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Theme Of Farewell My Concubine

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Farewell My Concubine follows the lives of Diouzi Deiyi and Shitou Xiaolou as they perfect performing traditional Peking opera through cultural, political, and personal upheaval. The film covers decades of modern Chinese history while taking a focus on the cultural significance of Peking opera. Several themes are explored and depicted in Farewell My Concubine. Of those regarding the Peking opera, the persistent presence and preservation of the opera despite challenging conditions and the contrast between the wide acceptance of the opera as culturally important and the subpar treatment of the performers, are concepts that stand out throughout the film. From the beginning of the film, the Peking opera is celebrated as a symbol of Chinese culture. Some characters outright claim that to be human, one must watch the opera. In most, if not all, opera performances in the movie, the audience is packed into the area to observe …show more content…

In the beginning of the film, it is made clear that performers fall low in the social structure. Opera performers are not truly respected despite hoe much the opera is valued culturally and the amount of time, effort, dedication and pain that that goes into training a good actor. At one point, it is stated that opera performers have the same social standing as prostitutes and their method of earning a living nearly as respectable. When Douzi is raped as a young boy, it shows another layer of how little respect people hold for people of his standing. Also, Shitou’s wife Juxian demands that Shitou leave the opera, possibly due to it not being a respectable occupation. Oddly enough, opera performers were treated as the scum of the earth, even as the Peking opera is elevated as a quintessential representation of Chinese culture – an artform to be

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