The Contemporary Chinese Bridal Portrait: Reimagining the Past, Recreating Reality

 

Chinese Couple at Contemporary Bridal Portrait Photoshoot

Chinese Couple at Contemporary Bridal Portrait Photoshoot 11/05/2014 http://www.loveml.net/case/qingdian/238.html

This portrait documents not only a married or maybe engaged couple but also represents an amalgam of nostalgia, national and international fashion, and a potentially faux relationship. In this contemporary Chinese bridal portrait, the photographer has his subjects, presumably a husband and wife, project their traditional Chinese heritage and history while simultaneously selectively distancing themselves from the Mao Era by connecting them to western culture and modernity.

Wardrobe: The man and women in this picture are clearly wearing qipaos or qipao-esque clothing, connecting them to the past. Knot buttons, intricate embroidery, symbolic images such as peonies, high collars, silk, and the color red, clearly found in the subjects’ clothing is specific to traditional Chinese fashion. Furthermore, the male and female though both wearing similar styles of clothing each projects a unique style. With respect to the Mao era, the complimentary differences expressed in the separate outfits of the male and female reject the androgynous restrictions and lack of personal identity represented by Mao suit and instead serve to highlight gender distinctions. Thus, the amplified sartorial aspects of this photo epitomize a pre-Mao era, and are nostalgic of an idealized past distanced from the Cultural Revolution.

Accessories: Although the clothing itself is inspired by the qipao and seems to be extracted from the more traditional and cultural memories of ancient or pre-modern China to preserve a sentimental hue of the past, the accessories donned by the subjects are a deviation from the historical thematic elements embodied by the wardrobe. While the shirts and skirts worn in the photo are antiquated, the accessories that are also prominently displayed on the body are both more modern and western, creating a common ground for contrasting ideals while also completely excluding the Mao era. The sun glasses and umbrella seem vintage, likely introduced to China in the 70s after the Cultural Revolution came to a conclusion, which brings the audience of this portrait from the qipao era to a more recent time period. But most interestingly, the red platform high heels worn by the woman seems temporally closer to the viewer. The heels are clearly 21st century, fit for any high fashion, black tie event. This portrait pulls fashion trends from both the present and the past, creating a contemporary interpretation on history in modern times.

Setting and Context: It is clear that this photograph was taken in a very posed environment, most likely at a photo studio, conveying a potential sense of artificiality. The background that consists of a solid red sheet, the manipulated lighting contribute, post-photograph filters, and high editing that are present in this portrait further contribute to the lack of natural ambiance found in traditionally western wedding photos. It is also important to consider the creator of the portrait. Most likely, the photographer is directing his subjects to his imagined ideal, not to recreate or document a genuine moment. The photographer is in command of not only adjusting general position and wardrobe but also in control of the minute, details such as finger placement, facial expression, and head tilt. Furthermore, the woman’s expression exudes forced playfulness while the man’s projects a faux a cool-ness, both faces likely heavily decorated with foundation, skin cream, and other make-up. The posed and highly controlled aspects of the portrait ranging from environment to outfits to subjects themselves suggests that the portrait may represent an illusion, that the reality for the couple may not be glamorous, wealthy, or loving.

By embracing both international and national sartorial trends, meshing idealized Chinese history with the present, recognizing the dynamic between man and woman, and superficially developing the photo, the contemporary bridal portrait rejects the Maoist era and creates an imaginary moment with falsely constructed people. persuasive conclusion

well structured and reasoned piece

Nennu and Shunu: Modern China and Asia

nennunennu1

right: Photograph by Jean Chung, March 23, 2015. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/23/about-face

left: July 20, 2007. http://www.china.org.cn/english/education/217877.htm

After these past two weeks of class, I have learned so much more about the desired beauty for Asian women in the modern world. My partner and I read the article, “Nennu and Shunu: Gender, Body Politics, and the Beauty Economy in China” by J Yang. This article focused on the concept on Nennu and Shunu. These two words are directly translated as, “tender” and “ripe,” and women are desperate to be characterized in this way.

Overview of Photos: The photos above, show two pieces of plastic surgery advertisements scattered around Asia. The one to the right, is a metro station in Seoul, South Korea, while the other is displayed in China. Both showcase and are trying to promote plastic surgeries to whomever walks by.

Focus of Photos: To the left, we see the Chinese women staring at the advertisement. The pair have completely passed by the unattractive before photo, and have settled their gazes on the newly done women looking back at them. The ad shows a huge transformation being done on this woman, not only relating to her face. After undergoing the surgery she completely changed her lifestyle. The first picture of her makes her look like a sad worker who is struggling to make it by, but in time she changed her appearance, and now she is out of work and driving her new car. Her face has been completely redone, including makeup as well as new features. The pedestrians seem mesmerized by this drastic change. That is one way in which advertisements are gaining the attention they need. Women who see this believe this could be them as well. The ad displayed above is very well done. The drastic changes between the two photos make what they are selling much more desirable.

The image on the right, has been taken in Seoul and shows a scene inside a metro station. The ads are continuously plastered along the wall, desperately looking for someones attention. However, the women leaving the station are not laying an eye on them. The ads brighten the drab stairwell, by adding color and excitement and showcasing the different surgeries one can undergo to become a newer woman. These ads go well with the concept J Yang mentions in her article. Nennu and Shunu is represented here in the everyday life of Asian women. The women in the ads are new, but still have the ripeness (shunu) they also desire to have. But the main desire for older women is to appear as tender (nennu) and are undergoing surgeries to do so.

Conclusion: I believe these two photos do a great job explaining what my article, “Nennu and Shunu: Gender, Body Politics, and the Beauty Economy in China,” was trying to convey. It mentioned the ads and the transformations Asian women are seeking desperately. The perfect medium of Nennu and Shunu is very much desired by all women in the modern world, that this article even correlated with plastic surgeries in the Western World. An example of this is the amount of celebrities in the West who have undergone plastic surgeries to keep the young looks they once had. After reading this article, it could easily be connected to things I know about America and the modern world we live in.

very nice description of the two ads. you could turn the description into analysis if led by the questions of how the ads convey the messages of transforming woman from a shunu to nennu.

Nennu and Shunu in Modern China

China_PlasticSurgery

Photograph by Frederic J. Brown. Getty Images. 2003. http://www.chatelaine.com/health/wellness/chinas-plastic-surgery-obsession/

 

The image above is taken at the first Miss Plastic Surgery Pageant in Bejing China in 2003. The pageant was created by women who had been turned away from China’s beauty pageants because they had undergone plastic surgery. They decided to create a pageant strictly for women who had been altered as a way to celebrate their crafted appearance. This picture leads me to make the claim that China’s cosmetic industry and societal pressure to appear young and beautiful runs so deeply that such things as “Miss Plastic Surgery” have become socially accepted.

nice to make a thesis statement

To support my claim I will further analyze this picture’s denotations and the cultural connotations that follow.

Background, Foreground and Focus

As we can see, the picture’s focus is the winning contestant front and center. The photographer chose to place this subject in the foreground to draw our attention to her. Looking more into this choice, we see that the photographer puts a lot of importance on the winner. Clearly this woman is being celebrated for winning the pageant. She is being honored for having done multiple surgeries altering her appearance to be seen as beautiful. In contrast to this, we look at the background and notice all the other contestants. There appears to be 2 runner ups and the rest of the “losers” in the far back. The women in the back aren’t even in focus. These photographer’s choices can only mean that these losing women aren’t worth focusing on or aren’t as important as the most beautiful winner. Again, there is such an importance set on this winning female for the best surgery results.

The Appearance

Looking more closely at the actual women we can see their appearances. They all appear young, thin and in the eyes of the public, very beautiful. We can see on the winning contestant and other women that they are all very made up ranging from cosmetics to hair style to dress. Their faces we know have been altered through surgery so we can assume such things as their skin has been tightened, their noses redone and possibly eye structure as well. The connotations that are implied through all these observations tell us that these are the ideal features for women to possess. The fact that the winner has bright defined cheekbones or perfect untouched skin suggests that everyone should strive to appear that way because that has been determined as beautiful.

Nennu/Shunu

My article was very focused on the concept of nennu and shunu. This picture is a great representation of these terms in every day life. As I mentioned earlier, these women appear very young as their skin is bright and not wrinkled. They seem in shape as well. This is the embodiment of the term nennu translating to “tender”. The reality of this picture though is that not all these women are actually so young. A lot of contestants were middle aged women who underwent surgery to appear younger also known as the transition from shunu (ripe) to nennu. This desire to appear young is so strong that grown women are desperately trying to alter themselves through surgery.

well structures and supported piece. what does the transition from shunu to nennu via surgical operation suggest to us?

 

 

 

Reclaiming female sexuality through Mao’s Suit

Summer Transparency Hu Ming, Uniform Series oil on canvas, 2001

Summer Transparency
Hu Ming, Uniform Series
oil on canvas, 2001

The oil on canvas piece, Summer Transparency was created by artist Hu Ming in 2001 as part of her Uniform Series. The painting depicts a smiling women with bangs in a kaki green transparent romper-like version of the Cultural Revolution uniform. The uniform’s form fit and transparency reveals her breasts and buttocks. The women is in front of a red background and smiles as she proudly shows off her body. She stands firm and holds the proletarian hat adorned with a red star to cover the gap between her slightly spread legs. The side-by-side back and front views exhibit her entire body to the viewer and reveal two long braids. military uniform

 

During the Cultural Revolution led by Mao Zedong in the newly formed People’s Republic of China (dates) the Mao suit was designed and propagated by the government to promote proletarian values and gender equality. In Mao’s China, men and women were suppose to be equal. However,  propaganda portraying the ideal women did not remove gender but masculinized the female figure. The image bellow depicts a female tractor operator in Mao’s China.

please introduce or make a thesis statement about these two contrasting artworks?

Liu Wenxi, 1970 Published by Renmin Meishu Chubanshe

Liu Wenxi, 1970
Published by Renmin Meishu Chubanshe

In the poster the women has a broad smile and a wears clothe cap over a short haircut. Any trace of the female body is hidden by a shapeless proletarian uniform. Beside her is a green bag with the red star and a copy of Mao’s book. Instead of creating gender equality, this masculinization devalued the female body by making it less desirable than the male figure. Hu Ming’s Uniform Series takes revenge on PLO for the masculinization of the female figure and demoting femininity. Her transparent uniform which reveal her breasts and buttocks embraces the female body. In her painting, the women is just as muscular as the tractor driver but by revealing the attributes of the female body, she achieves a more realistic depiction. Her strong and confident stance shows that women do not have  to be masculine to be strong. She shows the viewers that embracing sexuality doesn’t necessarily mean weakness. By providing both a front and back view, Ming shoes off the girls long hair and contrast with Mao’s depiction of women who has short hair like a man. The red background, collar, and hat connote nationalism and shows that femininity can still be patriotic. The short romper-like suit allows her legs to be on display. By depicting the Mao suit in a way that embraces female sexuality, Hu Ming has reclaims femininity and celebrates the women of the cultural revolution in a more dynamic way that allows them to be evocative, sexual, and strong.

In contrast to masculinized female body in Mao’s China, Hu Ming’s work reclaims femininity and sexuality through visual rhetoric of  military uniform transparency.  If this is the thesis statement and see what happens if you allow it to guide your analysis

 

Sources:

http://hu-ming.com/common/space_05e.html

http://hu-ming.com/all_list/01/index.html

https://blackboard.bowdoin.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-507901-dt-content-rid-1518724_1/courses/ASNS2076.GWS2076_2016S/mao%20suit%20slides%20.pdf (Black board in-class slides)

 

Through the next three photos we can see the rise and effect of the Mao suit on the culture and government of China.

 

History:Screen Shot 2016-03-30 at 1.47.39 PM

The Mao suit originated with the rise of the Republic of China and its founder, Sun Zhongshan (1866-1925) and Mao Zedong the founder of the People’s Republic of China (1893-1976).   The picture above is a picture of Mao Zedong in a Mao Suit. To be fair it was really Mao and his policies that popularized the Mao Suit. The Mao suit resembled and emulated the policies of the government and society of the time or at least what Mao wanted to achieve in both categories.

 

Screen Shot 2016-03-30 at 1.47.53 PMIndividual idem and inner meanings:

As seen in the picture above there are a few aspects of the Mao suit that are consistent and have inner meaning. Four examples, each Mao suit have four pockets representing four principles: Propriety, justice, honesty and sense of humor. Also, there are five centre-front buttons to represent the five powers of the constitution of the republic. Finally, each Mao suit has three cuff-buttons to stand for nationalism democracy, and people’s livelihood.

 

Screen Shot 2016-03-30 at 1.48.08 PMThe Mao suit and Society:

When the Mao suit was implemented everyone in the country wore one. Everyone looked the same. The picture above we see a group of Chinese people , looking at it you can barely tell the distinguish the people from each other let alone determine the gender of the subjects. So what impact does uniformity through apparel effect the society? When you have to dress exactly like everyone else you loose your own sense of self you then become part of a whole and not an individual. This loss of individuality is on track with the ideals or policies of Mao’s Communist China. Loosing all the capitalistic aspects of fashion from society helped eased the transition and drove communism in china forward.

 in order to turn the writing analytical, please first introduce an argument, such as uniformity via Mao suit. then support the idea with visual evidences, such as the design of Mao suit and its collective application

Cultural Uniformity at the Expense of Femininity

Chairman Mao envisioned a unified society in which ethnic, gender, and class inequalities were nonexistent. His ideal society was in direct opposition to the Western imperialism, specifically capitalism, that had inhibited the political and economic growth of China. Removing these inequalities was part of his efforts to bolster national pride in China.

need a transition between the two paragraphs

Chairman Mao introduced the Mao Suit to China in the late 1950’s with the effect being to “‘Civilize the mind and make savage the body.’ This is an apt saying. In order to civilize the mind, one must first make savage the body. If the body is made savage, then the civilized mind will follow.” (Chen 361). Chairman Mao took this to mean that the body is meant to be improved upon, to be strengthened. He wanted to uplift the proletariat class, who traditionally performed manual labor,  and highlight their value to Chinese society.

The Mao suit was a button-down shirt with either pants or trousers, denoting one’s occupation as a proletariat or farmer, respectively. The peasant workers wore trousers to show off their “well-formed calves” and rolled up their sleeves to show off their “powerful arms” (Chen 365). how about focus on the analysis of gender and mao suit?

Grey Mao SuitA Grey MaoSuit

For Chinese women, the Mao suit created an opportunity to be equal with men.  Each profession had a standard uniform that every worker was required to wear, and workers were evaluated on many tasks they completed during their shifts. Mao eliminated the benefits that beauty and propriety had initially given upper-class women. In addition, men and women worked alongside each other, and were encouraged in the same manner to strengthen their bodies and increase their productivity levels. Through the Mao suit and changing ideals of professionalism in the workplace, Chairman Mao achieved political, economic, and social uniformity among Chinese people, regardless of their ethnicity and other marginalized aspects of their identity.

Strive for an abundant harvest, amass grain 1973‘Strive for an abundant harvest, amass grain 1973’

However, Mao’s cultural uniformity eliminated the concept of femininity altogether. In advertisements and propaganda promoting the communist agenda, women were portrayed as hard-working individuals who were happy because they focused solely on their occupations. Women had short hair that was tucked under a hat or hair-wrap, and wore little to no makeup. The uniforms were shapeless so as to direct attention to the parts of the body that were visible (i.e. arms and legs). By forcing women to build muscle and work harder in the fields or in the offices of proletarians, Chairman Mao sent the message that equality could only be established by having both men and women conform to the standards of appearance and productivity initially forced upon men.

Farmers During the Cultural Revolution 1970 Farmers during the Cultural Revolution, 1970

Women’s bodies were in flux when it came to changing professions. In the agricultural sector, every individual wore the same suit and completed the same tasks. In the proletariat/technocratic fields, such as the textile industry, women had to wear different clothes to both signify their upward mobility and cover different parts of their body. Men, on the other hand, continued to wear trousers and button-down shirts. They did not have to alter their clothing in order to conform to the rules of different workplaces.

Overall, Mao did not achieve his quest for gender equality. Women could not engage in traditional beauty or fashion practices because they were required to focus on work and gaining strength. The shapeless Maosuit did not allow women to showcase their bodies. Women did not have uniform clothing, but were forced to change their garments when they changed professions. While unintentional, the gender inequality between men and women resulted because the standards for equality were not recreated to include the cultures and identities of women before the cultural revolution. Instead, women were forced to meet the societal standards placed upon men.

could pursue a much more cohesive organization, if take the thematic issue of gender (in)equality in terms of Mao uniformity as the central focus, then explain in detail, how the visual denotations construct socialist female body.

Works Cited:

Grey Mao Suit: http://kolahun.typepad.com/kolahun/2010/11/s.html

Strive for an abundent harvest: http://chineseposters.net/themes/women-2.php

Farmers during the Cultural Revolution, 1970: http://resourcesforhistoryteachers.wikispaces.com/WHII.34

Fashion & No gender in Mao’s China

The Mao suit dominated fashion during the Cultural Revolution in China (1965-1968) not because it was a “fashionable” outfit, but rather because of its denotation of support for Mao and his ideals. Mao’s Cultural Revolution was motivated by a “power struggle” towards the top of the party system. However, although Mao established The Great Leap Forward, the movement was powered by the massive amount of students and young adults supporting Mao’s ideas. When the Cultural Revolution was still just a thought, a group of students openly denounced their school administration for repressing the students’ voice in a letter to Mao, later labeling themselves as “the Red Guards of Mao Zedong Thought”. This established the term “Red Guard” which is greatly affiliated with the Mao suit. Not long after, the Mao suit became the uniform and fashion that defined the Red Guards. The reason many of Mao’s supporters were young is because young people were intrigued by the freedom they were given by joining the Red Guard. Not only that, but also younger citizens were more likely to follow their friends and fellow classmates in fear of being left out of this trend. And with the Mao suit being the dress and uniform of the Red Guard, the Mao suit in fashion spread across China like wildfire.

Please introduce a central argument that addresses the relationship between the CR and the Mao suit

The Mao suit was a very simple dress that sported little to no decorations. Li Li in Uniformed Rebellion, Fabricated Identity: A study of Social History of Red Guards in Military Uniforms during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and Beyond, shows that clothing is a sign of social status, religion, political party, & gender. However, Li states that uniforms that are worn as a group create a group identity. So, taking into account Li’s connotation of a uniform,

The Red Guard’s uniform was more than just a green jacket, a soft cap with a red star, belt, and red arm sleeve. By simply wearing the uniform, it showed to those around that “the urban adolescents not only legitimize their collective action of social rebellion, but also mobilize themselves to be the political frontrunners with the support of Mao.” well composed and hope you could use it as thesis statement

From Keynote Tsui

From Keynote Tsui

In the photo above, a train full of young citizens is on its way to the country side as a part of Mao’s Cultural revolution. The viewer’s eye is immediately drawn to the two young adults with their smiling faces out the train windows holding their Mao red books with joy. Both young adults are wearing a Mao suit, however, the young adult on the bottom has white cuffs (possibly fur) and a fur collar on his or her Mao suit. Whereas the young adult above doesn’t have these features on their Mao suit. There seems to be a hair tie in the young adult’s on the bottom hair, which may indicate that this young adult is actually a girl.

what do those visual denotations reflect?

In contrast with Chinese fashion in previous years, the Mao suit was gender neutral. The Mao suit was worn by Women the same way it was worn by Men. This made it hard to differentiate boys from girls, but it shows the underlying idea of Mao that every citizen is equal and is merely just a part of a bigger social/working system. The fact that you can’t tell what gender either of them are for sure shows that the Mao suit was truly gender neutral. Further proving that Mao’s Cultural Revolution was in fact not about individuals, but rather about the larger population as a whole. The smiles on their faces in addition to the red books they are holding displays the blind support that young adults had in Mao Zedong as their leader. The color red is also very dominant in this photo but also in many other photos as well.

if gender is the focal point, please introduce it at the beginning of the paragraph via a topic sentence

The Red Guards Uniform Meg Fay

 

Screen Shot 2016-03-16 at 7.56.44 PM

Images of the Cultural Revolution and of Mao

Artifact

Publisher: Long Bow Group

urls: http://www.morningsun.org/images/index.html# (www.morningsun.org/images/image.swf)

The Red Guard uniform became exceedingly popular at the start of the Proletarian Revolution in 1966. As a result of the Great Leap Forward of the 1950s, (the GLF and the CR are two different historical events) mass groups of Chinese people participated in “the backyard furnace” in order to catch up to the production in the Western world. With tension between parties, the Sino-Soviet split, and his anger for the differences in social classes, Mao was able to rise and mobilize students and young adults throughout China to serve as “Red Guards,” the agents of the revolution. The above image represents dominant factors in the Mao era: youth, uniformity, and political correctness. make a statement rather list of phrases

When looking at this image, the viewer is able to locate many of its important attributes and aspects that prove to be very symbolic to the time period. There are three main people in this photo, however, our eyes are drawn to the middle figure in the center who appears to be a young woman. All people are holding the red book, are wearing the grass-green Red Guard uniform or white uniform. The woman in the center is yelling passionately into a megaphone. The dominating color in this image is red.

In his article, “Uniform Rebellion, Fabricated Identity,” LiLi explains, “it is from the images of the Chinese girls wearing timeless PLA uniforms and ever-changing appearances that the artist attempts to discover the connections between history of Chinese revolutions and contemporary kitschy culture”(464). It is interesting to see that the artist chose to insert a young woman as the focal point in this image. She is passionately screaming into the megaphone and has a very determined and zealous look on her face. She appears to be young, full of energy, and passionate for her cause. This female depiction differs significantly to the post- Mao era art pieces, where females are portrayed as more “skeptical”(461). Although there were different variations of the uniform, the symbolism associated with it became a uniting factor in the young generation. The artist is emphasizing the importance of age at this time and the dominating role that the youth played. stay with the claim of “young woman as the focal point” and explain why so?

Mao promoted rebellion and militants. The men and women pictured are dressed in the Red Guard uniform and show determination and pride. By wearing this uniform, one showed his power, fashion, and political correctness. In addition, the artist displays both men and a woman wearing the uniform to show its gender neutrality (if this is the focal point, then introduce it as a topic sentence and explain with visual denotations). Men and women alike felt empowered and were able to unite and become a collective and active group; they invested their time in something bigger than themselves. The man on the bottom left is holding up the red book. Through this action, he is asserting his dedication and belief in Mao as a leader. The woman in the center is actively reading the book and preaching Mao’s ideology.

yes, color red and its connotations, need a topic sentence? The dominant color in this photo is red. The artist’s decision to emphasize this color works in unison to its importance at the time. The red color symbolizes… and devotion to Mao. In addition, we can see the traditional grass-green colored uniform. The other color featured is white, which represents political correctness and high social status.

Overall, the Red Guard Uniform represented uniformity and political correctness. It was also the uniform that the youth wore to assert their power and feel part of something bigger than themselves.

work on paragraph organization

China in Uniform

Mao Zedong was the communist leader of China and the founder of the People’s Republic of China. With Mao’s leadership came strict principles, one of these principles being, a nation in uniform. The uniforms worn identified the people in China during Mao’s regime. Workers, peasants, and soldiers (the socialist model) were clearly identifiable. In the picture shown the centralized focus is on the socialist model.

MAO

The idea of a nation in uniform is clearly illustrated in the propaganda poster. This image is an example of Mao’s ideal collective body.

The dominating color throughout the poster is red. Behind the five main people there appears to be a sea of red, which one can assume are the books that the five figures in front are holding. The man on the right is wearing a Mao suit, the man on the far left is in what looks like a military uniform the same as the woman on the far right. The two figures in the foreground of the poster are wearing clothes that could potentially belong to those with a lower socioeconomic status. Everyone in the poster appears very happy, almost as if they’re rejoicing.

If analyzed connotatively the red books are a patriotic symbol. The people in the image are holding them in the air as if they’re celebrating Mao’s unified nation. The other red accents throughout the image strengthen the viewer’s idea of the uniformity of the people in China. The five people that dominate the poster are the most symbolic aspects. These people symbolize Mao’s socialist model: workers, peasants, and soldiers. Although they are not all wearing the same uniform they symbolize a typical uniform for each class. The figure on the far left is wearing a Mao suit which one can connate is a symbol for a worker. The two figures in a green uniform are symbols for the soldiers. Lastly the two figures in the foreground of the poster symbolize the peasants.  good but further clarify the incorporation of the color red and socialist collective body/identity

A nation in uniform was a strong principle during Mao’s regime. There was also an effort for gender norms to be broken, so at times it is difficult to even tell if it is a woman or a man in certain images because everybody wears the same or similar uniforms. This concept helps support the idea of one national body in China. Throughout Mao’s regime there were many propaganda posters similar to this one that were produced, making China seam idyllic, and in this case making the viewer believe that China is one collective body. the second part, “nation in uniform in terms of gender” needs more support.

Photo citation:
“Mao, Jiang Qing, Lin Biao (1966-1972).” Long Live Chairman Mao! Long, Long Live! Accessed March 30, 2016. http://chineseposters.net/gallery/e13-701.php.

 

 

 

 

 

Long Live the Mao Suit

Screen Shot 2016-03-29 at 5.13.43 PM

Source: McKirdy Euan and Shen Lu, CNN: “China: Giant gold Mao statue torn down,” 2016, Henan Province

The image above was taken for a CNN news article titled “China: Giant gold Mao statue torn down.” In this image, a giant statue of Mao looms over agricultural Henan province, a bright symbol in an otherwise dreary landscape. The golden Mao statue is dressed in a traditional Mao suit in which four pockets, representing propriety, justice, honesty, and a sense of shame, and five center front buttons are present. The article explains how this 120-foot statue, which was funded and constructed by businessman and rural communities, has reportedly been demolished at the hands of state authorities.

The image exemplifies how Maoist China, as aesthetically characterized by Chairman Mao in the Mao suit, representing a uniform and militarized society, has persisted into the modern political fabric of China, leaving ideological and symbolic remnants in its wake. Further, the image of Chairman Mao in a Mao Suit stands as an ironic symbol of failed socialist reforms. When viewing this image, one can observe various signs upon conducting a deep connotative analysis of the image:

Landscape: In the image, the barren agricultural landscape stands in contrast to the bright golden Mao statue in the forefront of the picture. The golden statue represents how a wealthy central state in China has often been accrued at the expense of the peasants. The CNN article mentions how the erecting of the statue in the Henan province has been controversial given that the area had been “hardest hit by the famines of the 1950s and 60s, which were brought on by Mao’s disastrous “Great Leap Forward” economic and social reforms” (McKirdy and Lu). The contrast between the statue and the landscape is ironic considering that, though Maoist policies killed many people in the Henan province, his iconic image in the Mao suit is still glorified by the proletariat peasant class.

Height and Size: The sheer size and height of the statue is significant to consider.  Standing tall at 120 feet, the Mao statue looms over residents of the Henan province. The height and size of the statue demonstrates Mao’s power and control over mass amounts of people. The modern statue continues to glorify Mao’s political reign and portray him as a godly and heroic manifestation. These values place control and power at the hands of political leaders rather than at the hands of a democratic public. The statue cost 3 million yen to build, a large sum of money disproportionately and nonsensically connected to the land and population to which the statue was built under.

Mao Suit and Legacies: The image represents a clear glorification and deification of Chairman Mao and his legacies. It is interesting to note, also, that Mao’s image in the Mao suit is glorified in other public locations, including the Tiananmen Square. In these images, Mao can be noticeably recognized in the Mao suit, both a model and legacy of a uniformed and socialist past. This legacy and past as aesthetically represented by Mao in the Mao Suit is in contention with the current Chinese government, as they have ordered the statue to be torn down. any critical comments that can be made about the contrast?

The image ultimately shows how Mao in the Mao suit is a symbol of a socialist era and a political past that is symbolized, celebrated, and glorified by pockets of Chinese citizens. Legacies of Maoism have endured time, ideological and symbolic components of the political era persisting into the modern era.

locate the topic against socialist and post-socialist China and see the transition

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/09/travel/china-chairman-mao-giant-statue-henan-province-destroyed/