Woman Being

Synopsis

Looks at women’s attitudes towards beauty and sexuality in contemporary China. By focusing on women’s perceptions of their bodies, depicts the tremendous changes that have occurred in China over the past 100 years. The director, when visiting her hometown, Chengdu in southwest China, in 1995, was fascinated by the rapid growth of the beauty industry and the abundance of sexual images on public display. She visited various beauty salons, glamour photo studios, dance communities and ‘sexual hygiene’ shops and interviewed various women and men on what they thought of love, sex and marriage. Asks to what extent these changes in the meaning of being a woman in today’s China are contributing to the emporwerment of women.

Language

English

Country

United States

Medium

Video; Videocassette. VHS (PAL). col. 20 min.

Year of production

1997

Availability

Sale; 1999 sale: US$220.00 (+p&p) PAL version

Subjects

Sociology; Women’s studies

Keywords

China; cultural influences; identity; sexuality; women’s emancipation

Credits

Director

Wen-jie Qin

Distributor

Name

Documentary Educational Resources

Email

docued@der.org

Web

http://der.org/ External site opens in new window

Phone

+1 617 926 0491

Fax

+1 617 926 9519

Address

101 Morse Street
Watertown
MA 02472
USA

Notes

American company with an extensive catalogue of documentary films from around the world in the areas of ethnology, anthropology, world cultures, religion, women’s studies and human rights. Supplied on PAL/NTSC video and multi-region DVD, or download via the Reframe Collection (qv).