Films

Marriage, Maoism and Modernity

2009 / 30 minutes

Directed by: Zhifang Song Gary Seaman Steven Rousso-Schindler

Anthropologist

Country of production: United States China

Series: Song Family Village

Buy film

Institutional use

£30 / $40 / €35
plus VAT if applicable

Buy DVD
by emailing film@therai.org.uk

1 year $75.00; 3 years $150; perpetual $250

Buy
digital access

This film outlines the types of marriage exchange practiced in a Chinese village over the last fifty years. Dowry, brideprice and exchange marriages have dominated the marriage market in turn as villagers have responded to changes in economic, political and social conditions. At present, the practice of “pseudodowry” (indirect exchange) marks the ability of young women to demand large payments of cash from the groom’s family, which are used to create prestigious public displays of wedding gifts for the bride. A historical overview links the personal life of Mao Zedong to issues of parental authority in arranging marriages.

Language and subtitles: English and Chinese with English Subtitles

Region: Central Asia and Far East

Country: China

Keywords: Marriage History Social Change

RAI FILM

RAI FILM

Institutional use

Contact

Film shop

Film Festival