Reconstructing Motherhood in Chinese-Language Cinema: Absence, Idealization, and Negotiation Within the Cultural Tensions of Modern Chinese Family Life
Abstract
In Chinese-language cinema, maternal figures have long been depicted through ideals of self-sacrifice and unwavering devotion, reflecting cultural expectations of the "good mother". These portrayals, deeply rooted in traditional kinship ethics, often position women as both moral and emotional anchors within the family. However, the rise of feminist critique and rapid changes in family structures have contributed to increasingly diverse cinematic representations of mothers. On screen, mothers are now depicted with personal desires, internal contradictions, and vulnerabilities, particularly in narratives exploring mother-daughter relationships. Rather than following linear trajectories of conflict or sacrifice, these bonds are portrayed as dynamic, reciprocal, and emotionally nuanced. This paper examines Eat Drink Man Woman, Hi, Mom, and Her Story through close textual reading in dialogue with gender theory. It identifies three recurring maternal typologies--absence, idealization, and negotiation--each corresponding to distinct modes of mother-daughter interaction and highlighting broader cultural tensions such as the substitution of maternal functions, the disciplining of affect, and the reshaping of intimacy. Rather than proposing a singular resolution, this paper demonstrate that maternal representation in Chinese-language cinema is historically situated, emotionally layered, and open to ongoing cultural debate rather than bound by a single framework.
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