Zhang Yimou’s 1991 film Raise the Red Lantern is a story of a young, educated woman

who dejectedly accepted her fate to be one of the concubines of an old wealthy man due to her
poverty condition. In this paper, I will be focusing on the women’s role in 1920s when the story
was set, and how this film mirror the Chinese Communist government.
In our modern society, we see mistresses as selfish, filthy women who pathetically and
desperately seek love from a married man. We have negative connotations when we hear the
word 'mistress'. In the film, mistress was the term used to call the four wives of Master Chen. It
then depicts their role in Master Chen- to satisfy his needs and wants by spending every night
with him. It is their every night tradition to light the red lantern of the Master's chosen woman's
house. When the red lanterns are lit, power also comes in. Every mistress, except Yuru- the first
mistress, has the desire of the optimum power from Master Chen. They struggle with daily
rivalry with each other for the lap of luxury. To get the special privileges like a relaxing foot
massage or getting to choose the breakfast menu, each of them has their own strategy and plans
to get the Master’s attention and affection. Meishan fakes her illness to get a special care from
Master Chen. Zhouyun traduced her sisters to master Chen to garner sympathy. Songlian feigns
her pregnancy to make Master Chen stay with her. They are all vying to gain optimum power
from the master.
There is a long tradition of male oppression in China. In 1920, within society, women had
few alternatives as to what roles they could play. The main options available were those of the
wife, concubine, or prostitute. (Fulton, 2000) In the film, Songlian, a young, educated woman,
who dejectedly accepted her fate to be one of the concubines of an old wealthy man due to her
poverty condition. She had no choice than to follow her stepmother. Songlian soon discovered
and learnt about the rules and customs within Master Chen’s compound. In the film, mistress
was the term used to call the four wives of Master Chen. It then depicts their role to Master
Chen- to satisfy his needs and wants by spending every night with him. It is their every night
tradition to light the red lantern of the Master's chosen woman's house. When the red lanterns are
lit, power also comes in. Every mistress, except Yuru- the first mistress, has the desire of the
optimum power from Master Chen. They struggle with daily rivalry with each other for the lap
of luxury. To get the special privileges like a relaxing foot massage or getting to choose the
breakfast menu, each of them has their own strategy and plans to get the Master’s attention and
affection. Meishan fakes her illness to get a special care from Master Chen. Zhouyun traduced
her sisters to master Chen to garner sympathy. Songlian feigns her pregnancy to make Master
Chen stay with her. They are all vying to gain optimum power from the master. This kind of set
up also happens in 1920. “Love was not lost between women in Chinese society; wives could be
very cruel to one another. A wife also could be subject to her husband's other wives.” Also, in
Chinese society before, a man used a concubine, a formal mistress for sexual pleasure and to
produce children. They were abused by the wives and could even have their own children taken
away from them by the other wife. (Chang 70) It was evident in the story that Master Chen
heartily wanted a child- a son in particular. It was not only the mistresses’ obligation to serve and
to satisfy him, but also to give him a son. Every mistress, except Yuri who became aloof in the
story, has the desire to give him a child to gain power. The competition among the mistresses
was so intense to the extent that they harm each other. Songlian consciously injured Zhouyun’s
ear by using a pair of scissor when Zhouyun let her cut her hair. Zhouyun discovered about
Songlian’s fake pregnancy (because of Yan’er), and asked Master Chen to call Dr. Gao to visit
Songlian. Songlian was soon punished by Master Chen by covering her red lanterns because she
feigns her pregnancy. Also, Meishan was murdered in the secret room because she committed
adultery. It was Zhouyun maliciously revealed Meishan’s adulterous relationship wiith Dr. Gao
to the master.

Foot binding was one of the customs introduced in the eleventh century, first practiced by
the wealthy, and later by the peasantry as well. The smaller the feet are, the more attractive they
are. In 1920, it is when foot binding was considered essential for a woman to be considered
eligible for marriage (Spence 20). When a woman was to be married, the first thing the
bridegroom's family would look at was her feet. This is perhaps the reason why foot massage
was emphasized to show how women’s feet important in that time. It was also shown in the
movie how they value the women’s feet when Master Chen said, “A woman’s feet is very
important. When they comfortable, she is healthier… and better able to serve her man.”