By examining the differences between the Hou’s room and Xiao family’s room, it becomes clear that this film does not characterize the home as dependent on class, despite the home’s dependence on material things. The upper class Hou’s room upstairs is functional, yet feels empty and void due to the amount of open space not occupied by furniture or decor. The Xiao’s room downstairs, however, is filled with goods stuffed into every nook and cranny of the room. Despite being filled with less expensive items, this room feels more like a home than its upstairs counterpart due to the fullness and sheer amount of furnishings. Therefore, the attainment of home is not dependent on class structure, though ownership is. Ownership becomes an essential
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Thus the home appears unchanging due to the theme of tradition in Yellow Earth. In Crows and Sparrows, the home is also seen as unchanging in the beginning of the film due to the rigidity of the class system. While tradition and the class system are important to the fixed nature of their lives, the home is not dependent on these institutions and in fact breeds contempt of them. The home is therefore seen as the starting place for change in both of these films. In the case of Crows and Sparrows, the tenants choose to rebel against the Hou’s, and metaphorically the class system, in order to fight for the existence of their home. In Yellow Earth, Brother Gu gives Cuiqiao the impetus to join the Communist army by first inducting himself into her home. While the home is not the catalyst for the change, the home is often seen as the starting ground on which change may be discussed and attempted by a group of people. It is no coincidence that the New Year’s scene and Brother Gu’s first family meal scene both involve a gathering of people, the participants in change in these films. The idea of change is essential in the political context of the time period in which these two films take …show more content…
Crows and Sparrows was released in the same time period as the story was set. Yellow Earth on the other hand was a product of the 1980s, almost 50 years after the film takes place. The key to understanding how each film views China as a home is to understand each film’s political treatment of the same period. Prior to Crows and Sparrows, China had been through a turbulent struggle for power between the Nationalist and Communist Parties, with the majority of China supporting the Communists since the KMT could no longer provide. Communism provided a new and tangible future for China, as Kong suggests in the last scene of the film with “New Year’s coming and so’s the new society” (Crows and Sparrows, 01:50:08). The importance of tangibility is reflected in the Crows and Sparrows definition of home as something which can be visibly observed and owned, like the material items in Kong’s room. In this definition, the governmental body defines China as a home, but only if this government provides for its citizens by producing a palpable future. Due to how time factors into the equation, Yellow Earth takes a different stance on the definition of China as a
Thus the home appears unchanging due to the theme of tradition in Yellow Earth. In Crows and Sparrows, the home is also seen as unchanging in the beginning of the film due to the rigidity of the class system. While tradition and the class system are important to the fixed nature of their lives, the home is not dependent on these institutions and in fact breeds contempt of them. The home is therefore seen as the starting place for change in both of these films. In the case of Crows and Sparrows, the tenants choose to rebel against the Hou’s, and metaphorically the class system, in order to fight for the existence of their home. In Yellow Earth, Brother Gu gives Cuiqiao the impetus to join the Communist army by first inducting himself into her home. While the home is not the catalyst for the change, the home is often seen as the starting ground on which change may be discussed and attempted by a group of people. It is no coincidence that the New Year’s scene and Brother Gu’s first family meal scene both involve a gathering of people, the participants in change in these films. The idea of change is essential in the political context of the time period in which these two films take …show more content…
Crows and Sparrows was released in the same time period as the story was set. Yellow Earth on the other hand was a product of the 1980s, almost 50 years after the film takes place. The key to understanding how each film views China as a home is to understand each film’s political treatment of the same period. Prior to Crows and Sparrows, China had been through a turbulent struggle for power between the Nationalist and Communist Parties, with the majority of China supporting the Communists since the KMT could no longer provide. Communism provided a new and tangible future for China, as Kong suggests in the last scene of the film with “New Year’s coming and so’s the new society” (Crows and Sparrows, 01:50:08). The importance of tangibility is reflected in the Crows and Sparrows definition of home as something which can be visibly observed and owned, like the material items in Kong’s room. In this definition, the governmental body defines China as a home, but only if this government provides for its citizens by producing a palpable future. Due to how time factors into the equation, Yellow Earth takes a different stance on the definition of China as a