Hello!
I've been busy with my summer exams, but now they are all passed and I have some time to write about one of my biggest interests.
After spending this much time in Asia I've become obsessed with oriental culture and their way of life. Suddenly I realized how little do we know about other religions, traditions and history. Even after visiting a great number of museums, temples and other ancient places I didn't manage to appease my curiosity.
As I am home now, my obsession took a form of gaining some information from books and films.
I would like to share my opinion on some of them!
Raise the red lantern
The story of this film tells about China in 1920's... Songlian is a 19 year old girl (same age as me!!) was forced to marry a rich 50 year old man (Chen) because her family was struggling after her father's death. (Her family actually sold her!!) That man had already had 3 older wives and each lived in her own apartment inside the big house. There was a tradition that every time Chen had to choose in which apartment he wants to spend a night and servants of the house set fire to the red lanterns in front of it. The rule of the house was that all women were supposed to accept the fact that living with one man in his house makes sisters of them. Nevertheless, all the wives were fighting to be the most beloved and have the lanterns lighted..
They created a little world where they tried to be in a husband's favour by all means and secretly schemed against each other.
Only the youngest wife wasn't crafty enough to bare the atmosphere of the house and end up being crazy. Later Chen took a 5th wife to his house.
I should also mention that traditional Chinese costumes and the interior of the house are gorgeous! And one of my favourite asian actresses Gong Li starred in this film.
Similar storyline can be traced in a book "The waiting years" which I finished to read a couple of days ago. The author is a Japanese woman Fumiko Enchi. In her novel she describes a life inside the house of an opulent japanese man.
In the beginning of the story Sirakava Yukitomo (that opulent man) sent his wife Tomo to buy (!!!) a young mistress for him to live in the house on a regular basis.
That day when she found the young girl Suga and took her to the house, she also found a new purpose of her life. If she couldn't be liked by her husband anymore, she still had to remain authoritative among the other members of the big family. In the end of the story she realized how pointless her life was.
These two stories are both about women that had to settle for less and accept the fate whether they like it or not.
Yea I really found that exciting, and I can tell why! It's completely different to something I got used to and it actually seems like another world to explore! I will enjoy to know more about oriental life nowadays and in the past times.
