The World
Bella/Clare/Derrick Jenny/Joanna/Miki Outline I. Introduction 1. Intergeneration directors of Chinese Cinema 2. Jia Zhangke and The World 3. Post-socialism 4. Migrant Workers & Beijing Drifters I. Drifters’ Struggles 1. Rootlessness 2. Dreams & Desire I. People’s Communication and Interactions II. The World Park: Time-space Compression, Spectacles, and Consumerism III. World Outside IV. Absurdity and Emptiness V. The Meaning of Subheadings Thesis Statement
Through the depiction of The World Park and the world outside, Jia Zhangke presents Beijing drifters’ struggles and desires in harsh reality and illusory world, which reflects the absurdity as well as emptiness of a postmoder society. Intergeneration Directors of Chinese Cinema
Categorized by mentoring relationships
First Generation 1905-1930s / Zheng Zhengqiu, Zhang Shichuan
Second Generation 1930s-1940s / Cai Chusheng, Fei Mu
Third Generation 1949-1976 / Xie Tieli, Zheng Junli, Xie Jin
Fourth Generation 1978-1982 / Wu Tianming, Zheng Dongtian, Huang Jianzhong
Fifth Generation 78th graduates from BFA / Zhang Yimou Chen Kaige Tian Zhuangzhuang
Sixth Generation 1990s / Jia Zhangke, Lou Ye,Guan Hu Fifth and Sixth Generations
Fifth Generation Sixth Generation
Personal experience Reflection of traditional Rebellion and reflection Themes and culture Focus on marginalized Subjects Non-modern time background groups Adaption of traditions Documentary fashion Romantic heroism
Unique eastern aesthetic Filming long takes, hand-held Ethical culture techniques cameras, and ambient sound Grand spectacle
Similarity Reflect the reality of particular times Jia Zhangke
Leading director in of the "Sixth Generation" movement of Chinese cinema Born in 1970 Fenyang Shanxi Province
Inspired by Chen Kaige’s movie, Yellow Earth （黃土地） Receive critical praise and recognition worldwide 2006 Venice Film Festival Golden Lion for Still Life (三峽好人) Two Stages of His Directorial Career • Underground success
The Pickpocket（小武） 1997
Banned from filmmaking in 1999 Platform(站台) 2000 / Unknown Pleasures(任逍遙) 2002
A trilogy of China's transition into modernity from 1970s
• Worldwide success
Official approval from government Banned from filmmaking in 1999 The World 2004 outside of Shanxi Post-socialism
The term postsocialism, then, did not simply mark a new historical space that had come with the end of Mao's socialist command politics. It also referred to a theoretical project to re-conceptualize the meanings of Chinese socialism in the context of global capitalist modernity (Litzinger 33).
Socialism with Chinese characteristics
flexible economic policies to develop into an industrialized nation.
Socialist market economy / Reform and opening policy Social Background: Migrant Workers(農民工) & Beijing Drifters(北漂)
Definition of ‘Migrant Workers’: ● rural household registration ● employed in an urban workplace. Definition of ‘Beijing Drifters’: People without Beijing registered residence(戶口) who migrated to Beijing from other places of China seeking http://www.clb.org.hk/content/migrant-workers-and-their-children opportunities and better life. http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat11/sub72/item150.html#chapter-1 http://www.engyes.com/en/dic-content/people Contribution of Migrant Workers
● 277 million migrant workers in China ● one third of the entire working population ● the engine of China’s spectacular economic growth over the last three decades ● account for half of the country's http://i.guancha.cn/News/2014/05/12/635355082903897201.jpg GDP Catalysts for Internal Migration Urban-rural dual system & the household registration system（戶籍登記 制度） ● Urban-rural dual system (城鄉二元制): Household types: urban & rural → economic gap between urban and rural areas → two kinds of social identity
● Purpose of this system： -facilitate internal migration control -criminal surveillance -government welfare and resource distribution http://s7.sinaimg.cn/middle/6d54d77549399694df576&690 Catalysts for Internal Migration
‘Post-socialist society’ after Deng Xiaoping’ Reform and Opening-up from 1978: ● Market Reform: planned economy → market economy (state-owned enterprises only → individuals run business) ● Opening-up: allow foreign investments
>>>Foreign capitals first went to the coastal provinces, so the coastal areas had an earlier start in economic growth >>> Uneven economic development between major cities and their hinterlands >>>Floating population from hinterlands to big cities(Internal Migration) Status Quo of Migrant Workers
Mainly manual works Employment of migrant workers by sector 2015
SOURCE: CHINA LABOUR BULLETIN
AVERAGE MONTHLY INCOME FOR MIGRANT AVERAGE YEARLY INCOME (2006-2015) WORKERS (2015) 62,069 yuan
SOURCE: CHINA LABOUR BULLETIN 3,000 yuan SOURCE: TRADING ECONOMICS (15,000 NT)
LOWER INCOME THAN Average Monthly Income 2015: 62069 ÷ 12 ≈ 5,169 yuan AVERAGE ( 25,000 NT) http://img3.cache.netease.com/photo/0087/2013-10-21/9BNF5Q0S0HKF0087.jpg Migrant Workers: Marginalized Group
http://www.yaquphoto.com/bbs/data/attachment/forum/201 212/26/204042k770qwi9w7y0fmw7.jpg
Less educated and do the dirtiest and hardest jobs in the cities Migrant Workers: Marginalized Group
‘Country people stand out in the urban crowd. Their hands and faces are more weathered, their clothes simpler and more ragged. Often they move about http://www.yaquphoto.com/bbs/data/attachment/forum/ town lugging unwieldy bundles of 201212/26/204042k770qwi9w7y0fmw7.jpg bedding and belonging wrapped in plaid-patterned woven-plastic fabric that somehow has become the standard for such purposes in poor countries around the world.’
(James Fallows, The Atlantic Monthly) http://img2.mzsites.com/0113/06af556a51031e3c23f bd65917109035.jpg Drifters: Rootlessness Park→ Drifters (Dreams & Desire) ● Security guards (hierarchy) Taisheng & other security guards Taisheng & Erxiao
→ Taisheng is ambitious. → Coming to Beijing to earn much money
→ Marrying Xiaotao and giving her a better life → Compared to other people, such as Little Sister, Erxiao, and so on, Taisheng is successful and satisfied with his job.
Taisheng is also self-centered and thinks himself very important no matter to Xiaotao or the park. The salary he gets is actually low. Thing that Makes Him Face the Truth → Another lover--Qun (more competent than him)
Xiaotao’s dream & desire
→Earns much money to go abroad (She envies people who can travel to another place, such as Anna and her ex-boyfriend.) ● Marrying Taisheng (At first, Xiaotao doesn’t want to have sex with Taisheng before marriage.) ● Xiaotao is also satisfied with her job, just like Taisheng. ● She thinks that this place is too limited. ● Qun’s dream & desire
→Go to France (to meet her husband) ● Anna’s dream & desire
→Go to Ulan Bator to meet her sister Humanity ● The dancers
● Taisheng ● Xiaotao ● Erxiao ● Little Sister
People’s Communication and Interactions: (Dis)trust, (Un)caring Pattern: Where have you been?
Niu’s Distrust Failed communication Taisheng’s Distrust
Secret surveillance
Need Tao’s confirmation Taisheng’s Distrust-2 Phone to track
Failed communication Tao’s Trust & Broken-heart Uncaring
Anyone have a Band-Aid? Uncaring to Co-workers Occupied
Self-interest Uncaring to Family Member Uncaring to the Employee Tao’s Care for Co-workers Taisheng’s Care for Erxiao Care for Fellow Villager—Little Sister Park Park’s setting→ simulation
50 countries’ historical buildings Park: Time-space compression
The reason of time-space compression:
Spectacles
Hyperspace+globalization
Park’s slogan: “ You give me a day, I give you a world”( 您給我一天，我給您一個世界)
“Walk over the world without leaving Beijing” (不出北京，走遍世界)
Brainwash
Park→ A Trap ( park’s wall) Park: consumerism
Consumerism
Personalization: the lonely crowd
Commercialization: products without meanings
( absurdity+ workers’ loneliness,simulation, distance) Beijing World Park: marginalized
Located in the southwestern Fengtai District of Beijing, the margin of Fifth Ring.
Opened in 1993 and estimated to receive 1.5 million visitors annually The Outside World Train Station
● Flows of people ● Drifters Hotel
● Temporary rest for drifters Auditorium
In Beijing: filled with people
In Taiyuan (capital city of Shanxi): empty
→ Leave hometown to urban Song’s Place
Gambling, illegal activities KTV ● Place of social encounter/temptation Liao Qun’s Clothing Store
● Consumerism & cheap labor ● Exploitation of labor & economic disparity Construction Site ● Refletion of World Park Sense of Absurdity and Emptiness Absurdity & Emptiness Are Reflected By
➢ Authenticity & Inauthenticity
➢ Appearance & Reality
➢ Flash
➢ Electronic Music Authenticity & Inauthenticity Paris
Liao’s Real France & A Copy of France in the World Park where Taisheng works Authenticity & Inauthenticity
World Park copies many places worldwide, but in essence it is empty. Authenticity & Inauthenticity Snow Authenticity & Inauthenticity
Real snow falls when they are poinsoned
Artificial snow falls on the stage Appearance & Reality Train
Appearance: Train runs. Reality: No train runs but in Taisheng’s mind.
In Jia Zhangke’s work, train has a special meaning, which represents hope and future. Appearance & Reality
Appearance: beautiful costumes on the stage Reality: unfufilled desires and struggles backstage Appearance & Reality
Magic Carpet Ride
Appearance: travel around the world Appearance & Reality
Magic Carpet Ride
Reality: blue background Flash
Flash made its first debut in Chinese cinema history.
Where flash is used in this film?
1. contrast between reality and imagination
2. conncection between the World Park and the outside world
3. content of the message
4. psychological description Contrast between Imagination & Reality
Shabby room
decent room Connection Between the World Park and the Outside World Content of the Text Message
The messages represented to audience are between: Taisheng & Xiaotao Taisheng & Liao, which focus on love affair. Psychological Description
petals from Taisheng’s mouth Psychological Description
When Taisheng agrees to take Xiaotao to visit When Xiaotao sees Liao’s love messeage to Laosong Taisheng
Xiaotao herself a fish flying sinking down bright color dark color Electronic Music
Lim Giong(林強)
nominated for Golden Horse Award for Best Original Film Score(最佳原創電 影音樂) for his music in The World
What is electronic music?
employ electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology
no human voice or natural sounds The Meaning of Subheadings: Ulan Bator The song “Ulan Bator Night,” Anna taught Tao
The lonliness, pressure, and sadness of drifters= the feeling of Anna & Tao
Drifters cannot go to other place: only can go to Ulan Bator
The director’s imagination of the place from listening the radio
Ulan Bator:
sandstorm
Siberian cold current
less developed region
drifters→ hard work
illusion vs. reality The Meaning of Subheadings: A respect to Tokyo Story(1953)
A couple of old people goes to Tokyo to find their child
Their son is dead+ difficulty of communication→ lonliness
Loss the son= parent of “Little sister” Conclusion
“獨立電影有10年的歷史是不被公眾了解的，我們創作的方法，觀察中國的角度， 對觀眾來說是陌生的。要接受和適應這樣的電影，對觀眾來說需要時間。”
-賈樟柯
About the drifters and migrant workers, about their dreams and desires to live a better life, and about the illusion and disillusion of the harsh reality. Questions
1. Xiaotao said she wore a raincoat when she stayed in a basement when she first came to Beijing, and later there is one scene that Xiaotao runs in the rain lifting a raincoat overhead. What is the meaning of the raincoat?
2. What is the function of the junkman at the beginning of the film?
3. Is their death an accident or do they commit suicide? Are Xiaotao and Taisheng dead in the ending? Is this film a completely pessimistic one?
4. How heterotopia is reflected in the World Park?
5. What does the last subheading, Ever Changing World(一天一个世界), mean? What do you think is changing?
6. The performers are usually dressed in local costumes. Why does Xiaotao wear wedding gown at one of the performances? Is it possible that it is just Xiaotao’s imagination which shows her wish of marring Taisheng? Works Cited
Pu, Hong 蒲鸿. "Jia Zhangke dian ying shi jie de shu zi de shi dai te zheng"<贾樟柯电影《世界》的数字时代特征> [The Digital Characteristics of Jia Zhangke’s The World]." Shan hua《山花》[Mountain Flowers]. 10(2006):38-39.
Zheng, Long fu 郑隆福. “Jia Zhangke dian ying zuo pin shi jie liang ge ban ben de bi jiao <贾樟柯电影作品《世界》两个版本 的比较> [The Comparison between the Two Versions of Jia Zhangke’s The World].”《今天》文学杂志网络版 [Today Literary Magzine Online]. http://www.jintian.net/fangtan/zhenglongfu.html.
Litzinger, Ralph A. "Theorizing postsocialism: Reflections on the politics of marginality in contemporary China." The South Atlantic Quarterly 101.1 (2002): 33-55.
Li, Jing-yu 李径宇.“Jia Zhangke: wo men guan cha zhong guo de jiao du dui guan zhong shi mo sheng de 〈贾樟柯：我们观 察中国的角度对观众是陌生的〉[Jia Zhangke: The Perspective We Observe China Is Unfamiliar to the Audience ].” Zhong guo xin wen zhou kan 中国《新闻周刊》[China Newsweek] http://news.sohu.com/20040827/n221763664.shtml. 2004/8/27. Thank You