The construction of the female subject in Chinese cinema after the Cultural Revolution: from Gong Li´s gazes

Abstract

The appearance of Gong Li on the screen symbolises a revolutionary opening in the representation of female eroticism in China, after the so-called Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). In the present essay the construction of female subjectivity of the actress is demonstrated based on the analyses of the star´s gaze, which is the distinguished gesture of her acting visualising her desire and power as female subject that questions the phallocentric system of the narrations which she starred in. By locating Gong Li´s interpretative gaze in its cultural and historical context, we will distinguish her subjectivity as an actress from a feminist focus and the symbolic prominence that her acting art acquires. We will go through distinct films from her filmography and prove how Gong Li manages to print a continuous personality from which she irradiates a constant interest in constructing a complex female subjectivity on the screen. Her actress´ subject arises in the centre of the scene, for which it is worthwhile to form part of the cinematic discourses. We would also like to acknowledge Gong Li´s positive contribution to the female images in Chinese cinema and the ideological influence of her star image on a sociocultural level.