ART401: APPRECIATING FAR-EASTERN CINEMA

Instructor: Dr. Ritwij Bhowmik

Summer Term (May July 2015)

2nd WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT

TOPIC/ FILM NAME:

Jiaozi (DUMPLINGS)

STUDENT INFORMATION
Name : Aakash Kumar
Department : Electrical Engineering

Roll No. 13004

E-mail :aakashkr@iitk.ac.in

MOVIE DETAILS

Title: Jiaozi (Dumplings)

Director : Fruit Chain
Release date : 2004
Country: Hong-Kong
Language: Cantonese

INTRODUCTION

Jiaozi (dumplings) is HK horror film directed by Fruit

Chain in 2004.It was first made as a part of hoor film
compilation ,Three..extremes (2004) ,where the other two
films were directed by Park Chan-Wook and Miike
Takashi. Actress Bai Ling (played Aunt mei) won the B est
Supporting Actress Award on 24th Honk-Kong film Award
in 2005 for this film.Due to its popularity ,Jiaozi was later
expanded and relesead as an independent feature film.The
full length version is bit longer and different from original
short-film version.

DIRECTOR PROFILE: Fruit Chan(1959)

Fruit Chan is an independent Hon-Kong second wave

screen writer ,film maker and producer. He born in
Guangdong province (southern china) in 1959. Later in
1969 he along with his parent migrated to Hong-Kong.In
middle school he got a part time job in a theatre
projection room.His first screening was of traditional
Chinese opera directed by John woo. He learned script
writing and directing at Hong-Kong film cultural
centre.In 1982 he began his career as an assistant director
to David lai.In 1994 he collected film material left over by

the other productions to begin directing his award

winning MADE IN HONG KONG .It received many
national and international awards.Chan was influence
by Sixties Japanese (Socialist realist) cinema for the
reason they were not afraid to produce realistic movies
that addressed society problem. Nagisa Oshima was his
main inspiration.In his movie reflection of everday life of
HongKong people could be seen. His famous movie
MADE IN HONG KONG (1997) was the first part of the
triology about Hong Kong 1997s return to main land
(which also includes Longest summer (1998) and Little
cheung (1999) ).He had become the first film maker to
independently working without the big studios. He
challenged the genre of HK films and make realistic film
about political and social situations going on in Hong
kong.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Hong Kong as we know it today was born when Chinas

Qing dynasty government was defeated in in First Opium
War (1842), and ceded Hong Kong island to
Britain.However ,Hong Kongs history predates the Qing
dynasty for more than a thousand years.
For its earlist days as Britain colony ,Hong Kong served as
centre of international trade .In the turbulent years of early
20th century ,the city population was bolstered by refugees
,mostly from China. The arrival of immigrants in large
number helped to launch a new role for Hong Kong as a
major manufacturing hub. On 1 July 1997 ,Hong Kong
became a special administrative region of People Republic
of China. This arrangement allowed Hong Kong to enjoy
some autonomy,including retaining its capitalist
system,judiciary ,free trade,freedom of speech.

H-K HORROR GENRE

The modern Hong Kong horror genre consist of ghosts

,monsters,vampires,maniac killers etc. The main aspect of
HK Horror is that it often futures chines folk-lore,myhts
and traditional legends. Modern supernatural chillers like
Horror hotline :big head monster (2001) and The eye (
2002) are mostly modelled on more polpular J-Horror films.

STORY SUMMERY

Kate (Mikki yeung): teenage Patient of Aunt Mei (sitting)

Aunt Mei (Bai Ling) :the local chines chef

Mr. Li (Tony leung ka-fai):

Mrs Li (Mirium Yeung) : a

a wealthy man,Mrs Li

rich middle aged housewife

husband.

Aunt Mei , an immigrant , offers dumplings (ingredient

human fetuses) to Mrs. Li ,a former tv star, that
possess rejuvenating power according to Chinese
traditional beliefs so that Mr Li could get attracted to
the recovered youth of Mrs Li.
Illegally ,Kates fetus was also used by Aunt mei for Mrs
Lis desire.
As Kate dies its totally satire on Chinese tradition of
cannibalism .

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Criticism of ancient superstitions in Chinese
society :
movie is a satire on Chinese tradition of
cannibalism and indicate that its totally
superstition that eating special dumplings
made up of human fetuses by Mrs Li and
Aunt Mei has great effect on regaining youth
or rejuvenation .
In this movie an element of social disfame is
attached with the kate pregnancy that results
in illegal abortion of kate by Aunt Mei.

Mrs Li eating fetuses-filled dumplings

 Attraction towards and thus rise in cannibalism :

Movie depicts the mentality of upper middle
class (Mrs Li) society of Honk Kong seeing
cannibalism as a perfect way to regain youth
and rejuvenation.

Mrs Li testing the blood of his own fetuses

Poor social and health care system :

Movie show through kate that women are
not safe in Hong-Kong society.
Poor local health culture (using traditional
Chinese method improper and unsafe
abortion etc ).

 No proper jurisdiction for social and health

care issues like illegal abortion,selective
abortion etc.

Sex selective abortion :

a scene in the movie emphasis on the fact

that boy chid dont get aborted in china.It
clearly focus on the selective abortion .

 Three women with different face :

Aunt Mei: an independent lady make his

livelihood by practicing traditional Chinese
health care system.

 Mrs Li : initially a independent lady then

turned in to dependent lady for his desire for
youth and then got addicted for fetuses-filled
dumplings.

Kate : helpless , victim of society used by

everyone to fulfill their desire ,oppressed and
unsafe finally she died for a cause created by
society (his father, mother,Aunt mei, Mrs li)
as a whole.

 Super visual angle and sound effect :

Depicts father (oppressor) , mother (lover of daughter)

,kate (oppressed) and law (involvement of Hong Kong
government) in one frame with special sound effect.

CONCLUSION

In an innovative way criticism of traditional

Chinese superstition like cannibalism has been
achieved on a great extent.
Newly growing mysterious and ridicules
attraction of modern rich middle class society of
Hong Kong towards cannibalism for regaing youth
and rejuvenation for self use without caring the
moral value as a whole .
Kent is a symbol of sufferings indicating the
absence of proper social ,political and
economical conditions for society and especially
for women as a whole.

 Problem of Chines immigrants northern Chinese

cuisine has been shown.
Rich (Mrs Li) oppressor and poor oppressed
(Kent) in the society depicts the unbreakable
cycle of socity.

REFERENCES
Bhowmik, Ritwij. "Hong-Kong Segment:
Dumplings (Jiaozi) (2004)."
Appreciating Far-Eastern Cinema.
IIT Kanpur.Kanpur.June 2015. Lecture.
Liew Kai Khiun Fracturing,Fixing
and Healing Bodies in Fruit chans
Films in New Cinema : Journal of
Contemporary Film 6:3 (2008) 209225,Asian research
institute,National university of
Singapore.s