History 471

Although at first I found Blind Shaft a little disturbing, I got past that and began to realize the importance of such a film! 

It is amazing how I never thought to notice that there wasn’t any music playing in the background!  I think the overpowering sounds of machinery provided the background music for me, which is why I didn’t notice the absence of music.  Such a backround noise made the setting of the film cold and industrialized, making it seem like the characters (in the mine) only lived for the industry as a way to make a living.  Any sentiment or meaning to life seems to be gone in the industrial world.  There is no music, celebrations or morality–Only money and corruption.

Here is a link to the video I plan on using for my final presentation.  As I will explain tomorrow, I plan on focusing on the changing role expected for a Chinese woman to play in her family (as a wife, mother, daughter-in-law). 

Choose the Life that Fits You (2006) by Shirley Meng

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Geeitqvi3lU 

This video features a woman named Shirley Meng who’s dreams to be a career woman were “crushed by society’s expectations.”  Growing up in the Mao era, she had expected to fulfill her dreams without any conflict, but after four years in college she was denied admittance to a professional academy because she was female.  This occurred in 1982, a time when all of Mao’s revolution practices were shunned and frowned upon. 

After reading the texts for the upcoming documentary, I found many important opinions and personal experiences within the readings very helpful. 

In the article “Democracy-Sooner or Later” I found Thurston, Pei and Ogden to make great points, all commemorating each other’s.  Each scholar seems to find the Chinese ideal of chaos linked to democracy.  Such democratic reforms; threatening the regime’s rule, have resulted in a higher need for economic reform instead of dealing with politics. 

In addition to each scholar in “Democracy” Sue Williams also saw “hopeful things slowly happening” during the process of filming the documentary.  For example, she mentioned how China’s large cities (Beijing) were so much more liberal and told her to “film whatever she wanted.”

After reading the interview with S. Williams, it will be interesting to see how the interviewees reacted and participated in the interviews, just as she described. 

p.s.  Has anyone else had trouble posting?  I make sure to copy my entire post now before I hit the “publish” button since I have already lost a whole post without doing so.  It will either go to a new blank post or go to the page where I can find my last 15 posts, and will erase everything I have written!~So be cautious :0)