I, myself, have unfortunately never been on a cruise. No matter how many times I beg, I am told no. No matter how many times I try to find a good price and time to go, it doesn't work out for the accompanying "cruiser." With that being said, I was unaware of the implications that went along with cruises, such as the one we viewed in the film Up the Yangtze.
The first thing, which stuck out to me the most, was how much the cruise Americanized cruise ship workers, including Bo Yu Chen and Shui Yu. It is astounding to me, that even when the two Chinese children have barely stepped upon the boat, they are immediately given the American names Jerry and Cindy. I thought about how it would feel to literally have your name, your identity, ripped away from you with five simple words, "Your name is now Cindy." Yet, it doesn't end there. It doesn't end with just a name being ripped away from you because the cruise-goers can't take the brief moment to learn your real name.
Second, your boss tells you that you must wear a certain set of clothes at all times and when visible to the cruise-goers. Your identity has been stripped away once again. You now look like every other Chinese female on this ship. Why should you even get a name, when people will simply look at you as "that poor Chinese girl?"
But wait, your identity wasn't stripped away when they gave you an American name. It wasn't stripped away when they gave you matching uniforms, which frighteningly resemble prison uniforms. The moment your identity was stripped away from you was when your parents sent you to work for them; so that you could make money for them.
The only identity you truly have is "that poor Chinese girl."
After weeks on the cruise ship, you are learning more and becoming closer with your other twin counterparts. Yet, you are constantly told that maybe one day you will be good enough to do something more, but in this moment, right here and now, you are not doing enough to make it any further than remaining "that poor Chinese girl."
Your twin counterparts help you with your makeup. They make you look pretty because this is what the cruise-goers want to see. They want to see a lady of beauty cleaning their dishes and washing their linens, not "that poor Chinese girl."
Your parents visit once, and you are ashamed. Your boss keeps telling them what a hard worker you have become, and yet your mother keeps asking if you've been too much trouble. I mean after all, you are merely "that poor Chinese girl."
That's all I've got to say. I think this is what was truly important about this documentary.
Koral,
ReplyDeleteI haven’t been on a cruise ship either before and found Cindy’s experiences very interesting. In my post, I also mentioned how the cruise ship tried to Americanized both characters, especially Cindy’s, to coincide with the Western ideals. I definitely can see how the creator of the film played on the idea of identification within the film. You are right when you note that Cindy seems to be ripped away from her previous identity as a young Chinese woman by developing a new identity that fits the demands of the passengers. Cindy is forced to become part of New China, in order to survive on the cruise ship. I agree, that this aspect seems very unfair. Given that the creator of the film situates us within Cindy’s point of view, or that of a Chinese, it definitely allows us to feel sympathy for her. I do agree that this documentary is important to watch, considering it addresses major concerns: consumer capitalism and racism. With the move towards New China, the Old China has to readjust traditional Chinese values to become part of this new society. The idea of racism comes into place when those that are Chinese are considered minorities compared to the superiors (Americans, Canadians, and Europeans).
I think that you did a nice job explaining how you felt about “that poor Chinese girl stereotype; however, I would have liked to see more details regarding this identification if you chose to focus your response on this term. I think it would be interesting aspect to consider if this film weren’t taken from the Chinese point of view, how would it be different? Is this film only available in the English translation? Therefore, only allowing the more “dominant” groups of individuals gain access to such materials. I think addressing both sides could provide for a well-rounded response. Continue to keep up the good work!
-Erin Schwartz
Hey Koral,
ReplyDeleteI think you really are picking up on one of the most important aspects of the film. The identities of these young Chinese people really are being ripped away and replaced with Westernized uniformity--the clothes, the make-up, the language, and the names. I also think it's really important to note that they were given American names (not just Western ones), even though plenty of other countries were represented on that cruise ship.
Burke likes to use the word 'identification' rather than 'persuasion,' but here, they are really synonymous. Or if they are not exactly synonymous, one necessarily leads to the other. In order to fit in as an employee of that ship, Cindy had to give in to the persuasion of her "twins," as you called them, and put on make-up, fix her hair, smile just right. In other words, her employer persuaded her to identify with the Western cultures touring China on that ship.
This kind of identification is also apparent in the translator on the ship who told the tourists that they could call him "Campbell Soup." The rhetoric of Shui Yu's situation--the fact that family needed her to earn the money--forced this Burkean identification on her. I would be willing to bet that most, if not all, of the employees on that ship faced similar circumstances and similar rhetorical situations.
-Jessica Gonzalez
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI feel like you're saying some ideas that are really relevant to what we have studied. The creation of the "Poor Chinese Girl" is something that Burke had discussed in his view on terministic screens. I would like to ask you if this is a product of deification, infantilization, or demonification. Deification would fall into Hum's ideas, where the Chinese are expected to spit out knowledge and wisdom to others. Infantilization would also fall under Hum's ideas, and creates a character for white people to save. Demonification would be Burke's idea, and creates something that needs to be destroyed.
-Allyn