous wronged and backward”. (Modernizing sex, Pg 164) love, marriage, education, and employment for women, has been brought into social discourse since the May Fourth Movement. Wei Ming entered the story as a highly educated new woman, who was independent and idealist. However, she had her expelled after rejecting Dr. Wang's proposal. Wei Ming was forced to be a prostitute due to financial problem. Women's power still weak, they are continued can't benefit from the education and skills. It's indicated that men in early-twentieth-century still dominate the society.
I found your reply interesting. I'm curious about the comment you made regarding it sometimes being the only option for women, due to their low education or economic hardship. Are there "models" from the first article that might contradict that general view? I realize the article is talking about both "prostitutes" and "courtesans" as two entities existing in utterly different spheres, but it's interesting to think about how these different spheres come about and how they dichotomize each other.
To your last paragraph, it's not hard to see why prostitution is difficult to deal with for a society because we must be careful to confine the problem to prostitutes themselves or to capitalism, or economic hardship. page 162 says “prostitution was a product of the social system, and any measure that tried to eliminate it without larger social change in the status of women was of necessity superficial.” This indicates problems and allowances at a deeper level than economically speaking.
I really agree with your viewpoint that “Prostitution in China reflects the profound transformations of Chinese society”. I think Shanghai was also a transformation role from traditional Chinese country or place to a westernized and modern urban. So many social issued happened in Shanghai during that time, and the prostitution issue was just one of them.
In the "Modernizing Sex" reading I thought that the second approximation was the most interesting simply because I never thought about prostitution in this way. I always saw prostitution as a one way street where the woman is giving her body away while the man just enjoys it, giving nothing to the woman. The most striking and somewhat funny aspect of this approximation is the individualized language that prostitues apparently had when talking about their customers. These names corresponded to how muh or how little they could get out of the man. The article said "they were said to be as skillful in matching their requests to the customer's resources as a doctor writing a prescriptino of exactly the appropriate strength" (155). This entails that the prostitues had to have a sort of skill in order to get exactly what they wanted/ needed out of their transaction. On even another level, the women were searching for companionship in thier business. Even though I am not sure how genuine of a guy they could find coming to a brothel, but nevertheless this was also a skill they had to learn in order to be successful. I think this approximation adds another level of prostitution that I never thought about before.
In "New Woman" one key thing that stuck out to me is not only how striking this film had to have been for its time, but also the redefining notion it held for women. The reading says that the entire Chinese culture was undergoing a redefining period after the May 4th movement, this included women's roles. This film put these veiws into motion in a scandalist sort of way. New Women "designates a new sort of woman who is very intense in her speech, who tends towards the extreme in her actions..." (287). This quote goes on to talk about what these "new" women believe and it's basically everything a tradtional Chinese women is not. I think that this film could have portrayed women in lots of different ways in order to redefine women, but chose to define women in such an extravagant way in order to get their point across. These reading helped me decide on a paper topic by focusing my topic on these readings and asking my participants their opinions on the matter of prostitution and what they know about it.
I also thought that the second approximation was interesting as well. I thought it fascinating that women took advantage of something that many though negative, but used it for their advantage. Brilliant!
And the piece on the New Woman mentions the the film wished to portray the new woman as one who is more than intense speech and extreme action; one who is politically discerning and idealistically independent.
I also found the second to be interesting, but I think it's worthwhile to delineate more sharply between what the writer refers to as "prostitutes" and "courtesans," because I don't think they were the same thing or even that comparable (or my impression from the article leads me to believe thus). The courtesan role does represent a kind of power, because they forcibly asserted their independence in one way or another. It may not be a "true" power, but it's quite different, in my reading, from the role of the prostitute.
In Modernizing Sex, the first approximation caught my attention the most, because the idea of a courtesan or a prostitute was not all negative. Being a courtesan was a privilege and honor. The women were given names that males were given like, “ prime minister and president.” (pg 153) Having titles that were given to men of high rank was an honor, which many men could not earn. This shows that the courtesan’s job was rewarding, but difficult to achieve. Its states on page 153 that “ Courtesans were willing to participate in the elections because they brought prestige to them as individuals and business to their houses.” Women during this time were not looked solely looked down upon because of their occupation, but were complimented for it. While some people might’ve disregarded the courtesans many of the women thought this occupation was the only way to survive in this society and which they could protect themselves. Now many people have the notion that prostitutes are uncivilized and crude, but the women in China that had this type of work took advantage of this opportunity and molded they type of opinion people had of them. They were attractive, refined, and cultivated individuals that could take care of them selves. In the article Cai Chu Shen and the Politcs of the Image, the Chinese government and society,” targeted traditional constraints on women and the mistreatment of women in mass media and urban society.” This is connected to the Modernizing Sex, because while the world and women are being modernized societies views on prostitution are worsening. An occupation that was respected became something unethical because of the western and modernized influences. Also stated in the articles, “we are being invaded from the outside and oppressed on the inside.” Outside influences and the combination of the government being the, “ peoples mouth piece,” will wake the Chinese public eye and they will take action, and cannot wait to see the results.
The one approximation that stuck out to me was the first one as well due to the fact that it seemed that courtesans weren't looked at as being all bad. It really surprised me as well that they were voted on and given official names such as "prime minister."
I liked your explanation of the first approximation and how women were given the titles of men. This relates to one of our first readings of women taking on the roles as men and men taking the roles of men - even dressing like them and being addressed like them. I think this relates to David's post below too and how women are given the bad names for doing these actions, but men would do it just the same.
I also thought they first approximation was a very powerful one. I thought it was weird that they were given names that men were given like prime minister.
I made the same point about connecting it with "Modernizing Sex". I also love that quote about being "invaded from the outside and oppressed on the inside" because it accurately displays the problems women had to face at the time.
Prostitution as a Marker of Backwardness and Modernity were both interesting representations. In class and in this piece we tend to place "prostitution as a marker of backwardness" at odds with prostitutes being women in pursuit of freedom and wealth, as women who escape oppression. But if prostitution were not oppressive, even for the urbane courtesan, one would see just as many men selling their bodies. And even if the courtesan doesn't feel this customer-prostitute relationship is oppressive, it has certainly alienated the customer's wife. One critic from the piece writes that prostitution shows the ills of society as a whole and he pinpoints certain elements in the chain of oppression; the "traffickers and madams"..."landlords"..."lawyers"..."pharmacy salesmen"..."local officials and policemen"...and those "in charge of trade and transportation," (pg 161) not to mention the customers. This implicates a vast number of citizens as part of the problem of prostitution. However, this approximation should be reconciled to prostitution as a marker of modernity; not in the sense that this is a modern problem (because it is ancient) but in the sense that those critics do not single out China as the epitome of moral weakness as some others suggest.
In Harris' piece on the New Woman Incident I most appreciated her reiterations on subjectivity of the whole matter, both specifically this incident and the changing view of women. The role, responsibility, symbolism, and figure of women face a “crisis of subjectivity” leaving no clear answer or comprehensive opinion for anyone, man or woman. The film itself lends itself to this point when the protagonist stares into her reflection on a car window maybe symbolizing women asking themselves what their own roles are, what their place is among the nation, as equal citizens ”beyond an independent spirit, education, and financial resources”.
I agree with your comments about the approximations of prostitution as a marker of backwardness and modernity were the most interesting. I like your point about if prostitution were not oppressive. I think we look badly as the women for selling their bodies, but the men are also willing enough to pay for it, but don't receive the same remarks as women do.
I agree with your focus on the negative effects of prostitution in the first paragraph. It's easy to focus on this article's new view on the empowerment of prostitution (specifically being a courtesan), but it's still important to focus on the wide spread involvement of the population in the problem of prostitution, and how old the problem is as well.
“Modernizing Sex” detailed analyze the prostitution issue in Early Twentieth-Century Shanghai, including six approximations. “Prostitution as a Marker of Backwardness” interested me most in these six approximations. Even though prostitutions still exist all over the world today, I think prostitution can be seen as a marker of backwardness to some degree. “Famous person from all over the country go to brothels. They are the leaders of our people. When leaders are like this, one can imagine the situation among industrialists and businessmen…” (p. 160, Gail Hershatter) I really agree with this point, if the leaders of a country like to go to brothels, what would the country become? Another reason I agree with this point is the promotion of women’s status and thoughts. In the backwardness society at that time, most wives could not argue with their husbands if they go to brothels, because women had lower status and male chauvinism. But in the more progressive society, women have the concept of equality between men and women, so they wouldn’t endure their husbands go to brothels. I think this essay is a good example for me to write a good paper, it has a clear structure and abundant clue.
There are many aspects of key issues of “The New Woman Incident”, including the left-wing filmmakers, Cai Chusheng, the actress like Ruan Lingyu, the women questions, films crisis in subjectivity and women revolution, etc. Both in “The Goddess” and “The New Woman”, the protagonist becomes unemployed and reluctantly considers prostitution to support her child. I think this plot remind me of “the women question” in the society of urban China at that time. The New Woman tied the gender issue to politics, because of the filmmaker’s leftward thought. “Left-wing filmmaker aspiring to speak for the oppressed underclass through a mass medium generated by capitalism” (p.291, Kristine) For me, “crisis in subjectivity” is the most impressed key issue in this reading, “The film provoked a debate in the Shanghai new media over the status and symbolic significance of the New Woman, and the protagonist’s “crisis in subjectivity” was profoundly magnified when the lead actress, Ruan Lingyu, committed suicide in reaction to the press slander just a month after the premier.” (p.279, Kristine) Due to some “public opinion”, Ruan Lingyu finally decided to take her own life to prove her innocence with leaving a death note: “Gossip is a fearing ting”. Almost all roles she played are having a tragic ending, and she herself also had a tragic ending. I think films are the miniature of specific social environment, so those diverse screen images can reflect the suffering Chinese women in the society at that time.
I thought that the first and fifth approximations of “Modernizing Sex” were most interesting. In the first approximation, we experience a form of prostitution that clashes with our traditional view of a sex worker. As the quote pointed out in class states, these women “read a lot and wrote well, and knew foreign languages and Shakespeare” (Hershatter, 153). These courtesans aspired to become concubines of wealthy and knowledgeable men. In fact, there were often a greater level of emotional intimacy and equality in these relationships compared to traditional, arranged marriage. The man-courtesan relationship was also not just about the woman improving her station, but it was also a way for men to “exhibit their own urbanity” (ibid, 154). This relationship was a mutually benefitting relationship.
In the fifth approximation, we see prostitution as a marker of what it means for a country to be modern. In this sense, China’s prostitution problems are not seen as distinct to China, but signify China’s commonality with the capitalist nations of Western Europe. Hershatter writes that “prostitution and its attendant problems have become a badge of modernity” (ibid, 165). Hershatter’s word choice almost hints that this is a problem to be proud of since it confers a certain level of modernity on a country that has been considered backward for most of the 18th and early 19th centuries. In a way, this is comparable to the discussion of Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”. China faces the problem of “what would become of the Chinese Nora after she leaves home”, but this is a modern problem to have; it is a problem that also confers a badge of modernity onto China.
I like how you brought about the idea that the relationship was "mutually benefitting," I think that the relationship was not only beneficial in a physical sense but also in the sense that it brought both men and women closer to modernization.
I also agree that the fifth approximation is a key approximation. I found it interesting when you said "China’s prostitution problems are not seen as distinct to China, but signify China’s commonality with the capitalist nations of Western Europe." I completely agree with you on this statement.
I agree with what you said about issues that come along with modernization. While progressing as a society is a great thing, it can have negative consequences and it is important to note that they exist.
I agree that the first approximation, urbane courtesans, challenges our traditional views of prostitution. I don't know if this approximation could still exist in the modern era.
The way that I read both “Modernizing Sex” and “The New Woman Incident” was that prostitution was, in a way, the eye-opener that China needed to take the next step into the growing world that surrounded them. As I read the first approximation about the urbane courtesan, it seemed that China accepted this new behavior to an extent. Some prostitutes including Lin Daiyu were depicted in a rather light and favorable setting. As stated by Gail Hershatter, “descriptions of individual courtesans stressed their refinement and cultivation…(152)” Women involved in such acts seemed to be praised for their ability to be in touch with their femininity. It was even the customers who would write poems about their favorite courtesans in order to show their appreciations. One thing that truly amazed me was that elections were held in which customers were vote for their favorite courtesan and then the winners would be given some sort of title. The way the courtesans were portrayed in the first approximation was that they were the decision makers. “Courtesans were willing to participate in the elections because they brought prestige to them as individuals and business to their houses (153).” By stating that they “were willing” makes it seem that for the first time in many years, women were the ones who had the final say. Although it was the men who were voting on their favorites; it was still the women who had decided to participate in the voting after all. Women were finally portrayed in the light side by side with men rather than behind them. “The New Woman Incident” put the whole idea I gathered from the “Modernizing Sex” piece into action so to speak. A different type of women who was in touch with her femininity and didn’t fear being different from the traditional woman in a public setting was emerging in China. “The New Woman was a silent picture made at a time when movies in China were being politically censored and morally censured (290).” Even though this movie was being shown to the public eye during a time of transition for China, it made it all the more powerful. China seemed to be wavering between the ideas of change and wanting to stay traditional. However with the outbreak of such a powerful silent picture along with the actual death of one of the actresses, China was being pushed more in one direction. More people seemed to be for the film rather than against it at the time. “Five hundred kilometers—one hundred thousand people, almost of tenth of inner Shanghai’s population—followed her funeral cortege through the metropolis on March 11, 1935 (291).” Her death had in some way helped the coming out and growth of this silent picture. Along with the death and silent picture growth, it seemed that the idea of women in a non-traditional role was on its way up in the Chinese society as well.
"Modernizing Sex" showed many approximations, but there were a few that interested me the most. The fourth approximation of prostitution as a marker of backwardness was interesting as it was from the Christian view. In this part of the reading it was explained, "women became prostitutes not only because they were poor but because their parents, preferring money to virtue, were willing to sell them into prostitution" (pg. 160). I found this interesting as it is surprising that a family would allow this, but it also relates to the prostitution as a marker of modernity (the fifth approximation) as it could deal with economic difficulties and that the family needs the money. This approximation on modernity explains that the May Fourth explanations for prostitution are... "economic difficulties, trafficking, the atropy of moral values, the marriage system, low level of education" (pg.164). One of these explanations that made me think was the marriage system. If there is an arranged marriage, then the couple may not be a perfect match and the husband may go to find prostitution to have intellectual conversation or to meet their sexual needs with another woman. A women may have to find her own way of work because their husband doesn't - like a previous reading where she left her husband who was into the gambling and drinking scene. The third approximation made another good point, "American Medical authorities: men could live perfectly well without sex. Therefore, prostitution could not be justified by arguing that is sacrificed a few women to protect womankind from uncontrollable male sexuality" (pg.161). The second piece we read was interesting to read about the symbolism in the setting or the film techniques. When the filmed was released there was controversy and many people wanted to watch it just to see what it was portraying. Even though something was seen as not normal or against morals, people still wanted to know and were interested. These two pieces were interesting as prostitution and working women are topics that continued to be an issue through history and even now.
I think that the fourth approximation is also very interesting too, the idea that from the western, Christian, view saw China and their state of prostitution as backward, even though the same situations was occurring back in their countries. And interestingly enough the fifth approximation of modernization is seen from the Chinese perspective for their reason of prostitution. These seem so contrastive and very different views of the same situations.
Modernizing Sex is an analytical piece about prostitution in Shanghai in the early 20th century. It starts off describing the negative light society saw prostitution in. For example, “full of greedy schemers…it (prostitution) was a sign of moral decay…it was discussed as a painful economic choice on the part of women and their families” (pg. 147). But then it goes on to the main point saying that prostitution is a deeper discussion than that. It involves “the prostitutes, their madams, the patrons, their lovers and husbands, their natal families, their in-laws, the police, courts, the doctors, the city governments, missionaries, social reformers, students and revolutionaries” (pg. 148). The author then describes the job of courtesans as one with prestige. However, many people still saw them as a sign or moral degradation. The courtesans, however, had many redeeming qualities. For example, they were educated and knew several languages. It is arguable that many men went to these women for an intellectual conversation. Cai Chu Shen and the politics of the image has to do with redefining the role of Chinese women in society. This piece related to Modernizing Sex because they both discuss bringing women’s issues into the new century. It describes “New Women” to be more aggressive and open in achieving what they want. In essence, they are trying to get away from the definition of conservative Chinese Women. It portrays women as more progressive and open with their lifestyle.
Five out of the six approximations in the "Modernizing Sex" article focus on the negative aspects of prostitution but I think that the sixth, urbane courtesan, is the most significant description as the article describes, "courtesans as the epitome of urbanity" (p. 154).
Of the six approximations that are discussed in the “Modernizing Sex”, the one that I find interesting is the second approximation: The Scheming Business Woman. I found this one to be interesting because it talks about how many courtesans were aspired to marriage to a man or to become their concubine. “Concubines, by contrast, were usually picked by the men themselves win an eye to sex, romantic attraction, and good conversation, as well as the production of male heirs” (pg. 155). This was a source of an escape for courtesans to move up in hierarchy. I found it interesting that women would enter into prostitution to become a concubine so that they could move up in the social world and become wealthier.
The key issue surrounding the New Woman Incident was the suicide of Ruan Lingyu. Ruan Lingyu was a young actress who starred in the silent film “The New Woman” in which it is about a woman named Wei Ming who was well educated and had a job eventually loses her job and turns to prostitution to help support her. Wei Ming eventually commits suicide. This also happened to the actress who played Wein Ming, Ruan Lingyu. She commits suicide because of slanderous things said about her when her and her husband divorced. Her husband had an article published that she had been sleeping with another man. Before she died, she said “You may not have killed me with your own two hands, but I have died because of you” (pg. 296). She also said the phrase “gossip is a frearful thing”. All of the gossip about her got to her and ultimately lead to her suicide.
I also liked the second approximation and to add on to what you already said the fact that the courtesans called getting married "taking a bath" was really quite interesting and I think has a strong metaphorical value in the phrase. As if they were cleansing themselves for the time being, just to go back and get "dirty" again by returning to their courtesan job.
I was quite shocked after I have read the first paragraph of the Modernizing Sex, because it states that the prostitution was the best and the only income producing activities for women.(P1), and it was even in the early twentith century. I would say that as a Chinese, prostitution is still pretty big in China now. Dongguan Guangdong is the most famous city that known for prostitution, how bad is it? for example, when we talk about a girl, and someone says that the girl is working in Dongguan, that is going to lead everybody to that thought. However,the prostitution in China is based on the level of lives over their, people from poor areas have a tiny chance to get a job, even men cannot. so the live leaves these women from poor areas no choice, they have to have income for a living. And after wathcing the silent film. I couldnt agree more about the article saying that "the number of films with the women questions as their subject over the past few years"(p277). I think that the director was very smart to make a silent movie. he did not try to force people to think the way he thinks, and there is no sound in the film just will not get him into any trouble if someone has a problem with it, he wanted the audience to watch the film, and think whatever the audience want, and maybe people will understand the sexual issue that we always have in China. Even now, there are a lot of unfair treatments that women in CHina are recieve, for example, when a female is applying for a job, the HR would ask the female if she is married, does she have a kid, and questions like this.
The six approximations of Shanghai prostitution in the article, “Modernizing Sex” propose interesting views of prostitutes in society. In the 20th century Shanghai, prostitution is seen as a source of urbanized pleasures, greedy schemers, a moral danger and physical disease, and a result of a poor economic choice (p. 147). Although prostitution was viewed by some as the best or only activity available to women to produce an income, the majority of society viewed it as a marker of moral and national decay. Some of the stigmas related to prostitutes are fed by the media, which relates very closely to what “The New Women Incident” addresses. The article also explains why prostitution grew rapidly in Shanghai specifically because it was the biggest industrial and commercial city at the time, attracted merchants from around the world and pheasants looking for work. This combination of people made prostitution a very lucrative activity for daughters and wives of working poor. This article also raised a new view of prostitutes that I had not considered. During this era some prostitutes, know as courtesans, were viewed as more than a sex object. They were viewed as “cultivated women who could sing, compose poetry, and converse with wit” (p.152). This was the best approximation of prostitution I have heard of.
“The New Woman Incident” uses the 1930s silent movie “New Woman” as a case study on how it addressed how the media affects society’s view of prostitution. Even though the forms of media of transformed and expanded from pamphlets and newspapers to digital newspapers and many social networks, the media still has a great influence over society’s view toward prostitution and other stereotypes. I would argue that media has a greater influence over society in modern times because almost every person has easy access to digital media. After the main character Wei Ming attempts suicide the media wants to hold a memorial service, “not that we feel anything for her. It just makes sense- it’ll stir up a little news material!” (p. 284). I feel like this is the same thinking of modern media sources. This reading has given me the idea to write my midterm paper about how media affected society’s view in the 1930s and how the media still has the same effect today. The quote that really struck me from this article was “ The New Woman may be a victim of the status quo, or a threat to it; she may be silent by necessity, or by choice; she may speak out as an individual woman or as a member of a class” (p297).
Something that seemed to be of key importance with regard to these week's readings was the idea of female autonomy. Although the first reading spends a great deal of time talking about the national situation in China and its relationship to prostitution in China (and vice versa), there are some interesting segments about the value of independence and how it might be obtained via the life of a courtesan or prostitute. On page 156 of "Modernizing Sex, Sexing Modernity," Gail Hershatter writes, "[prostitutes] tried to maximize both their income and their autonomy" and se goes on to say on the same page, "life in the demimonde, for a woman with an established clientele and acute business skills, allowed more space than marriage for a woman to arrange her own time and control her own income" (Hershatter, 156-57). The Christian, moralizing view takes a different perspective on the prostitute and the author of the article points out that prostitutes become a metaphor for the nation itself. "Chinese elites of the May Fourth generation argued that China, which mistreated "its women," thus figuring China as male, then was treated like a woman by stronger nations: subordinated, humiliated, with pieces of its territory occupied by force," says Hershatter. Ironically, the writer Rey Chow has made a similar comparison between China and Hong Kong, quoting Ha Gong's analogy of the former colony being "gang-raped" by both Great Britain and China in her article "Things, Common/Places, Passages of the Port City: On Hong Kong and Hong Kong Author Leung Ping-kwan." If we synthesize the two concepts - first, the idea of prostitution and female autonomy and second, the concept of China as both the perpetrator and victim of metaphorical (as well as actual) sexual violence - where do we find ourselves?
ReplyDeleteI believe the answer to this question is found in the second reading, wherein we are asked to situate the "New Woman" in this "abused" and "abusive" space that is China in the early 20th century. On the first page, we have a quote that illustrates this situation in a bombastic manner. Of the idea of the New Woman and her metaphorical counterpart, it says, "having seen [the film, The New Woman] you will feel that the "Old" Woman is pathetic and pitiable" (Harris, 277). What kind of state is China in that it needs a complete re-envisioning of the definition of "woman?" The morally, socially, and economically contradictory path of the prostitute and courtesan answers this question for us, because it illustrates the desperate need to break away from the patriarchal structure that so many seemed to attribute as the cause of China's moral, social, and economic failings.
I think your comment about China having to re-envision its definition of what it means to be a woman is also relatable to prostitutes during the Mao Era. In this time period, prostitutes would not simply be chastised or fined, but instead placed in training camps. Hershatter makes a couple interesting comments: "the key to the success of this entire project [abolishing prostitution]...was teaching the women [former prostitutes] to think...as recently liberated subalterns" (170), but Hershatter also later states that prostitutes "had to be made to hate the old society and recognize that their own past actions were less than glorious...their own understanding of their recent past had to be aligned with that of the state" (170). So, while women were now being taught to think and re-envision a new definition of womanhood, the State is right beside them controlling how they re-envision this definition. Indeed, this point "illustrates the desperate need to break away from the patriarchal structure", but now the patriarchal structure has become the Communist government (or, at least the Communist government of the 1950s).
DeleteAutonomy was a goal for women to aspire to at the end of the nineteenth century. The pioneers after the May 4th Movement advocated women should be financially independent but women was hard to be employed with a high salary, women need money to support their family that was the reason why prostitution was popular during the nineteenth century.
DeleteWhat are women? That is the essential question. Throughout our reading were the movement of the idea of a courtesan to a prostitute. But, I think the reason for the new idea of a courtesan, was because of western influences. These influences changed the idea of a prostitute. So we should go more indepth in the repercussions of western influences on women.
DeleteI don't think to be a prostitution is a value of independence, and I think maybe this is just an excuse for them. I also disagree with the author's views in that part that to be a prostitution could have more space and time to control their life. I think prostitution were in vogue for that time is a product of colonized and westernalized influence in Shanghai.
DeleteAfter seeing the film “the new women incident and “Modernizing sex”, the prostitute in early-twentieth-century was transformed into a victimized, disorderly, dangerous embodiment of social trouble. Prostitution in China reflects the profound transformations of Chinese society.In the story “the new women incident”, the main character Wei Ming escaped from arranged marriage and then became a music teacher in Shanghai. Wei Ming rejected Dr. Wang's love and then got fired. Finally she became a prostitute due to financial problem .The shame and the pain of losing her child pushes her to commit suicide. There are three reasons pushed women to become prostitutes in early-twentieth-century Shanghai. In the story “Modernizing sex”, the brothel was charged with buying good women and forcing them to become prostitute. The second reason was that those young girls have reluctantly to chosen prostitution in order to support dependent relatives. The third reason that was the lack of money, they became prostitute in order to live. All of them can be found in the page 167 and 168.
ReplyDeleteWomen in early-twentieth-century Shanghai, they were unemployed and poorly educated. Under these unfortunate circumstances, some women had no choice to become prostitute. It was also a painful economic choice on the part of women and their families, since it was sometimes the best or only income-producing activity available to women seeking employment in Shanghai. “Women in industry and commerce and maids in households make a meager income insufficient to carry the burden of supporting the household, and only be selling sex as a sideline can they supplement their insufficient wages”.（Modernizing sex, Pg 165）“If we cannot use foodstuffs to fill their mouths, we cannot devise ways to have them not sell their lower bodies”. （Modernizing sex, Pg 165）
Mu hua is against licensed prostitute. Prostitution legalization will lead to human trafficking and sexual slavery. “China is not positioned in a world economy or colonial system-positioning which might mark china as simultaneous wronged and backward”. (Modernizing sex, Pg 164) love, marriage, education, and employment for women, has been brought into social discourse since the May Fourth Movement. Wei Ming entered the story as a highly educated new woman, who was independent and idealist. However, she had her expelled after rejecting Dr. Wang's proposal. Wei Ming was forced to be a prostitute due to financial problem. Women's power still weak, they are continued can't benefit from the education and skills. It's indicated that men in early-twentieth-century still dominate the society.
I found your reply interesting. I'm curious about the comment you made regarding it sometimes being the only option for women, due to their low education or economic hardship. Are there "models" from the first article that might contradict that general view? I realize the article is talking about both "prostitutes" and "courtesans" as two entities existing in utterly different spheres, but it's interesting to think about how these different spheres come about and how they dichotomize each other.
DeleteTo your last paragraph, it's not hard to see why prostitution is difficult to deal with for a society because we must be careful to confine the problem to prostitutes themselves or to capitalism, or economic hardship. page 162 says “prostitution was a product of the social system, and any measure that tried to eliminate it without larger social change in the status of women was of necessity superficial.” This indicates problems and allowances at a deeper level than economically speaking.
DeleteI really agree with your viewpoint that “Prostitution in China reflects the profound transformations of Chinese society”. I think Shanghai was also a transformation role from traditional Chinese country or place to a westernized and modern urban. So many social issued happened in Shanghai during that time, and the prostitution issue was just one of them.
DeleteIn the "Modernizing Sex" reading I thought that the second approximation was the most interesting simply because I never thought about prostitution in this way. I always saw prostitution as a one way street where the woman is giving her body away while the man just enjoys it, giving nothing to the woman. The most striking and somewhat funny aspect of this approximation is the individualized language that prostitues apparently had when talking about their customers. These names corresponded to how muh or how little they could get out of the man. The article said "they were said to be as skillful in matching their requests to the customer's resources as a doctor writing a prescriptino of exactly the appropriate strength" (155). This entails that the prostitues had to have a sort of skill in order to get exactly what they wanted/ needed out of their transaction. On even another level, the women were searching for companionship in thier business. Even though I am not sure how genuine of a guy they could find coming to a brothel, but nevertheless this was also a skill they had to learn in order to be successful. I think this approximation adds another level of prostitution that I never thought about before.
ReplyDeleteIn "New Woman" one key thing that stuck out to me is not only how striking this film had to have been for its time, but also the redefining notion it held for women. The reading says that the entire Chinese culture was undergoing a redefining period after the May 4th movement, this included women's roles. This film put these veiws into motion in a scandalist sort of way. New Women "designates a new sort of woman who is very intense in her speech, who tends towards the extreme in her actions..." (287). This quote goes on to talk about what these "new" women believe and it's basically everything a tradtional Chinese women is not. I think that this film could have portrayed women in lots of different ways in order to redefine women, but chose to define women in such an extravagant way in order to get their point across. These reading helped me decide on a paper topic by focusing my topic on these readings and asking my participants their opinions on the matter of prostitution and what they know about it.
I also thought that the second approximation was interesting as well. I thought it fascinating that women took advantage of something that many though negative, but used it for their advantage. Brilliant!
DeleteAnd the piece on the New Woman mentions the the film wished to portray the new woman as one who is more than intense speech and extreme action; one who is politically discerning and idealistically independent.
DeleteI also found the second to be interesting, but I think it's worthwhile to delineate more sharply between what the writer refers to as "prostitutes" and "courtesans," because I don't think they were the same thing or even that comparable (or my impression from the article leads me to believe thus). The courtesan role does represent a kind of power, because they forcibly asserted their independence in one way or another. It may not be a "true" power, but it's quite different, in my reading, from the role of the prostitute.
DeleteIn Modernizing Sex, the first approximation caught my attention the most, because the idea of a courtesan or a prostitute was not all negative. Being a courtesan was a privilege and honor. The women were given names that males were given like, “ prime minister and president.” (pg 153) Having titles that were given to men of high rank was an honor, which many men could not earn. This shows that the courtesan’s job was rewarding, but difficult to achieve. Its states on page 153 that “ Courtesans were willing to participate in the elections because they brought prestige to them as individuals and business to their houses.” Women during this time were not looked solely looked down upon because of their occupation, but were complimented for it. While some people might’ve disregarded the courtesans many of the women thought this occupation was the only way to survive in this society and which they could protect themselves. Now many people have the notion that prostitutes are uncivilized and crude, but the women in China that had this type of work took advantage of this opportunity and molded they type of opinion people had of them. They were attractive, refined, and cultivated individuals that could take care of them selves.
ReplyDeleteIn the article Cai Chu Shen and the Politcs of the Image, the Chinese government and society,” targeted traditional constraints on women and the mistreatment of women in mass media and urban society.” This is connected to the Modernizing Sex, because while the world and women are being modernized societies views on prostitution are worsening. An occupation that was respected became something unethical because of the western and modernized influences. Also stated in the articles, “we are being invaded from the outside and oppressed on the inside.” Outside influences and the combination of the government being the, “ peoples mouth piece,” will wake the Chinese public eye and they will take action, and cannot wait to see the results.
The one approximation that stuck out to me was the first one as well due to the fact that it seemed that courtesans weren't looked at as being all bad. It really surprised me as well that they were voted on and given official names such as "prime minister."
DeleteI liked your explanation of the first approximation and how women were given the titles of men. This relates to one of our first readings of women taking on the roles as men and men taking the roles of men - even dressing like them and being addressed like them. I think this relates to David's post below too and how women are given the bad names for doing these actions, but men would do it just the same.
DeleteI also thought they first approximation was a very powerful one. I thought it was weird that they were given names that men were given like prime minister.
DeleteI made the same point about connecting it with "Modernizing Sex". I also love that quote about being "invaded from the outside and oppressed on the inside" because it accurately displays the problems women had to face at the time.
DeleteProstitution as a Marker of Backwardness and Modernity were both interesting representations. In class and in this piece we tend to place "prostitution as a marker of backwardness" at odds with prostitutes being women in pursuit of freedom and wealth, as women who escape oppression. But if prostitution were not oppressive, even for the urbane courtesan, one would see just as many men selling their bodies. And even if the courtesan doesn't feel this customer-prostitute relationship is oppressive, it has certainly alienated the customer's wife. One critic from the piece writes that prostitution shows the ills of society as a whole and he pinpoints certain elements in the chain of oppression; the "traffickers and madams"..."landlords"..."lawyers"..."pharmacy salesmen"..."local officials and policemen"...and those "in charge of trade and transportation," (pg 161) not to mention the customers. This implicates a vast number of citizens as part of the problem of prostitution. However, this approximation should be reconciled to prostitution as a marker of modernity; not in the sense that this is a modern problem (because it is ancient) but in the sense that those critics do not single out China as the epitome of moral weakness as some others suggest.
ReplyDeleteIn Harris' piece on the New Woman Incident I most appreciated her reiterations on subjectivity of the whole matter, both specifically this incident and the changing view of women. The role, responsibility, symbolism, and figure of women face a “crisis of subjectivity” leaving no clear answer or comprehensive opinion for anyone, man or woman. The film itself lends itself to this point when the protagonist stares into her reflection on a car window maybe symbolizing women asking themselves what their own roles are, what their place is among the nation, as equal citizens ”beyond an independent spirit, education, and financial resources”.
I agree with your comments about the approximations of prostitution as a marker of backwardness and modernity were the most interesting. I like your point about if prostitution were not oppressive. I think we look badly as the women for selling their bodies, but the men are also willing enough to pay for it, but don't receive the same remarks as women do.
DeleteI agree with your focus on the negative effects of prostitution in the first paragraph. It's easy to focus on this article's new view on the empowerment of prostitution (specifically being a courtesan), but it's still important to focus on the wide spread involvement of the population in the problem of prostitution, and how old the problem is as well.
Delete“Modernizing Sex” detailed analyze the prostitution issue in Early Twentieth-Century Shanghai, including six approximations. “Prostitution as a Marker of Backwardness” interested me most in these six approximations. Even though prostitutions still exist all over the world today, I think prostitution can be seen as a marker of backwardness to some degree. “Famous person from all over the country go to brothels. They are the leaders of our people. When leaders are like this, one can imagine the situation among industrialists and businessmen…” (p. 160, Gail Hershatter) I really agree with this point, if the leaders of a country like to go to brothels, what would the country become? Another reason I agree with this point is the promotion of women’s status and thoughts. In the backwardness society at that time, most wives could not argue with their husbands if they go to brothels, because women had lower status and male chauvinism. But in the more progressive society, women have the concept of equality between men and women, so they wouldn’t endure their husbands go to brothels. I think this essay is a good example for me to write a good paper, it has a clear structure and abundant clue.
ReplyDeleteThere are many aspects of key issues of “The New Woman Incident”, including the left-wing filmmakers, Cai Chusheng, the actress like Ruan Lingyu, the women questions, films crisis in subjectivity and women revolution, etc. Both in “The Goddess” and “The New Woman”, the protagonist becomes unemployed and reluctantly considers prostitution to support her child. I think this plot remind me of “the women question” in the society of urban China at that time. The New Woman tied the gender issue to politics, because of the filmmaker’s leftward thought. “Left-wing filmmaker aspiring to speak for the oppressed underclass through a mass medium generated by capitalism” (p.291, Kristine) For me, “crisis in subjectivity” is the most impressed key issue in this reading, “The film provoked a debate in the Shanghai new media over the status and symbolic significance of the New Woman, and the protagonist’s “crisis in subjectivity” was profoundly magnified when the lead actress, Ruan Lingyu, committed suicide in reaction to the press slander just a month after the premier.” (p.279, Kristine) Due to some “public opinion”, Ruan Lingyu finally decided to take her own life to prove her innocence with leaving a death note: “Gossip is a fearing ting”. Almost all roles she played are having a tragic ending, and she herself also had a tragic ending. I think films are the miniature of specific social environment, so those diverse screen images can reflect the suffering Chinese women in the society at that time.
I like how you analyze the screen images
DeleteI thought that the first and fifth approximations of “Modernizing Sex” were most interesting. In the first approximation, we experience a form of prostitution that clashes with our traditional view of a sex worker. As the quote pointed out in class states, these women “read a lot and wrote well, and knew foreign languages and Shakespeare” (Hershatter, 153). These courtesans aspired to become concubines of wealthy and knowledgeable men. In fact, there were often a greater level of emotional intimacy and equality in these relationships compared to traditional, arranged marriage. The man-courtesan relationship was also not just about the woman improving her station, but it was also a way for men to “exhibit their own urbanity” (ibid, 154). This relationship was a mutually benefitting relationship.
ReplyDeleteIn the fifth approximation, we see prostitution as a marker of what it means for a country to be modern. In this sense, China’s prostitution problems are not seen as distinct to China, but signify China’s commonality with the capitalist nations of Western Europe. Hershatter writes that “prostitution and its attendant problems have become a badge of modernity” (ibid, 165). Hershatter’s word choice almost hints that this is a problem to be proud of since it confers a certain level of modernity on a country that has been considered backward for most of the 18th and early 19th centuries. In a way, this is comparable to the discussion of Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”. China faces the problem of “what would become of the Chinese Nora after she leaves home”, but this is a modern problem to have; it is a problem that also confers a badge of modernity onto China.
I like how you brought about the idea that the relationship was "mutually benefitting," I think that the relationship was not only beneficial in a physical sense but also in the sense that it brought both men and women closer to modernization.
DeleteI also agree that the fifth approximation is a key approximation. I found it interesting when you said "China’s prostitution problems are not seen as distinct to China, but signify China’s commonality with the capitalist nations of Western Europe." I completely agree with you on this statement.
DeleteI agree with what you said about issues that come along with modernization. While progressing as a society is a great thing, it can have negative consequences and it is important to note that they exist.
DeleteI agree that the first approximation, urbane courtesans, challenges our traditional views of prostitution. I don't know if this approximation could still exist in the modern era.
DeleteThe way that I read both “Modernizing Sex” and “The New Woman Incident” was that prostitution was, in a way, the eye-opener that China needed to take the next step into the growing world that surrounded them. As I read the first approximation about the urbane courtesan, it seemed that China accepted this new behavior to an extent. Some prostitutes including Lin Daiyu were depicted in a rather light and favorable setting. As stated by Gail Hershatter, “descriptions of individual courtesans stressed their refinement and cultivation…(152)” Women involved in such acts seemed to be praised for their ability to be in touch with their femininity. It was even the customers who would write poems about their favorite courtesans in order to show their appreciations. One thing that truly amazed me was that elections were held in which customers were vote for their favorite courtesan and then the winners would be given some sort of title. The way the courtesans were portrayed in the first approximation was that they were the decision makers. “Courtesans were willing to participate in the elections because they brought prestige to them as individuals and business to their houses (153).” By stating that they “were willing” makes it seem that for the first time in many years, women were the ones who had the final say. Although it was the men who were voting on their favorites; it was still the women who had decided to participate in the voting after all. Women were finally portrayed in the light side by side with men rather than behind them.
ReplyDelete“The New Woman Incident” put the whole idea I gathered from the “Modernizing Sex” piece into action so to speak. A different type of women who was in touch with her femininity and didn’t fear being different from the traditional woman in a public setting was emerging in China. “The New Woman was a silent picture made at a time when movies in China were being politically censored and morally censured (290).” Even though this movie was being shown to the public eye during a time of transition for China, it made it all the more powerful. China seemed to be wavering between the ideas of change and wanting to stay traditional. However with the outbreak of such a powerful silent picture along with the actual death of one of the actresses, China was being pushed more in one direction. More people seemed to be for the film rather than against it at the time. “Five hundred kilometers—one hundred thousand people, almost of tenth of inner Shanghai’s population—followed her funeral cortege through the metropolis on March 11, 1935 (291).” Her death had in some way helped the coming out and growth of this silent picture. Along with the death and silent picture growth, it seemed that the idea of women in a non-traditional role was on its way up in the Chinese society as well.
"Modernizing Sex" showed many approximations, but there were a few that interested me the most. The fourth approximation of prostitution as a marker of backwardness was interesting as it was from the Christian view. In this part of the reading it was explained, "women became prostitutes not only because they were poor but because their parents, preferring money to virtue, were willing to sell them into prostitution" (pg. 160). I found this interesting as it is surprising that a family would allow this, but it also relates to the prostitution as a marker of modernity (the fifth approximation) as it could deal with economic difficulties and that the family needs the money. This approximation on modernity explains that the May Fourth explanations for prostitution are... "economic difficulties, trafficking, the atropy of moral values, the marriage system, low level of education" (pg.164). One of these explanations that made me think was the marriage system. If there is an arranged marriage, then the couple may not be a perfect match and the husband may go to find prostitution to have intellectual conversation or to meet their sexual needs with another woman. A women may have to find her own way of work because their husband doesn't - like a previous reading where she left her husband who was into the gambling and drinking scene. The third approximation made another good point, "American Medical authorities: men could live perfectly well without sex. Therefore, prostitution could not be justified by arguing that is sacrificed a few women to protect womankind from uncontrollable male sexuality" (pg.161). The second piece we read was interesting to read about the symbolism in the setting or the film techniques. When the filmed was released there was controversy and many people wanted to watch it just to see what it was portraying. Even though something was seen as not normal or against morals, people still wanted to know and were interested. These two pieces were interesting as prostitution and working women are topics that continued to be an issue through history and even now.
ReplyDeleteI think that the fourth approximation is also very interesting too, the idea that from the western, Christian, view saw China and their state of prostitution as backward, even though the same situations was occurring back in their countries. And interestingly enough the fifth approximation of modernization is seen from the Chinese perspective for their reason of prostitution. These seem so contrastive and very different views of the same situations.
DeleteModernizing Sex is an analytical piece about prostitution in Shanghai in the early 20th century. It starts off describing the negative light society saw prostitution in. For example, “full of greedy schemers…it (prostitution) was a sign of moral decay…it was discussed as a painful economic choice on the part of women and their families” (pg. 147). But then it goes on to the main point saying that prostitution is a deeper discussion than that. It involves “the prostitutes, their madams, the patrons, their lovers and husbands, their natal families, their in-laws, the police, courts, the doctors, the city governments, missionaries, social reformers, students and revolutionaries” (pg. 148). The author then describes the job of courtesans as one with prestige. However, many people still saw them as a sign or moral degradation. The courtesans, however, had many redeeming qualities. For example, they were educated and knew several languages. It is arguable that many men went to these women for an intellectual conversation.
ReplyDeleteCai Chu Shen and the politics of the image has to do with redefining the role of Chinese women in society. This piece related to Modernizing Sex because they both discuss bringing women’s issues into the new century. It describes “New Women” to be more aggressive and open in achieving what they want. In essence, they are trying to get away from the definition of conservative Chinese Women. It portrays women as more progressive and open with their lifestyle.
I think your last paragraph is a great point.
DeleteFive out of the six approximations in the "Modernizing Sex" article focus on the negative aspects of prostitution but I think that the sixth, urbane courtesan, is the most significant description as the article describes, "courtesans as the epitome of urbanity" (p. 154).
DeleteOf the six approximations that are discussed in the “Modernizing Sex”, the one that I find interesting is the second approximation: The Scheming Business Woman. I found this one to be interesting because it talks about how many courtesans were aspired to marriage to a man or to become their concubine. “Concubines, by contrast, were usually picked by the men themselves win an eye to sex, romantic attraction, and good conversation, as well as the production of male heirs” (pg. 155). This was a source of an escape for courtesans to move up in hierarchy. I found it interesting that women would enter into prostitution to become a concubine so that they could move up in the social world and become wealthier.
ReplyDeleteThe key issue surrounding the New Woman Incident was the suicide of Ruan Lingyu. Ruan Lingyu was a young actress who starred in the silent film “The New Woman” in which it is about a woman named Wei Ming who was well educated and had a job eventually loses her job and turns to prostitution to help support her. Wei Ming eventually commits suicide. This also happened to the actress who played Wein Ming, Ruan Lingyu. She commits suicide because of slanderous things said about her when her and her husband divorced. Her husband had an article published that she had been sleeping with another man. Before she died, she said “You may not have killed me with your own two hands, but I have died because of you” (pg. 296). She also said the phrase “gossip is a frearful thing”. All of the gossip about her got to her and ultimately lead to her suicide.
I also liked the second approximation and to add on to what you already said the fact that the courtesans called getting married "taking a bath" was really quite interesting and I think has a strong metaphorical value in the phrase. As if they were cleansing themselves for the time being, just to go back and get "dirty" again by returning to their courtesan job.
DeleteI was quite shocked after I have read the first paragraph of the Modernizing Sex, because it states that the prostitution was the best and the only income producing activities for women.(P1), and it was even in the early twentith century. I would say that as a Chinese, prostitution is still pretty big in China now. Dongguan Guangdong is the most famous city that known for prostitution, how bad is it? for example, when we talk about a girl, and someone says that the girl is working in Dongguan, that is going to lead everybody to that thought. However,the prostitution in China is based on the level of lives over their, people from poor areas have a tiny chance to get a job, even men cannot. so the live leaves these women from poor areas no choice, they have to have income for a living.
ReplyDeleteAnd after wathcing the silent film. I couldnt agree more about the article saying that "the number of films with the women questions as their subject over the past few years"(p277). I think that the director was very smart to make a silent movie. he did not try to force people to think the way he thinks, and there is no sound in the film just will not get him into any trouble if someone has a problem with it, he wanted the audience to watch the film, and think whatever the audience want, and maybe people will understand the sexual issue that we always have in China. Even now, there are a lot of unfair treatments that women in CHina are recieve, for example, when a female is applying for a job, the HR would ask the female if she is married, does she have a kid, and questions like this.
The six approximations of Shanghai prostitution in the article, “Modernizing Sex” propose interesting views of prostitutes in society. In the 20th century Shanghai, prostitution is seen as a source of urbanized pleasures, greedy schemers, a moral danger and physical disease, and a result of a poor economic choice (p. 147). Although prostitution was viewed by some as the best or only activity available to women to produce an income, the majority of society viewed it as a marker of moral and national decay. Some of the stigmas related to prostitutes are fed by the media, which relates very closely to what “The New Women Incident” addresses. The article also explains why prostitution grew rapidly in Shanghai specifically because it was the biggest industrial and commercial city at the time, attracted merchants from around the world and pheasants looking for work. This combination of people made prostitution a very lucrative activity for daughters and wives of working poor. This article also raised a new view of prostitutes that I had not considered. During this era some prostitutes, know as courtesans, were viewed as more than a sex object. They were viewed as “cultivated women who could sing, compose poetry, and converse with wit” (p.152). This was the best approximation of prostitution I have heard of.
ReplyDelete“The New Woman Incident” uses the 1930s silent movie “New Woman” as a case study on how it addressed how the media affects society’s view of prostitution. Even though the forms of media of transformed and expanded from pamphlets and newspapers to digital newspapers and many social networks, the media still has a great influence over society’s view toward prostitution and other stereotypes. I would argue that media has a greater influence over society in modern times because almost every person has easy access to digital media. After the main character Wei Ming attempts suicide the media wants to hold a memorial service, “not that we feel anything for her. It just makes sense- it’ll stir up a little news material!” (p. 284). I feel like this is the same thinking of modern media sources. This reading has given me the idea to write my midterm paper about how media affected society’s view in the 1930s and how the media still has the same effect today. The quote that really struck me from this article was “ The New Woman may be a victim of the status quo, or a threat to it; she may be silent by necessity, or by choice; she may speak out as an individual woman or as a member of a class” (p297).