· Find a TV Series or Film about your country (Which is China)
And write the link of the TV series or film you have chosen.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et8LcwWHX6M
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· Write a critical review of how the country is portrayed in this series or movie
Things to consider….
· Does it represent Fact or Fiction
The TV series is about many concubines in the palace of the emperor. The concubines fight to get the love of the emperor. The movie shows that the emperor marries girls as young as 17 years. The story is a fiction considering that there are no such incidences in China in the current century. However, there are chances that there were such activities that were demonstrated by the past leaders in the Qing dynasty. Therefore, the TV series is not factual in any way, but is probably meant for the purpose of entertainment.
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· Which sectors of society are included/excluded?
The sectors in the society that are covered include the marriage sector where the leaders in China are depicted to be individuals who marry many women. It shows how marriages in China are faced with a lot of challenges. The other sector that is included in the series is the political sector, since the marriage takes place in the palace, which is the home for an emperor in the country in the past. There is also some representation of the economic factor considering that in the series, the young concubine struggles to have some economic control in the palace. This means that to an extent, the series represents some form of political, social and economic issues in Chinese society. This is regardless of the fact that what is represented in the series is not the present situation in the Chinese society since there has been so many changes in all the sectors that are represented in the series.
· What kind of gender roles are depicted?
The gender roles that are depicted include the leadership roles that are reserved to the men in the Chinese society considering that the emperor is a man. On the other hand, the series shows that the women do not have serious roles in the society. They are depicted to be people whose main purpose is to please the men in the society. They have to struggle to get the attention of their men. Though there is no clear depiction of various gender roles, there is evidence that the men are depicted to be people in control over the women.
· Are there any stereotypes that are reinforced by the show/media or does it challenge stereotypes?
There are various stereotypes that are depicted in the series, which are not true since China has changed a lot since the time of Qing dynasty. First, there are stereotypes that the men in China marry many women. This is especially the case with the leaders in the country. This is very misleading because many people in the country have just one wife.
The other stereotype is that women are just after getting married so that they can benefit from the wealth of their husbands. It also shows that women are happy to be married by famous leaders. The video also spreads the stereotype that women in China are married at very tender age. At the age of 17, individuals are expected to be in school, but the video shows a 17 year old girl being married. This is misleading considering that there are very many women in the country who are running their businesses or even in good employment positions.
· Who owns or commissions the
Beijing TV Art center commissions the series as per now because the series is aired by the television daily for 45 minutes per day. This means that the television benefits from the adverts that are accompanied by the series.
Give examples
Examples include where the 17 year old concubine is married to the brother of the emperor. It shows that the role of women in the society is getting married and performing domestic chores.
Another example is where the concubines fight to control the wealth of the emperor. It is evident that the fight to control wealth in China is an important economic factor. / 600 words
References
《Empresses in the Palace》EP01 後宮甄嬛傳 美版 第一集 【Eng sub】. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et8LcwWHX6M