Films with: Smith, Paul Anthony

From Confucius to Mao

After illustrating how a combination of laws, customs, and Confucian philosophy had reduced Chinese women to chattels, this program examines in detail the turning points from the late 19th through mid 20th centuries that paved the way for a complete reversal in Chinese women's status. Remarkable vintage film and fascinating interviews with women whose lives have spanned the 20th century provide evidence of and insights into the harmful practices of foot-binding, arranged marriages, and polygamy; the postiive impact of the Dowager Empress, Sun Yat-sen, Mao Zedong, and China's first feminist, Qiu Jin; and the salutary effects of female education and Ibesn's A doll's house.

DVD 2281

From Mao towards full equality

This program offers an in-depth appraisal of how China's women's movement slowly gathered momentum under Mao Zedong's and Deng Xiao Ping's rule during the latter half of the 20th century. Outstanding footage from propaganda and documentary sources and compelling interviews with women who participated in the events of those decades reveal the hard-won gains through Communist legal and social reforms, the efforts of Madame Song Qing Ling and leading feminist He Xiang-ning, and women's rights conventions. The mixed results of the Liberation and Independence campaign, the Heroes of the Nation initiative, and the Cultural Revolution are also critically examined.

DVD 3217